Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown Live recap for August 21, 2018

The Miz and Maryse show up to start tonight's show. It is announced on commentary that the item that Maryse handed to Miz in his match against Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam was brass knuckles. The Miz says he was able to close his eyes and feel something from SummerSlam, and says he has his family to think about. After hugging Maryse, he then says that with a heavy heart and the utmost sadness that he officially announces his retirement...of ever facing Daniel Bryan again. He says that his eight-year saga with Daniel Bryan has come to an end after doing what he said he was going to do: beating Daniel Bryan in front of a sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. He admits that Daniel Bryan gave everything he had, but one hundred of Daniel's punches do not measure up to one of his, and says he has the hardest punch in WWE and the entire arena. Miz brags that he did what Daniel Bryan said he would do to him, and when he did it, he was able to pin Daniel Bryan in front of his wife and daughter. Miz then says it is time to start his new life where he watches the fifth episode of Miz and Mrs. immediately following SmackDown Live on USA Network. As Miz leads a "Miz and Mrs." chant, Daniel Bryan shows up. He calls Miz a coward, and considers to yell the word over Miz. Miz hides behind Maryse and says that the record books will say that he beat Daniel Bryan and is superior to him in every single way, and that Daniel Bryan will have to live with the fact that he will never beat him. Daniel Bryan tells Miz to shut up for once in his life, and that he can come out and mock his retirement and convince everyone he didn't cheat to win, but it is another layer in "the huge facade that is The Miz." Daniel says he told everyone he would come out of retirement and punch him in the face, and he did both things, and he plans to expose Miz for what he really is: a wanna-be Hollywood star cosplaying as a professional wrestler. Maryse tells Daniel Bryan to go home already and retire again as well as change his name to "Daniel Bella." As if on command, Brie Bella shows up in street clothes, runs into the ring, and goes after Maryse. Maryse runs away, but Brie beats up The Miz and Daniel Bryan clotheslines Miz out of the ring. Miz and Maryse are forced to retreat as Daniel asks the crowd if Brie has a sweet punch. He then says he has talked to General Manager Paige. amd that he and Miz are in a match together at Hell In A Cell, but it is not the two of them. Instead, it will be a mixed tag match of The Miz and Maryse vs. Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella. The Miz is furious.

Backstage, The Miz and Maryse look for General Manager Paige, and eventually find her. Miz calls Paige "a worse General Manager than Daniel Bryan," but Paige mentions that Brie Bella punched him before saying the tag match will stay and that it will be awesome.

Randy Orton beats Jeff Hardy by disqualification after Hardy gets out of the draping DDT and stomps Orton in the crotch. After the match, Jeff and Orton brawl outside of the ring, and Jeff tosses Orton outside of the ring. The brawl goes outside of the crowd and into the tech area, and Jeff hits Orton with a few weapons. The brawl ends with Jeff getting Orton on a table, climbing on top of a storage box and hitting a Swanton Bomb on Orton, putting him through the table.

Backstage, Renee Young interviews Sheamus and Cesaro. They don't care who wins between The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) and The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan), as they want the winners of tonight's tag team title match. Suddenly, Gallows & Anderson (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) show up and talk about tonight's tag team title match, then Anderson shows off his abs. Gallows & Anderson then say they are the next challengers, and Sheamus and Cesaro say that next week, they'll kick their heads off.

Before the next match, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce call Naomi "overrated, loud obnoxious, and surrounded by glowing lights" after saying that Brooklyn, New York is a dumpster fire. Peyton Royce says that she has a chance to beat Naomi, and says that just like Brooklyn, New York, Naomi is not iconic.

Peyton Royce beats Naomi after Naomi sends Billie Kay into the ring post on the outside.

Backstage, Big E tells Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston his ribs aren't looking very good. Kofi mentions the history that The New Day (Kofi, Big E, Woods) has in Brooklyn, New York and their potential fifth tag team title reign that just might happen tonight.

