As WWE SummerSlam 2016 approaches and Dean Ambrose prepares to defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Dolph Ziggler, Bray Wyatt (with Erick Rowan close behind) has been trying to insert himself into the main event picture on August 21. After Ambrose came to Ziggler’s aid on last week’s SmackDown , the two were forced to team up against the remaining members of The Wyatt Family on SmackDown Live .
On last night’s Monday Night Raw , Daniel Bryan made a trip from the land of SmackDown to have a meeting with Raw ‘s GM Mick Foley. They were discussing the problems they seem to be having keeping Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar from crossing brand lines. This week, The Viper didn’t show up on Raw , but did have a match against Alberto Del Rio on SmackDown .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnHITDpyJdc
Also, John Cena continues to feud with AJ Styles. Last week, their match for SummerSlam 2016 was made official. WWE’s own SmackDown preview didn’t even mention these two, because neither of them made an appearance on the show this week. Instead, a video package aired to highlight the events that lead to their upcoming SummerSlam match.
WWE SmackDown Live Results
The following includes the results of all the matches and segments from SmackDown Live on August 9. This episode of SmackDown aired live from the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California. While SmackDown Live won the ratings war the week that they hosted the WWE Draft, Raw has topped SmackDown in the ratings over the last two weeks. What will Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan have in store for the WWE Universe as they try to reclaim the lead in the rivalry?
SmackDown Pre-Show On The WWE Network
Now that Corey Graves is on the announce team for Monday Night Raw , he’s no longer doing the pre-shows on the WWE Network. Instead, Scott Stanford is joined by Lita, Jerry Lawler, and Booker T. After opening with a replay of the Lesnar/Orton video package that aired on Raw , they continued to discuss that rivalry, along with the building feud between Mick Foley and Daniel Bryan. They made the announcement that American Alpha will be in action before taking a closer look at Eva Marie’s “injury” from last week. Carmella vs. Natalya will take place on SmackDown Live as well.
Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler And The Wyatt Family
After Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio opened SmackDown Live with a backstage interview to hype their main event match later in the evening, Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan made their way to the ring, where they were rather well-received by the live WWE Universe. The crowd did turn on the Eater of Worlds, however, when he started cutting a promo on Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion interrupted The Wyatt Family duo and was soon joined by The Showoff. When the four superstars got physical, Wyatt and Rowan were once again left standing tall. After the first commercial break, Ambrose and Ziggler got in each other’s face backstage and had to be separated by Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon. It was then that they were told they had to team up to face Bray and Erick later in the show.
.@WWEBrayWyatt believes he’s a victim, but the @WWE World Champion @TheDeanAmbrose is NOT buying it… #SDLive https://t.co/IswJAuaExJ
— WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2016
American Alpha Defeated Mikey O’Shea And Mike Vega
After an impressive debut against The Vaudevillains last week, American Alpha were put up against local enhancement talent on this week’s SmackDown Live . As they try to hype the blue brand’s tag team division, The Ascension, The Hype Bros, and The Vaudevillains made their way to ringside. After making short work of the modern-day jobbers, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable welcomed their observers into the ring. After a few moments of complete mayhem, the only team left in the ring was American Alpha.
The @WWEUniverse is watching #AmericanAlpha and so are The #HypeBros , #TheAscension and #TheVaudevillains ! #SDLive https://t.co/K84z49Yfmy
— WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2016
Renee Young Interviews The Miz And Maryse
After viewing a video package highlighting Apollo Crews and his recent success, the WWE Intercontinental Champion and his wife ignored questions about his SummerSlam challenger, as they were too preoccupied with their lust for each other.
Eva Marie’s Wardrobe Malfunction — Alexa Bliss Defeats Becky Lynch
After attempt number two at Eva Marie vs. Becky Lynch on SmackDown Live , the match failed to start once again due to Eva Marie’s wardrobe malfunction. As she ran to the back with her top falling off, Becky Lynch issued an open challenge to anyone in the locker room. Alexa Bliss answered the call, electing to make her SmackDown debut against the Irish Lass-Kicker. Mid-match, Eva Marie made another entrance (supposedly ready to face Becky), distracting Lynch in the process. Bliss took advantage and got a pinfall after hitting the Twisted Bliss. As Charly Caruso interviewed Eva, she claimed that she would be ready to debut next week on SmackoDown .
“Don’t worry … I’ll be ready to make my debut NEXT WEEK!” – @natalieevamarie #AllRedEverything #SDLive pic.twitter.com/x48IIwab7J
— WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2016
Randy Orton Defeated Alberto Del Rio By Disqualification
A fairly competitive match came to its premature conclusion when ADR was disqualified for using a steel chair on The Viper’s arm outside the ring. After lining Orton up for a few more chairshots back in the ring, Del Rio fell victim to Orton’s ever-popular RKO Outta Nowhere.
