SmackDown Live this week featured a handful of matches interwoven with, mostly, promos from Daniel Bryan and the Authors of Pain, along with a pretty intense segment between Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon.
However, there are quite a few things that viewers at home may have missed, including a fantastic opener featuring two of the Blue Brand's best underutilized talents. We also saw Bayley continue to plague Charlotte after SmackDown went off the air, as well as a slightly terrifying moment during King Corbin's crowning.
#5 Buddy Murphy faces the Black Mass
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Over the summer, both Buddy Murphy and Aleister Black began to build up some incredible team, picking up wins over some of the best Superstars on the main roster. While Aleister Black was focused on finding anyone who had the courage to fight him, picking up wins over the likes of Cesaro, Sami Zayn, and Shelton Benjamin, Buddy Murphy found himself embroiled in the Blue Brand's main event storyline.
Forced into a pretty rough situation between a rock and a hard place, Murphy would battle both Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan in August after the Big Dog assumed he knew something about who his mystery attacker was. Though he lost to Reigns, the Juggernaut won over the WWE Universe with his incredible effort and flashy maneuvers.
Eventually, he'd even pick up a victory over the "New" Daniel Bryan, elevating him to one of the top Superstars on the brand. And though he lost to Ali in the King of the Ring Tournament, he still had a lot of momentum riding on him after another star making performance.
Since then, however, we've seen little of Murphy. on Tuesday nights, though we may have gotten a sneak peak at his upcoming feud prior to SmackDown going Live. The pre-show dark match for tonight featured Buddy Murphy going one-on-one with the Striking Man from Amsterdam.
It was, as many would assume, the match of the night. Non-stop fast paced action ending with a Black Mass knocking out Murphy for the three-count. Hopefully, we'll get to see these two square off on TV in the near future.
#4 Bayley gets one over on Charlotte
Sasha Banks battled Bayley's Clash of Champions challenger Charlotte Flair on SmackDown Live tonight. The Queen hoped to pick up a clean victory over The Boss after she helped prevent another beatdown from the Boss N' Hug Connection on RAW the night before, saving Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch in the process.
However, one major factor was in play tonight. Bayley was in Banks' corner, but Flair was all alone. Sadly for the multi-time Women's Champion, the Hugger broke up the Figure-8 Leglock before she could secure a win, forcing a DQ victory.
The SmackDown Women's Champion would be forced to face the wrath of Flair, however, in the dark main event of the night. Following 205 Live, Bayley was forced to defend her championship,and though she managed to sneak up on her, attacking her from behind, Charlotte easily overcame the champion and brutalized her for the majority of the match.
However, the new, more clever Bayley managed to steal one from Flair after introducing a chair into the ring. Flair stopped her from utilizing it, but when she attempted to rain down steel upon Bayley's back, the referee pulled it away. This allowed Bayley to poke her in the eyes and roll her up for the win, making yet another quick escape just like at Clash of Champions.
By hook or by crook, the former role model for the WWE Universe has been able to outsmart Charlotte twice this week.
#3 Chad Gable's mayhem sends debris into the audience
Following the incredible King of the Ring finals between Baron Corbin and Chad Gable, the Lone Wolf was officially crowned as the King on the Blue Brand. However, immediately after, he asked that Gable make his way to the ring.
Those that saw tonight's episode of SD Live know how it went, with Gable taking out Corbin and tearing apart the chair, robe, and even destroying the scepter and crown.
However, that scepter would end up becoming a few dangerous projectiles that, after breaking off the ribs and back of King Corbin, shot into the audience. A handful of pieces made their way around ringside, crossing the barricade near the announcer's desk and near the top of the ramp.
Gable's fury was certainly felt by Corbin, and a few more people at that, and left some happy fans going home with some unique souvenirs.
#2 Rowan plants Bryan with an Iron Claw during Roman Reigns' entrance
Daniel Bryan was truly heartbroken by the betrayal of his friend Erick Rowan. On Tuesday night, he came out to the ring to plead to the WWE Universe, claiming that, good or bad, no matter what's been said or done, he's never lied to them.
Rowan would come out, and with Harper, would lay out the former WWE Champion with a devastating body splash/discus lariat combination. Roman Reigns then rushed the ring to make the save. However, many didn't see Rowan ignore the Big Dog as Harper rolled out the ring. Rowan instead chose to further break the body of Bryan, driving him through the mat with an Iron Claw.
That wouldn't be all that Bryan would have to deal with, as we saw him broken over the announcer's desk at the end of the night. However, we're not used to seeing someone flat out turn their back to an opponent who was rushing the ring.
Either Rowan completely trusted Harper to handle the situation, or he was so blinded by rage he didn't even notice the former Universal Champion rushing the ring. And if it's the latter, it's truly a testament to the fury that resides inside the Great Redwood.
#1 Don't call the Viper "Randall"
SmackDown Live started, officially, with a six-man tag team match where the New Day battled Randy Orton and the SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival. It didn't take long for Orton to get nasty, laying Woods out on the announcer's desk with a trio of back drops.
However, the anger that Orton is known for went into overdrive tonight when the Atlanta, GA crowd began chanting "Randall" in the direction of the future Hall of Famer. Orton immediately grabbed a mic, exclaiming that the only person allowed to call him that was his mother. As the crowd continued to chant, Orton went a more obscene rout, calling the entire crowd a**holes.
Woods grabbed a mic at this point, defending his home town and turning it around, claiming that Orton and The Revival were, in fact, the a**holes in this situation.
Woods demanded that Orton get inside the ring so he could properly defend his friends and family by beating the snot out of him. In a move that most expected, Orton tagged out to Dash Wilder instead, not wanting any of the UpUpDownDown creator.
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