Welcome to SmackDown!
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee welcome us to Atlanta and our go-home edition for tomorrow night’s SummerSlam. The cameras pan around the ringside area and we see lots of stereotypical “Irish pub” crap around the ring, including barrels/casks and pictures. It’s time for our contendership match WWE Rumors!
Number One Contendership Main Event Donnybrook Match: Sheamus vs Drew McIntyre (26 minutes)
Drew McIntyre begins his entrance and is quickly ambushed by Sheamus. Sheamus brawls with him down to the ring and into it, where the ref calls for the bell. We’re reminded that the winner gets a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion in Cardiff. Sheamus takes an early lead until McIntyre shuts him down with a Spinebuster. Sheamus eventually retrieves a shillelagh and takes a swing but misses.
McIntyre gets a shillelagh but Sheamus clotheslines them both over the top rope. Both men brawl in front of the commentary table, and Drew’s quick to sling Sheamus across it, nearly catching Cole. The Atlanta crowd loudly chants “we want tables” and Drew immediately retrieves a table. The crowd goes wild! It turns out it’s the one that had “been passed down in Sheamus’ family for a number of generations,” according to Cole, but McIntyre cut it in two last week. Sheamus uses the shattered but whole shillelagh to pummel Drew, hitting the Ten Beats of the Bodhran…but he extends it, all the way to twenty beats, and all with the shillelagh in hand! The crowd enthusiastically counts along with his smacks.
Sheamus heads back outside and positions the table leaning against the barricade. Sheamus sets up McIntyre for a suplex through the table but McIntyre slaps on the brakes! Again, McIntyre blocks it and counters with a suplex of his own! McIntyre bounces Sheamus’ face off the ring post and whips him into the hard apron and steel steps. McIntyre whips Sheamus into the nearby stacked barrels and we go to break!
Back from the break. We return to find Drew and Sheamus fighting over a shillelagh; Sheamus drives McIntyre into the mat and retrieves a steel chair. He uses it to smack McIntyre, twice, and wedges it in the corner. Sheamus taunts the crowd, then taunts Drew–making sure he gets his match objectives done–and hoists McIntyre up, looking for White Noise.
McIntyre fights off with elbows and sends Sheamus into the corner that had the chair. The chair, however, had fallen out moments before Sheamus hit the ring post. McIntyre starts his comeback sequence and uses a neckbreaker to drop Sheamus, kipping-up right afterwards.McIntyre exits the ring and fetches three steel chairs and throws them in the ring.
He searches beneath the ring and throws in two more chairs, then another. He enters the ring and Sheamus, from a knelt position, throws one right into Drew’s face, dropping the Scottish Psychopath.
Sheamus sets up McIntyre for a White Noise on the stack of chairs, but Drew wiggles free and hits his Future Shock DDT! Drew covers but only gets two! We’re reminded that Irish and Scottish flags and banners decorate the banners around the ring. Cool.
McIntyre drags Sheamus up, looking for another Future Shock, when Ridge Holland hits McIntyre with a shillelagh from behind! Sheamus follows it up with a Brogue Kick and covers for one, two, three–no! Two! Holland attempts to lawn dart McIntyre at ringside but Drew sends Ridge into the ring post! Drew uses an exploder suplex to send Holland through the table lent up against the barricade from earlier! We go to break!
Back from the break. We return to find Drew and Sheamus battling on the turnbuckles in the top right corner. Sheamus battles Drew down into a Tree of Woe position. Sheamus takes too long and Drew bends up to yank Sheamus off the top. Ridge Holland breaks a shillelagh across McIntyre’s back. Sheamus follows up with an Irish Curse and covers for two.
Drew rolls to the outside and a very sweaty Sheamus follows. Sheamus grabs Drew and attempts to whip him; McIntyre counters, sending Sheamus head-first into a piece of furniture set up nearby with photos on it. Drew again sends Sheamus into it! Butch finally enters the fray as he leaps off the stacked barrels nearby the commentator’s table. Dunne drops McIntyre with a diving axe handle! The crowd is definitely into this match. Sheamus looks to use a shillelagh to drop Drew but McIntyre dodges and takes it from him, striking both him and Butch! Drew hits a Claymore on Butch and Sheamus immediately catches him off-guard with a Brogue, covering for a very close two! Both men are down for several moments.
Sheamus has a small laceration on his left shoulder. The crowd loudly chants “this is awesome”–and it’s the real crowd; the piped-in crowd has been greatly reduced since the end of the VKM era. Drew watches and rises, shaking his head and watching Sheamus. Sheamus rises to his knees, Drew hits him with a low-angle Claymore, and covers to win WWE News!
Your Winner and New Number One Contender, Drew McIntyre!
After the Match: Theory, Happy Corbin Show Up
Theory shows up nearly immediately and beats the shit out of Drew with the Money in the Bank briefcase. He got massive live heat from the crowd; like him or hate him, he’s doing his job as a heel right. After that, Happy Corbin is shown approaching McAfee from behind.
He has a sign and a large tub of popcorn and shows his ticket, stating he has a seat right behind McAfee–his opponent for tomorrow night. We head to break. When we return, we find that Corbin is now yelling random things such as “turn around” and “do your job” at McAfee, harassing him and testing his patience. He’s even holding up a poster with an old photo of Pat McAfee on it and the word “LOSER” written in large print above it.
SummerSlam Match Cancelled
We get clips from last Monday’s Raw, during which Riddle and Rollins brawled at ringside. Rollins injured Riddle during the eating, causing Riddle to not be medically cleared for tomorrow.
