WWE SmackDown live results: The draft begins
The WWE Draft begins tonight on Friday Night SmackDown.
Stephanie McMahon hosts the 2020 draft featuring more than 60 eligible wrestlers. In storyline, FOX and USA Network executives will pick from the first pool of 20 superstars tonight. The draft will then conclude on Monday’s Raw.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defends against Sasha Banks tonight. Bayley turned against Banks last month after losing to Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax. Bayley viciously beat down her former best friend. Banks returned wearing a neck brace and attacked Bayley at Clash of Champions.
Raw’s Kevin Owens goes one-on-one with SmackDown’s The Fiend. Owens interviewed Alexa Bliss on the KO Show last week. Bliss has fallen into a trance since interacting with The Fiend several weeks ago. Owens wanted to understand Bliss’s darkness so he can understand Aleister Black, who he’s feuding with on Raw. The Fiend attacked Owens and applied the Mandible Claw.
Big E takes on Sheamus in a falls count anywhere match. Sheamus attacked Big E in the parking lot several weeks ago. The attack caused Big E to drop out of the fatal four-way number one contender’s\ match later. Jey Uso ended up taking his place in the match.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Michael Cole and Corey Graves opened up SmackDown and talked about some of the draft participants tonight. Cole stressed that if a champion gets drafted, the title goes with them to the new brand.
Draft Round 1
Stephanie McMahon came out onto the ramp to a podium and announced the draft picks.
Raw: WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Raw Women’s Champion Asuka, The Hurt Business.
SmackDown: Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins.
They made few changes with the first draft picks. McIntrye and Reigns are remaining on their brands. The only change was Rollins getting drafted to SmackDown. Asuka and all four members of The Hurt Business stay on Raw.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Seth Rollins. She noted he’s no longer the Monday Night Messiah because he’s going to SmackDown. Rollins pointed out he’s been a Raw superstar and is excited to go to SmackDown. He’s sorry he doesn’t get to see the Mysterio family explode, but at least he doesn’t have to see their faces anymore. Rollins’s comment seemed to foreshadow the Mysterio’s getting drafted to SmackDown.
Street Fight: Big E defeated Sheamus
Big E and Sheamus had a good street fight.
Sheamus had the early advantage until they brawled around ringside. Big E went under the ring and pulled out giant Booty O’s. Sheamus took back over and scored a near fall.
They brawled in front of the announce table. Sheamus tied up Big E in the ropes and beat him with the kendo stick. He scored another near fall. Sheamus searched under the ring and pulled out a bunch of stuff, including tape.
Sheamus crawled further under the ring. Big E then taped Sheamus’ legs together and beat him with the kendo stick.
Back from the break, Big E was firmly in control as he beat Sheamus with the kendo stick. They fought backstage into the catering area. Sheamus broke a bunch of eggs over Big E’s head.
Sheamus picked up a computer screen to smash over Big E. Big E recovered and hit Sheamus with a broom. He picked up a trash can and hit Sheamus several times. Big E eventually knocked Sheamus through a door to the parking lot.
Big E continued to beat Sheamus around the parking lot. Sheamus hit Big E with a tire iron to regain control. Sheamus then hit White Noise on the windshield of a car but only scored a near fall. He then slammed the car door on Big E. He placed Big E in the trunk of the car and teased hitting the trunk door on his arm. Big E got his leg up to block the door and fought out.
Sheamus attempted the Brogue Kick, but Big E moved, and Sheamus kicked the trunk door off. Big E made a fiery comeback and slammed Sheamus on the trunk of another car. The finish came when Big E gave Sheamus the Big Ending off the vehicle through two tables for the win.
Back from the break, Kayla Braxton interviewed Big E. She noted he went through a physical match. A security guard interrupted, but it was the returning Kofi Kingston. Kingston then brought in a second security guard, which was the returning Xavier Woods. New Day celebrated being back together but noted the tag team titles are missing,
Jey Uso Promo
Uso came out to the ring and demanded that Roman Reigns come out. He wanted to know the stipulation for their match at Hell in a Cell. Uso wasn’t surprised that Reigns didn’t come out.
