Well, well, well. The Big Show was one of many legends to make an appearance Tuesday night, and little question, he had the biggest impact. Show came down the aisle during the championship tag-team match between the New Day and The Bar, seemingly to help the babyfaces, but instead choke-slammed Kofi Kingston, a distraction that led to Sheamus Brogue-kicking the stuffing out of Big E for the three-count. This is The Bar’s fifth tag-team championship and first on SmackDown. It was also the 42nd tag-team title change on SmackDown, the most of any belt since the show’s inception.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com1d ago

The legendary stable of Evolution made its return to the WWE ring on the 1,000th episode of SmackDown Live with Batista delivering a long promo in which he extolled the virtues of his former partners. But Batista did not leave without reminding Triple H he never beat The Animal, a zinger that led to a long, tense staredown between the two. More to come here? Hmmm.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com1d ago

The Shield vs. Braun Strowman/Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre story may have finally reached its final chapter. After teasing the breakup of The Shield early in the night in one-on-one matches between McIntyre and Seth Rollins and Ziggler and Dean Ambrose, the two power trips of Raw faced off in their third six-man tag team match in 10 days. Ambrose went so far as to nearly hit Rollins with Dirty Deeds at the tail end of the match, but it was ultimately the other trio that fell apart. McIntyre hit an inadvertent claymore kick on Strowman that cost the team the match, and then, after Strowman hit a post-match powerslam on Ziggler, McIntyre hit a blistering claymore with purpose to end the night.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com2d ago

So what did we learn on Raw Monday, other than the end of the Strowman/McIntyre/Ziggler trio? There's the confusion and uncertainty of Crown Jewel, for which the build continued on Monday night despite no mentions of the presumed location throughout the night, as Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler qualified for the World Cup tournament. The Undertaker and Kane also cut a promo on DX ahead of their tag team showdown set for Crown Jewel. Additionally, a battle royal was announced for Evolution with 14 names announced, including Torrie Wilson and Asuka. Finally, Samir Singh and Tamina returned from lengthy injury spells.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com2d ago

It’s refreshing to see AJ Styles working a feud more about in-ring tactics than gratuitous antics. The WWE champ will face Daniel Bryan in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 2. On Tuesday, the two men appeared on Miz TV to let each other know that while they respect each other, nothing is going to stop them from walking away from the event with the gold. Later, Styles beat Shelton Benjamin as Bryan stood at the announcer’s table, clapping for his upcoming opponent.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com8d ago

What a terrific, refreshing way to start SmackDown Live. Both Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair stood in the ring, ready to battle for the title. In a match probably better suited for a street fight, both women brought their ruthless best, but ultimately, little was settled as it ended in a double-countout. But this feud is hardly finished. SmackDown GM Paige announced Becky and Charlotte will go at it again, this time at Evolution on Oct. 28 in a first-ever Last Woman Standing match.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com8d ago

Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton were the latest two performers to add their names to the World Cup competition in Saudi Arabia, but they did so in very different ways. Hardy prevailed when Samoa Joe injured his knee and was unable to continue. Orton took out the Big Show, who returned to the ring for the first time in more than a year, when The Viper stuck a finger to his opponent’s eye, setting up a match-ending RKO.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com8d ago

Stemming from what happened in the closing moments of Super Show-Down on Saturday, Triple H and Shawn Michaels collectively challenged Kane and The Undertaker to a tag team match at WWE's upcoming Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For Michaels, that would seemingly indicate that his eight-plus year stretch away from in-ring action is coming to an end.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com9d ago

It was a night of discord, unrest and surprises on Raw Monday night. The Bella Twins attacked Ronda Rousey to set up a Rousey/Nikki Bella title match at Evolution, Kurt Angle returned under a conquistador mask to win a battle royal and Lita returned to set up a tag match at Evolution with Trish Stratus, Mickie James and Alexa Bliss. Oh, and Bobby Lashley seemingly turned heel -- and Dean Ambrose left Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in the ring, following The Shield's loss to Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. A lot of leg work to set up Evolution and Crown Jewel, and I suspect more of the same is to come over the next few weeks.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com9d ago

After Triple H defeated The Undertaker in the main event of WWE Super Show-Down, and they embraced in the ring with Shawn Michaels and Kane, Undertaker and Kane laid out their long-time rivals and walked out. Let the speculation of a tag team match continue.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com12d ago

In front of a hometown crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia's own Buddy Murphy defeated Cedric Alexander to become the new WWE cruiserweight champion. Alexander, who won the title at WrestleMania 34, had held the title for 181 days. Murphy is the ninth different wrestler to hold the cruiserweight championship since its return in September 2016.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com12d ago

