WWE SmackDown Live recap: Did you ask for more Shane?

SmackDown Live tied up the loose ends ahead of Extreme Rules. Aleister Black’s new rival was revealed, a contract was signed and Shane McMahon was also there.

A disappointing Monday Night Raw has come and gone and now it’s time for SmackDown Live. The go-home show for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view has a few tricks up its sleeve — a reveal of who was knocking at Aleister Black’s door (and thus who his Sunday opponent will be), a non-title match between Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura, perhaps to set up a bout with the gold on the line — as well as the expected battle between Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler after proving unable to coexist as a tag team a week ago.

Here’s what happened on the July 9 edition of SmackDown Live.

Ziggler-Owens fight cancelled due to fighting

The show opens with a previously-taped parking lot interview with Dolph Ziggler regarding Kevin Owens that is (inevitably) interrupted by Owens and devolves into a brawl, with numerous wrestlers separating the two men. The melee causes Shane McMahon to cancel Owens’ match with Ziggler and kicking Owens out of the arena.

McMahon was then asked, live, why he made that decision. He cites safety as the reason, and that fights should happen in the ring and notes that Owens was the instigator, which is why he was sent home. This has thus forced McMahon to put together a new main event for later in the night.

Owens has something to say

Owens shows up with a microphone at ringside anyway to rail against not Ziggler but McMahon (and his whole family). He brings up the January claim by the McMahons that the fans would be the authority moving forward but that instead, Shane has been the focus of the show. He hates it, the fans hate it — and he’s not wrong.

Shane requests Owens’ mic be cut. That lasts about five seconds, as Owens goes through a series of microphones to continue his rant. He continues to rail against Shane and how Shane calling himself “the best in the world” is an insult to all the wrestlers in WWE. A cadre of security is sent to remove Owens, but he removes himself through the crowd.

That was certainly an unexpected open to SmackDown, and while it’s good to hear a worked-shoot promo from an active WWE Superstar regarding McMahon’s unceasing presence on WWE television and pay-per-view, its hard to imagine it going anywhere good. It’s literally just going to mean more McMahon content moving forward.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor

While McMahon has to scratch his head to come up with a main event match for the night, the best match of the night happens to be SmackDown‘s first and could have easily been shifted to the end of the card. Yes, a dream (non-title) match between Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura is the first bout.

The match almost immediately goes to picture-in-picture, a travesty that nonetheless is par for the course with WWE programming. Much of this time is spent with Balor in a headlock and Nakamura in control. The tide turns in Balor’s favor post-break.

Balor countered the Kinshasa with a Sling Blade and looked set up to hit Coup de Grace, but Nakamura, too, has Balor well-scouted and serves a counter of his own. Both men proceed to battle outside of the ring, just barely beating the referee’s 10-count.

Once back in the ring, Nakamura finally hits the Kinshasa on Balor, knocking Balor out of the ring and again, he gets back in at the nine-count. Nakamura takes the match back to the outside, brutalizing Balor on the steel ring steps. Again, Balor just barely beats the 10-count.

Nakamura connects with another Kinshasa, this time inside the ring, and picks up the pin. It’s a new, more brutal version of Nakamura and one that looks like he’s back near the top of the SmackDown pecking order. The numerous beat-the-counts were also an interesting wrinkle in what was a stellar match. The only complaint is the WWE’s insistence that its champions lose non-title matches.

Our remade main event

Backstage, McMahon, Drew McIntyre and Elias are conspiring about McMahon and McIntyre’s match against Roman Reigns and The Undertaker at Extreme Rules.

This is interrupted by an irate Ziggler, who is mad his main event has been called off. McMahon then decides that Ziggler will be in the main event after all — against, Reigns, of course. Enemies of enemies are friends, and all.

Samoa Joe cuts a promo on Kofi Kingston, as the two are set to meet at Extreme Rules for Kingston’s WWE Championship. Joe is just so good at this.

Putting pen to paper

After the break (and Joe’s promo), we have another one of the WWE’s most favored conceits: The contract signing. Bayley, the SmackDown Women’s Champion, faces Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in a two-on-one handicap match at Extreme Rules and the three are going to make it officially official.

Or rather, Cross is there to make it official with Bayley, with Bliss again absent. Bayley continues to warn Cross about Bliss’ manipulations, while Cross promises that she and Bliss will indeed become co-champions on Sunday. Cross then invites Bayley to hang out ringside while she takes on Carmella.

Nikki Cross vs. Carmella

The announcers continue the debate about whether Bliss’ friendship with Cross is legitimate and Corey Graves smartly points out that Bayley isn’t much of a friendship expert, given how many of her friends have abandoned her. It feels like foreshadowing of a certain Boss’ imminent return, but that may just be a desire to read into things more than anything concrete.

Cross, meanwhile, is manhandling Carmella to prove to Bayley just how big of a threat she is. This is short-lived, with Carmella taking over the match to Bayley’s delight. Carmella counters Cross’ Swinging Neckbreaker once, with a roll-up for a two count, but Cross’ second attempt at her finisher connects and Cross has defeated Carmella.

They live!

We are then reminded that the Kabuki Warriors — Asuka and Kairi Sane — defeated The IIconics in a non-title match in Tokyo, which has entitled Asuka and Sane to a match for The IIconics’ WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.

