The SmackDown “season finale” is going to be big!

Before moving to Fox, the Blue Brand wants Roman Reigns to clear the air with Daniel Bryan over the Erick Rowan issue. Will Big Dog and Planet’s Champion come to an understanding?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Daniel Bryan VS Erick Rowan; Rowan wins.
• Chad Gable VS Mike Kanellis; Gable wins.
• Charlotte Flair & Carmella w/ R-Truth VS Sasha Banks & Bayley; Banks & Bayley win.
• Mustafa Ali VS Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Sami Zayn; Nakamura wins.
• The New Day VS The B-Team; The New Day wins.
• The Kabuki Warriors VS Fire & Desire; The Kabuki Warriors win.

PLAY BY PLAY

No one will overlook Erick Rowan ever again.

With his one real friend, Luke Harper, by his side, the Big Redwood wrecked Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan to end SmackDown! Will these two titans continue to dominate and destroy?

Erick Rowan is here!

The massive mastermind is in San Francisco but fans boo and jeer. He comments on the “work of art” that he and Harper created last week. Fans still boo and jeer but Rowan says he is more than an artist, he is a creator! He creates violence that demands respect. But San Fran shouts “You Suck! You Suck!” Rowan sees they like to belittle him, and the nickname “Redwood” comes from thinking he is less than human. But that has changed because as the saying goes, Might Makes Right. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on. It matters if you can dominate and destroy. Roman and “Dan” know he’s right, as does the entire SmackDown roster! That is why they’re afraid of Rowan! But wait, here comes Daniel Bryan! Fans are fired up for the Planet’s Champion as he stands on stage with a mic. “You feel disrespected? You think you’re right?” Bryan says if Rowan wants respect, fight him right now! Rowan tosses off his vest, a referee appears, this match is happening!

Daniel Bryan VS Erick Rowan!

The bell rings, and Bryan runs at Rowan, only to be powered back to a corner. Rowan tosses Bryan across the ring, then reels him in for a BIG clothesline! Rowan runs to drop a big elbow, then runs again to drop the splash! Rowan drags Bryan up to toss him out, and then he hurries out to come around the way, BIG BODY CHECK! The fans boo while Rowan roars and looms over Bryan. Rowan drags Bryan back up to throw him into the post! Rowan refreshes the count at 7 to go after Bryan more. He puts Bryan in the ring as fans rally up. Rowan stomps Bryan down, then drags him up to ram knees in Bryan’s back. Rowan wrenches Bryan’s neck but Bryan fights his way up. Bryan pulls Rowan’s beard but Rowan knees him low. Bryan fights back with punches and uppercuts and kicks! Fans rally as Bryan runs, but into a BIG spinning heel kick! Cover, TWO! Rowan has Bryan on the ropes while we go to break.

SmackDown returns and Rowan stalks over to Bryan outside the ring. Rowan rocks Bryan with a big forearm, then refreshes the count again. Rowan drags Bryan up for a powerbomb to the post! Bryan hits the floor and Rowan leaves him behind. The ref checks on Bryan but Rowan wants the count. The ring count begins yet again, but Bryan rises at 7. Bryan drags himself in at 9! Rowan is furious, and he stomps Bryan down! Rowan stomps away over and over but backs off at the ref’s count. Rowan hauls Bryan up to whip corner to corner, then runs in for a big splash! Bryan slumps down, but gets up as Rowan comes back, to dropkick the legs out! Fans fire up for Bryan and Bryan fires up in the ring. Bryan and Rowan stand, but Bryan chop blocks Rowan’s leg! And again! Bryan hurries out to drag Rowan over to a corner, and he throws the bad leg into the post! Rowan is writhing but Bryan just swings his leg into the post again! And then dropkicks it! And then swings it into the post!

Fans fire up as Bryan has Rowan reeling. Bryan drags Rowan up for big European Uppercuts and buckle bumps. Bryan runs corner to corner for a dropkick! And then another! Bryan goes a third time, but Rowan pops him up! To a JACKHAMMER! Cover, TWO!! Bryan survives and shocks Rowan! Rowan focuses and drags Bryan up for a bearhug, thrashing Bryan about! Bryan endures as Rowan squeezes tight. Fans rally and Bryan fights back with elbows. Bryan is free, and he throws EuroUppers. Rowan kicks low then lifts Bryan again, standing powerbomb! Cover, TWO!! SmackDown goes picture in picture as Rowan argues with the ref. Rowan shouts at the fans but then he laughs it off. He drags Bryan over, because he has an idea how to end this. Rowan whips Bryan at the steel steps! Bryan is down but Rowan refreshes the count to keep on him.

