Smackdown LIVE 900 Highlights
The Miz Becomes a Six-time Intercontinental Champion
So this week Smackdown celebrated it's nine hundredth episode and over the past week the WWE have been hyping this monumental show with promises of huge appearances from the likes of WWE Hall of Famer, Edge and the man who made Smackdown what it is today, the Undertaker. We were also promised an Intercontinental championship match between Dolph Ziggler and the Miz and it was this match that kick started the show last night. Now, I have mentioned a lot recently how I believe that the feud between Dolph Ziggler and the Miz has been one of my favourite feuds of twenty sixteen. Both superstars have been standouts since the brand split and their rivalry has been exactly what both superstars have needed for a long time. Their story has focused on Ziggler being the true fighting champion, the man that always bounces back and is always up for a fight while the Miz is the man that backs away from competition and uses his wife and the help of other superstars to remain on top and as champion. Last month these two competed in a brilliant singles match for the IC Championship where Ziggler was able to keep his job by defeating the Miz to become the new champ. However, this week the pair were back in the ring against one another competing for that very title and things did not go as planned for the show-off. The match itself was another strong one. These two once again showed what they are capable of and again told a great story throughout and provided us with some amazing wrestling that kept me entertained completely. The match was very split from the get go. Both desperate to end the night with the championship on their shoulder neither men gave in when their opponent delivered their best shots. We saw several close calls and the Miz, in particular, focusing on the leg of Ziggler which in the long run was supposed to prevent Ziggler from hitting that super kick . Those closing moments however really did tie in with the general story hat been told between these two over the past two months or so as it was thanks to the help of his wife Maryse that we saw The Miz defeat Ziggler to become not only the new champ but a now six-time Intercontinental champion. I know so many Dolph Ziggler fans were not happy with this end result but being the huge Miz mark that I am I have to say that I am glad to see him back with that championship on his shoulder. My one issue, however, is Survivor Series and where that title will become the end of his match against RAW's Sami Zayn.
Carmella Impresses in match up against Nikki Bella
The feud between Nikki Bella and Carmella is something that really has had mixed opinions from me personally. You may remember me talking about this a lot a few months back and I mentioned plenty of times that I wasn't a fan of the work at all mainly because of the lack of story and purpose. However, over the past month or so we really have seen things turn around massively for this feud and I have to say that I really have been enjoying their story over the past few weeks. There now seems to be a meaning and purpose behind why they are actually feuding and the mic work and story development we have seen recently really has been a huge turnaround. Now, last night the two superstars were set to finally get their hands on one another in singles competition once again and I have to say that I actually did like what they presented. Of course, this was far from a standout match of the year but it was definitely something worth talking about in today's highlights post. This has one hundred percent been one of the standout feuds of Smackdown LIVE since the brand split and has been perfect for both women and where they are in their careers. As a fan of both superstars, I was sitting back watching this match last night genuinely interested in seeing what was going to go down and while I wasn't really leaning towards either superstar I have to say that Carmella really did impress me. She still has a long long way to go and a lot of improvements are to be made but this was easily her best performance since she call up and competing against someone with the amount of experience Nikki Bella has, Carmella held her own well and dominated this match completely. We saw her focus on the neck of Nikki and a couple of spots really did force me to pay even more attention. I felt the frustrations from both sides and watching this it really did feel as though these women hated each other. Now, I don't know whats up next for both these girls but I did enjoy this little match between the pair during last nights show and it was built up to feel like a big match.
