It’s time for night 2 of the WWE Superstar Shake-Up. 2018 has been a pretty great year already but ironically some of the best matches in WWE took place in NXT. Let’s see if SmackDown Live gets a few of those key NXT talents this time around.
The best part of the WWE Superstar Shake-Up is the fact that we never know what will happen next and WWE can erase an entire move with the click of a button via social media hours after the show as well.
Let’s see who Raw will lose to SmackDown Live the day after the Red Brand got much of Tuesday night’s lower level-Superstars. It looks like AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and Shinsuke Nakamura will remain on SmackDown Live but only time will tell what will happen when all is said and done.
It surprises me that nobody has spoken about Asuka during this Shake-Up because she’s been dormant since her WrestleMania loss to Charlotte Flair. But with Carmella as the SmackDown Women’s Champion, anything can happen as WWE begins not just a new chapter, but a new book as the start to look forward toward where they might be on the Road To WrestleMania 35.
Opening Segment
AJ Styles came out first because he’s still the face that built SmackDown Live. He really is so good and was super over as well as confident as he walked to the ring.
AJ said you can tell a lot about a man by his failures and we learned everything we needed to know about Nakamura after his loss at WrestleMania. Styles said Nakamura isn’t just an artist but also a con artist and then the crowd had dueling AJ Styles/Nakamura chants.
AJ said he wanted the same thing but all he wanted was a little payback against Nakamura but instead he was afforded a real dream match with Daniel Bryan and then the crowd starting a Yes chant.
AJ said he felt the same way but instead, Shinsuke Nakamura ruined it. Styles said he knows all of a sudden Nakamura is acting like he doesn’t speak English but he’s not down to talk, he’s down to fight and then he called the King Of Heel Style to the ring.
But instead, Aiden English’s melodious voice hummed out in the microphone and the crowd went crazy. English sang he knew that AJ wanted Shinsuke but he’s sorry to say that he’s gone away on an anywhere but Providence vaca. Then he rapped about how they can take a survey and asked to take a survey, what day is today? Rusev Day! The crowd ate it up and it was something you can’t plan.
Then AJ said since it’s Rusev’s Day and Nakamura doesn’t have a spine then they had a match right then and there.
AJ Styles vs Rusev
Styles got a calf crusher on Rusev pretty early on and English jumped in the ring to attack him so the referee called for the bell. Then Daniel Bryan ran in to make the save and he helped AJ Styles fight off Rusev Day.
The Yes chants were nice and it looks like a tag match could be coming up.
Backstage Segment
Shane McMahon was watching the events in the ring in a monitor in what might be his office? I don’t know, but Paige came in and booked a tag match for later on. I swear I write all of these live but yeah.
Oh yeah, and Paige was doing a Teddy Long impression while she booked the tag match so that was pretty awesome too.
Shelton Benjamin vs ?????
Shelton Benjamin made it to the ring and he now has to walk on his own once more but it still sucks to lose Chad Gable and his backstage buddies the Riott Squad.
Benjamin said the tweet that he sent out about Gable being an inspiration was a result of a hacker because he would never say anything like that.
He said he never needed Gable and Gable needed him. He said he needed the championship opportunities he’s owed and he needs to remind everyone that he’s one of the biggest talents in the back and he told Paige to send him some big competition.
Then Randy Orton came out who was already on SmackDown and it’s the Superstar Shake-Up but it’s still Randy so that’s cool. It’s always good to see Randy. Then… Jeff Hardy came out. Hey guys, we saw that one coming, right? Now the US Title stays on SmackDown meaning Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal stay on Raw so that’s cool.
Orton kind of got passed up by Hardy on the ramp and Orton looked down biting his lip with this look saying, “did this dude really just step up over me?” But Benjamin did say he was looking for championship opportunities so there you go and Orton is still in the US Title picture too.
Anyway, the match started with Hardy hitting a high-risk move and then Benjamin soon took control. Benjamin worked the leg for a bit but Hardy soon returned with an inverted atomic drop but Benjamin transitioned it flawlessly into a half crab submission to apply more damage to Jeff’s jumping sticks.
Shelton Benjamin really did go shooting on Twitter because the commentary team kept trying to cover up for it saying he could have changed his mind after Gable cut a promo saying he didn’t need a partner so it looks like he might still be a heel.
Hardy took a bump into the top of the turnbuckle and Shelton climbed up to try for a superplex. Hardy knocked Shelty off but he jumped back up and drove a knee into Hardy’s face to send him back down. Then Benjamin climbed back up but Jeff kept on fighting. Finally, Jeff jumped with Benjamin’s face into the turnbuckle and leaped back up to hit a Whisper In The Wind.
After a sequence of reversing each other’s finishing moves, Jeff hit the Twist Of Fate and climbed up to the top for a Swanton Bomb for the win.