Rowan drags Bryan to the barriers, and throws him face first into them! The front row fans get even closer to the action and cheer Bryan on. But Rowan drags Bryan back up to throw into the ring. Rowan stalks Bryan with a smile on his face. He dares Bryan to stand, and Bryan slowly drags himself up on the ropes. Rowan grins as Bryan makes it to his feet, and he LARIATS Bryan down! Rowan soaks up the heat, and even gets up on the corner for all to see. San Fran boos the Big Red Behemoth as he goes back to Bryan. He steps on Bryan then goes back to boasting on a post. Rowan drags Bryan up and reels him in for another clothesline, then mocks Bryan for ever thinking of him as an equal and not a superior.

SmackDown returns to single picture as fans rally for Bryan. Bryan drags himself up but Rowan brings him in for another lift. Bryan fights out of the bomb to sunset flip! But Rowan hauls Bryan up to whip. Bryan baits Rowan in and dumps him out! Bryan then builds speed, to DIVE! But into Rowan’s arms! Bryan escapes and shoves Rowan into a post! Rowan clutches the bad arm again, but he gets back in the ring. Bryan hurries to climb up top, and he leaps to missile dropkick Rowan in the back! Fans are thunderous for Bryan as he kips up! Bryan gives Rowan Yes Kicks! From both sides, too! Then the buzzsaw hits! Cover, ONE!? Rowan still has so much strength left, but Bryan won’t stop here. Bryan climbs up, and leaps again, but into Rowan’s hands! Choke slam lift, but Bryan pops out for a GUILLOTINE! Bryan brings Rowan down, into the LeBelle Lock!! Rowan scrambles and reaches, and gets the ropebreak. Bryan holds on, until he sees Harper coming! Bryan gets up to dropkick Harper away from the ring! Bryan DIVES to take Harper out!!

But Harper gets right up!? Harper just stares at Bryan, and Rowan drags Bryan back in! IRON CLAW SLAM! And Bryan gets stuck in the ropes at the same time! Harper grins as Rowan smothers and stomps Bryan while the ref tries to free Bryan. Bryan is freed, but that only means Rowan can give him a second IRON CLAW! Cover, Rowan wins!

Winner: Erick Rowan, by pinfall

Luke Harper celebrates with Rowan, by going after Bryan more! Harper smothers Bryan while Rowan clears off the announce desk. But here comes Roman Reigns! The Big Dog heads right down the ramp, and he LEAPS to Superman Punch Harper! Superman Punch for Rowan! Drive-By Dropkick for Harper! But Rowan runs Roman over! Deja vu from last week as Harper and Rowan bring Roman to the desk. But Bryan is up and fighting back! Bryan looks to save Roman, but Harper throws him into the ring. Roman gives Rowan a BIG uppercut! Harper aims at Bryan, but Bryan dodges the discus to give the Planet’s Knee!! Rowan hurries after Bryan, but Roman saves Bryan with a SPEAR!

Fans echo “OOAH~!” as Roman checks on Bryan. It would seem that the enemy of an enemy is a friend, but Bryan refuses to be helped up. Bryan grabs a mic and says, “All I want is a one word answer. Do you want to see me and Roman kick their disrespected asses!?” Fans say “YES! YES!” The fans have spoken, and Bryan might have a new ally against former friends! Will Roman and Bryan be able to overcome the combined might of Harper and Rowan?

SmackDown looks back on the legend of The Beast, BROCK LESNAR!

From NCAA Heavyweight Champion to youngest WWE world champion and perhaps the most dominate force in all of WWE history, “you can’t survive Suplex City! You can’t survive the onslaught! You can’t survive the F5!” No one survives BRRROCK! LESNARRR!

Michael Cole interviews Kofi Kingston.

The WWE World Champion wants Cole to have some energy. The W, W, E, World, Heavy, Weight, CHAMPION~ is here, baby! Well Cole tried that once, it didn’t work that well. But on to the coming challenge of Brock Lesnar. Lesnar challenged Kofi to a match for the first Fox SmackDown, then gave him an F5. Why did Kofi accept the challenge? Because Kofi is proving he is a fighting champion. So then how is he preparing for The Beast? No one ever really prepares for someone like that, but Kofi feels he’s at the top of his game right now. Kofi beat Samoa Joe, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, some of the greatest around. Kofi feels really good.