Paul Heyman interrupted on the big screen. He noted that Reigns would give his answers on his time, not when Uso demands it. Heyman praised Reigns and showed a brief video package.
After the video package, Reigns was sitting at a table with Heyman standing next to him. Reigns noted Uso just had to call him the tribal chief, but he didn’t. Reigns announced the stipulation. He said for the first time, the Hell in a Cell match will also be an I Quit match. Reigns told Uso that he loves him, but there’ll be consequences after he says I quit.
Draft Round 2
Stephanie McMahon came back out, and Michael Cole noted Forbes named her the Most Influential Female CEO.
McMahon announced a second title match for tonight. The New Day reunites and takes on Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura for the titles.
Raw: A.J. Styles, Naomi, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax.
SmackDown: Sasha Banks, Bianca Belair
They made a few changes with these picks. Styles and Naomi are going to Raw, and Belair goes to SmackDown.
Styles gave an interview from his home. Styles noted he should have been the first draft pick. He’s happy that he doesn’t have to be around Jeff Hardy or Sami Zayn anymore.
Matt Riddle & Jeff Hardy defeated The Miz & John Morrison
This was a fine match with a significant post-match angle featuring the return of Lars Sullivan.
Michael Cole noted Matt Riddle and Jeff Hardy agreed to be partners after a Twitter exchange.
The faces had the early advantage and ran wild on the heels. Hardy leaped off of Riddle’s back and hit Morrison in the corner. Riddle then jumped off of Hardy’s back and hit a dive onto the heels at ringside. As they went to break, Cole referred to the faces as Matt and Jeff.
Back from the break, the heels were firmly in control after taking over during the break. Morrison hit a standing shooting star press for a near fall. Riddle got the hot tag and ran wild on the heels. He hit a broton and German suplex on Miz for near fall.
Hardy hit the Twist of Fate on Morrison. Miz jumped up and threw Hardy out of the ring.
Riddle caught Miz with a knee and hit the Bro Derek for the win.
After the match, Hardy and Riddle celebrated their win.
Suddenly, Lars Sullivan’s music hit and he made his return. He marched down to the ring and beat down both Hardy and Riddle. Hardy and Riddle got in no offense as Sullivan continued to beat them down. Morrison tried to pull out Miz, but Sullivan grabbed him. Sullivan viciously beat down Miz as well.
Draft Round 3
Stephanie McMahon announced that Lars Sullivan joins the Raw draft pool on Monday.
Raw: Ricochet, Mandy Rose, The Miz & John Morrison.
SmackDown: Jey Uso, Rey & Dominik Mysterio.
The only significant change was Rey & Dominik Mysterio going to SmackDown to continue the feud with Seth Rollins. The Miz & Morrison getting drafted was pretty clear after the beat down.
In the back, Dominik and Rey Mysterio were excited that they got drafted to SmackDown. Rey pointed out that Seth Rollins thought he got away from them.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Sasha Banks
This wasn’t much of a match and seemed more like a set up for a rematch. Despite the finish, the match was good for the brief time they had.
Cole noted Eddie Guerrero is one of Banks’ heroes, and today would have been his 53rd birthday. Cole pointed out that Bayley brought the chair she used to injure Banks to the ring.
They did the special ring introductions. Banks jumped Bayley at the bell. Bayley tried to escape, but Banks brought her back. Banks attempted the Bank Statement, but Bayley rolled her up for a near fall. They traded pin attempts until Bayley rocked Banks with a stiff clothesline to her injured neck.
Banks ended up on Bayley’s shoulders but rolled into an arm drag. Banks applied the Bank Statment, but Bayley got the ropes.
Bayley grabbed the steel chair and hit Banks for the disqualification.