Winner: Jeff Hardy via pinfall
Jeff Hardy looks good as United States Champion, I just wonder if he’ll have to pay for disrespecting Randy Orton later on.
The Miz cut one of those cell phone videos about Daniel Bryan and that tweet he sent out about how long he’s wanted to punch The Miz in the face. He asked the crowd if they’d like to see Bryan punch him in the face and they popped… then he revealed that he wasn’t in the building but it was at home with his family showing Maryse and Monroe in the process.
Before he cut out his segment which undoubtedly only took one take to pull off he said, “oh Daniel Bryan next time you troll me on Twitter, I’m gonna kick your ass–” and Maryse scolded him for swearing in front of their infant.
But The Miz said he will be in the building for SmackDown Live next week and it is going to be awesome.
They showed that Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are headed to SmackDown Live next week when they’re back from the tour of South Africa. This was an easy call because Riott Squad moved over to Raw. It’s really cool WWE is keeping those two groups of girls together because not only are they great in the ring but they’re also great for each other outside of the ring too.
Jey Uso vs Luke Harper
Uso and Harper fought a little bit until Rowan got involved on the outside. He caused a distraction when Jimmy started fighting with him. Then he landed a shot to Jey and Harper made the pin.
Winner: Destruction
After the match was officially over, Luke and Eric destroyed Jimmy and Jey outside of the ring. Then they grabbed their huge hammers and were about to smash some Uce skulls like melons. But Naomi came running out screaming and pleading with them “please no more! Leave them alone!” she covered Jimmy who laid next to the steel stairs that he had just become intimate with and The Glow shouted at The Bludgeon Brothers to leave.
Like frightened and confused beasts, Harper and Rowan picked up their toys and left. But this was really an interesting way to use Naomi.
Sin Cara Meets Defeat
Sin Cara was in the ring and then all of a sudden, holy crap Samoa Joe comes out. Even though he’s booked in a match against Roman Reigns at Backlash. Is that still on? Who knows. I quit thinking a match is ever going to happen at this point until just before the bell rings and sometimes even after.
Joe didn’t let Cara have much room to work as he laid in some punches and promtply got him up and said, “you’re gonna learn tonight!” But Cara came back with two kicks and went for a springboard but Joe swatted him out of the air.
Then Samoa Joe laid in come nice stiff knees and latched on the Coquina Clutch for the almost immediate submission.
Winner: SmackDown Live via Samoa Joe
After the match, Joe cut a promo and said, “well if it isn’t the land of opportunity. But to me this place seems like the land of hand outs.” He said everyone has had it easy so far as I start to imagine matches with Joe vs Danielson in 2018.
Joe said that all changes now and he’s taking all the opportunities. He will put Daniel Bryan to sleep. He will defang The Viper Randy Orton. He will also emasculate and decimate AJ Styles. Then he said if you’re a doubter then look at what he does in Saudi Arabia and at Backlash.
Then he said he’ll shred anything that is left after Brock Lesnar destroys Roman Reigns and put the Big Dog out to pasture for good. So, that match is still one. Then he said if he’s facing the Universal Champion at Backlash then he’ll defeat Roman anyway and bring the red belt to the Blue Brand. He could also win the IC Title at the Greatest Royal Rumble too. So he’s still in storyline limbo right now but as soon as Backlash is over there is a lot of promise about him facing people like Bryan, Orton, and Styles.
Joe did a mic drop after his promo and he deserved it.
Daniel Bryan was asked why he helped AJ Styles and he said that he to help him because he respected AJ Styles. Because styles is the best. Then he said he’s proud to fight with AJ because they can fight each other later because he said he made a list of everyone he wanted to face while he was in recovery to help motivate him.
Suddenly he turned around and Big Cass was standing there. “So you’re what the fuss is all about, little man?” Cass said after looking D-Bry up and down.
Mellabration
Ironically after Big Cass showed up on SmackDown Live, Carmella got to have her big celebration for winning the SmackDown Women’s Title. The ring was done up in leopard spots and she ran around the ring and was quite excited about her title.
Mella got a little bit of “you deserve it” chants and she said they can shut up because they’re just bandwagon jumpers. Then Carmella said she’s not just the Princess Of Staten Island because now she’s the Moonwalkin Trashtalkin Crowned Princess Of SmackDown Live. “That’s got such a nice ring to it, don’t you think??” she asked.
Carmella said she waited 287 long days and finally jumped on her chance to get to the top of the women’s division. Then she said, “listen very carefully to what I’m about to say… I beat Charlotte Flair,” and then she started laughing. She said she beat Flair all on her own and got major heat for it as she kept repeating it over and over again.
She mentioned how Flair said to be the woman you have to beat the woman. Then Mella grabbed her belt that was sitting on a leopard print pedestal and said she’s the woman.