But think about how historic that debut will be in Los Angeles. Kingston VS Lesnar for the world title. Does he feel pressure? Kofi always feels that. He wants to be the best champion he can be, but this amazing opportunity for WWE and Fox is great. Everyone thinks Lesnar will have his way again, walk out as champion again, but Kofi’s worked too long and too hard to let go just yet. Kofi feels at the top of his game, feels very confident, and is confident that he will still be our W, W, E, World, Heavy, Weight, Champion, baby. Will Kofi solidify his legacy by overcoming the one and only Brock Lesnar?

Chad Gable VS Mike Kanellis!

Another so close and yet so far match with Baron Corbin last night, but the Olympic medalist is still #ReadyWillingAndGable to fight. Will Gable climb his way back up?

Gable speaks, noting how Corbin said Gable will “always come up short.” Haha, good joke. But Gable’s run in the King of the Ring tournament, and how close he came last night on Raw, that was no joke. Corbin knew he was going to lose, so he got disqualified. But the next time Gable crosses paths with him- Mike Kanellis interrupts, telling “Chad, Chad, Chad,” that while he’s “sorry” to cut Gable’s time short, Mike is here to prove to his wife, Maria, that size does matter. Mike laughs at his own jokes, but Gable just laughs it off. The bell rings, Gable throws Mike overhead with a belly2belly! Mike scrambles up, Gable gets Mike with CHAOS THEORY! And the Ankle Lock! Mike taps, Gable wins!

Winner: Chad Gable, by submission

Size does matter, because Mike’s big ego got him in trouble! Gable wins, but will he move on to bigger and better after this?

Elias interrupts Gable’s celebration with a message from the titantron. “Hey, Shorty.” Elias has been following the Gable story and has written a song dedicated to him. “Chad Gable the underdog has everyone inspired. If it were up to me, little people like you would be fired.” Imagine if Gable had won the finals, how would everyone feel, knowing the King of the Ring can’t see over his steering wheel? Women laugh at Gable because he has nothing to give. Randy Newman said it best, short people ain’t got no reason to live. Gable scowls but will he make Elias pay for showing little respect?

Charlotte Flair finds R-Truth.

Has he seen Carmella? Carm who? He knows who she means. No he doesn’t. He certainly doesn’t know someone who is the new 48/7, 7/11, European Television Champion. Carmella says it is okay, and she shows herself. Charlotte congratulates Carmella for winning the title, but wants her to focus on Bayley and Banks. Carmella is. She has known Bayley for years, this is not the Bayley she knows. Charlotte says this is exactly the Bayley she’s known. But either way, they’ll be showing Bayley and Banks #WhatsUp. WOO~! Did Truth do that right? Well when Queen and Princess team up, will they beat the Boss & Hug Connection?

Charlotte Flair & Carmella w/ R-Truth VS Sasha Banks & Bayley!

While The Boss prepares for Becky Lynch in Hell in a Cell, the FABULOUS 24/7 Champion has to now watch her back. Will either of them be able to focus in this match? Or will it be all on The Queen and the SmackDown Women’s Champion to settle this grudge?

The teams sort out and Carmella starts with Sasha Banks. The two circle and Sasha knees Carmella to throw her down by her hair. Sasha whips Carmella to a corner, but Carmella dodges and moonwalks. Carmella catches Sasha for an atomic drop to a corner boot! Carmella hops up to headscissor and clothesline Sasha down! Cover, TWO! Carmella keeps on Sasha by bringing her up, but Sasha spins out and DECKS her with a right! Sasha throws Carmella out of the ring, and then tags Bayley. Truth keeps the 24/7 Championship safe while Bayley DECKS Carmella! And then throws more forearms! She bounces Carmella off the announce desk! Then she puts Carmella in the ring to cover, TWO! Bayley keeps on Carmella with a rain of rights, shouting, “I’ve changed?” She tags Sasha in, and the two best friends whip and crisscross Carmella to throw her into buckles.