Paige, Asuka and Sane meet with The IIconics to schedule said match. Billie Kay is sick, the champs explain, and cannot possibly do so tonight. Paige tells them they’re simply “clowns” who are ducking Asuka and Sane. Paige lets The IIconics know that the match will happen, someday.

Roman Reigns on the McMahon nonsense

Roman Reigns is asked about Shane McMahon putting him in a main event match tonight against Dolph Ziggler and whether that should bother him about Sunday’s match. Nope, he’s not concerned. He quotes The Undertaker, his partner at Extreme Rules, and claim that McMahon and Drew McIntyre will “rest in peace.”

Tag team summit?

The New Day, Heavy Machinery and Daniel Bryan and Rowan face each other in a triple threat match for Bryan and Rowan’s SmackDown Tag Team Championships at Extreme Rules, so the three teams all must meet and cut promos on one another. Perhaps because they have already signed their contracts, unlike Cross, Bliss and Bayley.

Anyhow, The New Day arrive to the ring first, followed by the champions. The New Day want to know why Rowan has been content to take orders from someone — Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and now Bryan — prompting a “who’s your daddy” chant that Bryan reacts to perfectly.

Bryan takes the tack he has for a few weeks now, noting that New Day (and Heavy Machinery) are top athletes but they can’t take anything seriously and thus aren’t worthy of being champions.

This brings out Heavy Machinery, who say that their in-ring work has proven they are capable of winning the SmackDown Tag Championships. While Otis is certainly the comedy element of Heavy Machinery, Tucker has proven to be strong and believable on the microphone. They’d be excellent champions; whether WWE thinks Sunday’s the time, we shall see.

Xavier Woods vs. Otis vs. Daniel Bryan

This meeting of the minds turns into a triple-threat match, with The New Day’s Xavier Woods, Heavy Machinery’s Otis and Bryan facing off. Otis vertically suplexes his two opponents simultaneously, another impressive feat of strength by the big man.

The three men’s tag partners are outside of the ring, so it devolves into chaos pretty quickly. That leads the referee to send the non-competing trio to the back so the triple-threat can continue in (relative, for a wrestling match) peace.

Bryan eventually puts Woods in the Labell lock, but it’s broken up by Otis and Otis and Bryan face off. Bryan chops him down with numerous Yes! Kicks, but Otis grabs and slams Bryan. Otis takes over with his power, Caterpillars Bryan but cannot finish him off.

Ultimately, Otis hits a slam on Woods and gets the victory.

Ember Moon needs a tag partner

Ember Moon is being bullied at catering by Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, who tell her real life and Twitter are two different things. Moon reminds the two that she won her match last week, but Rose and Deville note the loss has brought them closer together.

Rose and Deville then challenge Moon to find a tag team partner and to fight them next week. Moon says if she doesn’t find someone, she will take on both Rose and Deville herself. So, we know one match that’s set for post-Extreme Rules (and that this rivalry is still very much on).

Ali is a superhero

Brilliant, as always.

Knocking on the Devil’s door

Two weeks ago, someone knocked on Aleister Black’s promo closet, apparently someone finally willing to fight him. Last week, he said that when he answered, no one was there. And now, tonight, the man who ding-dong-ditched him will reveal himself, with the two to meet in the ring at Extreme Rules.

This is done via a split screen interview, with Black still in his little cubby and an empty chair is another. Michael Cole informs Black (and us) that the mystery opponent isn’t going to reveal himself tonight. Black thinks this is a smart move but also doesn’t much care who it is — he’s ready for a fight.

Someone, though, in a grey suit, is circling the empty chair. It’s Cesaro. Cesaro wants to tangle with Black.

And this really, really, really should be the best match at Extreme Rules.

For some reason, we go backstage where Shelton Benjamin is asked about Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns. He does his weird thing again. Welp!

Roman Reigns vs. Dolph Ziggler

After a backstage interview between Kayla and Kofi Kingston (who is very confident heading into his Extreme Rules WWE Championship defense against Samoa Joe), it’s main event time.

Shane McMahon makes his entrance after Reigns and Ziggler; he’s here to watch and join in on commentary. Ugh. He’s accompanied by Elias and Drew McIntyre, probably a smart move with Kevin Owens (and possibly The Undertaker) lurking.

Unsurprisingly, Elias and McIntyre get involved, distracting Reigns and sending him into the ring post. Ziggler tries to pick the bones but Reigns keeps kicking out of his pin attempts. Ziggler, though, maintains the upper hand until Reigns can throw him off with a Samoan Drop.

Reigns counters Ziggler’s superkick attempt with a Superman Punch and Ziggler kicks out. He sets up for a second, but Elias and McIntyre take Ziggler out of the ring, leading to Reigns hit a giant dive onto the outside. McMahon hits the ring as Ziggler hits Reigns with a superkick.

This drew Owens from out of nowhere into the ring and he hits a Stunner (so poetic that it’s his new finisher) on McMahon. The chaos is enough to allow Reigns to spear Ziggler to pick up the victory.

SmackDown this week lacked a lot of Raw‘s nonsense, but it was still a McMahon-heavy show, with him opening and closing it. Owens’ (and our) demands for less McMahon have not been heeded and likely won’t be moving forward. Owens is his new foe, but that could mean Reigns gets to move on to more important things, like back into the championship picture. One step forward, another one back.

What were your thoughts on SmackDown Live this week? Let us know in the comments below.