Becky Lynch shows up. Becky says she deserves to be standing in the ring as champion, but Charlotte Flair deserved the beating she got for stealing that from her, as SummerSlam was supposed to be her time. She had worked her way to where she wanted to be and had even gotten over Charlotte being added to the SmackDown Women's title match, and pictured herself holding the title over her head after becoming champion again. She questions whether the fans were on her side, especially after Charlotte became part of the match and even won the title, and takes exception to being made an afterthought by the fans. She calls the fans "all opinion and no action," then said she decided to take action, and says that when she lost, she came out of a trance and realized that Charlotte Flair had held her back. Becky says Charlotte stole opportunity from her for the last time, and she decided to rip her head off as this was supposed to be her time because she deserves it, not because the fans says she does, and nobody can tell her differently. Suddenly, Charlotte Flair shows up, and Becky and Charlotte have a long-distance war of words before they brawl in the ring. Referees have to rush into to separate both women, and General Manager Paige has to bring the SmackDown women's division to the ring to restore order.

Rusev and Lana beat Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega after Aiden English show up out of nowhere and keeps Almas from using a steel chair in the match, distracting Almas and allowing Rusev to hit both the Matchka Kick and lock in the Accolade on Almas for the submission victory.

We hear from "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura, who says that since he has disposed of Jeff Hardy and retained the United States title, he is now the American hero that he should be. He welcomes everyone to the "United States of Nakamerica."

We look back on the Raw of August 21, 2006, when John Cena tossed Edge into the river in a brawl that went all over the arena, courtesy of Domino's Pizza.

Renee Young interviews AJ Styles on the stage. When asked what happened at SummerSlam, Styles is almost at a loss for words, but then says SummerSlam did not end like he wanted to; however, he does not regret what he did to Samoa Joe. He is not proud of losing the match, but states that Joe crossed a line that a man should not cross. He broke a promise, but he promises to the fans and his family that the next time Samoa Joe brings up his family, he will rip his heart out and show it to him. Before he can finish that statement to him, Styles is yanked off the stage by his legs and put into a Coaquina Clutch by Samoa Joe. Joe then calls for AJ's wife Wendy, and says that while a lot of promises are being made, including one to tuck the kids into bed, AJ has already gone night-night. He then heads to the back.

Backstage, General Manager Paige sees to it that Samoa Joe is escorted from the building and that AJ Styles is given medical attention, then Carmella shows up. Carmella demands her one-on-one rematch for the SmackDown Women's Championship, then R-Truth shows up, saying that he is getting that title match after being ducked and that he is pinning her. Paige asks R-Truth to leave, then gives Carmella her one-on-one match against Charlotte Flair next week. On her way out, Carmella gets grabbed by R-Truth, and Paige tells R-Truth to put her down. R-Truth yells "Now that's what's up!"

The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) beat The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) in a no-disqualification match to win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships, becoming five-time tag team champions in the process.

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

Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown Live recap for August 7, 2018

Randy Orton shows up to start tonight's show. Orton says that last week, Jeff Hardy called him out, and that did not turn out well for him. After a replay of what happened last week on the TitanTron, he asks if people still believe before saying that watching people squirm is what he intended. He says that he will destroy the fans' favorite Superstars and become so violent that people will change the channel. However, they will not change the channel, as they still believe and hope, and still believe that Jeff Hardy will show up again and save the day. He then says he won't, because he has "erased the enigma" and Jeff Hardy is looking for the identity he took last week. He plans to erase all the Superstars that the fans love, as neither the fans or the people in the back give him any respect. Orton says that when he started, he was the youngest man in the locker room. He became the youngest World Champion and has won thirteen major titles as well as numerous others at numerous events, yet the people do not respect him. If he cannot get respect, he will have to take it, as sometimes you must take what you want in life. He says the fans have made their choice, and so has he. Starting with Jeff Hardy, he will destroy the Superstars that the fans love and it is all on the fans. He says people can call him whatever he wants, but he demands to be referred to as "RKO." Orton then leaves.

Backstage, Becky Lynch is met by Charlotte Flair. Charlotte says she was not trying to ruin Becky's moment, but Becky knows they both want the same thing and they get along because of that. Becky says she is in a tough position, for even though she wants to be happy for Charlotte, she wanted Carmella to herself. Becky says she will prove she is the best by beating the best at SummerSlam. With that, Charlotte asks if they are okay with tonight's tag team match. Becky replies by saying "Well, we're not Sasha [Banks] and Bayley."

Carmella guests on commentary for the next match.

Before the next match, The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) play a game of word association, mocking Orlando, Florida as well as their opponents, saying Charlotte Flair is overrated and that Becky Lynch will be stuck in Charlotte's shadow.

Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch beat The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) after Charlotte Flair tags herself in to make Billie Kay tap out to a Figure Eight.

