WWE SmackDown Live REVIEW: Full Results, Grades & Highlights for 11/21/17

INTRO: We get a replay package of the Survivor Series main event. It focused on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn disrupting their own brand, seeming to blame them for Team Blue’s loss. There wasn’t a lot of material to work with in advocating for this perspective.

OPENING SEGMENT: Shane McMahon danced onto the ramp, no-selling the ankle-lock from two days ago. Byron Saxton accused Owens and Zayn of causing SmackDown to lose 4-3 at Survivor Series. Shane got choked up as he declared that SmackDown Live proved, even in defeat, that it will no longer be considered anything but “The Show” in WWE. He shouted out the SmackDown roster for bleeding blue, excepting the two aforementioned individuals. Shane summoned Owens and Zayn, who admirably mimicked John Cleese’s Ministry of Silly Walks stride on his jaunt to the ring.

Saxton called them out for putting themselves above the other wrestlers, bringing to mind the duo getting sent home from the UK tour earlier this month. Owens asked Shane if he’d be the daredevil or power-hungry executive tonight. Zayn asked whether it was harder for Shane to come up with new excuses for failures, or to man up and apologize for being wrong. Owens told McMahon he made a fatal mistake by leaving them off SmackDown’s five-man team. He bragged that they could’ve beaten Raw as a two-man team. Zayn kicked at McMahon and yelped, “Triple yup.”

Owens asked for an apology. Shane clarified that he’s the brand commissioner, and recommended that Owens shut his mouth. He told them that they had no respect for him, any other SmackDown wrestlers, or the fans; Zayn affirmed Shane’s statement. So McMahon claimed he was left with only two words. Owens said they couldn’t be fired because everyone else in the industry revered them. They are the top two superstars in WWE. Conversely, Shane called them the most self-absorbed megalomaniacs that have ever wrestled in WWE. And he growled, “Youuuuu’re …”

Daniel Bryan’s music cut off the last half of Shane’s pronouncement. Bryan asked Shane to put his personal feelings aside before terminating their employment. He said that he’d already sent Randy Orton home after the Viper vowed vengeance upon Sami and Kevin. Bryan booked Zayn and Owens against New Day, which he said was furious about the Canadians abandoning SmackDown when the Shield hit the ring last week. Furthermore, the entire locker room would surround the ring, cuz we’re getting a lumberjack match tonight. McMahon stared stoically at Zayn and Owens as they left the ring.

Jey Uso vs. Shelton Benjamin

Benjamin backed Uso into a corner, then smiled and told him to bring it. Uso smacked him with a right hand near the opposite corner, and we’re underway. Benjamin worked a headlock, then knocked Uso down with a shoulder-tackle. Shelton bounded off the ropes into a back elbow, and staggered to the corner. He backdropped a charging Uso over the top rope onto the ring apron. Uso caught himself and hit Benjamin with another right. But, as he climbed the ropes to follow up, Benjamin landed a hard running knee, sending Uso crashing to the concrete. Chad Gable hustled over to yell, “In your face!” at a fallen Uso as we go to commercial.

Benjamin grinded on a chinlock as we return. Uso threw punches to break the hold. He then backflipped out of an atomic drop, and rocked Benjamin with a reverse crescent-kick to the gut. Uce hit a big right hand and a Samoan drop. He shouted out and hit a running hip-block to a seated Benjamin in the corner. Shelton rolled outside the ring. When Uce looked to dive onto his foe at ringside, Gable climbed onto the ring apron to prevent the move. Jimmy Uso evened the odds with a right hand, but Gable countered his momentum and hurled him into the barricade. Benjamin utilized the distraction to schoolboy Jey Uso for a two-count. Uso responded with a superkick for the near-fall.

Uce went to the top-rope, superkicking Gable off the apron on his way. But Benjamin avoided a top-rope splash, then immediately struck Paydirt to finish off Uso.

Result: Shelton Benjamin pinned Jey Uso with Paydirt.

