The Tribal Chief will address the Scottish Warrior!

Roman Reigns is STILL Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, but he knows SmackDown’s Drew McIntyre is coming after him at Clash at the Castle! What will the Head of the Table have to say about his new challenger?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Happy Corbin VS Ricochet; Ricochet wins.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Contender’s Match: Shinsuke Nakamura VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ GUNTHER; Nakamura wins and will challenge Gunther for the title next week.
• The Viking Raiders VS Jim Mulkey & Tommy Gibson; The Viking Raiders win.
• Kofi Kingston VS Erik w/ Ivar; Kofi wins.
• SmackDown Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Gauntlet: Shayna Baszler wins and will challenge Liv Morgan for the title at Clash at the Castle.

PLAY BY PLAY

Pat McAfee gives us telestration of his match with Happy Corbin.

He pauses when Corbin bumps into the referee, and uses the yellow pen to circle the ref going down. Then he circles Corbin and himself to show the spacing. McAfee kicks Corbin’s balls through the upright, then says “SUCK IT!” before going up top. McAfee has that moment replay a couple times, actually. McAfee circles his right foot that has made millions (AND MILLIONS) of dollars, and then he has an arrow point from his eyes to “the tiny prize,” and that was all she wrote! The foot starts swinging, the balls start ringing! And look at that big dumb face! McAfee writes “OUCH, MAH BALLS!” for Corbin in a speech bubble. A storybook moment, McAfee has never been prouder.

Corbin is watching this, too.

As are a lot of the other superstars of SmackDown. And of course, everyone is laughing at Corbin. It’s not funny! Ricochet says karma is a beautiful thing. Well how about Corbin wipe Ricochet’s smile off his mouth! Sure, as soon as Corbin’s done pouting back here, they can “kickoff” SmackDown. Ricochet will head to the ring, and both he and his smile will wait for Corbin. Will Sad Corbin be able to redeem himself from what happened to him at SummerSlam?

Happy Corbin VS Ricochet!

The bell rings and Ricochet circles with Corbin. They tie up, go around, and Corbin TOSSES Ricochet to a corner. Corbin rushes in, Ricochet slips out and ROUNDHOUSES Corbin away! Ricochet then springboards up and over, but Corbin gets under! END OF- NO, Ricochet slips out, tiger wall kick and ENZIGURI! Corbin bails out, Ricochet builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit at the ramp and Greensville fires up! Corbin hurries back into the ring but Ricochet climbs up top. Ricochet leaps, but Corbin gets under, slides out and slides in to LARIAT! McAfee applauds because he does appreciate Corbin’s ability. Just needs to be a better person.

Corbin fires hands but fans mock “BUM ASS CORBIN!” Ricochet fires body shots and haymakers, then runs, but into a big elbow! Corbin tells the fans off and they boo him back. Corbin drags Ricochet up, puts him in a corner and whips corner to corner hard! Ricochet bounces off buckles and Corbin drags him back up. Corbin tosses Ricochet to the apron but Ricochet shoulders back in. Ricochet slingshots, into a HAYMAKER! Corbin drags Ricochet in, drags him up, but fans chant for “MCAFEE! MCAFEE!” Corbin knees Ricochet low, shushes the crowd then runs in, but Ricochet goes up! Corbin slides out, in but into stomps!

Ricochet goes out to BOOT Corbin from the apron! And SUPERKICK! Ricochet then MOIONSAULTS, but Corbin moves! Ricochet lands on his feet, comes back in, but Corbin alley-oops Ricochet INTO THE POST! The One and Only is down as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Corbin has Ricochet in the ring with a half nelson chinbar. Ricochet endures and the fans rally up. Ricochet fights but Corbin thrashes him around. Fans taunt Corbin, Ricochet gets up and throws body shots. Ricochet ROCKS Corbin, runs, but Corbin hits a back drop! As if Ricochet doesn’t get air on his own! Cover, TWO! Corbin argues with the ref but the count was fair! Corbin goes back to Ricochet, taunts him to laugh now, but fans chant “You Suck! You Suck!” Corbin whips, Ricochet rolls off his back and fires off fast hands! Corbin shoves but Ricochet knees back. Ricochet then dodges, handsprings, and back elbows!

