WWE Smackdown Live Report 7/9/2018

Monday night July 9th my son, cousin, and I attended the WWE Smackdown Live house show in Augusta, Maine.  The reason for the lateness of this report was that the following morning we headed out of town for the rest of the week camping and I'm just now getting some internet to write this.

The Augusta Civic Center was not sold out but there was a few thousand people in attendance.  My wrestling friends Roy, Cheryl, Phil, and Alex also went to the show, I'm sure there were a bunch of other people that I know from wrestling that were also there.

Let's get to the matches:

Triple Threat Match
United States Champion: Jeff Hardy defeated Samoa Joe & The Miz

The Miz did his beast Rick Rude impersonation calling us Augusta sweathogs and asking us to keep the noise down while he took off his robe.  Solid opening match that saw Hardy get the pin after a twist of fate and a standing splash on Miz.

Andrade "Cien" Almas with Zelina Vega pinned Sin Cara

Photo credit Philster

This match was great!  They gave us a good lucha style match with fast paced action and Sin Cara displaying some impressive aerial offense with a few dives to the floor.  This was probably the best match of the night!  I haven't thought much of Sin Cara but if he was given to chance to have longer matches like this many people would think differently of him.  Almas got the pin with his DDT finisher.

Photo credit Philster

Nikki Cross & Becky Lynch defeated The IIconics: Billy Kaye & Peyton Royce

Photo credit Philster

Cross was a surprise as she hasn't officially been called up yet to the main roster from NXT.  The IIconics came out and insulted us all before making their way to the ring.  Decent match where Nikki took the majority of the heat before making the hot tag to Becky.  Finish came when Becky submitted Peyton with the disarmer

Rusev with Aiden English submitted Tye Dillinger

Dillinger was a surprise and had he not been facing Rusev I think he would have been tremendously over.  He was getting some good "10" chants until Rusev came out.  Short solid match with Rusev winning with the Accolade.

Photo credit Philster

Six Man Tag
New Day: Big E, Xavier Woods, & Kofi Kingston defeated Sanity: Eric Young, Killian Dain, & Alexander Wolfe

I was excited to see this as a six man.  It was a good match, with expected New Day antics and comedy spots.  Canaan wanted to see a Trouble in Paradise badly, and he got one post match.

Tag Team Champions: Bludgeon Brothers: Haper & Rowan defeated The Club: Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows

This was the first match after intermission and it was bad.  Rowan worked most of the match for his team and he's just not that good.  Anderson took the fall for his team.

Women's Champion: Carmella pinned Naomi

Just terrible

Photo credit Philster

No Disqualification
WWE Champion: AJ Styles pinned Shinsuke Nakamura

This was a great match and I'm so happy that I got to see these two wrestle each other live.  It was no five star classic but they worked hard and it was extremely entertaining.  This was also the match I finally found the right setting to get okay pictures on my phone.

They used the standard house show weapons, table, chairs, and kendo stick.  Styles got the pin after a phenomenal forearm.

All in all this was a decent show with the top two matches being Almas vs. Sin Cara and AJ vs. Nakamura and the worst matches being the Tag Team and Women's title matches.  One thing that bothers me the most about house show title defenses is that I know I'm not going to see one so the finish of the match becomes a non-factor.

In the case of the AJ vs. Nakamura match it was exceptionally annoying, being a No Disqualification match the only possible outcome is AJ defeating Nakamura by pinfall or submission.

One of the coolest things for me was there were several wrestlers I had never seen wrestle in person before.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast Podcast of 1,000 Holds on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Later Readers!

The Smackdown Juniors Division

On Episode 2 of Podcast of 1,000 Holds we were talking about midget wrestling and failed to mention the short lived WWE Juniors Division.  This was pointed out by my buddy Roy, the same Roy that reminded me of the Natural Disasters tag team championship reign.

Looking into this there is good reason why it slipped my memory, because there is so little to recall. The division was announced on the October 21, 2005 episode of SmackDown by Network Executive Palmer Canon and SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.

The guidelines of the Juniors Division were any world-class athlete 5 foot tall or under.  Long  said "Midgets, dwarves, the little people, they're all welcome.  We don't discriminate against anybody on my show as long as they can bring it."

Theodore Long & Palmer Canon

Canon added "The network believes there's big ratings and big excitement in the new Juniors Division.  I think fans will be shocked at what these tiny, but talented, competitors can add to the already incredibly gifted roster here on Friday Night SmackDown."

