The October 23rd, 2018 edition of WWE SmackDown Live took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
– Advertised for tonight: Rey Mysterio appears on Miz TV, Rusev vs. Aiden English, and more!
– The New Day comes out to the ring with some pancakes to kick off tonight’s SmackDown broadcast. The New Day will be getting a rematch for The Bar’s Tag Titles at Crown Jewel. The get on the mics and Xavier says they were cheated out of their Tag Titles, and they’re confused because they thought they were cool with The Big Show. Big E says The Big Show flip flops back and forth more than a flapjack. Kofi says he wants revenge, and he wants either Big Show, Cesaro or Sheamus one-on-one in the ring tonight. The Bar and Big Show come out to the stage to interrupt. Tom on commentary tells us that all of these men will face each other in singles matches tonight.
It looks like Sheamus will be facing Kofi, but he appears to change his mind. Cesaro starts to come in, but changes his mind too, so The Big Show steps up.
– The Big Show vs. Kofi Kingston: The opening bell sounds and Show starts this one off strong. He backs Kofi into the corner and hits some big shots, then he gets in a shouting match with the ref. Big Show throws Kofi across the ring and then hits a big chokeslam. Big Show isn’t done yet, and he hits two more chokeslams. Big E and Woods have seen enough and they hit the ring, so the ref calls for the bell.
Winner via disqualification: Big Show
– Cesaro and Sheamus hit the ring next, and along with Big Show they beat down Big E and Woods. The Bar and Big Show pose in the ring and leave the New Day laying.
– Still to come: Rey Mysterio will be a guest on Miz TV.
– Up next: Daniel Bryan & AJ Styles vs. The Usos
– We go to Tom, Corey and Byron at ringside where the recap Roman Reigns’ announcement last night and they wish him the best.
– The Usos vs. Daniel Bryan & AJ Styles: Bryan starts off strong and sends both Usos out to ringside. AJ comes in and they hit suicide dives in tandem on the Usos at ringside. Back in the ring, The Usos turn things around against Bryan and Jimmy keeps him grounded. AJ and Jey tag in, and AJ hits a flurry of strikes. AJ then kicks Jimmy to the floor, and then he flips over Jey on the mat. AJ follows up with a brainbuster over the knee for a two count. AJ looks for the Styles Clash, but Jey escapes. Jey misses a shot in the corner and AJ applies the Calf Crusher. Jimmy breaks it up, then Daniel comes in to brawl with Jimmy. Daniel dumps Jimmy outside. AJ misses a shot on Jey and almost hits Daniel. Daniel grabs Jey and AJ looks for the Pele kick, but Jey ducks it and AJ kicks Daniel in the head. Jey drops AJ, then Jimmy tags in and hits the big splash off the top for the three count.
Winners: The Usos
– AJ and Daniel look frustrate with the finish of the match as The Usos head up the ramp.
– Coming up: A look at an altercation between Charlotte and Becky Lynch at the WWE Performance Center.
– AJ and Daniel are shown arriving backstage when they’re approached for an interview. She asks if AJ’s hit on Daniel tonight was an accident. AJ says of course it was, just like Daniel’s was last week. Daniel says he respects AJ and knows that his hit on AJ last week was an accident. They get into a brief argument over whether they were accidental or not, and AJ walks off.
– We go to footage of Charlotte giving a pep talk to new trainees at the WWE Performance Center. Becky interrupts and tells the trainees not to listen to anything Charlotte says because she’s the champ. Becky ends up attacking Charlotte and they brawl until they get pulled apart.
– Aiden English comes out and sings a song taunting Rusev before their singles match.
– Rusev vs. Aiden English: Rusev immediately takes the fight to Aiden and beats him down around ringside. Back in the ring, Aiden turns it around with a kick to the face and a swinging neckbreaker. Aiden stomps on Rusev and talks some trash to him. Aiden talks trash to Lana from the ring to the floor, and Lana throws a shoe at him. The distraction leads to Rusev hitting the big boot and then locking in The Accolade for the win via submission.
Winner: Rusev
– Lana joins Rusev in the ring to celebrate after the match.
– Still to come: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
– We see The Miz backstage checking himself out in the mirror before heading out for Miz TV.