Sasha snapmares, runs and wraps on a chinlock. She grins as she grinds Carmella down. Carmella endures and fans rally up. Carmella fights up but Sasha throws her down again. Tag to Bayley and the best friends mug Carmella. Bayley brings Carmella up but Carmella fights with forearms! Carmella reaches for Charlotte but Bayley pulls her away. Bayley scoops but Carmella slips out to pull Bayley down by her ponytail! Both women are down but Carmella crawls, hot tag to Charlotte! Charlotte rallies on both Bayley and Sasha, and CHOPS away on Bayley! Fans echo the “WOO~!” with each shot! Charlotte gives Bayley a big back suplex! Then an exploder! Charlotte kips up and fans fire up as she runs in at Bayley. Bayley dodges, but runs into the backbreaker! Then a BOOT! Charlotte drags Bayley around, and wants the Figure Four! She gets it! Bayley flails but Sasha attacks with a Meteora!

Sasha saves Bayley and tags in. Sasha goes at Charlotte, but Charlotte blocks the backstabber into a backpack stunner! Charlotte goes for the Figure Four again, but Sasha shoves her away! Charlotte hits buckles, but Carmella tags in. Carmella climbs, and LEAPS for a crossbody! But she bounces off, to FABULOUS Kick! Sasha elbows back, then hops up, but Carmella gets under. FABULOUS KICK again! Cover but Bayley breaks it! Bayley whips but Carmella reverses to send Bayley out. Carmella mule kicks then FABULOUS Kicks! She dodges Sasha to tilt-o-whirl to a roll-up, TWO! CROSSFACE! Sasha has the Bank Statement, Carmella taps, Banks & Bayley win!

Winners: Sasha Banks & Bayley, Sasha by submission

Truth knows what that means for the 24/7 Champion! He gets Carmella out of the ring as the rest of the Women’s Division comes running down the ramp! Will Carmella make it out of the Chase Center with the title?

As for Charlotte, she already couldn’t believe her team lost. Now she can’t believe she’s all alone against Sasha and Bayley. But she still fights with big elbows and forearms! She tackles Bayley to a corner to ram in shoulder.s Sasha gets Charlotte with the backstabber! But here comes Becky! Once again, the Raw Women’s Champion is ready to fight! And she gets Bayley as Sasha runs away! Sasha returns but she gets EuroUppers! Bayley gets a mule kick, Sasha gets a Becksploder! But so does Bayley! Sasha gets caught for the Disarm-Her! Bayley bails Banks out and they both get away. Becky grins, because it’s only a matter of time. Will the Man make The Boss pay for trying to cancel the #StraightFire? Or is Sasha one match away from making the Boss & Hug Connection golden?

Shane McMahon discusses Kevin Owens’ lawsuit with his legal team.

It seems they all understand the situation, but will they find something to favor Shane O’Mac? Or is he going to be out a pretty penny and a job when this goes to court?

Mustafa Ali VS Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Sami Zayn!

The Beacon of Light shines bright in the night, but will he make a big impact on the last night SmackDown’s on USA Network? But Sami makes sure everyone shows respect for THE Intercontinental Champion, the King of Strong Style, “SHINSUKEEEE~! NAKAMURAAAA~!” Will Nakamura make good on the beating he gave Ali last week?

The bell rings and Ali approaches Nakamura, only to get a kick in the leg. Nakamura puts Ali in a corner and whips him corner to corner. Nakamura runs in, but Ali goes right up and over him! Ali runs, dodges, and dropkicks Nakamura out! Then DIVES to wipe Nakamura out! He gets right up, too! Ali puts Nakamura in and shakes off the header, to crossbody Nakamura down! Cover, TWO! Ali keeps his eyes on Nakamura as he goes corner to corner, but he’s put on the apron. He punches Nakamura away, but has to swipe at Sami. Nakamura throws Ali into the post! Ali crashes and burns and Sami shouts, “That’s what you get!” as SmackDown goes picture in picture.

Ali is down and out but Nakamura fetches him into the ring. Nakamura puts Ali on the apron, for the guillotine knee drop! Ali writhes but Nakamura covers, TWO! Ali lives but he’s not doing so well with Nakamura driving knees into his head and shoulders. Nakamura paces before going to Ali at the ropes. He brings Ali up in a facelock and wrenches, but Ali endures. Nakamura grinds Ali down to the mat, but Ali fights his way back up. Ali throws body shots but Nakamura knees then snapmares to drop another knee! Cover, TWO! Ali angers Sami and Nakamura, but Nakamura keeps on Ali with swift kicks. Nakamura drives more knees in, but Ali blocks the buzzsaw kick! SmackDown returns to single picture as Ali stands to heel kick Nakamura down!