Corbin end sup in a corner, Ricochet runs in to RAM Corbin, and springboard FLYING LARIAT! STANDING SHOOTING STAR! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up while Ricochet keeps his focus. Ricochet aims from a corner as Corbin rises, then runs in, but no Recoil as Corbin catches him! Ricochet fights free, BOOTS back, then runs and handsprings again, into a torture rack! Corbin swings around for the NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Ricochet survives, Corbin is furious, but the fans are loving it! “BUM ASS CORBIN!” drags Ricochet up again, choke grips and CHOEK- NO, RANA! Ricochet covers, TWO!!

Ricochet hurries to a corner, goes up and around to sunset flip, TWO!! Corbin is up, but into a SOBAT! Ricochet KICKS and runs, but Corbin hits a DEEP SIX! Cover, TWO!! Corbin is shocked that Ricochet escapes! Corbin drags Ricochet to a corner and up to the top rope. Fans chant “CORBIN SUCKS!” as he climbs up, and Ricochet fires hands! Ricochet CLUBS Corbin, goes up and SUPER SUNSET- NO, Corbin holds onto the ropes! Corbin drags Ricochet back up, only for Ricochet to fire off hands! Ricochet CLUBS Corbin, throws hands, but Corbin choke grips! Corbin SHOVES Ricochet off to HOTSHOT off ropes!

McAfee and Corbin stare down and Corbin talks trash, McAfee says he’ll do another round with him if he wants! But Ricochet trips Corbin up! Corbin lands on his happy boys! RECOIL!! Corbin is in the drop zone, Ricochet hurries up top! McAfee says Ricochet is gonna do something McAfee could never do! It’s the SHOOTING STAR PRESS! Cover, Ricochet wins!!

Winner: Ricochet, by pinfall

So much for wiping the smile off someone’s face! Ricochet’s smile is only bigger, as is McAfee’s and Greensville’s! McAfee passes the ball to Ricochet, and Ricochet passes it back! Touchdown! And then McAfee kicks the ball to the fans! And it’s good! Will Corbin’s frown continue to grow, too? Or will he come back after McAfee soon enough?

Sami Zayn walks the halls.

And of course, he goes to the dressing room of the Tribal Chief. He politely knocks, but what will he have to say to the Undisputed Universal Champion?

SmackDown returns, and Sami is still knocking. The Usos answer and the Honorary Uce is excited. Jey isn’t, though, but Sami wants to say, what they did at SummerSlam, mad respect. Speaking of… How is Paul Heyman? He’s fine, just needs some days off at home to rest. Okay, good. But that kinda makes sense, Sami was calling Heyman but didn’t get a response. Sami was hoping to talk to Roman, congratulate him on how great SummerSlam was. Jey says now’s not a good time. Dawg, what? It’s okay, Sami, they’ll shoot you a text when it’s okay. Well, alright, cool. Peace. But will Sami be told when it’s okay to talk to the Head of the Table?

Ronda Rousey has been fined and suspended!

After losing in admittedly controversial fashion, the Baddest Woman on the Planet perhaps lived up to that name, going after Liv Morgan and then the referee after the decision was final. Ronda will be gone just for this week, what mood will she be in when she returns?

WWE Intercontinental Championship Contender’s Match: Shinsuke Nakamura VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ GUNTHER!

The King of Strong Style has gone 1-1 with the Impeccable German of Imperium, and yet the Ring General hasn’t been happy with either result. Will he be even less happy when Nakamura wins again and gets a shot at the Intercontinental Championship? Or will Gunther have a say in how things go once again?

