Smackdown LIVE Highlights
Cena Makes a dramatic Return
Since losing his one on one matchup against AJ Styles at the SummerSlam pay per view last month we have seen very very little of the face that runs the place, John Cena. Taking time out of TV Cena has kept off screen still working dark matches and making appearances as usual. Last night however John made his anticipated return to Smackdown LIVE and he sure did have a lot to say to not only long time rival and the new WWE World Champion AJ Styles but former champion Dean Ambrose too. With Styles kick starting the show once again bragging about his victory over Cena back at SummerSlam and his achievements from Sunday's pay per view he rubbed it in the face of the lunatic fringe even more in regards to him losing the title at Backlash. He proceeded to declare that he was the new Champ that runs the camp and eventually his words were just too much for the original face that runs the place, and Cena made his big return picking up the usual huge reaction from the live crowd and he sure did have a lot to say as it became perfectly clear this feud was far far from over. However, this time, we have one more name to consider, Dean Ambrose. After losing his title to Styles after a low blow the lunatic fringe was quick to demand a rematch but Cena had a thew words for the former champion who told Ambrose he had no right to be angry at how he lost this title following the action he took in the build-up to their championship match. The heated segment between Ambrose and Cena was interesting. John was clearly sporting a new attitude last night and the harsh words one another had for the other sure did generate a lot of attention but it certainly did the job in making me personally very excited for the up and coming work between them. The opening segment concluded with Shane McMahon announced that at the No Mercy pay per view in four weeks time Styles will defend his championship against both Dean Ambrose and John Cena in a triple threat. In all honesty, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I do believe that this is going to be a fantastic match. There is no doubt that these guys could very easily deliver a phenomenal match up. However, Ambrose is entitled to a one on one rematch and well Cena hasn't earned a championship match at all so at the moment I'm not a hundred percent sure on the decision.The Usos Show Off Their new attitude
The Usos heel turn was something we all pretty much saw coming a thew weeks back after it was teased at the SummerSlam pay per view during a tag team match on the kickoff show. During last week's episode of Smackdown LIVE the twins finally had their bad guy moment attacking American Alpha from behind and after losing to the former NXT Tag Team champions attacked them both again focusing on the leg of Chad Gable. Their actions would force American Alpha out of the tag team tournament finals and Gable out of action for a number of weeks. On Sunday night Jimmy and Jey took part in a second chance match up against the Hype bros with the winning team facing Heath Slater and Ryhno in the finals of the tag team championship tournament. Despite defeating the Hype Bros they managed to come up unlucky later on in the night with a devastating fear from ECW original Rhyno costing the Usos the chance to become the first ever Smackdown LIVE tag team champions. On last night's show, the two looked to regain some momentum and make their way back up the ladder while also further showing off they're brand new attitude. Taking on the Hype Bros yet again the Usos showed everyone that the two men they use to know are well and truly gone with a more intense performance and barbaric move set it became perfectly clear these two are about far more than defeating their opponents, they now want to hurt every man they step into the ring with. Sending a message to Chad Gable and the rest of the tag division they continued to target the already injured leg of Zack Ryder and in the end, they were able to once again score another victory. I remain a pretty big "Usos hater" if you want to use that word. I do think there is a touch more to them working as a heel but I just don't buy it. I'm not any more interested in them now than when they were working as babyfaces. I am however interested in seeing the story between them and American Aloha develop once they're back in action.Jack Swagger Joins the Blue Brand
A couple of months back when the brand split happened we saw former champion Jack Swagger drafted to Monday night RAW and after competing on in a very small number of matches since the brand extension he was left back at the bottom and only this weekend did we see him lose singles match to Jinder Mahal on RAW. However, last night Swagger made a surprise appearance on Smackdown LIVE after sending Baron Corbin packing following an attack on Apollo Crews. Swagger moved on to announce that his contract with Monday night RAW was over and as of now he was a part of the Smackdown LIVE roster. He also promised that he was going to play a huge part and was not going to be holding back at all making sure everyone knew he was a huge threat to everyone in the back. This was pretty awkward to watch. He got a very very small reaction from the crowd and it just felt like not a single person really cared. I do hope that there is going to be something strong for Swagger over on Smackdown. He could be used really well and a little work between him and Baron Corbin would really help them both in the long run.Who is the new Number one Contender for the Women's Championship?
This past Sunday at the Backlash pay per view the women's division tore the house down when they kick-started the night with a huge six pack challenge to determine the first ever Smackdown LIVE Women's Champion. Every single woman in that match brought their A game and with fantastic spots that had the crowd on their feet and equally good story telling this became one of the matches of the night without a doubt. In the end, Becky Lynch was able to force Carmella to tap out and was crowned the first ever Smackdown LIVE women's champion. You can see what I thought of that entire match and the end result in my Backlash review and reactions post which will be linked bellow at the end. Last night the five women who came up short all competed in a fatal five way to determine a new number one contender and after setting the bar so high on Sunday night I was interested to see how much time the women would get and if they would be able to top their performance from the weekend. I have to say that I honestly enjoyed this match so much last night and it was probably the match of the night for me personally. Again, we had some amazing spots throughout the match and I honestly had no idea who was going to walk away with the win and that just kept me on the edge of my seat even more. I also really didn't know who to pull for so this really was an interesting one. There was so many close calls and moments where I thought the likes of Naomi and Nikki Bella were closing in on the victory but in the end, it was Alexa Bliss who picked up the win after capitalizing on the perfect opportunity. I honestly was so so glad to see Alexa get this win. Bliss and Becky really could put on a solid match at No Mercy and this build up sure is going to be interesting. I'm also interested in seeing Bliss really prove herself over the next couple of weeks.Dean Ambrose shows No Mercy
We already mentioned that at the top of the show Dean Ambrose and John Cena were announced as predictable ending but it was the actions of Ambrose after the match that got everyone talking. Hitting dirty deeds on Cena Ambrose made it clear it was every man for himself and he let everyone know he was going to get back his championship regardless of who was standing in his way.
I did really like this week's episode of Smackdown LIVE. I felt as though there was a lot to look forward too. The roster continues to grow and storyline's continue to get stronger and more entertaining. Not to mention how brilliantly well the women's division is being showcased. As always you can let me know what you thought of this weeks show and of course the Backlash pay per view by leaving a comment bellow or by dropping me a tweet at @TezangiVictoria.
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