Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown Live recap for August 14, 2018

Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Carmella show up to start tonight's show. Carmella says the only thing as absurd as General Manager Paige making her defend the SmackDown Women's Championship is Paige forcing her to be part of this face-to-face meeting. She is tired of Charlotte and Becky's face as well as being punished for being a great champion, then says life is good as the champion. She says that Becky Lynch does not stand a chance, and should go back to being a clown for a living as it is the one thing she does better than Charlotte. Becky admits that she doesn't want Charlotte in this match, and while she lost sleep over beating Carmella, she now has a new dream of beating Carmella and whupping Charlotte. Carmella laughs and asks Becky if she knows how hard it is to beat Charlotte, then says she beat her twice because she is fabulous, despite Charlotte's accolades in the WWE so far, to which Becky's pale in comparison. Charlotte tells Carmella the lies, cheating and manipulation end at SummerSlam, and knows that Carmella has to do anything and everything to hold on to the SmackDown Women's Championship, even going so far as bringing out James Ellsworth to retain against Asuka. Charlotte then calls Carmella "a diva living in a women's era." Carmella then admits she is a diva before saying she is damn proud of it, as she has something Becky and Charlotte will never have: beauty, fitness, charisma and a championship. Before things can get even more tense, however, Paige shows up. Paige says her job as General Manager is to create the best matches as possible for SummerSlam, and that Charlotte earned her spot at SummerSlam thanks to Carmella. She also says that all three women will steal the show at SummerSlam, just like they will tonight. Carmella is put on the commentary table, because talking is apparently what she does best, while Becky and Charlotte are placed in a tag team match against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.

Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch beat Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville with a Dis-Arm-Her to Mandy Rose following a kick-out from an inside cradle. After the match, Carmella stands on the commentary table and raises up the SmackDown Women's Championship.

We hear from The Miz and Maryse, who plug Miz and Mrs. as the hottest show on USA Network in years before announcing that the show has picked up a second season halfway through the first one. They promise the second season will be even better than the first.

Backstage, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair congratulate each other on winning and wish each other good luck at SummerSlam.

The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) decimate The Triple Threat (none of whom are named) in destructive fashion before the bell rings for their three-on-two handicap match.

It is announced that the October 16th episode of SmackDown Live on October 16th in Washington, DC will be the 1000th episode of SmackDown.

We see the first of three parts of a video package chronicling the eight-year tiff between The Miz and Daniel Bryan, and focuses on their time in NXT. Here, The Miz calls Daniel Bryan a rookie who couldn't shut up and listen and Daniel Bryan calls The Miz an arrogant wrestler who tried to make him the next Miz.

The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) beat SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain).

We see the second of three parts of a video package chronicling the eight-year tiff between Daniel Bryan and The Miz, which chronicles their scathing confrontation on Talking Smack.

It is announced that The Miz and Maryse will be on Today on NBC on 10 AM Eastern.

Backstage, General Manager Paige meets with Samoa Joe, and demands that Joe be professional so that SummerSlam does not get ruined. Joe says he cannot be unpredictable while being professional, and says he will do what he wants when he wants it. He also proposes staying backstage and enjoying her work, then tells her to enjoy her night because he knows he will enjoy his.

Aiden English is in the ring. He sings that he will make amends to Rusev and Lana tonight and beat Andrade "Cien" Almas for Rusev Day.

Andrade "Cien" Almas beats Aiden English. After the match, Zelina Vega says that if the fans love catchy tunes and made-up holidays, then they should mark their calendars for this Sunday, as Rusev Day and Lana Day will come to an end as she will expose Lana as dead weight to Rusev. Suddenly, Lana and Rusev show up. Rusev says Almas and Vega act like they just won the Powerball, and says Almas' luck runs out on Sunday and Vega will learn why Lana is the best and number one. Lana says that together, she and Rusev will crush Almas and Vega, as SummerSlam will fall on Rusev Day.

Backstage, General Manager Paige is met by AJ Styles. She warns him to be professional so that SummerSlam isn't ruined. Styles says he made a promise to his wife, and he intends on keeping it, implying that he will comply.

We look back on the Independence Day food fight of 2016, courtesy of Popeyes Chicken.

We see the third of three parts of a video package chronicling the eight-year tiff between Daniel Bryan and The Miz, which focuses on Daniel Bryan's recent return to in-ring action and what has happened since.

Jeff Hardy beats Shelton Benjamin in his first match in a few weeks. After the match, "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura shows up, and after Jeff Hardy knocks Shelton Benjamin off the ring apron, Nakamura runs into the ring, takes Hardy down and nearly hits the Kinshasa only to fall victim to the Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb. Meanwhile, Randy Orton is seen hiding behind the stage area, watching Jeff Hardy.

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles shows up. Styles says that for almost twenty years, he has been able to travel the world and compete against the best, and he has learned a lot. He says there no more important a lesson learned than after he won the WWE Championship, as whoever wins it has a target on his back, and says that Samoa Joe got his number. He says it began when Joe blindsided him three weeks ago, and says that just when he thinks he knows Joe, he stabs him in the back and then in the heart by saying he put his career over his family. Styles says Joe got him to lose his cool and talk about something private and personal: his family. He felt that as a man, father and husband, he had to defend himself, and he became emotional and went into a dark place where he wanted to rip Joe's head off. When he got home, his wife Wendy told him he cannot lose his cool and that he must remain focused. Suddenly, Samoa Joe shows up. Joe pulls out a piece of paper from his jacket and says that what Styles is saying is just not true. He has nothing left to say to Styles, but he holds a letter from a fan and says that he thought Styles should hear it. The letter calls Joe's response to Styles "disgusting" and that it made the writer physically ill because what Joe says is true. The writer goes on to say that Styles never wanted children and probably never wanted a wife, either. The letter then says that Styles is great at being a champion because Styles will do anything to stay away form his family. The writer then hopes Joe wins so that Styles loses what is important to him, as they lost him a long ago. The writer of the letter is Wendy Styles.

Here are the top 10 moments from tonight's show!