SmackDown returns and Imperium makes their entrance. The bell rings and Nakamura circles with Ludwig. They tie up, go around, and Ludwig chinbars then wrenches to a top wristlock. Ludwig wrangles Nakamura down, has a hammerlock and leans on the hold. Ludwig clamps on a chinlock but fans rally as Nakamura fights up. Gunther coaches Ludwig and he CLUBS Nakamura down. Ludwig sits Nakamura up to JAM an elbow into his face! Nakamura gets to a corner, Ludwig bumps him off buckles. Ludwig throws hands stomps Nakamura, then throws elbows. Ludwig lets off at the ref’s count of 4 to shout “NEIN!”

Ludwig stomps a mudhole in, but lets off at 4 again. Gunther coaches Ludwig to keep on Nakamura, and Ludwig bumps him off buckles again. Ludwig throws haymakers then stomps, but Nakamura grabs the leg! Nakamura CLUBS the leg, throws forearms and body shots and KICKS in the corner! And then he gives Ludwig BAD VIBRATIONS~! Gunther is upset but fans fire up as Nakamura says, “C’MON!” Ludwig runs in but into a knee! And a KICK! And more kicks! Ludwig blocks one but the ENZIGURI hits! Nakamura drops a knee on Ludwig’s head! Cover, TWO! Nakamura drags Ludwig up to waistlock but Ludwig wrenches out to ROCK Nakamura!

Ludwig climbs up the corner but Nakamura trips him up! TOP SHELF KNEE! Ludwig tumbles out and Gunther is furious! Nakamura runs, Ludwig gets in, things speed up, but Nakamura stops to KICK! Nakamura runs in, but into a tilt-o-whirl SLAM! Gunther is finally happy with what he sees while SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns as Nakamura CLOBBERS Ludwig! Fans fire up as both men get up, and Nakamura fires of knees! Nakamura suplexes Ludwig up, hangs him out to dry and AX KICKS him down! Nakamura runs to SLIDING KNEE! Ludwig scrambles to a corner, Nakamura runs in but he blocks the boots! He puts Ludwig in the ropes, CHOP and SLIDING GERMAN! Nakamura dares Gunther to do something but Gunther tells him to focus on Ludwig. Ludwig WRECKS Nakamura with a dropkick! Gunther says he told Nakamura so. Ludwig goes out but Nakamura ELBOWS him, puts him on the apron and KNEES him into the ring!

Nakamura hurries to aim from a corner, “YAO~!” KIN- NO! UPPERCUT! Ludwig covers, TWO! Nakamura survives and Ludwig is shocked while Gunther is furious! Ludwig drags Nakamura up, Nakamura fires a forearm but Ludwig kicks away. But Nakamura boots him, only to swing into a PUMP HANDLE SUPLEX! Cover, TWO!! Nakamura survives again and Gunther is furious! Gunther tells Ludwig not to mess this up again, and Ludwig drags Nakamura up. Ludwig hooks Nakamura up, but Nakamura gets an ARMBAR! Ludwig stays up to STOMP, and then he covers! TWO!! Nakamura kicks, Ludwig ducks, but the WHEEL KICK hits!

Nakamura goes to the corner, runs back in, KINSHASA!! Cover, Nakamura wins!

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship)

Fans fire up with the King of Strong Style, because he’s got that title match with Gunther! Gunther gets in the ring to get in Nakamura’s face, and Nakamura tells him, “C’MON!” Gunther snarls but he has no choice but to defend the title now. Will the King of Strong Style become a three-time Intercontinental Champion next week?

Backstage interview with Kofi Kingston.

A video recap plays of the Viking Raiders showing that new viciousness when they broke Xavier Woods’ ankle. Megan asks Kofi how Woods is doing. Woods is in high spirits, resting, recovering and recuperating, and he will be back soon enough. And that’s the thing: no matter how many times these “nasty, disgusting, gross, grotesque, crusty ass Vikings wanna put us down, we’re always gonna get back up. Because to us, it’s not just a gimmick when we say every day is a NEW~ Day~!” Kofi says it feels weird saying that alone without Woods or Big E. It’s been a long time since it’s just been him.