Fans rally as Ali gets to a corner. Ali dodges Nakamura then roundhouses him away! Ali slingshots and somersaults for the X-factor! But Ali won’t stop there, he aims from the corner. Ali runs corner to corner for double knees! He hoists Nakamura up fast to uppercut and climb. Nakamura fights back and shoves, but Ali flips to land on his feet! Nakamura leaps into Ali’s dropkick! Cover, TWO! Nakamura is wincing now and Sami grows concerned. Ali gets up and is on Nakamura, but Nakamura holds ropes to avoid the whip. So Ali throws uppercuts! Ali whips again, but Nakamura reverses. Nakamura swings one but hits the back hell kick! Ali is dazed, but he boots, only to get turned around and kicked back! Sliding German Suplex from Nakamura drops Ali! Sami is enjoying this as Nakamura aims from the corner. “YAO~!” SUPERKICK from Ali! Cover, TWO!!

Both men are down but fans rally. Ali hurries to a corner and climbs, but Nakamura hurries over to enziguri! Ali is stuck up top, Top Shelf Knee! Then Inverted Exploder, but Ali lands on his feet! Roll-up, TWO! Uppercut from Ali, he hops up to tornado DDT! Ali hurries up top again, but Sami saves Nakamura! Ali bails out of his flip, but builds speed to FLY over the ref! He takes out Nakamura! Ali puts Nakamura in but he sees Sami talking smack. Ali chases Sami around, then end up in the ring, KINSHASA outta nowhere! Cover, Nakamura wins!

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall

Big assist to Sami and it is the Rockstar who wins again! Will anyone will be able to dethrone the King of Strong Style if the #ZaynFactor is always present?

BREAKING NEWS: A new match has been made for the Hell in a Cell PPV!

Naturally, after Bryan and Roman worked together to run off Rowan & Harper, these four men will collide in a tag team match!

The New Day VS The B-Team!

AWWW~ Bay Area~! The New Day is here, so feel~ the power~! But in order to get back at The Revival and those SmackDown Tag Team Championships, can Xavier Woods and Big E win big against Bo Dallas and Curt Axel? Or will the once “undefeated” Raw Tag Team Champions begin their climb back to being the best?

The teams sort out and Axel starts with Woods. Axel kicks Woods low, then flosses. Woods dropkicks Axel back, and swivels his hips. Woods CHOPS Axel then whips him corner to corner. Axel reverses but Woods goes up and over to run, slide and mule kick. Bo steps in but Woods runs him over, only to get run over by Axel. Axel stomps Woods down then tags in Bo. Bo stomps Woods now, then tags in Axel. The B-Team snapmares then drives knees into Woods. Axel wraps on a chinlock but fans rally for Woods. Woods endures and fights his way up, but Axel back suplexes. Woods lands on his feet but is powered to the B-Team corner. Tag to Bo and Bo hits Big E for good measure, before hitting Woods with a corner clothesline. He feeds Woods to Axel’s DDT, cover, TWO! Bo kicks Woods out of the ring and shouts, “B Train!”

The B-Team takes a lap but Big E comes up behind to run Axel over! Then he chases Bo into the ring, for Woods to roll up! TWO, and tag to Big E! Woods boots Bo, Big E scoops, Midnight Hour hits! Cover, The New Day wins!

Winners: The New Day, Big E pinning

Big E hugs the 49ers as they celebrate the win! But will the New Day be striking gold of their own as big changes come to SmackDown?

Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville celebrate Mandy being on the cover of Maxim.

Everyone in Australia will go insane seeing Mandy live. Mandy passes out copies to everyone, but Sonya says they need to get to their match. Sonya ushers Mandy along, but Otis asks for a selfie. Mandy lets him take a pic, and a copy. Tucker comes by, and approves.

The Kabuki Warriors VS Fire & Desire!

Asuka and Kairi Sane return to action! Don’t include them chasing after the 24/7 Championship… But will the Empress of Tomorrow and Pirate Princess get back on track as SmackDown is on the move? Or will Mandy and Sonya have more to celebrate than just Mandy’s Maxim cover shoot?