My research shows that this division didn't last long at all, from end of October 2005 to end of February 2006.  I could only find seven matches in total that started on SmackDown before they migrated to Velocity, the SmackDown talent secondary show.  The Juniors did not appear on house shows or Pay Per View events.

October 18, 2005 Reno, Nevada aired 10/21/2005

In a backstage segment Palmer Canon introduces the new Juniors Division to Teddy Long, they are Super Porky, Mascarita Sagrada, Pitbull Patterson, and Pierrothito.

Super Porky eating ham

Super Porky was eating a large ham through out the segment.

October 25, 2005 San Francisco, California aired 10/28/2005

Short Sleeve Sampson pinned Pitbull Patterson
Patterson came to the ring with a bucket, threatened to throw it on Sampson, it had confetti in it.  Then Sampson pulled out a bucket, his had water in it.

Short Sleeve Sampson

Sampson jumped off Nick Patrick's back splashing Pitbull for the win.  After the match Simon Dean attempted to attack Sampson, but both Junior double teamed him.

Palmer Canon joined the commentary team for the match.

November 8, 2005 Indianapolis, Indiana aired 11/11/2005

Pierrothito pinned Todd Stone with an elbow drop off the top rope

Palmer Canon joined the commentary team for the match.

Side note, this show also featured Eddie Guerrero's last match before his death.

January 30, 2006 Orlando, Florida aired 2/3/2006

Tsuki pinned Octagoncito

Octagoncito

After nearly three months with no matches the Junior Division returned

February 7, 2006 Columbus, Georgia aired 2/10/2006

Octagoncito & Pequeno Violencia vs. Mascarita Sagrada & Tsuki went to a no contest when Finlay ran in and assaulted all four, hitting Tsuki with Celtic Cross.  He cut a promo stating he came to fight no matter how big or small

Pequeno Violencia is 5'2" tall which is two inches over the previously established height limit of the Juniors Division.

February 14, 2006 Norfolk, Virginia

Velocity
Mascarita Sagrada defeated Octagoncito

Mascarita Sagrada

February 21, 2006 Richmond, Virginia

Velocity
Mascarita Sagrada defeated Tsuki

Tsuki

I'm pretty sure this venture failed because it was presented as the stereotypical midget comedy spot match, complete with Tazz and Cole making short jokes and puns, instead of an actual wrestling contest.  That and when you only have two backstage and 7 matches in a near six month period it's not going to go over.

Even though the Juniors Division was phased out in February 2006 in May of that same years Hornswoggle debuted for the WWE as Little Bastard the leprechaun of Fit Finlay and work for the WWE for the next 10 years before being released in May 2016.

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Later Readers!

Mauro Ranallo

In January I was very excited to lean that Mauro Ranallo and his legendary voice would become the lead announcer on Smackdown when it debuted on the USA Network.

I first heard Mauro when he and Bas Rutten called Pride Fighting Championship, my favorite MMA League.  Mauro has a very unique and exciting voice and I truly enjoy listening to him call the action.  He also provided commentary on EliteXC, ShoXC, Invicta Fighting Championship, Glory Kickboxing and Showtime Championship Boxing.  If it's a combat sport he has guided with his insightful play by play.

Many may think that WWE is his first time he has called wrestling, they would be wrong.  Most recently he and Josh Barnett called New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS.  His first foray into wrestling was at the young age of 16 in 1989 for All Star Wrestling in his native Canada and then later Stampede Wrestling from 1999 - 2000.

I have never been a fan of Michael Cole, I realize he has spent 19 years in the WWE and has put in his dues to get to where he is.  I also realize he had big shoes to step into taking over for Jim Ross but that's not why I'm not a fan, I simply do not like how he calls matches.  I didn't like his time on Smackdown with JBL but that was only because JBL would rip on Cole all show long.

Currently I love how Kevin Owens jumps all over Michael Cole before, during, and after his matches.  I don't know if it's a work or a shoot, but I like it.

My feeling is, and my hope is, is that talent will shine through and Ranallo will eventually become the lead announcer for all WWE programming.

You can find out more about Mauro at his website http://www.mauroranallo.com and check out his blog with Bas Rutten called Rutten and Ranallo, available at soundclound and Itunes.  It's only up to 7 episodes, but it has fast become one of my favorite podcasts.  Bas Rutten is another guy I love listening too, he tells great stories and has loads of charisma.  These two together are simply fantastic.

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Later readers!