Grade: B-

Backstage, Zayn and Owens tried to sweet-talk Baron Corbin. The Lone Wolf asked what was in it for him. He told the duo to find someone weak-minded. They quickly turned toward Bobby Roode, who asked if they forgot he competed in the match they ruined Sunday. Roode berated Zayn and Owens, and warned them that he owed them both a receipt.

Naomi got her make-up done backstage. Erstwhile NXT competitors Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan walked up; Riot introduced her companions. They proceeded to pummel Naomi. Becky Lynch crashed the scene, fighting all three newbies until Logan ran her into a rolling case. Morgan threw over a table on top of Lynch, while Logan slammed a door repeatedly into her ribs. This attack would have meant more if we hadn’t seen the exact same type of assault against Alexa Bliss last night.

McMahon and Bryan discussed personnel backstage. Shane complimented Bryan on bringing in the three new women competitors, as well as setting up Zayn and Owens to get destroyed tonight. McMahon said he’d go back to his hotel and relax while watching this match. That’s one lazy boss.

Hype Bros vs. Bludgeon Brothers

Ominous music for the Bludgeon Brothers, who appear to have skinned the California Raisins to forge their ring gear. Erick Rowan started by running over Mojo Rawley, then shoving Zack Ryder off the apron. Luke Harper hit Ryder with a boot as he got up, and fired him into the steel stairs. Rawley struck Rowan with forearms, but the big man shrugged them off and bodyslammed Mojo. Harper tagged in to whip Rowan into Rawley in the corner, then nailed Rawley with a big boot. The Bludgeon Brothers jointly raised Rawley in a cross position, then dropped him for the win. The chemistry between Harper and Rowan remained intact.

Result: Bludgeon Brothers beat Hype Bros after Rowan pinned Rawley following a double-team slam.

Grade: C

Backstage, Natalya wore some glitzy Road Warriors-style shoulder gear. She congratulated Charlotte Flair for winning the SmackDown women’s championship and beating Bliss at Survivor Series. Natalya also commented on hot mess Ric Flair “blubbering all over the place” after his daughter won the title on SmackDown. She proclaimed that she’d knock Charlotte off her perch, and give her father something to really cry about.

WWE Champion AJ Styles made his way to the ring. Tom Phillips introduced video of Paul Heyman effusively praising AJ following the Styles/Lesnar match. In the ring, the Phenomenal One paused for an “AJ Styles” chant. He told the crowd he wished he could celebrate with them, but Survivor Series didn’t go down the way he wanted. Styles admitted that Lesnar was every bit the beast they thought he was. He referenced getting text messages and phone-calls offering kudos for his performance on Sunday. But this is WWE, he said, and there are no trophies for second place. Styles told Lesnar, however, that he wasn’t the guy limping to the back after their match. He reminded the Beast that, in the sequel to Rocky, the underdog wins.

Styles shifted gears to address Jinder Mahal, who claimed he would dethrone AJ on SmackDown Live. The champion removed his title belt and tossed his t-shirt in preparation for a fight. Styles pointed to the belt and called out Mahal. Jinder appeared on the Titantron. He said he’s too busy to come to the ring because he’s watching the Lesnar/Styles match over and over on the WWE Network. That’s a strange excuse for refusing a world title opportunity. Mahal told Styles that he took advantage of the Modern Day Maharaja when he was focused on fighting Lesnar. If Mahal had fought Lesnar at Survivor Series, he’d now be known as the Beastmaster.

Styles informed Mahal that he sounded stupid. He noted that Mahal should be well-rested, given that he did nothing at Survivor Series. Mahal angrily told Styles that he’d accept the rematch at his chosen time, and in a place more deserving than Texas. Mahal said he’d invoke his rematch clause at Clash of Champions, then laughed maniacally. Samir and Sunil Singh attacked Styles from behind. Their advantage didn’t last. AJ smashed Samir with the Styles Clash. He held up the title belt while Jinder glared down at him.