After AJ Styles successfully defended his WWE championship against Samoa Joe earlier in the night, Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz via roll-up to earn a shot at that title. Styles vs. Bryan will take place on Nov. 2 at WWE's Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com12d ago

Although only a video package previewed Saturday's Cruiserweight Title match from Melbourne between Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy, Tuesday's 205 Live wasn't without developments. After Jack Gallagher's loss to Akira Tozawa, it was Gallagher and Drew Gulak turning on The Brian Kendrick, eliminating the "weak link" of their group (after a Powerpoint Slide for good measure). Also, TJP continued his mission against the Lucha House Party, ripping the mask off Kalisto 2 weeks after taking it off Lince Dorado. (Photo from @WWE205Live)

Matt Willis, ESPN Staff Writer14d ago

Four matches took place on this week’s version of NXT TV. The standout match of the night saw Johnny Gargano battle 205 Live’s Tony Nese. Gargano picked up with win using his Gargano Escape submission. In other action, Lacey Evans defeated Candice LaRae and the Forgotten Sons beat Vinny Mixon, Torry Kirsh and Cesar Rise in a six-man tag team match. In the main event, Lars Sullivan scored a pinfall victory over EC3 using his Freak Accident slam on the ring apron followed by a diving headbutt off the top rope. On next week’s show, the North American championship will be on the line when Ricochet defends against Pete Dunne and Adam Cole in a triple threat match.

Matt Willis, ESPN Staff Writer14d ago

In terms of a go-home show, the latest episode of SmackDown Live was pretty ordinary with a couple of pro forma non-match brawls between the competitors in this weekend’s Super Show-Down in Australia. The New Day and The Bar came to fisticuffs during an irreverent pancake-making segment, while Becky Lynch was attacked by challenger Charlotte Flair. But of note, outside of a pre-taped segment from AJ Styles explaining why he couldn’t leave his family Tuesday, neither he nor Samoa Joe made an appearance.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com15d ago

Randy Orton took the next step in his deranged, depraved persona by removing a turnbuckle pad, latching Tye Dillinger's finger inside the apparatus and then twisting it. It was a savage and cringe-worthy moment, but it also begs the question: What's the ultimate play for Orton? To beat down mid-carders? It's hard to imagine him in the WWE Championship picture anytime soon, and even the United States title might be a stretch. Perhaps it's none of the above and the WWE is just looking for water-cooler filler time. If that's the case, mission accomplished.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com15d ago

In the final moments of Monday Night Raw ahead of Saturday's Super Show-Down, Undertaker and Kane dished our chokeslams and tombstone piledrivers that left Triple H and Shawn Michaels laying in the ring. All four of these guys are in their late 40s or early 50s, but there's no denying he reaction they received ahead of Super Show-Down's most heavily promoted match, the "last ever" one-on-one meeting between Triple H and The Undertaker with their respective compatriots in each corner.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com16d ago

There was a lot to like (and dislike) about Monday's Super Show-Down go-home Raw. Singles matches between The Shield, Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre made a lot of sense ahead of their scheduled six-man tag, and each delivered solidly. Ruby Riott and Ronda Rousey had what was almost certainly Rousey's best one-on-one performance to date (in the most entertaining match of the night), and Elias and Kevin Owens drew one of the longest and most sustained negative crowd reactions in recent memory by putting down the long-departed SuperSonics in Seattle. But between the tease of a really compelling Sophie's choice scenario for Dean Ambrose that quickly got scuttled without a satisfying ending, and the shock of Bobby Roode falling in a one-on-one match to Konnor of The Ascension, among other moments, it's clear Raw and its creative team have some work to do after Saturday's show in Melbourne, Australia.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com16d ago

Well, you can chalk up this episode of SmackDown Live to a low-budget soap era, one that spent more time honing in on sketchy storylines like Lana’s relationship with Rusev and Samoa Joe standing outside AJ Styles’ house, presumably with the champ’s family inside. It seemed as though we were past all that in this current era, instead focusing on more organic in-ring narratives and women as symbols of strength. Apparently not this week.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com22d ago

If the WWE is intent on building Becky Lynch as a heel, it was a smart decision to have her take on Lana, a popular and now sympathetic personality. The match itself was rather flat, with Becky needing only a few minutes to lock in a Dis-Arm-Her for the win. But you can bet any jeers toward Becky will last only until Charlotte Flair returns to the ring.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com22d ago

What a shame Truth TV looks like it could be one and done. R-Truth (along with Carmella) kicked off SmackDown Live with an amusing segment featuring an interview with Daniel Bryan, an interruption by The Miz and, most importantly, a couple of "mandatory" dance breaks. However, in a match to determine who would host future talk shows, Miz finished off Truth with a version of Daniel Bryan's running knee.