But speaking of time, it is almost time for Kofi to make the Vikings pay! And do you know why, Megan? BECAUSE~! NEW! DAY ROCKS! NEW! DAY ROCKS! Kofi is ready for revenge, but can he do it all on his own?

Sami Zayn knocks on Roman’s door again?

The Usos answer the door again and Sami apologizes. It’s just that he gets bad reception in this arena, he isn’t sure if the text was coming through or not. Jimmy says good timing, he was just about to text Sami. Oh, well, then can he go in there? Well, they need a favor first. See, usually with Heyman here, he’s handling stuff backstage. He’s usually talking with the production truck to make sure the graphics are good, the music is good, and the pyro is good so that Roman’s entrance is perfect. Okay, okay. Can Sami do that for them? Really? Well, that’s not really his job. He’s the Honorary Uce! Jimmy says it would mean a lot to Roman.

Well… Okay. Tell Roman that Sami is taking care of this. He’ll get all the pyro. Sami heads off, but is this really for Roman? Or just so that Sami leaves the Bloodline alone tonight?

Liv Morgan is here!

Kayla Braxton is in the ring to introduce the SmackDown Women’s Champion, as well as interview her. SummerSlam, Liv was in the ring with a very vengeful Ronda. Ronda thought she won, but then snapped when she found out she lost. And Liv’s arm is in a brace while Ronda is suspended. What has Liv been feeling since Saturday? Liv says she is feeling so many different things. But when she looks at her title… She hears fans chant “YOU TAPPED OUT!” and she says this is why she wanted to come out here. She needs to address the elephant in the room. Fans keep chanting it but Liv says she appreciates being called out on her ish.

But what Liv wants to say about that, is that this championship means everything to her. its’ why shew as able to withstand armbar after armbar. She survived three of Ronda Rousey’s armbars, and yes she did tap, after she thought it was three. So she knows that when Ronda comes back- Wait! Here comes Sonya Deville! Sonya tells Liv that this is sad to see. Maybe we need a hard dose of reality. Liv can be all noble in front of the people, and some will buy it because they’re dumb. But they both know that Liv shouldn’t be champ right now. C’mon! This is pathetic, honestly. But what made Sonya happy: watching Ronda get her hands on Liv after Liv screwed Ronda.

But Sonya says it is also a testament to how bad Adam Pearce sucks at his job. But standing here, face to face, looking Liv in the eyes, Sonya really loves seeing Liv all hurt. So here’s what happens: Sonya wins tonight’s gauntlet match, and then she bets Liv at Clash at the Castle and break her heart because she takes away what Liv loves most. But wait! Here comes another of the gauntlet competitors, Aliyah! Because she and Sonya are first up! Will “Cruella” survive to the end? Or will #Aliyah317 take Sonya out real quick?

SmackDown Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Gauntlet!

Liv watches ringside as the bell rings and the two tie up. Aliyah headlocks, Sonya powers out, but Aliyah runs her over! Aliyah blows a kiss, runs, but into a big back elbow! Sonya then runs to KNEE Aliyah down! Sonya drags Aliyah up, puts her in the ropes and CHOKES her! The ref counts, Sonya lets off at 4, but Aliyah rolls Sonya up! TWO, and Sonya kicks low. Sonya fireman’s carries but Aliyah slips off and shoves Sonya to ropes. Sonya ducks, then comes back to hit a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Sonya drags Aliyah up to thrash her around in a SLEEPER! Fans duel, Aliyah endures, and Aliyah fights up to hit a JAWBREAKER!

Sonya staggers away, runs back in but Aliyah dodges to hit a BULLDOG! And then a THESZ PRESS! Aliyah dodges again to SPRINGBOARD CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Aliyah watches Sonya go to ropes, runs in but Sonya YANKS her into the ropes! Aliyah sputters while the ref reprimands, and fans cheer for “RONDA ROUSEY!” Sonya scoops Aliyah to dragon sleeper and ELBOW DROP DDT! Cover, and Sonya ELIMINATES Aliyah! The #DevillesAdvocate scores, but here comes Big Mami Cool!