The Rated R Superstar Returns to Smackdown
Anyone that knows me knows that I have been the world's biggest Edge fan from the moment I first watched him compete on my TV. Growing up he was an easy favourite of mine and one of many superstars who really did contribute to why wrestling is such a huge part of my life. When I think of Smackdown several superstars come to mind from the likes of the Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio but the name that always springs to mind first is Edge. When I was younger I would always associate Smackdown with the rated R superstar and so his appearance on the show last night to celebrate the nine hundredth episode was more than fitting. The reaction he received from the crowd was as thunderous as ever before with the Hall of Famer proving that he is forever an iconic figure in pro wrestling and a face of Smackdown. Like many other superstars last night, Edge spoke about how much Smackdown means to him and spoke highly of the Smackdown LIVE Commisioner, Shane McMahon. He also focused heavily on the up and coming Survivor Series. Edging the team on (no pun intended) he made sure to include everyone in the final segment of before the pay per view weekend. Paying special attention to James Ellsworth, a man who has literally become one of the most over talents in pro wrestling today; and even more attention to his former tag team partner, Randy Orton which was a brilliant way to remind us all of that little story, something I still don't have much of an interest in. I did, however, really like hearing from Ambrose and Styles who both hyped their up and coming championship match at next month's TLC pay per view. Overall it was brilliant seeing Edge back on my TV and it really did make the show feel like a big deal.
RAW Women's Divison Invades Smackdown LIVE
As I have already touched on today, last night we got to see Nikki Bell and Carmella once again face off in singles action in what resulted in actually being a pretty solid match up. However, we didn't get to see either Carmella or Nikki Bella walk away with a clean victory as midway through the match we saw the RAW Women's Champion and team RAW captain, Charlotte makes her way to ringside where she watched the action from crowd. As the show returned from a commercial break we saw Nikki Bella prove that Smackdown LIVE was ready for anything and instead of waiting for Charlotte to make the first move she stopped her match to take out the champ as the two former rivals began to brawl at ringside. The numbers were soon however against Nikki Bella when the rest of team RAW came down to the ring and attacked the former champion. The Smackdown LIVE team captain however very quickly had her team running down to even up the playing field and the two teams gave us an identical brawl to what we had seen twenty-four hours ago between the male teams. The crowd genuinely seemed interested in the action and I have to say that the way it was all done really did again, leave me really excited for the actual matchup this weekend. The Smackdown LIVE Women's team were left standing tall but who will walk out the victors come Sunday night?
The Undertaker Shows up to Smackdown LIVE
This week's episode of Smackdown live brought us many standout moments but none more than the closing moments of the show as the Undertaker made his first appearance since Wrestlemania. Just like Edge, I have always associated Smackdown LIVE with the Undertaker and growing up I was such a huge fan of Taker, me and my brother would actually pretend to be both the Undertaker and Edge during their feud all those years back and so this was a real special moment last night to see
them both sharing a ring together. My inner nine-year-old was just going mental. Now, I know plenty of fans were hoping to see the dead man take Shane McMahon's place for the traditional five on five elimination match this Sunday at Survivor Series and while I wasn't expecting it to happen in the slightest I won't deny that I was sitting there during the show last night hoping that would be the case. Instead, he too commended the work of Smackdown LIVE commissioner, Shane McMahon making sure that the roster knew they were in safe hands. He went on to talk about how Smackdown LIVE was his home and made it clear that he no longer was going to let Wrestlemania defy him which left us all with plenty of questions. The segment concluded with not so much a pep talk from Taker but more a warning. I know some of you were disappointed with this closing segment but I honestly really really enjoyed the entire thing and I thought it was a brilliant way to close the show and end the final stop to Survivor Series.
Honestly, I really did enjoy last night's episode of Smackdown LIVE. I know I say it every week but the blue brand really has been standing strong and played the role as the dominate show since the brand split. This week we had a fantastic episode of Monday night RAW but Smackdown was easily able to deliver to the same standard. I know the ending of the show received mixed reviews but personally, I liked what we were provided with. It's always great to see both Edge and the Undertaker back on my TV and the show overall definitely got me even more excited for the Survivor Series pay per view. I will, of course, be live tweeting throughout NXT Takeover Toronto and Survivor Series this weekend and you can let me know what you thought of this weeks show and what your predictions are for both live specials this weekend by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.
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