Here are the results form today’s episode of SmackDown Live (courtesy of PWInsider):
Last week, AJ Styles did some charity work giving James Ellsworth a match, but then it backfired thanks to Dean Ambrose acting in his role as the guest referee.
We are in Denver, Colorado and your announcers are Mauro Ranallo, David Otunga, and John Layfield.
Randy Orton makes his way to the ring.
Randy says he has to give credit where credit is due. The evil inside Bray Wyatt runs deeper than he ever thought. Trying to escape his world is like trying to escape quicksand. The more you fight, the more you are pulled down. He says he feels like he is losing his mind and that he is going crazy. It is a bigger problem for Bray Wyatt. He has shredded every last bit of sanity he has. Randy says he is wrath, he is vengeance, and he is coming after Bray.
A series of masked men surround a casket and Bray is lying inside.
Bray tells Randall to get over himself. He does not have to come after Bray because Bray says he is coming after him. Bray says he is about to take Randy on a journey . . . journey where you will be gasping for your last breath of air over and over again. He asks Randy if he is enjoying this. Bray says ‘He’s Here’.
The lights go out and Luke Harper makes his way to the ring.
Match Number One: Luke Harper versus Randy Orton
They lock up and go to a stalemate. Orton with a kick and European uppercuts. Harper with a drop kick and Orton goes to the floor. Harper goes for a suicide dive but Orton with a forearm to stop him. Harper with kicks to Orton and Harper goes to the turnbuckles but Orton with punches to stop him. Orton climbs the turnbuckles for a superplex. Harper with a punch to send Orton to the mat. Orton goes back up for a superplex and both men are down.
The lights go out and Bray’s music plays. Bray is wheeled to the ring in the casket.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Bray kneels over Orton on the floor as Bray gets out of his coffinmobile. Orton gets back into the ring. Harper with an elbow drop for a near fall. Harper with a reverse chin lock and body scissors. Harper with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Wyatt opens and closes the casket while Harper gives Orton a Gator Roll. Harper with an uppercut and Orton avoids being sent into the casket but Harper almost goes in. Orton with two clotheslines and he ducks one from Orton and hits a power slam. Orton looks around and Harper goes to the apron.
Wyatt hits Orton from behind and the referee calls for the bell.
Winner: Randy Orton (by disqualification)
After the match, Harper with a boot and Wyatt with punches and kicks.
Wyatt and Harper prepare to put Orton in the casket but when the casket opens, Kane is inside. Orton with an IEDDT to Wyatt and Kane with a clothesline off the turnbuckles to Harper.
Orton drops down for RKO pushups and the lights go out.
The lights come back on and Wyatt and Harper are no longer in the ring.
AJ Styles is in the back and he is asked about his match against James Ellsworth.
AJ says he cannot believe it is happening. He says he is the WWE World Champion. He has scratched and clawed to earn the right to be called The Face that Runs the Place. However, he is getting in the ring with the waste of space, fat, skinny turd James Ellsworth. He says Dean Ambrose will find a way to slither in and do something. He will try to embarrass AJ. It could be like WCW again. It would be like David Arquette winning the title. He cannot believe he is in the ring with a wet noodle of a man like James Ellsworth. He tells Dean he will find him if he costs AJ the title. He does not care where Dean is, he will find him. AJ says he will rip Dean apart piece by piece.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Two: Alexa Bliss versus Naomi
They lock up and they each push the other away. They lock up again and the referee separates the women and they push each other. Alexa hides behind the referee and then Naomi blocks a kick and Alexa avoids a pick and gets to the ropes. Naomi with a Thesz Press and she punches Alexa. Alexa with a knee and punches. Naomi with kicks and then she goes Speedball and hits a drop kick. Alexa sends Naomi to the apron and Naomi with a round kick to the temple. Naomi with a springboard cross body for a near fall. Naomi with a front face lock.
Naomi with a snap mare and sliding clothesline. Naomi with a leg drop for a near fall. Naomi with a reverse chin lock. Alexa sends Naomi to the mat by pulling the hair. Naomi with a drop toe hold that sends Alexa into the turnbuckles. Alexa goes to the floor and we go to commercial.