Sonya Deville VS Raquel Rodriguez!

Raquel rushes right into the ring, she picks Sonya up and RAMS her into the corner! And again and again! Raquel then picks Sonya up to TOSS her! Sonya lands on her feet but Raquel CLOBBERS her! Cover, TWO! Sonya kicks back, runs, but into a scoop! Sonya slips off to CHOP BLOCK! Fans boo as Sonya runs, and she BULLDOGS Raquel down! Cover, TWO! Sonya is frustrated but she clamps on a chinlock. Fans rally, Raquel grits her teeth and fights up, but Sonya throws Raquel by her hair! Sonya wraps on a chinlock, grinds Raquel down, but Raquel fights up. Fans chant for “LIV MORGAN!” but Raquel hits a SIDEWALK SLAM!

Sonya staggers, runs in at Raquel but Raquel elbows her away! Raquel then FLAPJACKS Sonya off buckles and BOOTS her down! Raquel goes up, VADER ELBOW! And then the TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel ELIMINATES Sonya! So much for Sonya’s promise. But here comes the wild child, SHOTZI! Will Shotzi keep Raquel from taking another opportunity she feels she deserves? We’ll find out, after the break.

Raquel Rodriguez VS Shotzi Blackheart!

SmackDown returns, Shotzi has Raquel in an IRON OCTOPUS! Raquel endures while fans rally, and Raquel powers up, only for Shotzi to elbow away on the ribs! Shotzi keeps on the octopus but Raquel still endures. Raquel powers up again, swings Shotzi around, and hits a FALL AWAY SLAM! Fans fire up as Raquel runs in at the corner, goes right up and VADER ELBOWS again! Raquel gets Shotzi up, TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel ELIMINATES Shotzi! But no time to rest, here comes the Protector turned Terminator, Xia Li!

Raquel Rodriguez VS Xia Li!

Xia storms into the ring, she dodges Raquel and fires off KICKS! And KICKS, and KICKS! Xia kicks out a leg, runs the ropes and dropkicks Raquel down! Raquel flounders to a corner but Xia stomps a mudhole into her. Raquel shoves Xia away, but Xia gets the leg to CLUB away on it! Xia puts the leg on ropes to drop a knee on the knee! Raquel writhes and flounders away, but a SLIDING KNEE takes her down! Cover, TWO! Xia snarls as Raquel is still in this. But Xia uses a body scissor takedown to a cover, TWO! Xia has the leg, HALF CRAB! Fans rally as Raquel endures and fights up! But Xia hip drops her down! And sits deep on the leg!

Xia STOMPS the leg into the mat! Raquel crawls to ropes but Xia pie faces her around. Xia talks trash but Raquel snarls. Raquel stands up and Xia CHOPS! It doesn’t matter to Raquel! Raquel blocks the punch, then the next, then HEADBUTTS Xia! Xia SOBATS back, runs in, but into Raquel’s FALL AWAY SLAM! Fans fire up as Raquel goes to the corner again, VADER ELBOW! And then, she drags Xia back up, TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel ELIMINATES Xia! That’s three in a row!! But here comes the Queen of Harts!

Raquel Rodriguez VS Natalya!

Natty slides in, kicks the bad leg then ROCKS Raquel with a right! Natty trips Raquel but Raquel kicks her away. Natty gets around, waistlocks but Raquel bucks that. So Natty CHOP BLOCKS the leg! Natty drags Raquel around, stomps the bad leg again and again, then DRAGON SCREWS it! Natty steps through for a KNEE JAMMER, then she ties the legs up in a BUTTERFLY DEATHLOCK! Raquel endures and Natty CHOPS her in the gut! Raquel keeps her shoulders up but Natty DECKS her! Raquel is down again, ONE! Natty taunts Raquel but Raquel SLAPS her! And then facelocks to roll and deadlift suplex!! Cover, TWO!!