SmackDown returns as Mandy and Sonya make their entrance. Sonya and Asuka start and Mandy personally signs and gives out copies to commentary. Sonya puts Asuka on the ropes, but Asuka turns around to throw hands. Sonya gets free to waistlock and slam Asuka down, then she kicks her in the back. Asuka catches the second kick to give kicks of her own! Asuka fires up and whips Sonya, but Sonya reverses to kick Asuka’s leg. Sonya headlocks but Asuka fights out to shove Sonya. Sonya bumps Asuka but Asuka runs her over! Fans fire up with Asuka and she tags in Kairi. The joshi royalty double whip and hip toss to then run and dropkick combo on Sonya! Cover, TWO! Kairi brings Sonya up, Sonya dodges the backhand to give a right hand! Sonya tosses Kairi out hard then tags Mandy.

Mandy takes her copy of Maxim back to show it off to everyone, and rub it in Kairi’s face. “You will never look like me.” Kairi takes a closer lock, and kicks the magazine away! Then CHOPS Mandy! Kairi fires off more chops then puts Mandy in the ring. Kairi gets in, runs, dodges, and rebound springboards to headscissor Mandy down! Fans fire up as Kairi marches, then runs corner to corner! Sliding D forearm! Kairi hits Sonya away then hits Mandy. But Mandy plays up the hit for Sonya to trip Kairi up! Mandy DECKS Kairi and covers, TWO! Mandy drags Kairi up to whip her in. Mandy fires off angry forearms, then taunts Asuka. But Kairi fights back! Kairi decks Sonya then headbutts Mandy. Kairi slides but Mandy grabs her leg. Kairi shoves Mandy away, hot tag to Asuka!

Asuka rallies with a dropkick and pop-up knee strike! Asuka goes corner to corner to hip attack Mandy! Then a mule kick to a running cutter! Asuka runs to sliding wizard! Cover but Sonya wizards Asuka off Mandy! Kairi dropkicks Sonya out but Mandy rolls Asuka! TWO, and Asuka tags Kairi. ROUNDHOUSE to Mandy, then CODE BREAKER! Mandy is in the drop zone, anchors aweigh with the InSANE Elbow! Cover, Kabuki Warriors win!

Winners: The Kabuki Warriors, Sane pinning

The Empress and Princess win big and could be heading for those WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships! Meanwhile, Sonya is a bit upset with Mandy for getting distracted, but they will keep fighting. Who will make it to Bliss-Cross first in this changing WWE landscape?

BREAKING NEWS: The SmackDown Fox debut has another major match!

The Four Horsewomen have another tag team match on the first SmackDown on Fox, and the last SmackDown before Hell in a Cell! Who gains last-minute momentum before The Boss and The Man battle inside the Cell?

Shane McMahon and his legal team head to the ring.

Kevin Owens’ wrongful termination lawsuit, with its $25 MILLION in damages, hangs over the head of the “BEST in the WOOOOOOOOORLD” but that’s what a team of high-paid attorneys is for. Shane knows Kevin is here, so he gives him an introduction complete with music and titantron. But Kevin doesn’t enter from the stage, but from the crowd! Shane has someone get Kevin a mic while San Fran cheers and chants. Shane introduces Kevin to the WWE legal team, and they’ve been reviewing the “frivolous” lawsuit. They have a proposition for Kevin. Option 1: Shane keeps Kevin in court until Kevin is the one burning through money while unemployed. Fans boo that option as Shane rubs it in that it’ll just ruin Kevin’s family. Or there’s option 2, and Kevin asks what that is. Option 2: Kevin drops this “ridiculous” suit, and Shane will personally reinstate Kevin here and now, and also drops his $100,000 fine from before. So obviously, there’s a smart choice in this, and that is to start with a clean slate.

Fans chant “NO! NO!” as Shane offers a handshake for option 2. Kevin stares long and hard at the hand, and says Shane is “a real idiot.” Shane doesn’t get it. This lawsuit, the courtroom, the lawyers, it all makes Kevin sick. The only thing worse would be Shane still in the locker room, where he doesn’t belong. Kevin can’t stand the thought of still sharing the locker room with Shane. That is what this is about! The money isn’t event he issue, it’s the leverage and what Kevin wants, and what everyone wants: to see Shane get FIRED! So what does Kevin want? One final match! If Shane wins, Kevin drops the lawsuit and stays fired. But if Kevin wins, Shane is GONE from the WWE!

