The August 14, 2018 Edition of Smackdown Live is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE's Smackdown brand, which took place on August 14, 2018 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. This was the final SmackDown Live before SummerSlam.
Summary[]
With their Triple Threat Match for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam just five days away, Carmella, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch went face-to-face-to-face.
The Princess of Staten Island was still none too thrilled with SmackDown LIVE General Manager Paige giving Flair the opportunity to enter the match at The Biggest Event of Summer, and she attempted to drive a wedge between best friends Becky and Charlotte, but the two would have none of it, as Charlotte called Carmella a “Diva living in a women’s era.” Becky admitted that she doesn't want Charlotte in the match since The Queen is such an amazing athlete, but she said her dream now involves defeating both of them at The Biggest Event of the Summer. Paige arrived to remind Carmella that Charlotte got into the match by defeating the champion and gave Flair & Lynch the opportunity to do what they do best: compete. The two best friends would take on Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville, and that match would be next.
As SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella insulted her two challengers from her position at the announce desk, Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch teamed up to take on the hungry pair of Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville. With Flair and Lynch wanting to score an emphatic victory prior to their title clash on Sunday, both were competing with a little extra in their tank.
In the match's pivotal moments, Becky Balboa fended off Rose and Deville, dropping Deville on the outside with a baseball slide and escaping Mandy's rollup to trap her in the Dis-arm-her for the tapout victory.
Despite being at a one-man disadvantage, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers got themselves primed for their title clash against The New Day at SummerSlam this Sunday by squaring off against three local Greenville competitors known as The Triple Threat... and absolutely demolishing them.
The match never began, though, as neither Harper nor Rowan would exit the ring to stand on the apron, and the two just proceeded to bludgeon The Triple Threat in rare form.
With The Bludgeon Brothers having looked absolutely unstoppable in the previous contest, their SummerSlam opponents The New Day looked to keep pace as they took on their rivals, SAnitY, in Six-Man Tag Team action.
With plenty of bad blood between the factions, the contest was hard-hitting and rife with intensity. Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods used their unique blend of speed and power to put away their chaos-craving opponents with the UpUpDownDown double team special to The Beast of Belfast, claiming a huge victory prior to Sunday's title bout.
Desperate to get back in the good graces of Rusev & Lana and bring harmony back to the Rusev Day clan, Aiden English attempted to exorcise his demons by taking on Andrade “Cien” Almas.
Clearly pressing, English brought the aggression to Almas, but he perhaps cared a bit too much, as his overzealousness allowed Almas to drill him with the Running Double Knees and the Hammerlock DDT for the win.
After the victory, Almas and Zelina Vega declared that they would bring an end to Rusev Day and Lana Day this Sunday in their Mixed Tag Team Match during the SummerSlam Kickoff. However, Rusev & Lana would have none of it, hitting the scene to fire back at El Idolo and his business manager, letting them know that SummerSlam is indeed falling on Rusev Day.
Jeff Hardy returned to action on SmackDown LIVE after weeks of being tormented by Randy Orton and his opponent at SummerSlam this Sunday, United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. However, Hardy had an equally difficult test on SmackDown LIVE, as he faced cagy veteran Shelton Benjamin.
Benjamin tried to prey on any ring rust and lingering injuries Hardy may’ve been harboring after his rough several months. However, The Charismatic Enigma battled through the pain and claimed the victory after drilling Shelton with the Twist of Fate.
Hardy's celebration was cut short when Nakamura's music began to blare. Nakamura attempted to put Hardy down with a Kinshasa, all while Orton watched behind the side of the stage. However, The Charismatic Enigma caught Nakamura with a Twist of Fate and then added extra emphasis with a Swanton Bomb, making it clear that he would not go quietly into the night this Sunday.
WWE Champion AJ Styles arrived on SmackDown LIVE intending to make it crystal clear that he would no longer let Samoa Joe rattle him heading into their SummerSlam clash this Sunday, citing a promise he made to his wife Wendy that he would not go back to the dark place that Joe had put him in. Unfortunately for the titleholder, Samoa Joe quickly tried to make The Phenomenal One break that promise.
The Samoan Submission Machine arrived on the top of the stage with a letter in hand, one that he read aloud for the WWE Universe and Styles. The letter suggested that Styles never wanted children or a wife and would do anything to stay away from his family. Joe claimed the letter was signed by none other than Styles’ wife. Styles was left to stew as Joe executed one last mind game before their showdown on Sunday.
Results[]
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- Dark Match: The Usos (Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso) defeated The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus)
- Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair defeated Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville by submission (10:55)
- The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper & Rowan) vs. The Triple Threat match didn't get started
- Harper & Rowan attacked Triple Threat before the bell could even rang.
- The New Day (Big E, Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) defeated SAnitY (Killian Dain, Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe) (8:50)
- Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/ Zelina Vega) defeated Aiden English (4:40)
- Jeff Hardy defeated Shelton Benjamin (6:45)
Other on-screen talent[]
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