Natty stomps the bad leg, drags Raquel around and ties her up. Natty SLAPS Raquel, before putting on the SHARPSHOOTER!! Raquel endures as Natty sits deep! Raquel reaches out, crawls forward, ROPEBREAK!! Fans fire up as Natty lets Raquel go. Natty stomps the legs again, stands Raquel up and fires off haymakers! The ref counts, Natty backs off but then climbs up to rain down fists! Raquel just uses that for the TEXANA BOMB!! Cover, Raquel ELIMINATES Natty!! But that just leaves the Queen of Spades! Will Raquel #TapNaporSnap after the break?

Raquel Rodriguez VS Shayna Baszler!

SmackDown returns and Raquel endures Shayna’s HEEL HOOK! Fans rally as Raquel kicks with her free leg! Shayna grabs that leg, turns Raquel over and STOMPS the ankle! Raquel writhes with both legs in a bad way! Raquel drags herself to a corner but Shayna stalks her. Shayna drags Raquel but Raquel holds ropes. Shayna KICKS the arms from the ropes then RAMS Raquel into buckles. Shayna digs her boot into Raquel, then gets the arm for a double wristlock takedown! Shayna grins as she looks at Liv and tortures Raquel’s arm! But Raquel fights up, scoops Shayna, and FALL AWAY SLAMS! Fans fire up as Raquel runs in, but Shayna dodges the splash!

Shayna cradles, TWO!! Shayna KNEES Raquel right down! Cover, TWO!! Shayna is furious that Raquel is still in this! Shayna drags Raquel up, Raquel throws body shots and haymakers! But Shayna shoots around to get a SLEEPER! Raquel throws her right off, runs in and SPLASHES! Fans fire up as Shayna is down! Raquel wants another, VADER ELBOW INTO THE KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!!! Shayna has Raquel caught!! Fans fire up as Raquel stands up, reaches out, but Shayna drags her away from ropes! Raquel is fading, but she uses her last gasp to get the ROPEBREAK Shayna holds on, so Raquel pushes back to roll and cover! TWO!!

Shayna lets go of the sleeper to waistlock and roll Raquel to a bridging cover, SHAYNA WINS!!

Winner: Shayna Baszler, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the SmackDown Women’s Championship)

Raquel couldn’t catch her breath and Shayna is coming for Liv! Liv has a bad arm from fighting Ronda, will she not be able to survive Shayna?

Sami Zayn knocks on Roman’s door again.

The Usos answer again, and Sami promises he took care of all of it. The graphics, the music, the pyro, everything! He did get into a fight with the production guy, it was a whole thing, but he has to talk with Roman right now. Uce, it ain’t gonna happen tonight. Really? C’mon, man! This is just them giving him the runaround. Is he part of the group or not? Is he not the Honorary Uce or not? Jey has had it! Sami wants the truth? The truth is, The Bloodline leveled up at SummerSlam! Roman has two belts! The Usos have four! If Sami doesn’t pull his weight around here, he’ll be taking that Bloodline shirt off real soon. Jey heads out, and Jimmy just shakes his head. Will Sami be able to do something about that ultimatum?

The Viking Raiders VS Jim Mulkey & Tommy Gibson!

Erik & Ivar sidelined Xavier Woods, and they look ready to do the same to more opponents on their warpath to the top. Will the local boys here be lucky to walk out of here under their own power?

The teams sort out, Erik CLOBBERS Gibson! Then he DRAGS Mulkey into the ring, before he RAMS Gibson into the corner! Ivar tags in, Ivar BRONCO BUSTERS Mulkey, before Erik feeds him Gibson to scoop SLAM! Erik then scoop SLAMS Ivar onto Gibson! Fans are going nuts as Ivar drags Gibson into a corner to fire off back elbow after back elbow! Gibson flounders, Ivar tags Erik in, and Erik SPLASHES Mulkey to then scoop and SLAM him! Tag back to Ivar, Erik gets Gibson up as Ivar climbs. Erik hands Gibson off to Ivar for a SUPER POWERSLAM! Ivar tags Erik back in, then Ivar fetches Mulkey.

