WWE SmackDown Report – 7/24/2020

Jul 24, 2020 - by Staff

– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX opens up with a video package for tonight’s Bar Fight. We get comments from Jeff Hardy and Sheamus to hype the brawl. WWE Hall of Famer JBL also comments on the fight and says this will be a great one as emotions are running high. Corey Graves and Michael Cole hype tonight’s show and the Bar Fight as we see Sheamus’ personal bartender getting ready behind the bar.

– We’re live on a tape delay from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida as Cole and Graves welcome us. The WWE NXT developmental trainees cheer from behind the Plexiglas.

– We go right to the ring and out come the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. Banks is still in possession of Asuka’s RAW Women’s Title belt. We see how she got the belt during The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules. We also see how Bayley retained over Nikki Cross at Extreme Rules last Sunday.

Banks and Bayley go on about how great they are. They declare that the Women’s Evolution is over. It started with them and is ending with them. They introduce a new era – the era of Sasha Banks and Bayley. They go on running their mouths and taunt fans at home, saying they’ll never be as good as them. The music interrupts and out comes Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Cross is furious. She yells at Banks and Bayley about what they’ve done, and says their era is already over. Banks and Bayley taunt her. Bliss isn’t so sure about this because Cross is wild and carrying on. Cross mentions having cracked ribs from Extreme Rules. She goes on and wants a title shot. Now. Bayley jokes around some more, calling them sheep. She says she won at Extreme Rules fair and square, but she wants to do what’s right.

Bayley announces that Cross can have a title shot if she beats a former champion, a future Hall of Famer – Bliss. The winner will earn a title shot on next week’s show. Cross and Bliss exchange looks. Cross hesitates and says they’ve got to do this. She shoves Bliss down on the stage and then marches to the ring as Bliss looks on. We go to commercial.

#1 Contender’s Match: Nikki Cross vs. Alexa Bliss

Back from the break and Alexa Bliss is in the ring with Nikki Cross. Sasha Banks and Bayley join Cole and Graves for commentary. Back and forth to start the match.

Bliss and Cross trade holds and keep it friendly early on. They go back & forth on the mat now, then break after going back to their feet. The crowd applauds. They go at it again and Bliss drops Cross with a shoulder first. Bliss charges but Cross nails a few arm drags. Cross grounds Bliss in the middle of the ring now as the crowd rallies some. They go into the corner and Cross blocks a shot and she’s not happy with Bliss trying to take advantage. They tangle in the corner some more and both avoid DDT attempts.

Cross rocks Bliss with a big shot and gets fired up now. Cross runs wild with several takedowns. Cross with a splash and more in the corner. Cross with a running bulldog out of the corner for a 2 count. Banks and Bayley are extremely annoying on commentary.

Bliss turns it around and sends Cross to the floor. Cross traps Bliss in the apron cover but it backfires and Bliss kicks Cross away. Banks and Bayley stand up at the announce table and shout at the competitors like a couple of fools. Cross and Bliss thankfully attack them and knock them down. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Bliss slaps Cross while she’s on the apron holding on. Bliss rocks Cross and sends her back to the floor. Bliss runs and slides, kicking Cross back in front of the announce table where Banks and Bayley are. Bliss brings it back in and unloads on Cross in the corner. Bliss grounds Cross in the middle of the ring. Bliss keeps control and works on the hurt ribs some. They end up on the floor again and Bliss rams Cross into the barrier. The referee counts and Cross makes it back in. Bliss continues to dominate but can’t put Cross away.

Bliss with a shoulder to the gut in the corner. Banks and Bayley continue their extremely obnoxious schtick on commentary. Bliss grounds Cross and works on the arm as the crowd rallies. Cross finally mounts some offense for her comeback. Cross knocks Bliss into the corner and unloads. Cross slams Bliss into the top turnbuckle several times. Cross goes up for a tornado DDT but Bliss counters and sends her to the mat. Bliss ends up hitting the big sunset flip powerbomb out of the corner for a 2 count. More back and forth now. Bliss climbs up but Cross cuts her off.

Cross goes for a superplex but Bliss hangs on. Bliss sends Cross to the mat. Bliss jumps but has to land on her feet as Cross moves. Cross comes right back and drops Bliss for another close pin attempt. They trade moves in the middle of the ring and Cross drops Bliss with the inverted neckbreaker. Bliss kicks out at 2. Cross goes to the top for a crossbody but Bliss moves out of the way. Cross clutches her ribs and the referee checks on her. Bliss also tries to check on her but the referee backs her off. Bliss approaches again, possibly to check on Cross or to continue the match, but Cross takes advantage and takes her down into a roll-up for the pin to earn the title shot.