Lesson learned, @VivaDelRio … you NEVER know when @RandyOrton is going to strike with an #RKOOuttaNowhere ! #SDLive https://t.co/0IKLxgL3wa
— WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2016
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Rhyno Defeated Heath Slater — One Man Band Remains A Free Agent
When Heath Slater approached Rhyno backstage, the ECW legend let Slater know that he couldn’t let his constituents in Michigan down (he’s currently running to be a state representative for his district in Dearborn). The former member of Nexus and the Social Outcasts received a Gore as Rhyno picked up the victory. Later in the show, when it looked like Daniel Bryan was going to offer Slater a contract anyway, the One Man Band threw a tantrum and missed his opportunity.
Carmella Defeated Natalya
Natalya tried to attack Carmella before the match started — just as she did last week — but the self-proclaimed Princess of Staten Island was prepared for the Queen of Harts, and when the action moved to the ring, Carmella kept pace with the much more experienced Natalya. In the end, as Natalya was preparing for the Sharpshooter, Carmella reversed the hold and applied the Code of Silence. Natalya tapped out, giving Carmella her first SmackDown Live victory.
Lightening doesn’t strike twice… @CarmellaWWE was MORE than ready for @NatByNature ‘s surprise attack on #SDLive ! https://t.co/oygubgpgzF
— WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2016
Dean Ambrose Attacks Dolph Ziggler After Defeating The Wyatt Family
Dolph Ziggler won the main event for his team after hitting Erick Rowan with a superkick — the same move he accidentally hit Dean Ambrose with earlier in the show. After the match, The Lunatic Fringe gave The Showoff what the champ thought he deserved when he laid him out with the Dirty Deeds. Ziggler laid in the ring and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion walked triumphantly to the back as SmackDown Live ended.
Talking Smack On The WWE Network
Once again, Renee Young and Daniel Bryan hosted the post- SmackDown show on the WWE Network with a set-up that appears to be inspired by SportsCenter . The GM talked about building a tag team division and a women’s division before rushing into creating any new championships. Eva Marie showed up and talked about her wardrobe malfunction. Bryan remained skeptical. They did, once again, officially announce her SmackDown debut for next week’s episode. Before Talking Smack ended, The Miz and Maryse showed up. The Intercontinental Champion continued to act as though Apollo Crews is a nobody who poses no legitimate threat to his title at WWE SummerSlam 2016 .
On #TalkingSmack on @WWENetwork , @WWEDanielBryan gives more details on a future Tag Team Championship for #SDLive . https://t.co/nY9ch1IUAQ
— WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2016
Additional Notes
- WWE continued to promote their Scooby-Doo movie as The Miz confronted the star of the cartoon outside of The Mystery Machine.
- John Cena and AJ Styles were both absent from this week’s SmackDown Live . In their place, Renee Young introduced a video highlighting their rivalry and upcoming match at SummerSlam .
- Baron Corbin attacked Kalisto backstage. He was upset that Kalisto cost him a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship in the Triple Threat Match last week on SmackDown .
The above SmackDown Live results will be corroborated by WWE’s official SmackDown Live page.
Updated WWE SummerSlam 2016 Card
- Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton
- Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler — WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
- Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor — WWE Universal Championship Match
- Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte — WWE Women’s Championship Match
- The New Day (c) vs. The Club — WWE Tag Team Championship Match
- The Miz (c) vs. Apollo Crews — WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
- Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns — WWE United States Championship Match
- Enzo and Big Cass vs. Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho
- Darren Young vs. Titus O’Neil (unconfirmed)
How much does @WWERollins know about @FinnBalor ‘s fighting spirit heading into @WWE @SummerSlam ? #RAW https://t.co/H68HQ0xkeJ
— WWE (@WWE) August 9, 2016
Unless otherwise noted, the matches above were confirmed on WWE’s official SummerSlam preview page .
Where To Watch
WWE SummerSlam 2016 is set for Sunday, August 21. It will air exclusively on the WWE Network at 7 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Central. The SummerSlam Kick-Off Show will begin at 6 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Central.
WWE SmackDown Live airs Tuesdays on the USA Network at 8/7c. Replays of WWE SmackDown aren’t made available on the WWE Network until several weeks after the original air date. However, a replay of SmackDown Live is available to stream on-demand Wednesdays with a Hulu Plus subscription.
[Image via WWE]