After the match, Banks snapped and continued to beat down Bayley with the chair. Banks put Bayley’s head into the chair and teased stomping on it as Bayley did to injure Banks. Bayley escaped and ran from the ring.
In the back, Kevin Owens was getting ready for his match with The Fiend when Alexa Bliss approached. She told Ownes to let him in.
The New Day defeated Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura to win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles
This was a good match, but Kingston and Woods’s return felt rushed, as did the build for this match. They recapped Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura defeating New Day at Extreme Rules to win the titles. They had a good match that played into the final round of draft picks.
Woods started the match against Cesaro. Cole and Graves noted Woods has been out of action for roughly a year with an injury. Woods fought back and rocked Cesaro with a forearm shot.
Back from the break, the heels were firmly in control and isolated Kingston. Woods got the hot tag and ran wild. He hit a DDT from the ropes on Nakamura for a near fall. Kingston got the tag and gave Cesaro a hip toss from the apron to the floor. Kingson then hit a DDT off the ropes to the floor.
Kingston attempted a dive, but Cesaro caught him with an uppercut. Cesaro gave Kingston the giant swing, and Nakamura set up for the Kinshasa but Woods grabbed Nakamura’s legs. Kingston then hit trouble in paradise on Cesaro.
Nakamura attempted the reverse exploder suplex, but Kingston landed on his feet, and Woods got the blind tag. The finish came when Kingston hit the SOS on Nakamura, and Woods hit the elbow off the top for the win.
Draft Round 4
Raw: SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods), Dana Brooke, Angel Garza
SmackDown: Big E, Otis
The big story was The New Day splitting Up. Big E’s staying on SmackDown while Woods and Kingston are going to Raw. All three were visibly upset that the team is splitting up. Woods and Kingston are taking the tag team titles with them to Raw. That might mean the Street Profits will get drafted to SmackDown on Monday.
In the back, Otis and Tucker went over legal terms for his court case against The Miz & John Morrison. Otis pointed out that he got drafted to SmackDown, but Tucker wasn’t part of the draft. Tucker doesn’t want to worry about that right now. Tucker hopes Miz drops the lawsuit because he’s going to Raw. Otis got another letter from Miz’s lawyers that they’re delaying the court case.
They recapped the Bayley and Sasha Banks match from earlier.
In the back, Banks called Bayley a coward. She challenged Bayley to a Hell in a Cell match at the next pay-per-view. Banks promised to take away the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Bayley because it’s the only thing that matters to her.
The Fiend defeated Kevin Owens
This wasn’t very good. It was a typical Fiend match that saw him sell very little.
Owens jumped The Fiend to gain an early advantage. The Fiend fought back and hit a crossbody to take over. Owens attempted a superkick, but The Fiend caught the leg and slammed Owens face-first.
The Fiend caught Owens with a head butt, but Owens bounced off the ropes and hit a clothesline. The Fiend jumped right up, and Owens took a step back. The Fiend took Owens to the floor and hit Sister Abigail on the announce table.
Back from the break, The Fiend continued to dominate Owens. The Fiend set up for Sister Abigail, but Owens broke free. Owens hit two superkicks, but The Fiend wouldn’t go down. A third superkick sent The Fiend into the corner. Owens then hit two cannonballs in the corner.
Owens hit a frog splash off the apron, but The Fiend got back to his feet. Owens attempted to give The Fiend the pop-up powerbomb on the announce table, but they messed it up the first time. Owens got the powerbomb on the second try and put The Fiend threw the table.
The Fiend jumped back to his feet and locked on the Mandible Claw. Owens hit the stunner, but The Fiend held onto the Claw and won the match.
After the match, the lights went out. The lights came back on, and The Fiend and Alexa Bliss were standing face-to-face.
Next Week: The season premiere of SmackDown features Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending against Braun Strowman. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) takes on Sheamus, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura in New Day’s farewell match.