WWE SmackDown Report 7/17

– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown opens up with stills from new WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura’s win over Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules. We also see stills from Randy Orton’s return after the match.

– We’re live from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania as Tom Phillips welcomes us. He’s joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

– We go right to the ring and Greg Hamilton introduces Jeff Hardy.

Hardy takes the mic but fans won’t stop chanting his name. Hardy says he may look like Jeff Hardy, may make an entrance and wear paint like Jeff Hardy but he does not feel like Jeff Hardy. He feels like something is missing, he feels incomplete. His heart is broken. Hardy says because he’s not champion anymore due to what Shinsuke Nakamura did to him at Extreme Rules. He says Nakamura lacks ethic, a conscience, a code of honor. Hardy says Nakamura is a low-down, good for nothing jackass. Hardy says Nakamura hit him with a low blow because he can’t face him. Hardy says he should have continue but he wasn’t thinking right. That isn’t the case tonight as he is ready to make Nakamura obsolete and take back his United States Title. Jeff tells everyone to enjoy the show as his music hits and he makes his exit. Hardy will get his rematch later tonight.

– We see Shinsuke Nakamura backstage watching. Renee Young asks Nakamura for comments on what Jeff just said. Nakamura calls him a sad clown who wears paint to hide the tears he cries. Nakamura mocks Hardy with fake tears and says the title is now his, which is a reason to smile. Nakamura wants Renee to smile and she does, sort of. Nakamura says he will give everyone a reason to smile tonight by making a clown cry again. God bless America, Nakamura says as he walks off.

– Still to come, The Miz hosts a funeral for Team Hell No and gives their eulogy.

AJ Styles vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

We go to the ring and out comes WWE Champion AJ Styles for our non-title opening match. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Andrade “Cien” Almas with Zelina Vega. The bell rings and they go at it. Almas sends AJ to the mat early on and taunts him some. They trade holds now as fans chant for AJ as Almas has the upperhand. They run the ropes and AJ goes for a dropkick but Almas avoids it by doing his signature pose on the ropes. Vega joins him as AJ looks on. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and AJ finally turns it around by dropping Almas with a big clothesline. Almas comes right back with a dropkick as Vega cheers him on. Fans do dueling chants for Styles now. Styles with a kick but Almas fights back with elbows into the corner. Almas with a backbreaker from the ropes and a spike into the mat for another pin attempt on AJ. Almas takes AJ up top but AJ fights back and sends Almas down. Almas comes right back and pulls AJ to the mat. Almas calls for the running knees but AJ jumps up and drops his neck over the knee. AJ with a close 2 count as Vega shows frustration.

More back and forth now. Almas blocks a Styles Clash attempt. AJ rocks Almas with a forearm attempt. AJ springboards in for a Phenomenal Forearm but Almas knocks him out of mid-air. Almas goes to the top for the moonsault but can’t hit it dead on but connects on the follow through. AJ kicks out just in time. Fans chant for AJ now. More back and forth. AJ nails a kick and stuns Almas. Almas ends up going for a move from the second rope but AJ jumps up and hits the pele kick. AJ climbs up for a superplex but Almas blocks him and AJ is now hung up in the corner. Almas puts him on the mat with a double stomp. Almas goes across the ring and nails the running knees to AJ for a close 2 count.

Vega orders Almas to put Styles away now. Styles counters that and rolls Almas into the Calf Crusher for the submission win.

Winner: AJ Styles

– After the match, AJ recovers and stands tall as we go to replays. AJ celebrates as Almas heads to the back.

– We see stills from Rusev’s loss to Styles at Extreme Rules. We go backstage to Aiden English talking to Lana about how he feels so bad over the way the match ended. Lana says Rusev is angry, disappointed and needs his space. Lana goes on and says the only person who cares about an apology is English but Rusev will forgive him if it’s best for business. Lana asks English says if he’s best for business. English goes on about how he always has Rusev’s back and his best interests at heart, and how everyone deserves a second chance. Lana says she will take that into consideration and English says that’s all he can ask. He walks off.