Backstage, Renee Young interviews The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods). Big E says they were great on commentary last week, but this week, Kofi takes the role of Renee Young as "Kramer Kingston." Woods says The New Day has been Sheamus and Cesaro before and they can beat them again, and Big E says they are no stranger to danger, and at SummerSlam, The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) will bow down to the power of positivity.

We see footage from earlier today of The Miz on the set of Miz and Mrs. After much giving to the fans, Miz announces that he has something for Daniel Bryan: the gift of relevancy, because they will face each other at SummerSlam.

Backstage, Charlotte Flair admits that she and Becky Lynch make a great tag team, but Becky says it will be a different story at SummerSlam. Charlotte and Becky agree that they will both have to great against each other that night.

We see a video package of Samoa Joe's message to "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles from last week.

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles shows up. Styles says a lot goes on inside the ring - trash talking and manhoods being tested - and when that happens, things get personal. He says Samoa Joe made it personal last week when he talked about his family. He says that he wants to be one of the greatest Superstars for his family. He says that this does not make him special, as he has to make sacrifices for his family as a father and as a real man. He is away from home over 200 days a year, and he misses big family events. He celebrated eighteen years with his wife on August 5th, but the reality is his wife is basically a single parent because he cannot be there. As Samoa Joe watches from backstage, Styles says he wants to give his children things he never had as a kid, and that is why the fans are here. He knows the fans want to be there for their children, as does he. He then says this is why Samoa Joe's words piss him off, because Joe knows his family and they both shared the cockroach-infested apartments and stale pizza together, and threw their friendship away over mentioning his family. He refuses to let Samoa Joe take the WWE Championship, and at SummerSlam, Joe will be lucky if he even walks out at all.

Backstage, Lana is working out when Rusev walks up to her. Rusev tells Lana he should be more supportive after her words from last week, and tonight, he will be in her corner for her rematch with Zelina Vega tonight. Suddenly, Aiden English shows up. He apologizes to Lana, saying he did not mean to cost her the match last week, and that he is sorry. Rusev says he and Lana forgive him, then Rusev tells him to stay backstage tonight.

Zelina Vega beats Lana after Aiden English runs out and tackles Andrade "Cien" Almas as he brawls with Rusev on the outside, inadvertently knocking Lana off the top rope and allowing Zelina Vega the win.

Backstage, Renee Young interviews "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura. He says Jeff Hardy was erased by Randy Orton, and that he will erase what is left of Hardy at SummerSlam so nothing is left for Orton. R-Truth shows up with "The Perfect Ten" Tye Dillinger, wanting a match against Nakamura for the United States title at SummerSlam, and says he will get it by beating Carmella. Nakamura says something in Japanese, and R-Truth apparently takes so much exception to this that he wants Nakamura tonight.

As Corey Graves complains about Byron Saxton getting an interview with The Miz that is coming up next, Byron Saxton gets irritated, removes his headset and leaves the announce table.

Byron Saxton interviews The Miz, who appears on the TitanTron on the set of Miz and Mrs.. He says that Miz and Mrs. is doing swell after two episodes, and that he is not here because he is a star. He then tells the fans not to miss the third episode of Miz and Mrs. after SmackDown Live, as he learns CPR in that episode. He then says Daniel Bryan needs to learn it to resuscitate his career. He goes on to say that Daniel Bryan has obsessed over him the last eight years while he has been busy with his own life. He says Daniel dreams of becoming the biggest Superstar in history like he is, and Miz says he should be WWE Champion. Miz goes on to say that he is done carrying Daniel Bryan and dealing with him for the last eight years, and that he is done with people saying he is hiding from him. At SummerSlam, he will prove that Daniel Bryan is beneath him. As he tells Byron Saxton to go interview Daniel Bryan, Daniel Bryan suddenly shows up on set and attacks The Miz. Security try to help, but The Miz has to take Daniel Bryan down by smashing a potted plant into his back. Daniel Bryan then gets back and follows both security and The Miz off the set.

"The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura beats R-Truth.

We see footage from earlier today. Harper says two teams have survived a quest for greatness. Rowan says one escaped prison while the other escaped madness, and that another test takes place tonight. The Bludgeon Brothers then say that they will be waiting to break whoever arrives both mentally and physically.

The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) beat 3SK (Juan Rivera, Pabel Kozlov, Aleki Li) in a three-on-two handicap match.

