Results, Recap, Review of WWE Super Show-Down
This evening(morning if you’re in the states) WWE had a rare network special taking place in Australia. For weeks I speculated if this was going feel like an actual pay-per-view or a glorified house show. The reason many people have used the term glorified house show is due to the Saudi Arabia show, and the fact that it really did not advance any storylines. I and many others who follow the WWE product wondered if things would be different in the land down under. Before I begin with how things went down here are the results of WWE Super Show-Down:
-The New Day defeated The Bar to retain the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships
-Charlotte Flair defeated Becky Lynch by DQ(Lynch keeps Smackdown Women’s Championship)
-Bobby Lashley and John Cena defeated Elias and Kevin Owens
-The IIconics defeated Naomi and Asuka
-AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe to retain the WWE Championship
-Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins defeated The Riott Squad
-Buddy Murphy defeated Cedric Alexander to become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion
-The Shield defeated Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre
-Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz
-Triple H defeated The Undertaker
The first match of the night was for the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships and it was between The New Day and The Bar. These two teams have a long history together and it’s a history that favors The Bar. After all, it was The Bar who end their longest reign as WWE Tag Team Champions. The Bar went on to have an incredible 2017 after they ended New Day’s historic reign. This was a good opening match to have because both teams know how to work and put on a great match from all aspects. The New Day finally got a victory over The Bar on a big stage which now leaves me to wonder who is next in line to challenge them for the belts on Smackdown? Things continued with the blue brand as Becky Lynch defended the Women’s Championship against current rival and former best friend Charlotte. These two are going to be locked into this feud for awhile, but I am okay with that due to both of them being incredible inside the ring. I was kind of shocked that the match ended in DQ because two great performers don’t need a finish like that. Usually if we follow Charlotte’s pattern she usually gets the title back fairly quickly, but as I said they will probably feud until the end of the year.
This past Monday Elias and Kevin Owens received more heat than I’ve seen anyone get a very long time and I was curious to see how that would translate outside of the country. Well true to form, Owens and Elias threw out multiple insults towards the fans and their country. Before they could insult anyone else the team of Bobby Lashley and a returning John Cena made their way to the ring, marking the first time they have been in a ring together in over a decade. John Cena came out with a new look and as always some new merchandise. The psychology of this match was excellent, because Lashley started the match which made people anticipate Cena getting in the ring. I wondered how he would look and move around the ring, and to no ones surprise he looked great. The only thing I did not care for is that Cena made real quick work of Elias and didn’t even get to mix it up against Owens. Another tag team match took place featuring The IIconics taking on the duo of Asuka and Naomi. I am not surprised Billie Kay and Peyton Royce got a great ovation, because they have been a success story from their time in NXT to now being on the main roster. I am really happy that The IIconics got the win in their home country because they have needed a boost in confidence due not being used correctly on the main roster lately. I am hoping this will propel them into something bigger and better.
Two superstars who have been used correctly throughout this summer and into the fall are Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. This feud has been very personal, very hostile and very entertaining. They have beat each other up in Ring of Honor, TNA Wrestling and have continued their storied history in WWE. They both have gotten older, but they are still showing why they are at the type of their game. This match was phenomenal in terms of psychology, storytelling and physicality. Much like the Tag Team division on Smackdown, one has to wonder where does AJ Styles go from here? He made Samoa Joe tap out in front of a large audience so continuing the feud makes absolutely no sense. If the feud is over you also have to ask, where does Samoa Joe go from here? It’s hard to move forward after being in the feud and not winning the WWE Championship. Speaking of moving forward, I am honestly surprised that Liv Morgan was able to compete after being knocked out by Brie Bella two weeks ago. There was a lot of backlash against Brie from the fans but this match will hopefully make people move on and move forward from what happened. I absolutely loved the fact they had Brie work Liv a little bit to prove a point that Brie is not as bad as everyone is making her out to be. One thing I love is how good Ronda Rousey continues to be inside the ring. Everytime she has a match you see something new and innovative from her. Depending on how long she stays in WWE, she could easily become one of the greatest performers in the history of the company. I look forward to see what takes place for all these women going into WWE Evolution.
The IIconics aren’t the only ones who received a hero’s welcome because Buddy Murphy returned home to challenge Cederic Alexander for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Ever since Murphy came to 205 Live he has been the best performer on their roster. He has delivered in every match he’s been in no matter who the opponent has been. He and Cedric proved once again why 205 Live has the best matches on the entire WWE roster on a consistent basis. I am happy for Buddy Murphy because he truly earned it by all the hard work he has put in since his days in NXT. Even though I am a big fan of Alexander’s it was time for someone else to be the face of 205 Live. Alexander ran through everyone in the division and there wasn’t much left for him to accomplish at this point in time. I am sure they will have a rematch and it will be fantastic like all of their matches have been. For the first time since Survivor Series 2017, The Shield joined forces on pay-per-view once again by taking on Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. This 6-Man Tag Match escalated very quickly and was very physical throughout the entire match. I absolutely love that they continue to tease a heel turn by Dean Ambrose because in my opinion it’s going to happen when people least expect it. There was a lot of chaos and carnage in this match and that’s what makes this rivalry so great. It’s pure pandemonium between six incredible performers. I have a feeling though that this is another feud that will probably run until the end of the year.
When it comes feuds the one feud that should have been great this summer into the fall is Daniel Bryan and The Miz. They had an incredible match at Summerslam, but ever since then it’s lost the spark that it once had. This match had a story to it this time around. The winner of this match receives a shot at the WWE Championship at Crown Jewel which made this match one of the most important matches on the show. The Miz tried to gain an early advantage by using Daniel Bryan’s move on him, but his cockiness got the better of him. Even though Bryan won, this was a very disappointing match due to the fact it lasted less than five minutes. They could have done so much more with this match but instead they give almost an hour to the Main Event. The Main Event of the evening was between Triple H and The Undertaker with Shawn Michaels and Kane being in their respective corners. If I know some people I am guessing they would have liked to seen more of two guys still in their prime and less of four guys who have been long past their prime. From a nostalgic point of view all four of them still have drawing power and still know how to tell the story. I am not sure if anyone caught this or not, but when Triple H was walking down to the ring I noticed the NXT logo on his jacket. I think that’s amazing, because many people associate NXT with him now. It’s a part of who he is and where his place in the business now. Out of nowhere the match was turned into a NODQ match and that made the match even more intriguing. There were a lot of played out spots and lots of interference from Shawn Michaels and Kane that helped the match move a long the way it should. I know a lot of people hate the slow style but I enjoyed the methodical style of two people trying to destroy each other.
At the end of the night, it ended up being Triple H coming out on top thanks to his friend Shawn Michaels. All four men seemed to celebrate as a sign of respect, but the show ended with The Undertaker and Kane beating Hunter and Shawn up. There has been many rumors of a Shawn Michaels in-ring return so I am curious if this beat down will lead to a match or two involving the other three men. Some might say Super Show-Down was still a glorified house show, but you would never know it by the quality of the matches. Aside from Miz and Bryan, the matches were stellar from start to finish. Super Show-Down was filled high quality matches, some surprising outcomes and a lot of drama at certain points in the show. I have to give Super Show-Down a 7.5 out of 10. It was a good showing and the right people were involved on the card. The only thing I would say is for the future don’t leave out notable stars like Nakamura, Balor, Orton, and maybe include the NXT stars who are from that part of the world. Next up is WWE Evolution and five days later there is Crown Jewel. This will all lead up to another big show down called Survivor Series, where only the strong survive. I survived Super Show-Down and I hope you did too.