Winner and New #1 Contender: Nikki Cross

– After the match, Cross recovers and stands tall. We go to replays. Bliss sits up and looks at Cross as her music plays. Banks and Bayley look on and taunt Cross from ringside. Cross vs. Bayley is confirmed for next week.

– Still to come, a new episode of The Firefly Fun House. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Alexa Bliss is backstage with Nikki Cross. It’s a bit awkward at first but Bliss says Cross deserves this and they hug. Bliss says it’s time to focus so she can beat Bayley for the title. Cross agrees.

– We get a look back at the non-title Wyatt Swamp Fight between Bray Wyatt and WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman last Sunday at WWE’s The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. Wyatt is in the Firefly Fun House now. He jokes about Strowman being down in the bottom of the swamp and how it’s 100% organic. The Wyatt head lantern is sitting on the table and is communicating with him. Wyatt says he can’t let Wyatt back out to have another chance at Strowman because it’s “his” chance now. Him being The Fiend. Wyatt says “He” has been unleashed. We see flashes of The Fiend. Wyatt laughs and waves goodbye. Cole and Graves comment on how The Fiend has been unleashed and that’s bad for Strowman.

– Cole and Graves show us how Matt Riddle lost a title shot to WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles last week. Riddle is in action next.

Matt Riddle vs. Tony Nese

We go back to the ring and out comes Matt Riddle. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Tony Nese is out. The bell rings and they go at it. Riddle with a few big German suplexes early on and more offense. Nese kicks out. Nese comes back and hits a moonsault but Riddle hangs on. They tangle and go to the mat. Nese with a body scissors from behind on the mat now. Riddle counters and goes into the Bro Derek but Nese slides out. Riddle takes it to the corner for running forearms.

Riddle tosses Nese with a big Exploder suplex, then a penalty kick to the face. Riddle stays on Nese and goes right into the Bro Derek. Riddle then covers for the fairly easy win.

Winner: Matt Riddle

– After the match, Riddle stands tall as his music hits. We go to replays. Riddle takes the mic and says he’s kind of new here so he doesn’t know how this works but he’s going to give this a try. He calls out King Baron Corbin. Corbin comes out and speaks from the stage, taking shots at Riddle and going on about how he doesn’t belong here, he doesn’t belong in Corbin’s kingdom. Corbin goes on and says Riddle just has that new car smell and when that wears off, he’ll just be like some frat boy with no shoes, who looks like he just rolled out of bed. Corbin says Riddle doesn’t belong in a professional environment like SmackDown, he needs to go back to WWE NXT or maybe he could be a top guy on WWE 205 Live. Corbin is so confident that Riddle doesn’t belong here, that he’s officially putting out a King’s Ransom to anyone in the world who can prove Riddle doesn’t belong here. Riddle says Corbin has it all wrong. Riddle goes on and says Corbin is the next special guest star in The Bro Show. Riddle drops the mic and turns around to drop Nese with a big kick as he charges. Riddle’s music hits as he taunts Corbin from the ring.

– The Miz and John Morrison are backstage. They bring up the recent “#NaomiDeservesBetter” hashtag and talk some about creating their own hashtag. Morrison jokes about a potential hashtag but Miz isn’t impressed. They hurry off for MizTV. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and it’s time for another must see edition of MizTV. The Miz and John Morrison are out to the ring now. They talk about trends and Miz continues to interrupt and take friendly jabs at Morrison. They go on and introduce tonight’s guest – Naomi. Miz and Morrison do some of the worst dancing ever as her music hits, and she’s not really impressed.

Miz welcomes Naomi and brings up her heartbreaking loss last week. Miz says despite the loss, it was Naomi who trended worldwide on Twitter, not the winner, Lacey Evans. Naomi goes on about how the fans support her. It’s not always easy to come out here with a smile on your face but she keeps going for the fans. They also bring up how she went viral after returning earlier this year and failing to win the Royal Rumble. They comment on how they trend for various reasons but she goes viral for losing. There’s some tension between them now. Naomi says they’re making her sick.

Naomi says the topic of conversations should be why the fans support her the way they do, and why Lacey attacked her over a karaoke contest. Naomi isn’t happy with Miz passing judgement on she and her fans. She goes on about how she’s put in work for years now, and that’s why her fans support her. Does she need to explain? Miz didn’t expect this interview to be so confrontational. Morrison apologizes because this is about to get much worse. Miz says they have a surprise guest. The music hits and out comes Evans to mostly boos.