The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Big E) beat Sheamus and Cesaro in the finals of the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament to face The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam. After the match, The Bludgeon Brothers are briefly seen watching from the crowd.

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

Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown Live recap for July 10, 2018

It's time for Miz TV. After The Miz plugs Miz and Mrs., which premieres in two weeks, tonight's guests are Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane). The Miz tells Daniel Bryan he is out here to be a professional, and asks Daniel to extend the same courtesy. After some words from Kane, Daniel abstains from punching Miz in the face and tells Miz he will be professional. Miz admits he thought he would never see Team Hell No reunite, comparing the event to a potential reunion of N*SYNC, and asks Daniel and Kane if they are ready for The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) at Extreme Rules. After saying that N*SYNC will never get back together because Justin Timberlake is too big a star, Kane says they know what The Bludgeon Brothers are capable of, but the Bludgeon Brothers are not Team Hell No. The Miz says that Team Hell No just might be the team to beat The Bludgeon Brothers, then we see the events of Team Hell No's initial run as well as the events that lead to Team Hell No's reunion. The Miz says that was not the footage he wanted to show, then Daniel Bryan tells The Miz that he knows that Miz is trying to stir the pot and that it is not working because The Miz is terrible at everything. He then says that the only thing Miz is worse at than stirring the pot is wrestling, and Miz responds by saying that Team Hell No will implode after Kane turns on Daniel Bryan, and that Daniel Bryan is hiding behind Kane because he cannot hang with him in the ring. Kane holds Daniel Bryan and tells him to breathe through the diaphragm to keep their focus on The Bludgeon Brothers. Miz tells Daniel Bryan to hide behind Kane one more time, and Miz gets grabbed by the throat in response. Suddenly, The Bludgeon Brothers show up, but so does SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain). SAnitY, however, shows up from the crowd and attacks Team Hell No, and The Bludgeon Brothers team up with SAnitY until The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) show up.The New Day go on the attack, but SAnitY and The Bludgeon Brothers manage to overpower everyone.

Before the next match, Rusev and Aiden English show up. Rusev tells Styles that no matter how well he secures his house as well as himself, he will tear down the house that he built at Extreme Rules before celebrating on the greatest Rusev Day ever. Rusev and Aiden English then guest on commentary for the next match.

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles beats "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura by disqualification after Rusev yanks Styles off the apron. After the match, Nakamura goes for a Kinshasa to Styles, but Jeff Hardy runs in to make the save for Styles and takes out both Rusev and Nakamura. General Manager Paige then shows up and makes a tag team match between the team of Styles and Jeff Hardy and the team of Nakamura and Rusev.

Rusev and "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura beat "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy.

James Ellsworth tries his best to train for his match tonight backstage when Carmella shows up. Carmella tells Ellsworth to take care of Asuka tonight. Ellsworth says he's got it, then winks at her. Carmella then says that if Ellsworth winks at her again, she will give him a beating worse than the one she will give Asuka.

Before the next match, James Ellsworth says he knows he must be tempting, but tells the female Superstars surrounding the ring to show some restraint before saying that none of them are ready for Asuka while he is.

Asuka beats James Ellsworth in a lumberjack match advertised as "Battle of the Sexes II" after Asuka kicks Ellsworth into Carmella, knocking Carmella off the apron before locking in the Asuka Lock. After the match, Carmella gets in, but Asuka beats her up. When Asuka turns around, she gets sprayed in the face with hairspray by Ellsworth.

Backstage, The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) tries to formulate a strategy with Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane), but Kane and Daniel Bryan argue over whether Kane should have let Daniel punch The Miz in the face. Big E puts the argument to a quick end, and immediately formulates a strategy that gets everyone on the same page and Kane to quote N*SYNC.

Backstage, James Ellsworth and Carmella are met by General Manager Paige. Ellsworth tries to get a kiss from Paige, but Paige tells Ellsworth that he will be in a shark cage suspended high above the ring in the SmackDown Women's Championship match at Extreme Rules.

Andrade "Cien" Almas beats Sin Cara.

A Tables Match between SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain) and The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) is officially the kickoff match for Extreme Rules.

Backstage, we hear from SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain). They are hear to break the status quo and turn happiness into havoc, and they are not here for the nostalgia. Eric Young says The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) and Team Hell No's (Daniel Bryan and Kane) time is up and that all that is left is unadulterated chaos. The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) then show up, and Rowan says "Let the bludgeoning begin."