Then they showed a highlight video showing how she won the Money In The Bank briefcase all on her own without showing James Ellsworth at all. They even cropped shots of her with the MITB briefcase cutting promos to avoid showing him. Seriously, would they cut James Ellsworth out of WWE History like that?
Mella said she’ll miss her briefcase Frankie but 287 is nothing compared to how long she’ll keep Cleopatra which is what she named her title apparently as she introduced the WWE Universe to her new title by name.
Then Charlotte Flair came out and said Mella’s title reign is like her memory and that’s short. She said Carmella wouldn’t have had that briefcase without that “chinless freak” which kind of mentions Ellsworth but doesn’t name him because that’s the name he’s still using on the indies.
As Flair walked up the stairs saying Mella has something of hers, The Iconic Duo came out.
Peyton did her Charlotte impression and it was awesome. Apparently, Charlotte likes water bottles and having her diapers changed.
Billie Kay said they just did what Charlotte told them to because she asked for magic and they made her title disappear. They waved hi to Carmella and then Flair jumped down to fight off the Duo.
Billie and Peyton beat Flair down until Becky Lynch ran down for the save while Carmella just watched it all go down while leaning on her leopard printed podium and chilling with Cleopatra.
Charlotte Flair vs Billie Kay
Apparently their just “The Iiconics” now which is just fine. Carmella sat next to the announce desk and chilled with Corey Graves to get the best seat in the house for this match.
Billie actually got quite a bit of offense in on Charlotte Flair and gained an advantage around the ring and applied some mounted strikes before latching on a submission hold.
As Charlotte Flair laid in the turnbuckle, Peyton Royce hit her with a cheap shot. Billie maintained control and got several near falls but Flair kept kicking out as the crowd sounded like they were chanting “Undertaker” for some reason.
Flair started her comeback with some chops and a knee drop as the crowd started to chant “Y2J.” Billie Kay came back with a punishing move for a two count while Flair kicked out and hit a big boot. Then she got the Figure 8 and Billie Kay tapped out very soon.
Winner: Charlotte Flair via submission
After the match was over, Mella jumped Flair and beat her down with the title. Becky Lynch tried to jump in and help her but the Iiconics jumped Lynch and just when the babyfaces looked like they were screwed… Asuka came out.
The newest addition to SmackDown Live sprinted to the ring to help out the babyfaces that included the woman who defeated her at WrestleMania. After Asuka kicked everyone really hard and they left, the babyfaces celebrated. But it looks like Mella got out without facing Asuka because she had a big smile on her face while she clutched Cleopatra.
Then they announced Gallows and Anderson are coming to SmackDown Live.
Then The Bar cut a promo about everything they did on Raw during their time together. Now it looks like we’ll get to find out how The Bar will fare against some of those SmackDown tag teams.
The New Day was backstage and suddenly R-Truth was there. Everyone was happy to see each other until Tye Dillinger showed up and they did that thing where you act like you don’t like someone but you’re really friends because they acted like they were going to fight and then they did a great handshake. R-Truth got confused about what day it was and then he left.
Then they announced Sanity is coming up but it will just be Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dane which is kind of disappointing. Then Andrade Cien Almas cut a promo meaning he’s coming up too. So that’s just amazing.
AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan vs Rusev Day
Just seeing Daniel Bryan back in the ring is something amazing to see. He took it to English early on and schooled him with some submission moves. Then after a little skirmish, Bryan ended up taking some abuse from Aiden English and AJ Styles got the tag who also gained an upper hand on the WWE Champion.
Rusev got the tag and started kicking AJ Styles to taunt him on. Then he applied a bearhug and wrenched at AJ Styles while he tried to tag Daniel Bryan but he just couldn’t reach. Rusev drove Styles into the other corner and the people seemed to boo him even though they were probably the same people chanting Rusev Day during his entrance.
Then Aiden English got the tag to help carry on the advantage over the babyfaces. He choked AJ Styles with his foot and hit a couple closed fists and a kick in the corner.
Style finally rolled out of the way so English missed a jumping punch and then Styles got the tag to Daniel Bryan. The Bearded Goat got the tag and laid into Rusev who also took a tag he hit a bunch of moves, dropkicks, and then he amped the crowd up for some Yes Kicks.
Meanwhile, Shinsuke Nakamura appeared and distracted Styles on the apron and then Big Cass appered on the other side of the ring and hit Daniel Bryan with a big boot ending the match via DQ.
Winner: Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ
After the segment was over, Big Cass stood over Daniel Bryan while his music played everyone off and the crowd tried to decide how they were going to react to Big Cass jumping to SmackDown Live and immedittely getting to be Daniel Bryan’s first real opponent.
Then Shinsuke Nakamura told Renee Young he didn’t speak English after she asked him what just happened as Big Cass stood in the ring with his fist raised high over Daniel Bryan.