Naomi isn’t thrilled to see Evans. The boos continue as Evans enters the ring. She greets the hosts and looks down at Naomi. Evans taunts Naomi for last week’s loss and says she’s been here for more than a decade with not much to show for it, and is about as washed up as ever. Bless her heart, Evans says. Naomi strikes to the face and Evans is shocked. They tangle some and Naomi sends Evans to the floor. Naomi talks trash from the ring as her music hits. Evans looks at how Naomi ruined her makeup, then throws a fit at ringside before storming off. Naomi dances in the ring as Miz and Morrison try to dance behind her.

– We see how Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated The New Day to capture the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at Extreme Rules this past Sunday. Big E is backstage pacing around. Kofi Kingston walks out of a trainer’s room and says he will be out of action for 6 weeks, maybe more. Kofi is looking forward to spending time with family. Big E wants Kofi to heal up. They talk about focusing to get the titles back. Kofi says maybe the universe is trying to talk to them. He and Xavier Woods are both out now, so maybe it’s Big E’s time. Kofi goes on and says it’s all about Big E now, and him showing the world what he can do. Big E appreciates it but… Kofi tells him he’s earned this, he deserves this, and he has The New Day’s blessing. They hug and show love to end the segment.

– We get another video for the Bar Fight with JBL hyping it up.

Fatal 4 Way #1 Contender’s Match: Shorty G vs. Drew Gulak vs. Gran Metalik vs. Lince Dorado

We go back to the ring and out comes WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles as the boos pick up. AJ joins Cole and Graves at commentary for this #1 contender’s match. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and we have Shorty G, Drew Gulak, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado in the ring. The winner will earn a title shot from Styles, who is on commentary. Metalik rolls Gable up after the bell as Dorado dropkicks Gable. The Lucha House Party members hit a double hip toss and Metalik sends his partner into Gulak. The partners then have a few words before Dorado takes the leg out.

Gulak trips Dorado and sends him to the floor. Metalik leaps out and hits a big hurricanrana to send Gulak back down on the floor. Gable with a big German suplex but Metalik lands on his feet. More back and forth now. Dorado ends up hitting a big suicide dive to Gulak, sending him against the announce table. Metalik with an enziguri but Gable counter with a dropkick to counter a springboard. Gable ends up hitting a big moonsault to Gulak and Dorado on the floor. Everyone is down as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and G is working on Metalik in the ring. Gulak with an elbow to Metalik. They double team Metalik but Gulak stops G from pinning. Gulak with a 2 count on G. Metalik breaks that up and in comes Lince with another pin attempt. Gulak dumps Lince to the floor on his head. G backslides Gulak into a 2 count. Gulak reverses as they trade counters on the mat. AJ calls it a rookie move. G with a snap suplex on Gulak for a 2 count. More back and forth now while Dorado is back down on the floor. G and Gulak double team Metalik for a few minutes. Metalik takes them both down with a springboard back elbow. The crowd rallies for Metalik.

Dorado comes in and decks Gulak, then kicks G to the floor. Dorado with chops and a kick to Gulak. Dorado with a big move off the ropes for a 2 count on Gulak. Dorado goes on and counters a Stunner from Gulak for a 2 count. Metalik broke Dorado’s pin up and they argue again. G takes advantage of their arguing, and unloads on both. G launches Dorado and hits a cannonball on Gulak and Dorado in the corner. G with an Exploder to Gulak. G with a big German on Metalik for a 2 count as Gulak breaks the pin. All four competitors are down now. More back and forth. Gulak with his Dragon Sleeper on G. G eventually counters and applies the ankle lock in the middle of the ring. Gulak screams out and G drops down to tighten the hold. Dorado flies from the top with a big splash, breaking the hold. Dorado holds the splash but G kicks out at 2. The crowd rallies louder now.

Dorado with high flying moonsaults off the ropes to G. Dorado goes to the top for a third moonsault now but Gulak crotches him. Gulak climbs up and they tangle but Gulak gets sent out to the floor. Dorado gets launched across the ring and to the floor but G is also down. Metalik takes advantage of the chaos and goes to the top. Metalik flies and hits a big elbow drop on G for the pin to win and earn the title shot.

Winner and New #1 Contender: Gran Metalik

– After the match, Metalik stands tall as the music hits. We go to replays. AJ enters the ring as Metalik and Dorado are talking, on the same page. AJ offers his hand for a shake but Metalik hesitates. AJ slaps him in the face, sending him back. Dorado stares at AJ. Metalik comes back and slaps AJ in his face. Metalik ends up sending AJ out to the floor. Metalik picks up the title belt and raises it high. Dorado points at Metalik and taunts AJ as their music hits again. AJ looks on from the floor as Metalik and Dorado stand tall in the ring. Metalik vs. AJ is confirmed for next week.

– We get a video package on the relationship between Mandy Rose and Money In the Bank briefcase holder Otis. Their love story will continue next Friday as both will be on SmackDown.