We are back and Naomi with punches. We see footage from the commercial break when Alexa punched Naomi while they were on the floor. Alexa with a rolling mare and she runs Naomi’s face along the ropes. Alexa holds on to the cravate. Naomi with a back breaker. Naomi avoids a clothesline and Naomi with a flip clothesline and drop kick followed by a jaw breaker. Naomi with a boot to the stomach followed by a double jump split legged moonsault for a near fall.
Naomi goes up top but Alexa crotches Naomi and she hangs from the turnbuckles. Alexa with a knee to the back and she pulls Naomi to the mat. Alexa goes up top for Twisted Bliss and hits it and gets the three count.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Renee Young interviews Alexa in the ring and she asks Alexa about her title match against Becky Lynch. Alexa says the fairy tale will be over in three weeks. There is no magic slipper and the wicked witch will be dead. There will be a new champion and it will be the fairest one of them all.
We take a look at what happened last week on Smackdown when the tag team champions came out to help the Intercontinental Champion.
Match Number Three: Apollo Crews versus Curt Hawkins
Curt tells Apollo Crews to face the facts. He tells Apollo all he has to fear is fear itself . . . and Curt Hawkins. He says Apollo will have a dilemma because he will have to change his name to Apollo Lose after this match.
Crews punches Hawkins and he goes to the floor.
Hawkins says that Crews ruined his big debut and you deprived everyone from seeing him in action tonight.
Curt says he is leaving and he walks to the back.
Carmella walks in the back and we go to commercial.
We are back and Carmella makes her way to the ring.
Nikki Bella’s music plays and she comes to the ring.
Nikki says she is so curious to hear what Carmella has to say and so she does not get attacked from behind, she will stand in Carmella’s face.
Carmella says Nikki is stealing her spotlight, just like at SummerSlam. Carmella says Nikki can get away with anything because your boyfriend is John Cena. Carmella says that she will not walk on egg shells. You are fearless because you go home with Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect every night.
Nikki says Carmella showed that she is just like all of the other people who have been jealous of her for four years. Nikki says she has been on television shows and has been in thousands of photos. How is that hiding things?
Carmella calls Nikki clingy, whiny, needy gold digger that everyone knows Nikki is.
We see a clip from “Total Need Freak”
Nikki is impressed that Carmella can edit things to make it look like she is dependent. She paves her own roads, she pays her bills. She wears the pants in her relationship. When people doubted her, she trained harder. Nikki says she was told that she would never wrestle again. She is fearless because she is not afraid of anyone. She is not afraid of a boss, a queen, or someone from Staten Island.
Carmella asks Nikki if John helped her come up with Fearless. Carmella says she will tell the truth. She says Nikki used her looks to get in the door. You used your sister to get in the ring. You used your boyfriend, John Cena to become a celebrity.
Renee Young asks James Ellsworth about his title match.
James says his hand is trembling. He would be lying if he did not say he was nervous. Last week he was in a match against AJ Styles and he survived. He had Daniel Bryan talking to him on Talking Smack and he got a WWE Title Match. He says he does not deserve it and he is not in AJ Styles’ league. He will be able to tell his grandchildren that their grandpa wrestled for the WWE World Title on Smackdown.
We go to commercial.
We see Rhyno and Heath Slater answering why they made the save for Dolph Ziggler. Heath says he did it for his kids because they need role models. Rhyno says he did it because he hates male cheerleaders.
Match Number Three: Miz, Mikey, and Kenny (with Maryse) versus Dolph Ziggler, Heath Slater, and Rhyno
Mikey and Rhyno start off and Rhyno with a side head lock. Rhyno with a wrist lock and Mikey with a side head lock. Rhyno with forearms and a shoulder tackle. Rhyno with a splash in the corner. Kenny tags in and Rhyno with a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Slater tags in and they hit a double back elbow and gets a near fall. Slater with an arm drag and he works on the arm. Ziggler tags in and punches Kenny. Kenny with a jumping back elbow and Miz wants to tag in and Kenny obliges. Ziggler with a drop kick and Stinger Splash. Miz sends Ziggler into the corner and he kicks Ziggler. Kenny and Mikey work over Ziggler but Ziggler gets out of the corner.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Ziggler with two clotheslines and then he works over Miz in the corner. Maryse trips Ziggler while Kenny distracts the referee. Miz gets a near fall. Ziggler with elbows but Miz pulls Ziggler down by the hair. Kenny tags in and comes off the turnbuckles with a punch. Kenny stomps on Ziggler and gets a near fall. Mikey goes for a suplex and Ziggler blocks it. Ziggler with a suplex of his own.