Becky Lynch vs. Mandy Rose

We go to the ring and out comes Becky Lynch. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Mandy Rose with Sonya Deville. The bell rings and they go at it. Becky takes control and blocks a knee. Rose catches a springboard kick and slams Becky for a 2 count.

Rose takes Becky to the corner and stomps away. Rose with more offense and a suplex for a 2 count. Rose keeps Becky in a hold but fans try to rally for her. Rose nails a dropkick and a big knee for another close 2 count. Rose mounts Becky with strikes now. Rose keeps control with another submission hold now. Rose ducks a clothesline but Becky rolls her up for a 2 count. Becky rolls Rose up again after more back and forth. Becky looks to make a comeback now as she mounts offense and fans cheer her on.

Becky with the Bexploder suplex. Becky applies the Dis-Arm-Her submission now. Rose taps out for the finish.

Winner: Becky Lynch

– After the match, Becky celebrates as we go to replays. Becky takes the mic and thanks everyone. She says winning feels great and she has been patiently waiting, biding her time, never stopping the hard work, racking up victory after victory. Becky says she is just getting started. Becky sends a message to SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella and says she is coming for her. Becky says it’s about time she becomes champion again. Becky stands tall as her music hits.

– SmackDown General Manager Paige is backstage watching Becky. She asks someone in the room if they hear that, the crowd cheering because they usually don’t hear that when they’re out there. We see SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella in the room with her. She knocks Paige’s accent and Paige asks how her boyfriend James Ellsworth is doing. Carmella says Ellsworth isn’t her boyfriend. She goes on and brags on beating Asuka and Charlotte Flair twice. Carmella says she deserves another Mellabration next week and Paige is going to give it to her, if she can defeat Becky Lynch next week. If Becky wins, Carmella will have to defend the title at SummerSlam.

– Tye Dillinger and R-Truth are backstage. Truth wants to encourage Tye for his match with Samoa Joe tonight but Tye isn’t interested. Dillinger walks off and Truth does some comedy as we go back to commercial.

Tye Dillinger vs. Samoa Joe

Back from the break and Tye Dillinger is wrapping up his entrance. Samoa Joe is out next.

The bell rings and Dillinger unloads, sending Joe right out to the floor for a breather. Tye follows and Joe looks to turn it around with an announce table shot but Tye takes it and keeps fighting. Tye exposes his own knee for a shot to Joe but it backfires as Joe scoops him and rams him into the steel ring post. Joe brings it back into the ring with strikes now.

Joe with more strikes and a big kick in the corner. Tye goes down and Joe talks some trash. Joe goes for the Coquina Clutch but it’s blocked. Joe beats Tye up some more and then drops him in the Coquina Clutch. Tye taps out.

Winner: Samoa Joe

– After the match, Joe stands tall as we go to replays. Joe looks out as his music plays.

– Still to come, Hardy vs. Nakamura and The Miz’s funeral for Team Hell No. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and funeral music plays as The Miz makes his way out, dressed in an all-black suit. There are funeral-related graphics on the screens. Miz stops on the stage and waits as a few men push out a cart that has a mannequin head with a Kane mask on it. Miz greets some fans at ringside and offers condolences as they head to the ring.

Miz enters the ring and we see photos of Team Hell No on display, along with a wreath. Miz takes the mannequin Kane head and places it on a podium. Miz thanks everyone for being here and says he is just as sad. Fans chant and Miz says tonight is not about him because tonight we pay respects to Kane and Daniel Bryan. Miz says they were able to put aside their differences to become tag team champions 5 years ago but not at Extreme Rules as they loss to SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers. Miz goes on about their friendship, making sure to mention bad parts. Miz says Bryan made the same mistake of reuniting with Kane recently on SmackDown. Miz says now that Team Hell No is 6 feet under, he would like for everyone to stand up and join him in honoring them with a moment of silence.