Matt Wilansky, ESPN.com22d ago

The through line for Monday's edition of Raw was the efforts of Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler and Braun Strowman to get Dean Ambrose to leave The Shield behind. By the end of the night, as The Shield defeated Baron Corbin and his teammates AoP, Ambrose unsurprisingly stood by his compatriots. Whether or not those psychological efforts have any long-term fallout (including Seth Rollins' counter efforts in a similar manner with McIntyre) remains to be seen, but on an otherwise mostly uneventful night, it was at least an effort to lay down a narrative for the show.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com23d ago

There wasn't a ton of forward momentum on Monday Night Raw, as the bulk of the card for Oct. 6's Super Show-Down is already locked in, the evening came with big opportunities for The Revival and AoP. In a Raw tag team title match against McIntyre & Ziggler, The Revival once again flashed their potential in a match that could easily have gone another 10 minutes and was just starting to pick up. Running down the rest of the show: Finn Balor, with Mixed Match Challenge partner Bayley in tow, beat Jinder Mahal; Konnor scored a shock victory over Chad Gable; Lio Rush, Bobby Lashley, Elias and Kevin Owens got into some shenanigans; and Nia Jax took care of Alicia Fox. Finally, there was a scary-looking moment in a six-woman tag team match featuring The Bella Twins, Natalya and The Riott Squad, as consecutive "Yes" kicks from Brie Bella appeared to legitimately connect flush with Liv Morgan's face.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com23d ago

WWE will host "WWE Crown Jewel", its second major event in Saudi Arabia, on Nov. 2 at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Crown Jewel will feature a triple threat Universal championship match between Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar. The show will air live on WWE Network.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com30d ago

The Undertaker made one of the biggest splashes of the night on Raw, as he announced that Kane and Shawn Michaels would be in opposite corners for Taker's match against Triple H at Super Show-Down in Australia. Later in the night, Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler in a very different (yet still entertaining) Intercontinental title match, Nia Jax returned to action and Roman Reigns outlasted Baron Corbin's Universal championship challenge two times over. Finally, the influx of managers from 205 Live continued, as Lio Rush established himself as Bobby Lashley's representative and flashed some of his dizzying offensive repertoire in fending off and then attacking Elias and Kevin Owens with Lashley's help.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com30d ago

There were a few common themes on Tuesday night's edition of SmackDown as we head towards Hell in a Cell. There were blindside attacks; Randy Orton went after Jeff Hardy and caused a DQ late in Hardy's match against Shinsuke Nakamura, while Becky Lynch hid in the crowd with a disguise and attacked Charlotte Flair after her win over Sonya Deville. The other theme was marital strife, as AJ Styles and Samoa Joe traded pre-taped promos. Styles reiterated similar points to what he's already said, but Joe took it to an entirely different level with a full-blown children's storybook that ended with Joe stealing Styles' title, wife and kid. Similar tension was present in the night's main event, as The Miz paid for getting physical with Brie Bella and got punched and clotheslined by Bella and Daniel Bryan as Maryse also got involved.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com36d ago

With their victory in the SmackDown tag team No. 1 contender's tournament, Aiden English and Rusev picked up what would have to be described as an upset win over The Bar. That win gives them a SmackDown tag team title shot at Hell in a Cell against The New Day.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com36d ago

Raw had a couple of memorable moments heading into Hell in a Cell, like Roman Reigns putting Braun Strowman through a piece of the stage set with a Samoan Drop, but there wasn't a whole lot of forward momentum during WWE's first broadcast up against Monday Night Football in 2018. Alexa Bliss went after Ronda Rousey's ribs after she and Mickie James lost to Rousey and Natalya, Nikki Bella beat Ruby Riott (handing Riott her first one-on-one loss since March) and Finn Balor defeated Elias. The B-Team failed to regain the Raw tag team titles, Chad Gable and Bobby Roode had some friction in a tag team victory and AOP beat a couple of Grade-A enhancement talent. Even Kevin Owens coming in to try to explain the last few weeks of stories couldn't do much to clarify the direction Raw's heading in. Perhaps Hell in a Cell can be a launching point for some fresh stories on Monday nights.

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com37d ago

Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler will defend the Raw tag team championships against Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. On a Hell in a Cell card that only had seven other matches announced to that point, this one's a no-brainer (although the usage of the legal system and faux police force strained suspension of disbelief over the last two weeks, to be sure).

Tim Fiorvanti, ESPN.com37d ago