Miz tags in and stops Ziggler from making the tag. Miz knocks Rhyno off the apron. Ziggler with a super kick to Miz and both men are down. Kenny and Slater tag in and Slater knocks Mikey down on the apron. Slater with a kick and jabs followed by a clothesline and a jumping side kick to Mikey. Slater with a neck breaker on Kenny for a near fall. Rhyno with a GORE on Mikey. Slater with a rollup and Kenny kicks out, sending Slater into the ropes. Miz with a punch and then Kenny gets the three count on Slater.
Winners: Miz, Kenny, and Mikey
Daniel Bryan is on the phone with Shane McMahon and he says they need to work on their rosters for the matches.
Natalya enters and she says she wants to be the first person in the women’s elimination match. Daniel asks why Natalya. Natalya says she can teach everyone in the women’s division and then she quotes the Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston, but she denies it when Daniel confronts her. Natalya with more quoted song lyrica. Natalya shows Daniel some photos of her cat as we go to commercial.
We are back and Baron Corbin says Swagger’s existence is a bad joke. You put your hand on your heart and the people chant with you like it matters. They are doing it at your expense. When he beats Jack tonight, he is beating everyone in the arena and anyone in the world who says We the People.
Match Number Four: Jack Swagger versus Baron Corbin
Swagger with a shoulder tackle and then he clotheslines Corbin over the top rope to the floor. Swagger goes to the floor and he sends Corbin back into the ring. Swagger with a punch but Corbin with a running shoulder tackle that knocks Swagger off the apron and into the ringside barrier. Corbin with forearms to the back of the head against the ringside barrier. Corbin sends Swagger back in and Corbin with a knee to the head and he follows with End of Days for the three count.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Natalya is showing more photos to Daniel and we see Dean Ambrose in his referee’s shirt and Daniel thanks Dean for showing up. Dean says he is ready to referee tonight’s main event. He will do it right down the middle.
Daniel tells Dean that he was going to send for him. Daniel says that Dean cannot be referee tonight.
Dean says he was a good referee.
Daniel says it cannot happen for a World Title Match, but you can be anything else.
Dean says he will do that. Daniel wonders which one Dean is choosing.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Dean Ambrose makes his way to the ring. Dean enters the ring and he is going to be the official ring announcer for the match.
Match Number Five: James Ellsworth versus AJ Styles for the WWE Championship
Ellsworth tries to attack AJ from behind when Dean rings the bell for too long. AJ goes for a hip toss but Dean says they need to go to commercial.
We are back and Styles with a rear chin lock on Ellsworth but he cannot get a grip on the chin. Styles slaps Ellsworth and Dean tells everyone to look at the TitanTron for a deal on the Ellsworth t-shirt. Styles with a head butt and hip toss. Styles with forearms to the head. Styles with a drop kick. Styles with an elbow to the back of the head. Styles suplexes Ellsworth into the turnbuckles and he tells Ambrose it is his fault as he goes to the floor.
Styles with a chop and then he puts Ellsworth on the turnbuckles. Styles goes for a superplex and Dean makes an announcement about a car with its light on. Dean then does a promotional ad and that has Styles leave the turnbuckles. Ellsworth goes for a cross body but misses. Styles with a kick to the sternum and then he stomps on Ellsworth. Styles sends Ellsworth into the turnbuckles and then to the floor. Dean sends Ellsworth back in and then Styles sends him to the floor. This continues for about a minute.
Styles goes up top and Ellsworth drops Styles on the turnbuckles. Ellsworth with a super kick for a near fall. Ellsworth gets to his feet and he shakes the ropes. Styles with a running spinebuster. Styles with forearms and the referee warns Styles. Dean asks Ellsworth if this is the best he can do. Styles kicks Ellsworth in the corner. Dean tells AJ he kicks like a soccer mom in addition to looking like one.
Styles with forearms and the referee warns him. Styles with more forearms and the referee makes the five count.
Winner: James Ellsworth (by disqualification)
After the match, Ambrose kicks Styles and hits the double underhook DDT.
We go to credits.