Zayn and Owens continued their search for a friend backstage. They overheard Aiden English crooning about the glories of Rusev Day as the holiday’s namesake encouraged him. As proud French-Canadians, Zayn said, they’d much rather celebrate Rusev Day than Thanksgiving. Owens reasoned that Rusev’s match against Styles to qualify for Team SmackDown got canceled, yet John Cena earned an automatic berth on that team. Sound logic. Zayn perceived that his opponents tonight were jealous that Rusev Day was more popular than New Day. And also that New Day believed English is a terrible singer. They left it there.

The Usos hawked Roman Reigns merchandise and discounted t-shirts. Couldn’t Breezango do this instead of the badass tag champs?

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match

Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Natalya

Nattie ran at Charlotte immediately, taking her down with a side-headlock. She belted Flair with forearms, then ran into a back elbow. Flair threw some chops until Natalya ducked one of them and connected on a discuss clothesline. The challenger double-legged Flair and went for the Sharpshooter. Charlotte kicked her away, but Natalya stayed on the offensive, running her opponent face-first into the turnbuckle. Natalya bowed to the crowd as we go to break.

Back in action, Charlotte pushed Natalya into the corner and beat on her. She mounted the middle rope and rained down right hands. Natalya countered by grabbing Charlotte, carrying her to the center of the ring, and dropping her with a sit-out powerbomb for a near-fall. Both women took their time recovering. Natalya made it up first and hooked in the Sharpshooter. Flair made it to the bottom rope; Natalya jumped on her and threw right hands. When she charged, however, Flair caught her with a modified backbreaker, then used leverage to send Natalya crashing head-first into the turnbuckle.

Charlotte dragged Natalya away from the turnbuckle, stepping on her stomach as she ascended to the top rope. Natalya got her knees up to counter the moonsault, then sized up her opponent. As Charlotte rose, Natalya went for another discus clothesline. She was much too far away to connect, though, and Charlotte assailed her with a spear. Natalya rolled out of the ring to catch her breath. Riot, Morgan, and Logan jumped the barricade (in the corner where the Shield typically makes their entrance) and beat down Natalya. The trio slammed Natalya’s face into the announce table, then shoved her into the ringpost. Riot kicked Natalya in the head.

Back up, Charlotte warily eyed the rookies. Logan entered first and received a big boot. But the numbers caught up to the champion. Logan hit a running boot to the midsection. Morgan showed off a modified Codebreaker and Riot executed her short-arm kick finisher. They stood triumphantly over the women’s champion.

Result: Presumably, Natalya beat Charlotte Flair by disqualification when Ruby Riot, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan interfered.

Grade: B-

Backstage, Daniel Bryan was asked for his reaction to the interference in his women’s championship match. Bryan said it was an interesting situation and he had no comment. That’s a great response to three nobodies wrecking your world title match on live television after they attacked two former champions in the backstage area. SmackDown has the laziest management in the world. Zayn and Owens approached Bryan. They told Bryan they knew they’d get ripped limb from limb because the roster is jealous of their success. Zayn warned Bryan that firing them after the match would be the biggest mistake he ever made. Bryan wished them good luck. He sounded like he’d already checked out of this job.

The SmackDown roster made its way to the ring. Shinsuke Nakamura led the lumberjacks; his role explained why Orton got a pass from showing up and looking like a scrub. Xavier Woods displayed his Paul Bunyan cosplay as New Day dumped pancakes on fans. That’s clever.

Phillips announced that Styles would fight the Singh Brothers in a handicap match next week. Saxton excitedly promoted a Saw-themed Fashion Files that would also air next week. At ringside, we have a Mike Kanellis appearance.

Lumberjack Match

The New Day vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

Big E and Kofi Kingston competed for New Day. E squared off with Owens to start, using his power to flip Owens over. He celebrated with a hip swivel. Owens grabbed a headlock, but his shoulder-block had no effect. When he tried again, Big E dropped him with a back elbow for a one-count. Kingston tagged in to land a top-rope double-stomp to Owens’ left arm. As he continued to go after the arm, Owens tossed him to ringside. No lumberjack, face or heel, laid a hand on Kofi. Zayn and Owens chastised them for not doing their jobs.

