Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown Live recap for September 4, 2018

Renee Young interviews Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan in the ring to start tonight's show. After footage from Daniel Bryan's match from last week is show, we see footage from earlier today where The Miz and Maryse announce from an empty arena that they will finish what they started last week. Miz says they are doing this to save them the embarrassment of being beaten up by million, and Maryse calls Brie and Daniel Bryan not showing up an act of cowardice before she and Miz drop their microphones. Daniel Bryan calls this a perfect encapsulation of Miz and Maryse as people, and instead of the "it couple," they are nothing more than a couple of cowards. Brie says cowards talk, and that it is clear that this will not wait until Hell In A Cell. Daniel says this is the time to fight, and Brie calls Miz and Maryse out. Renee Young tells them that Miz and Maryse were here in the building, but not anymore. Instead, Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega show up. Zelina says Brie and Daniel are crying in the ring about how unfair their lives are in the ring again, and thanks Renee for replaying the footage from last week. Almas then says it is now 1-1 between him and Daniel Bryan, and he is ready to do this again. Zelina says Almas is full of surprises, and that he wants to finish what he started right now.

Daniel Bryan beats Andrade "Cien" Almas. After the match, Brie Bella knocks Zelina Vega down and knees her on the ropes. Then, The Miz and Maryse show up on the TitanTron, hoping that Brie and Daniel are having a beautiful evening. Miz says they are taking the night off to dine in an Italian restaurant alone. Miz says that Brie and Daniel will have to wait until Hell In A Cell to become embarrassed again.

Mixed Match Challenge returns on September 18th!

Backstage, Kayla Braxton interview Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella, who are evidently heading to the Italian restaurant The Miz and Maryse are at to attack them.

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are interviewed in separate rooms. Charlotte says she won the SmackDown women's title, but lost her best friend. She feels Becky deserves it, but she could not just lie down for her. Becky asks if Charlotte is done, or if she wants more time in her spotlight. Charlotte says she is not in a shadow - Becky is - and that she viewed her as an equal. She says that all Becky had to do was ask, but Becky says she is no charity case. Becky says she is done playing; now, she is taking. She says it was "a full-time job" being Charlotte's friend, and the only thing she cares about is taking the top spot where she belongs, and she does not care what she has to do to get there. Charlotte says she is finally happy to see "the straight fire" she has had for some time, but in two weeks, she will not see a friend. She says that she was never second-best as a friend, but in the ring, she is second-best. Becky Lynch says Charlotte is delusional and tells Charlotte to shine the belt up, because after two weeks, she will never see it again.

Before the next match, The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) mock Naomi again, saying that being beaten up by them is her favorite thing in the world. After Billie and Peyton argue over exactly whom, they make a "Naomi" joke with "no, me."

Naomi beats Peyton Royce with a sunset flip off the apron. After the match, The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) gang up on Naomi, but the beatdown stops when Asuka shows up. Asuka runs to the ring and makes quick work of The IIconics. Afterwards, Asuka helps Naomi up at ringside.

We see a video package chronicling the events leading up to Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton at Hell In A Cell from Jeff Hardy's point of view.

Backstage, General Manager Paige is met by The Miz and Maryse. The Miz say they cut their restaurant visit short. Paige tells them that Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella left, but with The Miz coming back, he is now in a match against anyone who wants to face him. The Miz does not want the match, and The Miz says he and Maryse are leaving. Paige tells them to go ahead and leave, but if they leave, they had better not come back.

Backstage, R-Truth confronts Maryse, thinking she is Carmella. Maryse is shocked that R-Truth would confuse her for "Staten Island trash." Miz shows up and tells R-Truth not to talk to his wife again, but R-Truth can't figure out that he's not talking to Carmella. The Miz brings up their time as The Awesome Truth and says that was the last time R-Truth was relevant. R-Truth says he does not know what Carmella (who is really Maryse) sees in him, then leaves. The Miz and Maryse are confused.

Samoa Joe shows up. Joe calls for "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles' wife Wendy, and says that with Styles not currently in the back, the Styles family is taking his threats seriously. He says that Styles' family is probably in the living room, with Styles waiting for him with a baseball bat. Joe then tells Wendy that he is not a monster or the man that she thinks he is, and says he only said what he said last week to keep a promise to her. He says he has sent her absentee husband back home to his family and forced Styles to care about her. He also says his actions have forced Styles to spend time with his family, and tells AJ's son Andy to enjoy his father tucking him in and keeping him safe as there will be more nights just like that. Joe says that at Hell In A Cell, he will take the WWE Championship from Styles and put him to sleep. Suddenly, Styles is on the TitanTron, and he confronts Joe for threatening his family, saying that is when the talking stops. After this, Styles shows up, and he runs into the ring and brawls with Joe. Styles gets the upper hand at first, but Joe drags him out of the ring and throws him into the steel steps. He then grabs a steel chair, but Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm off the steel steps. Styles then grabs the steel chair that Joe dropped, and Joe ducks and dodges as Styles swings at the ring post. Referees then show up to separate both men. This does not stop Styles from getting in the ring and hitting a springboard cross body on Joe. General Manager Paige shows up with more referees, telling him to save it for Hell In A Cell.

Backstage, R-Truth tells "The Perfect Ten" Tye Dillinger that Carmella is somewhere. Suddenly, Dillinger and R-Truth finally find Carmella, but R-Truth has no idea that Carmella is Carmella until he asks her if she is Carmella. R-Truth proposes a truce, saying that Maryse called her "Staten Island trash." Carmella says that if Maryse wasn't married to The Miz, she would be bagging groceries in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Dillinger asks what R-Truth is doing. R-Truth says he is getting into the main event of SmackDown Live, and that Dillinger could learn something from him.

We see a video package chronicling the events leading up to Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton at Hell In A Cell from Randy Orton's point of view.

Rusev and Aiden English beat The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) and SAnitY (Eric Young and Killian Dain) to face Sheamus and Cesaro next week to decide #1 contenders for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships. After the match, Sheamus and Cesaro show up and stare down Rusev and Aiden English from the stage.

It is announced that Carmella will be accompanying R-Truth to the ring for his match against The Miz.

Before the next match, The Miz says that he still can't believe that he still has to tell everyone after eight years that he is superior to Daniel Bryan. We then see footage from last week of The Miz and Maryse attacking Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella. Miz says he and Maryse are sick of chasing Daniel and Brie all over the city, then tries to call them out. Maryse says they will not show up because they are afraid of them. He then asks who the coward is now, then says it is one thing to be a selfish pest and something completely different to involve their family. At Hell In A Cell, they will be responsible for what happens, but it will be Miz and Maryse's fault. When R-Truth heads to the ring, Carmella takes part in the call-and-response part of the chorus to Truth's entrance music.

R-Truth beats The Miz with a roll-up after The Miz is distracted by Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella showing up. After the match, Daniel Bryan goes after The Miz and puts him in the Yes! Lock, while Brie Bella gets Maryse on the ropes. Zelina Vega shows up and drags Brie out of the ring, and Andrade "Cien" Almas attacks Daniel Bryan. Almas and Zelina grab Daniel and Brie by the hair as The Miz and Maryse escape, but Daniel and Brie counter and put them both in Yes! Locks. The Miz runs to the ring, but falls down and backs away when Daniel and Brie let go of their holds in anticipation for another brawl.

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