Miz wants silence and tells the fans to show some respect. He says he will wait but they keep booing him. A big “yes!” chant starts up now. Miz has just one final thing to say – he told you so. He told each and every one of us how this would end. He told us last week that Kane was nothing more than a broken down demon and he was proved right. Miz says he was also right about our little bogus hero Bryan. Miz says Bryan was never a world class wrestler like he claimed, he’s nothing more than a glory hound that tugs at everyone’s heartstrings. Miz goes on and says Bryan threw one more Hail Mary pass to try and become relevant again. Miz says as sad as this whole thing has been, no one is as sad as Bryan. Miz says Bryan knows deep down inside that his return to the ring has been a bust. Miz says Bryan keeps destroying his legacy and no one has the courage to tell him but Miz, not Kane or Brie Bella, no one. Miz says Bryan’s days of headlining WrestleMania are over and like Team Hell No, his career is dead.

Bryan’s music hits and out he comes with an attack to Miz from behind. Bryan attacks the pallbearers next. Miz retreats from the ring and runs up the ramp. Bryan stands tall in the ring as the “yes!” chants start up. Bryan destroys some of the funeral items in the ring as another “yes!” chant starts up. Bryan delivers the knee strike to one of the pallbearers. Bryan points up at Miz and stares him down as the music hits. Bryan leads the “yes!” chant again as Miz looks on from the stage.

– Still to come, Hardy gets his rematch.

– The New Day is backstage. Big E and Xavier Woods are hyping Kofi Kingston up it appears. Kofi vs. Eric Young is next. Back to commercial.

Eric Young vs. Kofi Kingston

Back from the break and out comes The New Day’s Kofi Kingston with Big E and Xavier Woods. SAnitY’s Eric Young is out next with Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain.

Back and forth to start before Young takes control. Kofi tries to fight back but Young hits him with strikes. Kofi connects with a dropkick and turns it around. More back and forth between the two. We go to commercial with Kofi in control.

Back from the break and Young ends up sending Kofi back to the floor. The two teams stare at each other on the floor as Young works Kofi over with elbows. Young brings it back into the ring and hits a neckbreaker for another pin attempt. Young keeps Kofi grounded now. Kofi fights up and out but Young clubs him back down. Young takes Kofi back to the corner and rocks him with a straight right hand. Young stands on the second rope from behind and chokes Kofi with his feet off the ground. Young lets go and jumps but Kofi knocks him out mid-move. Big E and Woods rally the fans for Kofi now.

Kofi fights back and hits a dropkick. Kofi with the big jumping right hand. Kofi gets the crowd hyped up now. Kofi with the Boom Drop in the middle of the ring. Kofi calls for the finish as fans cheer. Kofi waits for Young to get up as fans clap. Young blocks Trouble In Paradise and rolls Kofi up for a 2 count. Kofi ends up countering in the corner and launching Young from the turnbuckles to the mat. Young still kicks out at 2. Young rolls to the floor for a breather with Dain and Wolfe now. Kofi runs the ropes and leaps over the referee, taking out SAnitY on the floor. Kofi brings Young back into the ring and hits a SOS but Young kicks out at 2.

Young with a shot into the corner. Young runs into a kick in the corner next. Kofi goes to the top but Wolfe gets on the apron for a distraction. Big E knocks Wolfe off the apron. Dain looks to interfere on the other side but Woods stops him and works him over on the floor. Young and Kofi trade moves in the ring now. Dain launches Woods into Kofi at the ropes, from the floor. Young takes advantage and hits the big wheel barrow neckbreaker for the pin.

Winner: Eric Young

– After the match, The New Day checks on Kofi in the ring as SAnitY gathers on the ramp. We go to replays. SAnitY stands tall as Kofi recovers in the ring.

– We see Shinsuke Nakamura backstage looking at his title. The camera cuts to Jeff Hardy backstage. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and Tom hypes Becky vs. Carmella for next week. Becky earns a SummerSlam title shot if she can win. Graves says Paige will announce the SummerSlam opponent for WWE Champion AJ Styles next week as well.

