Welcome to the Smackdown Review for August 28, 2018. For both this and Raw, I will go over what the big talking points were, pick the match of the night, and look ahead to the next show
Talking Points
5 Time
The New Day came to Toronto to celebrate winning the Tag Team Titles five time. This is a good moment to say why all three members of the New Day work. Austin Creed might be one of the best promo guys in the business, everything just seems so natural. Kofi Kingston acts like he just got to the main roster and everything is exciting. Big E can be silent or vocal, and he just controls the room. Throw in the return of King Booker T and you have a really fun segment
Hell
We might just call Jeff Hardy broken now as he has shifted gears in the past few weeks. Sporting face paint with R K O stenciled in, he talked about how his body has changed. He called out Randy Orton, and for the first time, The Viper did not look all that eager to get in the ring. Brushing off Hardy’s challenge, Orton made to leave when Jeff announced that they would meet inside Hell in the Cell. While this match could very well be awesome, I am concerned on how far Hardy will take it in the Cell.
Phone Call
AJ Styles could have made a joke about Samoa Joe’s taunts or simply laughed it off. Instead, he sounds like a man who is trying to be tough, but has become unnerved from they amount of stress he is under. As for Joe, he has become something different entirely. He looks like a stalker in a horror film, a man who will do anything to get what he wants. He called Wendy and made remarks that he will see her at the family barbecue next week. This is Max Candy, the antagonist from Cape Fear, who tells the champion that nowhere and no one is safe.
Match of the Night
Daniel Bryan vs. Andrade Cien Almas (DQ)
Sometimes, you just want a match between two people. Daniel Bryan and Cien was that match, two of the best in wrestling just going after each other. This was a pay-per-view match and it must be revisited at a bigger venue and given more time. Everyone knew the Miz was going to intervene, but that match that happened before it did was fantastic
Conclusion
The Bar won the Triple Threat to move on in the Tag Team Tournament. Charlotte beat Carmella, and then was attacked by Becky Lynch. Billie Kay beat Naomi.
