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We're a few weeks away from SummerSlam, and before we could get to the biggest party of the summer, WWE decided to set up shop in Nashville, Tennessee for WWE Smackville. Tonight, both the Intercontinental Championship and the WWE Championship were on the line.
Kofi Kingston is set to face Randy Orton at SummerSlam, hoping to redeem himself after his run-in with the Viper a decade ago. To do that, though, he'd have to weather the storm that was Samoa Joe and Dolph Ziggler.
Elias also had a special concert to play tonight, being in Music City after all. However, his fun would be interrupted by an unexpected surprise, again ruining whatever songs he had planned for the WWE Universe.
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The show opened with a sad announcement, though. Finn Balor reportedly suffered an injury earlier in the week and would be unable to compete. Shinsuke Nakamura marched down to the ring to demand a win by forfeit. When the ref began the ten count, Ali's music hit. He told Nakamura that he already let one opportunity pass him by earlier this year, and wasn't letting it happen again. Nakamura seemed up for the challenge, oddly enough.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Ali vs Shinsuke Nakamura (c)
Nakamura tested Ali with a few kicks to the leg before bringing him down to one knee with a side headlock. Ali shot him off into the ropes but was met with a shoulder tackle, putting him flat on the mat. Nakamura taunted him and tried to chase his challenger into the corner. Ali avoided and managed to drop the Cheapshot Artist with a spinning heel kick.
Nakamura was sent to the outside, where Ali followed up with a crossbody to the outside and another crossbody on the inside. Nakamura kicked out at two. Ali found himself on the apron setting up for a springboard maneuver, but a kick from the champion sent him crashing into the apron and floor. A baseball slide and a knee to a draped Ali's face was enough for a pair of two counts, but Nakamura couldn't put Ali away.
Bad Vibrations took Ali's face from the top turnbuckle all the way to the ground. A gourdbuster followed up by several knee strikes to the body further damaged Ali, but he still kicked out. A sleeper hold left Ali slumped over, nearly out of breath. He eventually fought out and rolled Nakamura up with a victory roll. Nakamura kicked out but was met with a huge dropkick.
Ali avoided an attack in the corner and connected with an enziguri on the apron. The slingshot rolling X-Factor sent Nakamura face first into the mat, and a pair of double knees in the corner allowed Ali to set up for the top rope Spanish Fly. Nakamura sent him off the post, but as he leaped off for the knee strike, another dropkick to the jaw nearly left him out cold. He still managed to kick out.
Nakamura avoided an Irish whip into the ropes, hitting the rolling heel kick. After a snap German suplex, he set up for the Kinshasa. Ali countered with a superkick and a satellite tornado DDT, spiking the champion on the mat. However, as he went for the 450 Splash, Nakamura rolled out of the way and sent the young high-flyer into the second turnbuckle. The Kinshasa finally connected, ending Ali's night.
Results: Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Ali via pinfall.
Nakamura picked up a pretty impressive win here. When Balor was taken out of the match, he assumed he was going to have an easy night and had no time to prepare. To take down someone like Ali with no time for a game plan proved just how dangerous the Intercontinental Champion is.
Samoa Joe cut a promo on his WWE Championship match tonight. The Destroyer and Dolph Ziggler would take on Kofi Kingston in a triple threat match for the title, and Joe felt that it was going to be a tough night for both competitors. Kingston was already at a disadvantage, and he knew that whoever was left to take him on one on one would not be able to survive his onslaught.
Elias' concert began with the Drifter sitting in the middle of the ring with an electric guitar. He hounded the crew backstage for not having the sound right for his huge Smackville performance. He played a few chords, getting an ovation from the crowd. However, he was upset that he didn't get a standing ovation from Nashville.
He then brought up a story about the time he met legendary singer Johnny Cash. Sadly for those there, it was revealed that Cash wasn't a fan of the Tennessee Titans, and didn't think they'd ever win the Super Bowl. Elias got ready to play another song in honor of Shane McMahon, but the crowd showered him with boos.
Elias said that if that's how they feel, then he would just leave. He stormed off but stopped as he got to the ropes. He turned back and forth a few times, with the crowd cheering whenever he disappeared into the dark and booing whenever he moved back towards his stool. He then decided that he was going to play his song regardless of what the crowd thought.
The Troubadour thanked Shane McMahon for strapping a rocket to his back and boosting his career. He also said that McMahon deserved more TV time and should even be WWE Champion. Vince McMahon ended up calling him in the middle of the song, and Elias claimed that he was told he could have all the time he needed.