Singles Match: Shotzi vs Aliyah
Originally advertised as Lacey Evans vs Aliyah, we’re informed that Lacey Evans is not present tonight. The announcers quickly hype Shotzi’s apparently new-found hatred for Aliyah and “everything she stands for.” Shotzi starts off hyper aggressive, taking it to Aliyah and controlling the opening moments. Shotzi punishes Aliyah with a standing half crab more akin to Jericho’s old Lion Tamer!
Shotzi retaliates, shoving Aliyah’s face into the ring post.
Both women roll into the ring. Shotzi looks for a modified suplex DDT–a new finisher called the “Never Wake Up”–and picks up the win!
Your Winner, Shotzi!
After the Match: “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey Confronts Shotzi
Shotzi starts to address Liv Morgan when Ronda’s music plays. Rousey, Morgan’s opponent tomorrow, comes out. Shotzi growls “Hi, Ronda,” and attempts to attack Ronda. Ronda drops her with an arm bar and sends her out of the ring!
A fan yells something and she snaps back that their mother “failed” them. Ouch! She then demands that we have a fight tonight as she’s angry and wants to fight. We head to break.
Tag Match: SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan & Ronda Rousey vs Natalya & Sonya Deville
We return from break with a pissed-off Ronda in the ring. Liv’s music plays and our champ is out to a decent welcome. We’re informed this is a tag team match. Out next are Deville and Natalya. We get the bell and Rousey starts off against Natalya, dominating the Neidhart. Liv comes in and continues the trend until Nattie tags in Sonya Deville.
Deville unloads on Liv, kicking her into the corner and raining kicks down on her. Sonya with a gut kick in the middle of the ring but Morgan fires off a dropkick that sends Deville staggering back to the corner. Morgan with a running knee to Deville and a blind tag from Rousey. Rousey and Morgan argue for a moment; Deville attempts to sneak attack but Rousey catches her with a kick. Rousey looks for an ankle lock but Deville escapes the ring and Morgan tags herself in.
They argue, again, and Deville yanks Morgan off the apron!
Back from the break! Deville repeatedly smashes the champ’s face into the turnbuckle before attempting a cover. Rousey bounces on the apron, wanting the hot tag, but Deville and Natalya use quick tags to keep Morgan isolated a few more moments. A double suplex from both women.
Natalya mocks Rouse as she puts on a weak hold on Morgan’s neck. Morgan battles to a vertical base but fails to create separation as Natalya drops her to the mat almost instantly. Nattie stomps Morgan’s gut and takes time to talk smack before attempting a Sharpshooter. Morgan kicks her off, rolls through and attempts a hot tag. Natalya temporarily blocks it–Morgan hits a Codebreaker and instead of tagging in Ronda, goes for the cover, getting two! Morgan is then whipped into the heel corner by Natalya.
Morgan attempts to fight out of the corner but Nattie slaps the heck out of her and tags in Deville, who unloads strikes to Morgan in the corner.
A snapmare is used to take Morgan down and Deville taunts Ronda as she slaps a sleeper hold on Morgan. Morgan again powers to a vertical base and this time, gains separation from Deville. Morgan throws weak rights as she tries to fight her off. Deville with a big kick to Morgan; Morgan “on instinct” fires off a step-up Enziguri! Both women are down!
Morgan drags herself to the corner and Ronda calls for the tag. Morgan again refuses to make the tag. Liv misses on a running attack and Natalya nearly rolls her up. Natalya hits a Discus Clothesline (Nattie by Nature) for another close pin. Again, Ronda puts her hand out for a tag and Michael Cole begs on commentary for Morgan to preserver herself for tomorrow night and tag out.
Liv finally crawls close enough and Ronda gets the hot tag. Ronda comes in and takes it to Deville, then fires off a Piper’s Pit quickly. She calls out to the car and threatens and arm bar but Natalya attacks her from behind. Liv Morgan hits the ObLIVion on Natalya! Rousey slaps on the ankle lock and Deville taps!
Your Winners by Submission, Ronda Rousey & SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan!
In the Ring Confrontation: the Street Profits and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions the Usos
Both teams are out, and we’re joined by special Guest Enforcer “Double J” Jeff Jarrett! Double J comes out on the mic. “Street Profits, I’ve got some words for you. And Usos, champs? I definitely have some words for you. Now I thought it’d be a good idea for the four of us to get together out here and get things straight before SummerSlam.” (There’s five of them in the ring, fyi) Jarrett states he’s the special guest ref and he wants to get things clear.
Jey Uso and Jimmy hop on the mic and ask if it’s a DQ if they “grab both of these championships and wrap them around Dawkins heads like them (???) pants he’s got on?” Dawkins asks if it’s a DQ if he hits Jimmy so hard that “his face paint” comes back on, haha. Both teams exchange heated words. The Profits want the smoke, and the crowd’s behind them in that endeavor. Jarrett keeps both teams separate and gets back on the mic.
“Now listen, I’m not here to contain you guys. As a matter of fact, I”m here to let you run wild. Because I only have one job tomorrow night, that’s when two shoulders are on the mat, I count one, two, three. But that’s tomorrow night. As far as tonight goes, it’s very apparent you guys have some outstanding issues. So if one of you guys feels froggy, why don’t one of ya jump!”
Dawkins states there ain’t gonna be “no more jumping” but he has one final question regarding DQ rules. The Street Profits immediately slug the Usos and both teams brawl! During it, Jey Uso accidentally Superkicks Jeff Jarrett! The Usos realize their mistake and they check on Jarrett. Jey repeatedly says “my bad, on me” but Jeff angrily shoves Jey! Jeff then shoves Jimmy! The Usos are again attacked by Dawkins, who sends the Usos out of the ring and allows Montez Ford to hit a diving over-the-top suicide strike to end our segment!
