SmackDown LIVE results, Oct. 30, 2018: The Viper strikes last ahead of the WWE World Cup
During an unpredictable SmackDown LIVE, Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio took on Randy Orton & The Miz ahead of their scheduled clashes in the WWE World Cup, but The Viper went the extra mile to dismantle his fellow tournament entrants as they all aim to be named the best in the world. Elsewhere, WWE Crown Jewel came early, as WWE Champion AJ Styles defended the title against Daniel Bryan with Samoa Joe lurking in the wings.
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SmackDown Results : Quick Hits
- AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan engage in a war of words that leads to a blockbuster match
- WWE Champion AJ Styles def. Daniel Bryan before Samoa Joe savagely took out both
- Big E def. Cesaro in a Trick or Street Fight
- Shinsuke Nakamura def. R-Truth
- Becky Lynch promised to rip Ronda Rousey’s arm off at Survivor Series
- Rey Mysterio & Jeff Hardy def. Randy Orton & The Miz
SmackDown Results : Full Details
AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan engage in a war of words that leads to a blockbuster match
WWE Champion AJ Styles kicked off SmackDown LIVE in his home state of Georgia where the WWE Universe went absolutely wild for the champ. The Phenomenal One called out Daniel Bryan, who will challenge Styles for the title at WWE Crown Jewel in three days.
With tensions still lingering after Styles and Bryan dropped a pair of tag team bouts to The Usos in recent weeks due to miscommunication, The Phenomenal One offered an apology, which Bryan accepted. The “Yes!” Man reinforced how much respect he has for AJ … but Styles flipped the script and revealed that he actually intended to connect with Bryan last week, and he challenged Bryan to have their WWE Crown Jewel title match right here tonight. SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon hit the scene, and much to the delight of the WWE Universe in Hot-Lanta, he made the title match official.
Oh, and this blockbuster match? Yeah, it would be next.
WWE Champion AJ Styles def. Daniel Bryan before Samoa Joe savagely took out both
Per the order of Shane-O-Mac, WWE Champion AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan threw down with the title on the line three days early on SmackDown LIVE.
A contentious atmosphere permeated through the arena with each Superstar hellbent on walking out of Atlanta with the WWE Title over their shoulder. The two wasted no time bringing the energy, exchanging several high-impact moves in the early goings. None were bigger than a suicide dive by Bryan to Styles on the floor that definitely did its damage to AJ, but Bryan appeared to tweak his knee.
Soon, The Phenomenal One targeted Bryan’s harmed knee, focusing a vicious attack on the body part while looking to ground The “Yes!” Man for good. Bryan refused to stay down, however, and he fought back with a barrage of strikes that had the Georgia native reeling. Styles would not relent on the left knee, though, and he suplexed Bryan over the top rope before conking him onto the announcer’s table.
Never one to surrender, Bryan fought back yet again, feeding off his adrenaline, despite Styles continuing to target the knee. Bryan seemed to be closing on the title when he locked The Phenomenal One in a series of submission holds, but Styles fired back and caught Bryan in the Styles Clash. AJ then locked in the Calf Crusher; the agonizing pain to Bryan’s already battered knee was too much, and he had no choice but to submit.
After the match, with no bitterness present, Bryan extended his hand in a sign of respect to Styles. AJ accepted the handshake, and the two embraced. However, the magical moment was short-lived, as Samoa Joe came out of nowhere to attack both men. The Samoan Submission Machine first took out Styles with a Coquina Clutch before locking the deadly hold on Bryan and boldly raising the WWE Title above his head.
The message? Joe ain’t planning on leaving the WWE Title picture anytime soon.
Big E def. Cesaro in a Trick or Street Fight
With The New Day hilariously dressing as The Brood for Halloween and mimicking their trademark entrance, Big E took on Cesaro in a Trick or Street Fight on SmackDown LIVE.
The bout quickly broke down, as Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, Big Show and Sheamus quickly got involved. The WWE Universe saw everything from Big Show forcing Xavier to bob for apples, to Cesaro dropping Big E into a pile of jack-o-lanterns … only for Big E to return the favor.
In the match’s pivotal moments, The New Day once again channeled The Brood, as Woods spit the mysterious red liquid into Big Show’s face before Big E did the same to Cesaro, allowing New Day’s powerhouse to hit the Big Ending for the impressive, bizarre win.
Shinsuke Nakamura def. R-Truth
Tye Dillinger was slated to face Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown LIVE tonight, but The Perfect 10 re-aggravated an old injury, and thus, his good buddy R-Truth faced off against The King of Strong Style.
Truth, who was flanked by his Fabulous Truth partner Carmella, brought the fight to WWE’s Rockstar, but Nakamura turned back The Rapping Superstar with a barrage of strikes that concluded with a ring-rattling Kinshasa for the win.
Becky Lynch promised to rip Ronda Rousey’s arm off at Survivor Series
After retaining the SmackDown Women’s Championship by defeating Charlotte Flair in an amazing Last Woman Standing Match at WWE Evolution, Becky Lynch made it clear that she was ready for any woman on either SmackDown LIVE or Raw – including her opponent at Survivor Series, Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey.
The Irish Lass Kicker claimed she wouldn’t be broken mentally before the bell even rings – which she believes was true of Ronda’s previous opponents -- when facing off against The Baddest Woman on the Planet. Lynch brazenly declared that she wasn’t coming into Survivor Series to cosplay or promote a reality show, but simply to do one thing: Rip Ronda Rousey’s arm off.
Featured Superstars
Rey Mysterio & Jeff Hardy def. Randy Orton & The Miz
In a major main event, the four Superstars representing SmackDown LIVE in the WWE World Cup to determine the best in the world at WWE Crown Jewel squared off in hard-hitting tag team action, as Rey Mysterio joined forces with Jeff Hardy to take on Randy Orton & The Miz.
All four Superstars had a sense of urgency, as Shane McMahon announced earlier in the night that if a SmackDown LIVE Superstar lost to Raw in the finals, they would no longer have a job on SmackDown LIVE. In the early goings, Orton & Miz wore down and cornered The Charismatic Enigma. Hardy battled back with intensity and tagged in the always dynamic Mysterio, who brought an offensive onslaught that had The A-Lister and The Viper reeling. Soon, Jeff and Rey synced up their impressive attacks, hitting unique versions of Whisper in the Wind to clear Orton from the ring before Mysterio drilled Miz with a 619 and Jeff followed up with a Swanton Bomb on The A-Lister for the victory.
The two would have no time to celebrate whatsoever, however, as The Apex Predator dropped each of them with RKOs before catching Miz by surprise with a third, making a major statement ahead of WWE’s World Cup.