This was the final week that SmackDown Live would stream on The USA Network. It was also the final week that the show would be presented live on a Tuesday night. SmackDown Live now becomes Friday Night SmackDown once again. The show will feature a new logo and a new stage set. Heading into a new era, WWE needed to make the most of their last show.
With Hell in a Cell right around the corner, the build to the upcoming pay-per-view continued, since it was seemingly announced that Kevin Owens would take on Shane McMahon in a Ladder Match. The added stipulation was that if Shane wins then Owens remains fired, but if Owens wins then Shane will be forced to leave the company.
The buildup to Brock Lesnar vs Kofi Kingston continued as the two go one on one next Friday night for the WWE Championship. The Women's Division also continued to prove that its the most exciting division in the company.
Even though there is a lot going on in WWE right now, there were still many botches and mistakes that took place this week on SmackDown Live.
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
#4. Shinsuke Nakamura fails to catch Ali
The feud between Ali and Shinsuke Nakamura looks to be heading toward an Intercontinental Championship showdown at Hell in a Cell, especially since the Champion was only able to defeat Ali this week following Sami Zayn's interference.
It was an interesting match between the two men before Zayn's involvement, but it still included a dangerous botch. Ali dived out of the ring to take out Nakamura on the outside, but Nakamura didn't catch his opponent. Ali fell out of the ring, hit his head, and then landed on it. He then ricocheted into the announce table head first.
Luckily, Ali was able to get back up and continue the match, but he will definitely be waking up with quite the headache this morning.
#3. Kairi Sane has a rough night
Kairi Sane was once one of the fastest rising stars in WWE, but has now been reduced to being part of a tag team with Asuka where she is consistently overlooked. Last night was a little different since the InSane Elbow was enough to help the duo pick up the win over Fire and Desire, which means that The Kabuki Warriors could be coming for the Women's Tag Team Championships.
Even though Sane was the one who won the match for her team, she was the victim of a number of botches. During her entrance, the Mae Young Classic winner accidentally dropped her hat, which she later had to pick up and take to the ring with her.
Sane was then battling Mandy Rose on the outside when she held her magazine up to her face. Sane was supposed to kick the magazine out of her hand, but when she tried to do this she completely missed. Luckily, she was able to knock it out of her hands on the second attempt while Rose watched on in disbelief.
#2. Shane McMahon accepted, didn't he?
The storyline between Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens continues to heat up since Owens has now decided to sue McMahon for wrongful termination. McMahon tried his best to reason with the former Universal Champion this week on SmackDown Live, but this only led to Owens raising the stakes.
Owens decided that he wanted to beat Shane the best way he knew how and that was in a match where they would both put their fates on the line. Owens decided that it should be in a high stakes Ladder Match. If Shane McMahon wins, Kevin Owens will stay fired and if Kevin Owens wins, then Shane McMahon has to leave.
Shane took the mic after Owens was finished and said, "You know what Kevin, you're on," but Shane's mic was switched off and this wasn't actually heard. This has now led to a number of questions from the WWE Universe and it's unknown as to whether or not McMahon was supposed to actually accept Owens' challenge.The match wasn't officially announced for Hell in a Cell next weekend.
#1. Daniel Bryan gets himself stuck between the ropes
Daniel Bryan challenged Erick Rowan to a match to kick off SmackDown Live this week, since the two men continue to have issues following Rowan's betrayal. The match went ahead without a hitch, until Luke Harper made his way to ringside to help Rowan get the upper hand.
Bryan stepped out of the ring to attack Harper and was then dragged back into the ring by Rowan. As Bryan was being pulled over the top rope, his foot got caught and Rowan was then unable to finish the match.
Rowan and the referee worked hard to try and release Bryan, which proved that this wasn't supposed to happen. The official then freed the former World Champion and Rowan was able to hit his finisher for the victory.
Harper and Rowan's post-match beatdown went ahead as planned, however Bryan was shown limping when Roman Reigns later made the save. It's thought that there could be some lasting damage to Bryan's leg following the unfortunate botch.