Erik and Ivar DOUBLE POEWRBOMB Mulkey onto Gibson! Stacked cover, The Viking Raiders win!

Winners: The Viking Raiders, by pinfall

And then they toss the Carolina boys out of the ring! The viciousness knows no bounds, but wait! Kofi rushes out and ambushes them! Kofi fires off with a kendo stick! Erik bails out, Kofi SMACKS away on Ivar! Ivar bails out as the kendo stick breaks apart! Fans are thunderous for Kofi, but Erik says Kofi is a dead man! Will Kofi regret trying to become a Viking slayer?

Kofi Kingston VS Erik w/ Ivar!

SmackDown returns and here’s Kofi’s chance! The bell rings, Kofi fires off on Erik but Erik shoves him away. Erik gets to a corner but Kofi fires off on him again! Erik shoves Kofi, Kofi ROCKS him, then runs corner to corner! Erik catches Kofi to throw him down, ACE TEN MAO! Kofi is down after that hard knee, and Erik rains down fists! Erik roars and looms over Kofi. Fans rally for Kofi but Erik kicks him to ropes. Erik drags Kofi up but Kofi fires body shots. Erik snapmares Kofi down for a chinlock! Erik grinds Kofi down with a chinbar, but Kofi fights up to throw body shots! Kofi fires uppercuts and forearms, then runs, but Erik CLOBBERS him! Cover, ONE!!

Erik crossface forearms Kofi again and again, then clamps the chinbar back on. Fans rally, Kofi fights up, and JAWBREAKERS! Erik shoves Kofi to a corner, but Kofi slips out and swing kicks! Kofi goes up and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Erik is still in this but fans rally behind Kofi. Erik shoves Kofi, but swings into SO- NO, Erik powers out and runs, to SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO!! Kofi survives that almost urenage style slam, but Erik keeps his focus. Erik drags Kofi up, brings him around, but Kofi wrenches out and swings, but into a FULL NELSON KNEE SMASH! Cover, TWO! Erik looms over Kofi, drags him up, and whips Kofi to a corner.

Kofi goes up to FLYING DROPKICK! Fans fire up, Kofi sends Erik out, and then builds speed to FLY! Direct hit and Kofi is all fired up! Ivar swings with his own kendo stick, but misses! GAMANGIRI for Ivar, but Erik ROCK Kofi! Erik puts Kofi in, full nelsons, and lifts but Kofi slips out! Roll up, KOFI WINS!

Winner: Kofi Kingston, by pinfall

Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat! The Power of Positivity holds it down for Kofi going solo, but will he be able to hold onto this momentum until Woods returns?

WWE has an announcement on the Women’s Tag Team Championships!

After being vacated roughly a month ago, this Monday Night Raw in Cleveland begins a tournament to crown NEW Women’s Tag Team Champions! Who will fight through the bracket to change their legacies with these titles?

The Bloodline heads to the ring!

And Sami Zayn got them a new graphic! The three heads are on one massive tree! Roman Reigns is still Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and the Usos are still Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions after a HUGE night on SummerSlam last Saturday. But even without Paul Heyman, the belts are still raised for the pyro, and then again when the Tribal Chief and the Usos get in the ring. Jimmy takes care of handing Roman the mic while fans cheer him on. Roman takes a moment to hear the crowd before saying, “Greensville, South Carolina… ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” Fans cheer, happy to raise up the fingers for #WeTheOnes.

“Well you know the deal. We defend these titles, we win the big one, and then we come back to SmackDown to brag about what we accomplished. But there’s a few things that need to be addressed before we get into all that. Number one: Let’s talk about Brock Lesnar.” Fans boo and Roman says he gets it. He HATES Brock Lesnar. But, Roman respects Brock Lesnar. But he still HATES Brock Lesnar! Lesnar tried to kill the Wise Man, which is why they’re without their Special Counsel tonight. They don’t know when he’ll be back, but this is what happens. When you get an F5 through a table, you end up in the hospital. So Roman wishes Heyman to get well soon.