WWE United States Title Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

We go to the ring for tonight’s main event as Jeff Hardy makes his way out for his rematch from Extreme Rules. New WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura is out next. We get formal ring introductions from Hamilton.

The bell rings and Hardy goes right to work on Nakamura. Nakamura teases a low blow and smiles. Hardy takes control again and mocks Nakamura with Good Vibrations in the corner. Nakamura goes to the floor but Hardy follows and leaps off the steel steps, knocking Nakamura into the barrier. Hardy brings it back into the ring and goes up top for a Swanton Bomb but Nakamura rolls to the floor. Hardy comes down from the top and stares at Nakamura as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Nakamura is in control. Hardy catches a kick but Nakamura drops him anyway. Nakamura covers for a pin and quickly covers for several more pin attempts in a row. Nakamura keeps Hardy grounded now. Hardy fights up and out with elbows but Nakamura levels him. Nakamura takes Hardy to the corner and mocks the “delete!” chants. Nakamura with boots and Bad Vibrations in the corner now. Nakamura keeps Hardy down in the corner as fans try to rally for Hardy. Nakamura keeps Hardy in a guillotine now and he starts fading.

Hardy looks to try and fight back again but Nakamura drops him. Nakamura misses a knee drop. Hardy takes Nakamura from corner to corner now, hitting all four with turnbuckle shots. Hardy with a big jawbreaker now. Hardy runs the ropes and splashes Nakamura on the mat for a 2 count. More back and forth now. Hardy with the side Russian leg sweep and another 2 count after more offense. Hardy goes for the Twist of Fate but it’s blocked. Nakamura drops Hardy with a kick to the back of the neck. Nakamura hangs half of Hardy’s body off the apron and goes to the floor to deliver a high knee. Hardy ends up down on the outside as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Hardy gets another opening in the corner. Hardy goes to the top and hits Whisper In the Wind for another close 2 count. Hardy with strikes now. Hardy with more offense and the inverted atomic drop. Hardy with more signature moves and the low dropkick for a 2 count. Hardy shows some frustration now. Hardy gets the “delete!” chant going and kicks Nakamura for the Twist of Fate but Nakamura rams him back into the corner. Hardy kicks Nakamura away and goes for the Hardyac Arrest but Nakamura blocks it.

Nakamura places Hardy over the top rope and delivers a big knee for a 2 count. More back and forth now. Nakamura with a backbreaker and a sliding knee to the face for another pin attempt. Nakamura with more knees as fans chant for Hardy. Nakamura waits in the corner now and gets hyped up. Hardy blocks the Kinshasa and hits a Slingblade. Hardy goes to the top but Nakamura crotches him. Nakamura kicks Hardy to the mat. Nakamura goes for the Kinshasa but it’s blocked again. Hardy with the Twist of Fate.

Hardy goes back to the top and hits the Swanton Bomb but Randy Orton appears out of nowhere and pulls Hardy out of the ring during his pin. The referee calls for the bell.

Winner by DQ: Jeff Hardy

– After the bell, Orton destroys Hardy at ringside and beats him against the steel steps while talking trash. Nakamura takes his title and watches from the ramp as Orton continues to unload on Hardy at ringside while some fans boo. Hardy fights back but Orton hits him with a shot to the eye and then tosses him into the steel steps. Orton stomps Hardy on top of the steps. Orton reaches down and says Hardy will have to wait to find out why he’s doing this. Orton grabs one of Hardy’s ear rings and stretches it as referees try to get him to stop. Fans boo as Orton tosses Hardy over the announce table. Officials run out to reprimand Orton for torturing Hardy, trying to get him to leave. Orton yells out and wonders where Nakamura is. Orton goes back to Hardy and beats on him, placing him on top of the announce table. Producers and referees try to get Orton to back off. Orton hits the draping DDT from the announce table to the floor as the boos continue. Orton marches up the ramp as SmackDown goes off the air.

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