Welcome to the Smackdown Review for September 18, 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
The Deranged
Randy Orton was not in action this night. He was in a production truck with an WWE employee who was not there by choice. Orton was re watching his attacks on Jeff Hardy, including the match at HIAC. Orton promised that the next victim would suffer just as much. This was not old school Orton, this was a new version. He was a sociopath who wanted to keep reliving what he had done. Orton can keep this up and he will become the most must see heel in wrestling.
Holiday’s End
After their match at HIAC, there was a question if Aden English and Rusev would be able to co exist. Rusev looked to be more forgiving, but an overheard rant by English meant that Lana wanted nothing more to do with him. Rusev was challenging Shinsuke Nakamura. A misdirection from English cost Rusev the match, and then he proceeded to attack Rusev. English has now become the villain as he feels that everything he did was for the team was washed away. We will have to see where the Song Master goes from here
The New Queen
Becky Lynch finally got the recognition she wanted. She started by saying that she would not be left out of everything. she then demanded that Charlotte come out to pay respects. The Queen did and Charlotte did congratulate her. she then said that Lynch had given everything up for that belt. Charlotte was much stronger then the previous interactions. As for Lynch, she is most definitely a heel.
Match of the Night
Andrade Cien Almas vs. AJ Styles (Styles wins by pin fall)
This match benefited from the amount of time it was given. While Andrade Almas did come up short, he looked like he belonged in a match with the WWE Champion. There will not be a long time before he is actively in the hunt for the belt. Styles was his usual self, which meant he was fantastic. The Samoa Joe attack was wisely held until after the match. These two could tear down any arena they are in.
Conclusion
Daniel Bryan avoided a Miz trap. Askua beat Billie Kay. Cesaro beat Kofi Kingston.