But wait!! Drew McIntyre is here! The Scottish Warrior storms out on stage and has a mic of his own! McIntyre tells Roman the “Tribal Queef” that he knew Roman would talk until we’re off the air. The fans have heard enough, and McIntyre just wants to get his hands on Roman! McIntyre can’t wait for Clash at the Castle. If you want McIntyre to tear up the Bloodline right now, let him hear you scream! Fans scream, but wait, what’s this? This music… It can’t be! But there’s Scarlett Bordeaux on stage! So where’s- KARRION KROSS ATTACKS MCINTYRE FROM BEHIND! Kross came through the crowd to surprise McIntyre!

Fans are losing their minds over the return of Mr. Doomsday! Kross rains down fists, then RAMS McIntyre into the steel steps! And dribbles his head off them! Kross roars as he watches McIntyre flounders away! Kross takes aim, DOOMSDAY FOREARM!! Kross has just destroyed the #1 Contender! Not that the Bloodline seems to care. But then Scarlett puts an hourglass in the ring, and turns it over. As the sands run down, she and Kross are telling Roman that tick tock, his time is running out! Will the Tribal Chief take this threat seriously? Or will he refuse to #FallAndPray?

My Thoughts:

What a great SmackDown to follow the great Raw after an awesome SummerSlam! Great opening bit with McAfee using a telestrator to go John Madden on his match with Corbin, and it was clever to use that to give us a match with Corbin and Ricochet. And of course Corbin loses from focusing too much on McAfee and not on Ricochet. Ricochet gets a very good win here, and it could lead to Ricochet being right behind Nakamura in the Intercontinental Championship race. Nakamura VS Ludwig Part 3 was very good, and of course Nakamura got the win. The title match is next week for a great ratings grab, but I just don’t know if Nakamura wins that. Nakamura would definitely be a big feather in Gunther’s cap for this reign of his.

An interesting play for the Viking Raiders to squash enhancement talent then have Erik take Kofi on 1v1 in the same night. I would’ve thought Kofi firing off on the Vikings with the kendo stick was enough, but I suppose the Vikings weren’t going to leave it at just the sneak attack. But Kofi winning by a roll-up is fine, it shows he “survived” Erik, and maybe we’ll get Kofi VS Ivar next week to see if he can survive again. And great segments out of Sami and the Usos. I knew from the very first one that Jey just wanted to tell Sami off, so him snapping in the final one makes sense. Sami “pulling his weight” either means he goes back for the Intercontinental Championship, or he helps Roman screw McIntyre over at Clash at the Castle.

Liv delivered well on her promo responding to the controversy of her win, but the fan reaction was a little curious to me personally. I suppose most fans do still like Ronda, so they’re upset Liv won that way, but I don’t expect Greensville to change WWE’s mind on Liv being Face. Especially after seeing the gauntlet match. That was a great match, with a great performance from Raquel taking out the majority of the field. But in the end, with Liv being Face, it makes sense a Heel wins out, and it makes even more sense that it is Shayna. Shayna is a training partner and friend of Ronda’s, with a very similar moveset, so Liv will basically have to worry about surviving the same menacing submission attacks.

Great to hear we’re finally getting the women’s tag title tournament as they promised a month ago, I can’t wait to see how that goes. And we got a great closing segment from The Bloodline, McIntyre, and the surprising return of Karrion Kross! Kross was let go after being used more like a joke than a menacing wrestler under Vince, so it’s great that HHH or someone on his team got Kross to return. Kross finally has Scarlett with him on the main roster, as well as all the other parts of his NXT 1.0 packaging, so he’ll finally feel how he should to the RawDown audience. Now, I don’t see him taking McIntyre’s spot at Clash, but Kross could always be in the background of the title scene, perhaps getting his shot at Extreme Rules.

My Score: 8.8/10