It was another night of blue brand action as the theme of the show was apparently crowning new challengers. Dolph Ziggler won an elimination match to put himself in line for a shot at AJ Styles’ Championship and considering how great both are in the ring; that should be a fantastic matchup.
The other new challengers are The Hype Bros, who earned their title shots when Zack Ryder became the last man standing in an over the top rope battle royal. Well, he wasn’t standing, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Ryder’s potential mishap earned him a spot on this list and here’s to hoping it’s nothing serious. There were also a couple of noticeable goof ups on Tuesday night, as well as a sign protesting a former Shield member’s pants. Daniel Bryan even attempted some ‘Dad humour’; so that’s something that everyone can appreciate.
The guest celebrity for the night, Gabriel Iglesias, gets a pass from this article because even though he was an awkward fit onto the show, he did get Apollo Crews some screen and that almost never happens.
So without further delay, let’s get this SmackDown recap started with a quick pun from everybody’s favourite General Manager:
#5 Daniel Bryan talks protection
After the opening MizTV segment degenerated into a multi-man brawl, the WWE World Champion AJ Styles went straight to his bosses to complain about the situation. He told them that he could handle each of those competitors one-on-one but if the numbers were going to be stacked against him, he’d need protection.
Daniel Bryan used this setup to make a crack about prophylactics, a minor burn that probably didn’t phase AJ too much. Comparing this to the Eva Marie scalding that Mick Foley gave Sami Zayn on Monday night, I’d say that Raw currently is winning in the “GM Roastings” category. And if that’s not an official category then it should be.
#4 A swing and a miss
During the Tag Team Battle Royal to determine the next challengers to the belts, Heath Slater was working on eliminating Konnor. Heath failed to tip him out of the ring and dropped backwards, as his opponent swung with a fist toward his head...only he missed. Pretty badly. In fact, he was nowhere even near close to connecting on this strike.
At least Slater had enough sense not to sell this one.
#3 Whoops in the corner
Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss had a solid matchup with the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line, but the challenger had a slight hiccup while in the corner. There was a noticeable stutter in Lynch’s movement as she tried to hoist herself up, so much so that JBL remarked about it on commentary:
“A little misstep there by Becky Lynch...I gotta hand it to Alexa Bliss, she took full advantage of it. That’s what a Champion does!”
Becky would go on to win this match, but it was only via count out, ensuring that the title stays with her.
#2 They hate Dean’s pants
According to this pink fan sign, members of the WWE Universe are ready for the Lunatic Fringe to say goodbye to his beloved Wranglers. Okay, I’m assuming here just a little because I can’t completely make it out the second word.
It looks like it says “Rasslin” instead of “Wrestling” which supports what I think the message reads (using slightly better grammar): “Stop wrestling in jeans, Dean!”
Why would the fans hate Ambrose’s britches so badly?
Maybe he doesn’t want to show off an excessive amount of skin, or maybe he doesn’t like the total body shaving that other guys on the roster partake in. Also, why is Dean getting singled out here? Nobody is bringing signs to WWE events telling Luke Harper that his carpenter pants should be replaced for a more traditional singlet.
If you’re going to be anti-pants, at least be consistent.
#1 Zack Ryder injured?
The Hype Bros had a great night on SmackDown, or so it seems. Zack Ryder narrowly avoided elimination by The Ascension’s Konnor, instead, turning what was initially a Powerbomb manoeuvre into a head scissors takedown that sent him over the top rope.
Ryder hung out on the apron, suspiciously staying there until his tag team partner Mojo Rawley came out to celebrate their just-achieved Number One Contender status.
However, a nasty looking bruise was noticed on the inside of Ryder’s right leg. Even worse, Twitter user @TheAOster, who was live in attendance, sent out a message saying “Zack Ryder was hurt in the final elimination and the ref threw the X. Looked like a knee injury.”
Hopefully, this real injury doesn’t turn out to be anything too serious, so they get a proper shot at those Tag Team Titles that the Wyatts currently carry.
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