– The Miz comes out to the ring for Miz TV, and he introduces his guest Rey Mysterio. Rey comes out to the ring and says it’s great to be back. Miz cuts off Rey and says the real reason Rey is back is to show that the little guy can overcome big obstacles and dreams can come true. Miz says people don’t want underdogs anymore, they want larger than life stars like Miz. Miz says he’s the star of this show, the star of the network, and he beats little men like Rey all the time. Miz says sorry to disappoint Rey. Rey says the only thing he’s disappointed about is that he thought he was booked for Truth TV tonight, not Miz TV. Rey says he’s not here to be on a talk show, he’s here to compete, so let’s throw down right now. Miz says no one here tonight wants them to fight, and it’s not going to happen. The Miz then cheap-shots Rey when he’s not looking and stomps on him. Rey fires back with a kick of his own and then he looks for the 619, but Miz rolls out of the ring.
– Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz: During the commercial break, SmackDown GM Paige makes this match official. Rey starts off strong and dumps Miz outside with a hurricanrana. Rey knocks Miz down on the floor, and then hits a sliding suicide dive under the ropes on Miz down on the floor. Back in the ring, Rey hits a springboard cross-body off the top for a two count. Rey misses a shot in the corner and Miz turns things around with some knee strikes. Miz hits a DDT for a two count, and then follows up with the Yes Kicks. Miz throws Rey into the turnbuckle and looks for a Skull Crushing Finale off the top, but Rey reverses it and flips Miz down to the mat. Rey hits a splash off the top and then kicks Miz in the head. Rey misses a shot and Miz comes back with a backbreaker/neckbreaker combo, and then a boot to the face for a two count. Miz looks for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Rey escapes and hits the 619. Rey follows up with a splash off the top for the three count.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
– Rey celebrates in the ring as Miz recovers on the ramp.
– We see Jeff Hardy backstage looking into the camera. His match with Randy Orton is still to come tonight.
– Naomi & Asuka vs. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose: Before the match, The Iiconics come out and cut a promo on the ramp, but Lana interrupts it. Lana starts to talk about Lana Day, but Carmella interrupts. Carmella interrupts and says the people really want a dance break. Billie Kay attacks Carmella from behind, and this turns into an all-out brawl. All of the women hit the ring and start fighting, and then throwing each other out of the ring. Asuka ends up being the last woman standing.
Winner: No contest
– We go to the broadcast team where they run down the card for Sunday’s Evolution pay-per-view.
– Coming up: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
– SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon comes out to the ring next and gets on the mic. Shane says a lot of “firsts” are happening in WWE right now, including the first all-woman PPV this Sunday: Evolution. Shane congratulates all of the women past and present for making this event happen. Shane talks about Crown Jewel next, and the tournament to determine who the best in the world is. The crowd chants for CM Punk, and Shane comments that he’s not in the tournament. Shane says he thinks someone from SmackDown will win and be crowned best in the world. But that’s then and this is now, and Shane introduces tonight’s main event.
– Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton: The opening bell sounds and Jeff levels Orton with a shot off the ropes, and then he leads the crowd in a “delete” chant. Orton starts to fight back, but Hard stuns him with a jawbreaker and a kick. Hardy misses a shot in the corner and Orton comes back with some strikes, then he takes the fight down to the ringside floor. Orton repeatedly slams Jeff into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Orton stomps on Hardy then pins for a two count. Orton ties up Jeff in the corner and stomps on him some more. Orton sticks his finger through the hole in Jeff’s ear and yanks on it until the ref calls him off. Orton takes Jeff outside and slams his head on the announce table, and then back suplexes him on it. Back in the ring, Orton covers for a two count. Hardy fights his way to his feet and hits an inverted atomic drop, then a leg drop and a dropkick for a two count. Hardy boots Orton in the face and follows up with the Whisper In The Wind off the top for a two count. Jeff hits the Twist of Fate then goes up top. Orton rolls out of the ring and Jeff hops down to the apron. Jeff looks for a Swanton bomb off the apron on to Orton at ringside, but Orton rolls out of the way and Jeff splats on the floor. Back in the ring, Hardy starts to fight back, but Orton fights him off an connects with an RKO for the three count.
Winner: Randy Orton
– Orton celebrates on the turnbuckle as the broadcast team promotes Crown Jewel and we go off the air.