– The announcers hype tonight’s Bar Fight as we get another look at the bar. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Kayla Braxton is in the back with new SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura brags on putting Kofi Kingston through a table and hurting him, making him “go splat!” Cesaro regrets not getting to put Big E through another table and hurting him. They go on and don”t believe this is Big E’s time, they’re not buying what Kofi says. Nakamura comments on how they are going to make the other tag teams on SmackDown “go splat!” now. The champs walk off.

– We get a video package on the Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus feud. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Cole announces Nikki Cross vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, Gran Metalik vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles, and Naomi vs. Lacey Evans for next week.

Bar Fight: Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy

We go to a bar named Irish Shannon’s in Orlando, Florida. Sheamus walks in. His personal bartender is there, as is a referee. The bartender says he hasn’t seen Jeff Hardy yet. Jeff walks up and takes a seat. Sheamus asks if he wants a drink to take the edge off. Jeff passes but asks for a cup. The referee asks if they’re ready to do this. Jeff tells him he’s only here to make the 3 count.

Jeff says his brother Matt Hardy had to “delete!” his WWE career, but tonight Jeff has to recover his. Jeff talks about how sobriety has changed him, so Sheamus better be ready for anything. Sheamus says Jeff will never change, he’s weak and pathetic. They have more words and Sheamus calls Jeff a pathetic junkie. Sheamus gets ready, warning the bartender that Jeff doesn’t like bartenders. Jeff starts things by throwing a beer in Sheamus’ face. Sheamus fights and here we go. Sheamus beats Jeff around and slams him on top of the wooden bar.

Sheamus pulls Jeff down the length of the top of the bar, knocking glasses and bottles off. Sheamus holds Jeff on top of the bar and beats on him with forearms to the chest now. Sheamus is asking for a shot, something top shelf, from the bartender but Jeff takes advantage and turns it around with a clothesline from the bar. Jeff grabs several basketballs and throws them at Sheamus to stop him from approaching. Sheamus kicks Hardy but Hardy tries to hit him with a beer keg. Sheamus blocks it.

Jeff beats Sheamus back and forth into the walls of a hallway in the back. Sheamus comes back and uses a the keg on Jeff while he’s down, then chokes him with it. Sheamus pounds on Jeff some more, sending him into the walls. They fight to the bathroom now and Sheamus slams the door on Jeff several times while he’s down. Sheamus works Jeff over inside the bathroom now. Sheamus puts Jeff’s face into the urinal and flushes it on him. Jeff is choking now, wet from the toilet. Sheamus puts Hardy’s face in the mirror and insults him. Jeff fights back and turns it around again. Sheamus gets knocked back into a stall, flushing the toilet. Jeff retreats out of the bathroom but Sheamus screams for him and follows. Sheamus walks back out into the bar and stalks Jeff, telling him he can’t hide.

Jeff grabs a ladder and decks Sheamus with it. Sheamus dominates some more and rams Jeff into the brick wall a few times after catching a crossbody. Sheamus swings a guitar at Jeff but he misses. Hardy keeps fighting. Sheamus sends Jeff into a set of drums as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Sheamus is yelling, telling Jeff to bring it. Jeff is still down at the drums. Jeff heats things up and unloads on Sheamus, dropping him as the bartender looks on. They fight and Jeff drops Sheamus with a Twist of Fate. Jeff looks down at Sheamus and then stands a ladder up in front of a large stack of barrels on display. Jeff stomps on Sheamus and drags him over to the ladder. Jeff climbs to the top but the bartender attacks him.

Jeff comes off the ladder and fights back, decking the bartender. Jeff grabs the bartender and powerbombs him through a table. Sheamus takes advantage and hits Jeff from behind. Sheamus grabs the hat he had on earlier, and places it over Jeff’s face while he’s flat on his back. Sheamus tells Jeff, “Sweet dreams, fella.” Sheamus goes back behind the bar and drinks a beer, raising the toast to Jeff. Sheamus downs the beer but it feels like something’s not right as we have an eerie music playing now.

Sheamus limps back over and calls the referee to get ready. He removes the hat from Hardy’s face as the odd music continues in the background. Jeff suddenly has a new paint design on his face and a look in his eye, with a new contact lens. Jeff drops Sheamus and climbs the ladder. Jeff delivers a Swanton to the floor of the bar, and holds it to cover Sheamus for the pin.

Winner: Jeff Hardy

– After the pin, Jeff stands tall as his music plays in the background. He stares straight ahead and has that same odd look in his eye, as if he’s snapping back to normal now, and losing the look from the contact. Jeff limps away while Sheamus is laid out on the bar floor. SmackDown on FOX goes off the air.

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