What’s the catch? No catch. Well, the match does need to be something more than just a normal match. It needs to be a match where Kevin can hurt Shane as badly as Shane’s hurt Kevin. For years, the McMahons talk about climbing the corporate ladder. Put that briefcase literally in the balance, for a LADDER MATCH! Shane accepts, and this match is set to happen! Who brings down the briefcase to hold the other man’s fate in their hands?

Backstage interview with Becky Lynch.

The Man is preparing for Sasha Banks in less than two weeks. Sasha has been in the Cell before, but Becky says Sasha better hope she has an advantage in there. “Because what is Sasha without her head start on me?” What is Sasha without Bayley being her backup? Sasha ambushes Becky! Becky throws Sasha into trunks, but Sasha throws Becky into another! They brawl, and Sasha rams Becky again. “You’re a nobody, Becky!” Sasha throws Becky into boards, then into fencing! The same kind of fencing for the Cell! Sasha shouts she’s The Boss, but security pulls her off Becky. But Sasha kicks Becky while she’s down before leaving, a big smile on her face. Will Becky be able to recover before the Fox premiere’s major tag match?

My Thoughts:

This final USA Network SmackDown acts as a go-home to the first Fox SmackDown next week, and it was a rather good one. And it’s fitting, since SmackDown’s debut on Fox is starting to sound like a PPV level event in itself. We got a great start to tonight’s episode with Rowan’s promo and the sudden match with Bryan. The match was pretty good, but naturally Harper comes out to help Rowan, and then Roman comes out to even things up. Bryan and Roman stand tall, and naturally we get their tag team grudge match with Rowan and Harper at Hell in a Cell. This will be a pretty solid tag team match, but could probably go either way since Rowan and Harper are likely to get purposefully disqualified if push comes to shove. Kofi has a good interview promo about his match with Lesnar, but as confident as he sounded, this could still go Lesnar’s way because, well, it’s Lesnar.

It’s fine that Gable squashes Kanellis, Gable’s been red hot thanks to the King of the Ring tournament. The big news out of Mike Kanellis on SmackDown might be that the WWE Draft puts him here to line up with the rumors that 205 Live is going to Fridays now, too. The Cruiserweights that aren’t already moved up and out of 205 Live are probably going to start being SmackDown stars, and that old “Cruiserweights only on Raw” garbage Stephanie McMahon said years ago will be undone. At the same time, 205 Live is becoming more and more the third branch of Triple H’s creative, so Cruiserweights are probably going to be popping up on all brands. Ali VS Nakamura was a great match tonight, but naturally Sami is a factor. Usual Heel fare as far as a corner person distracting, but there’s probably a way for Ali to get around it. And we got a fun little tag match of New Day VS The B-Team, but it was obviously just an easy win for New Day to keep strong before determining SmackDown Tag title contenders.

Well damn, we are getting one last Shane VS Kevin match, but at least it’s not in a Hell in a Cell match. That way we won’t need to see Shane jump off the top of the Cell on Kevin, just off a ladder. But in either case, Kevin is winning to get rid of Shane and get his own job back, the money being all kayfabe. Though, I would love if Kevin followed this story up with kayfabe things he and the family get to do now with the money they won. Maybe there will be actual money involved and given to Connor’s Cure or other cancer fighting organizations, since October will of course be Breast Cancer Awareness Month again.

The Women’s Division was the strong part of tonight. I liked the bit with Charlotte, Carmella and R-Truth backstage, it shows Truth is returning the favor of watching out for the new “747 48/7 7/11 24/7 European Television Champion” the way Carmella did for him. And then we get a pretty good match out of Charlotte, Carmella, Bayley and Sasha, especially with the elements of Carmella questioning Bayley’s character. Bayley and Banks win to keep both Boss & Hug strong in both singles and tag divisions. Kabuki Warriors VS Fire & Desire technically got to main event, so that alone is great. It is also great that Asuka and Kairi Sane won. Kairi also had a funny little part in connection to the 24/7 Championship chase, but I really hope she and Asuka get another and far more serious run at the Women’s Tag titles. Both women deserve more than just being filler, regardless of Paige being around as a manager/spokesperson. The very ending, of Sasha attacking Becky out of nowhere, was good but certainly rushed. It still gives good heat for the Fox debut’s tag match, but that could go either way with Hell in a Cell right around the corner.

My Score: 8.4/10