The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) and Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) beat SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain) and The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan). After the match, Daniel Bryan tries to do Kane's pyro. After three tries, he finally does it.

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

Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown Live recap for June 19, 2018

General Manager Paige announces that "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles' opponent at Extreme Rules will be decided in the first-ever five-man Gauntlet Match on SmackDown Live between Big E, Rusev, The Miz, Samoa Joe, and Daniel Bryan.

Carmella shows up to start tonight's show. Carmella says that when she was younger, she had a lot of self-confidence issues and never felt she was special or "good enough." She became the author of her life, worked harder than everyone else and saw something beautiful in herself. WIth that, she became a champion. Carmella tells every girl and boy with self-confidence issues to look in a mirror and say to themselves "'Mella Is Money." She then says she never had any self-confidence issues and that she has moonwalked and trash talked since she was in diapers. Carmella tells everyone to just give up, as they can work twice as hard as her and only be half as good, then brags about how she became SmackDown Women's Champion and retained at Money In The Bank. She then goes on to say she beat Asuka all by herself, even though James Ellsworth helped out, then Asuka shows up. Asuka, however, is really James Ellsworth, who winks at Carmella and says nobody was ready for Ellsworth, especially Asuka. Ellsworth says that he is back in the WWE and back to serve "the greatest woman in history" in Carmella. He proceeds to put Carmella on a pedestal above the rest of the women in WWE's history as well as other female celebrities. All of a sudden, the real Asuka shows up, and Asuka kicks Ellsworth in the gut before Carmella answers with a superkick to Asuka's face. Carmella then escapes along with Ellsworth.

Before the next match, The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) make fun of the fans before mocking Becky Lynch, saying she is a loser after Money In The Bank, that she will never amount to anything and she is better off as Charlotte Flair's "troll of a sidekick." Billie Kay tells Becky Lynch to keep living in the past, for her present is abysmal and the future is IIconic.

Becky Lynch beats Billie Kay after reversing an inside cradle into a Dis-Arm-Her.

We hear from Jeff Hardy, who talks about "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles' victory at Money In The Bank. He says that AJ Styles is able to move on from Shinsuke Nakamura, but he is not able to do so after being hit with a Kinshasa last week. He says that Nakamura's actions, instead of unsettling him, have sharpened his focus. He then turns around and reveals he is wearing facepaint and color contacts, and tells Nakamura he sees him.

Backstage, we hear from SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain), who are finally debuting in the next match. Eric Young says chaos has arrived before the three of them approach the ring.

Renee Young interviews Daniel Bryan, who will be the first man in the five-man Gauntlet Match. Daniel says he will not survive; he will win, as he has proven that size doesn't matter. Daniel Bryan considers Rusev, Big E and Samoa Joe three of the best Superstars on SmackDown Live, and says that Greatest Royal Rumble is a testament to his endurance, which he says will bring him to the WWE Championship. Daniel then takes the microphone and asks Renee Young if she thinks he is prepared. After saying that he is adequately prepared, Daniel asks again, and this time, she says "yes." Daniel then "yes"-es as he leaves.

Before the next match, The Usos says that every tag team in SmackDown Live is trying to prove themselves, and says that to make a name, you have to be show heart, be good and have a couple of screws loose. They then call out SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain), who go on the warpath, ending the match before it can even happen.

Backstage, Luke Anderson shows off his abs, while The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) simply stare at the camera.

Renee Young interviews "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura, who asks how he lost when he is standing in front of Renee and says AJ Styles won because the referee counted too fast and not in Japanese. As for Jeff Hardy, his eyes may be open, but if he crosses him again, he will close them.

The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) retain the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Gallows & Anderson (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson). After the match, Daniel Bryan makes his way to the ring for the five-man Gauntlet Match, but is stopped and surrounded by The Bludgeon Brothers. Daniel Bryan then steps aside and heads to the ring.

Rusev beats Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Big E and The Miz in a five-man Gauntlet Match to become the #1 contender to the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules with an Accolade to The Miz. After Daniel Bryan eliminated Samoa Joe by count-out after using the barricade to get over Joe, The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) double-team Daniel Bryan, allowing The Miz to pick the bones with a Skull Crushing Finale to eliminate Daniel Bryan. After the match, "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles shows up and lays the WWE Championship between himself and Rusev. Styles and Rusev then shake hands, then Aiden English asks for a handshake. He pulls his hand back and gets slapped by Styles for it.

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