As Kingston calmly reentered the ring, Owens tagged out. Zayn headlocked Kingston and knocked him down with a shoulder-tackle. He continued to run the ropes as Kofi leapfrogged him twice, then struck Sami with a leaping back elbow. The crowd chanted for Nakamura during this sequence. Kofi got a one-count, then was hurled to ringside by Zayn. Konnor from the Ascension gave Kingston a fist bump. An irate Zayn went after Kofi, prompting the lumberjacks to pounce on Sami and throw him back into the ring. Corey Graves declared their behavior outrageous. Zayn exited the ring on the opposite side and attempted to escape up the ramp. Sin Cara clubbed him from behind to stop his progress, and the lumberjacks carried Zayn back to the ring as we take our final commercial break.

The New Day pressed their advantage with a Unicorn Stampede all over Owens as we return. Big E propelled Kofi into a low dropkick on Owens in the corner; Kingston got a two-count out of it. Back on his feet, Owens maneuvered Kingston into the heel corner. Kofi booted Owens when he ran at him, then preempted a Zayn right hand by punching him. But Owens cracked Kingston with a superkick when he turned around. An angry Owens kicked away at a prone Kofi, then dropped a rope-aided knee on him.

Byron Saxton: “In the mean time, you’ve got a bunch of sharks on the outside just dying to get their hands on Owens and Zayn.”
Corey Graves: “Sharks don’t have hands, Saxton.”
Byron Saxton, muttering: “Not literally.”

Zayn tagged in to punch Kingston in the ribs. When Kofi fought back, Zayn overwhelmed him with strikes in the corner. Zayn mocked New Day’s clapping, then scored with a short-arm clothesline for a two-count. He dragged Kingston back to his corner, allowing Owens to place a headbutt into Kingston’s sternum. KO stood on Kofi’s hand, picked him up by the hair, and slammed him for a two-count. Owens ran the ropes and went for a senton; Kofi got his knees up to block the move. Both men made tags. Big E threw Zayn with two overhead suplexes, then made it three on a regular belly-to-belly suplex. Big E executed a running splash off the ropes, then picked Zayn up for the Big Ending. Zayn squirmed out, but met an elbow as he tried to attack. Kingston tagged in and executed a top-rope cross-body-block. Owens made the save. Big E entered to fight him off, and the two double-clotheslined each other.

All four men struggled to make it to their feet. Zayn got backdropped over the top rope by Kingston, and received little cushion from the lumberjacks upon whom he landed. Baron Corbin lined up a shot on Zayn, but Sami ducked, causing the Lone Wolf to wallop Roode. A miffed Roode hit him back, starting a donnybrook that eventually engulfed the ring. The lumberjacks took their brawl up the entrance ramp; the last to leave was Kanellis, who ate a discus forearm from Woods. Xavier was driven from the ring by Owens, who was knocked to the apron by Kingston, who was schoolboyed by Zayn for the victory.

Result: Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens beat New Day when Sami Zayn schoolboyed Kofi Kingston.

Grade: B

After the match, Owens pounded the apron and called for Zayn to vacate the ring so they could bounce. Big E threatened to block their exit until Rusev ambushed him from behind. Owens hightailed it over the barricade while Zayn stood around for whatever reason. Kingston jumped off the top rope onto Rusev and English at ringside. Woods trapped Zayn as Sami tried to vault the barricade and follow his partner. He threw Zayn back into the ring as New Day surrounded him. Sami tried to assure New Day that his actions at Survivor Series weren’t about them, but they had none of it, beating him to the mat. Woods fed Sami into a Trouble in Paradise kick. Big E and Woods executed the Midnight Hour on Zayn, then trash-talked him. Phillips said it was likely that we’ve seen the last of Zayn and Owens.

The camera found Owens wandering hurt backstage. He chanced upon Bryan, and pleaded with the general manager not to fire him. Bryan asked if he was concerned about what just happened to his partner. Owens asked him point-blank if they were getting fired. He got down on his knees to beg for his job. Bryan admitted that he was never going to fire Owens and Zayn. But, next week, Owens would have to wrestle Orton.