Elias began singing about Kevin Owens, forcing the Prize Fighter to emerge from behind him. Elias didn't see him, and set his guitar down to run down the backstage crew again. KO sent him outside with a shot to the jaw. He said he wasn't going to come out, though he did hope someone would cut the strings on his guitar, but after hearing his song he decided to come down and demand a match with Shane McMahon's lackey.
Kevin Owens vs Elias
As the bell rang, Elias sent Owens into the corner with a cheap shot and pounded him into the mat. The ref pulled him off, allowing Owens to recover and get a few shots in of his own.
A clothesline and a running senton splash forced him to roll outside. Owens attempted a dive, but Elias walked away. He managed to stop before going through the ropes and instead chased Elias around the ring.
Elias caught Owens getting back inside the ring with a jumping boot to the jaw. He took Owens under the turnbuckle, wrapping his body around the ring post. Back inside, Owens kicked out at one. Elias grabbed his arm, heading up for an Old School, leaping onto Owens with a meteora instead. He brought Owens up top, only to be sent crashing down to the mat below thanks to a headbutt. A senton bomb connected, and Owens nearly picked up the win there.
A stunner was blocked, and a jumping knee strike left Owens laying in the middle of the ring. The elbow drop from the top rope was avoided, and Owens ducked a clothesline, dropping Elias with the Stunner.
Results: Kevin Owens defeated Elias via pinfall.
Kofi Kingston was interviewed backstage about his tough battle tonight. The WWE Champion said that he already defeated both men in one-on-one matches over the past two months. At Smackville, he's going to beat them at the same time and continue on his dominant run at the top of the SmackDown card.
Dolph Ziggler's run-in with Shawn Michaels on Miz TV was replayed, showing the Showoff laying out the Heartbreak Kid with a little dose of his own medicine via Sweet Chin Music.
WWE Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler vs Samoa Joe vs Kofi Kingston (c)
Kofi rushed both challengers, sending them out to opposite sides of the ring. Kofi went for a dive but Ziggler tripped him up, dragging him outside. Ziggler and Joe met and decided on a temporary alliance, opting to finish off Kingston early so they could have a match one-on-one.
Inside the ring, Kingston hit Joe with a few kicks, but a sleeper from Ziggler allowed Joe to catch him with a punch to the gut. They tossed the champion into the ropes, laying him out with double back elbow strikes. Joe held onto Kingston while Ziggler teed off on him. He managed to break Joe's grasp, sending Joe into the corner and hitting Ziggler with a crossbody from the top rope.
Joe broke it up, launching Kingston outside into the barricade. He then went for the pinfall, though Ziggler kicked out. They argued about their plan, allowing Kingston to get back in the match and take them out with a pair of axe handles from the top rope. Joe was tossed out while Ziggler was hit with the Boom Drop. Ziggler rolled out before the Trouble in Paradise could connect.
As Kingston tried to chase after him, Joe made it back inside and drove him into the mat with a Samoan drop. Up top, the former NXT Champion was looking for a superplex. Kingston fought him off and headbutted him, knocking him down. Ziggler came in and tried to do the same thing, but Joe pulled him off for a powerbomb.
Ziggler escaped and hit a DDT on Joe, but was met by a crossbody from Kingston. He countered the pin,though, and nearly pinned Kingston. The champion kicked out and rolled up Ziggler, but Joe broke it up, dropping both men out to the floor. Kingston was sent into the steel steps shoulder first, and Joe launched Ziggler onto the announce table.
Kingston tried to fight back against Joe inside the ring, but was floored by a running back elbow. As Kingston stood up, he countered a Coquina Clutch with a jawbreaker. Joe then caught Kingston's Trouble in Paradise, trapping him in an Ankle Lock. Kingston escaped but was finally locked into the Coquina Clutch. However, Joe noticed Ziggler coming in, and as he tossed Kingston aside was met with a superkick. Kingston broke up the pin.
Ziggler and Kingston engaged in a war of fists. A kick to Kingston's knee was enough for Ziggler to drop him with the Zig Zag, but it wasn't enough to win the championship. He began to tune up the band for another superkick, but was intercepted by Joe who planted him with a slam. Kingston rolled him up, but Joe broke out and clocked him with a huge clothesline, turning him nearly inside out.
Kingston avoided the Clutch again, and hit Joe with the Trouble in Paradise, surviving the night.
Results: Kofi Kingston defeated Samoa Joe and Dolph Ziggler via pinfall.
