WWE visited the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, for the August 15th episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Drew McIntyre addressed his attack on Cody Rhodes last week. Sami Zayn joined the SmackDown roster to chase the United States Championship. The storylines in the tag team division continued. Alexa Bliss battled Piper Niven. Let’s delve into the details of WWE SmackDown August 15 Results.
Sami Zayn joined SmackDown
The show opened with Solo Sikoa alongside his MFTs. He said that they run SmackDown. Sikoa said they have stomped out Sami Zayn, Jacob Fatu, and Jimmy Uso. As he was saying all this stuff, Sami Zayn came out. Zaynn asked Solo if they could talk. Solo agreed and told MFTs to leave the ring. Zayn thanked Solo for waking him up. Sami said he was only focused on the world championship, which prevented him from doing other things.
Sami said that he never won the US Title besides becoming the world champion. Solo said that he would never win that. Sikoa told Zayn to leave, as he’s part of Raw, not SmackDown. Sami broke the news that he has officially joined the blue brand moving forward. Solo attacked Sami, and the MFTs joined in too. Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu made the save. Nick Aldia welcomed Sami to SmackDown and made a six-man tag match official for tonight’s main event.
Grades: B+
Analysis: It is fresh to see Sami Zayn back on the blue brand. He looked good in this segment, and it seems like he’ll be getting a US Title opportunity soon. Fatu and Jimmy have joined him in this battle against the MFTs. It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds in the coming weeks.
Alexa Bliss vs Piper Niven
Niven delivered a shoulder tackle and responded to Alexa’s kick with a Bossman Slam. Bliss landed a senton and Natural Selection for a near fall. Piper hit a cannonball in the corner. Bliss bounced back with a DDT. The Secret Hervice tried to intervene, but Charlotte Flair laid them out. In the ring, Bliss rolled Niven for the win. After the match, Chelsea Green and The Secret Hervice attacked the women’s tag team champions and stood tall.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Grades: C
Analysis: It was a short match. Bliss and Flair are tremendous as a tag team. On the other hand, Green with her Secret Hervice is also a must-watch TV. This story will likely go on for the coming weeks. All these superstars can bring much entertainment to the show.
Fraxiom vs The Miz and Carmelo Hayes
Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis of the Wyatt Sicks watched from the crowd. Frazer and Axiom double-teamed Miz and Hayes and sent them to the outside, followed by stereo suicide dives. Hayes regained momentum with a powerbomb on Axiom. Frazer and Miz both tagged in, and Frazer unleashed a series of chops, a slingblade, and a standing shooting star press for a close count. Frazer hit a springboard Spanish Fly on Hayes for a near fall.
Axiom tagged in and caught Hayes with a Spanish Fly off the top rope. Frazer connected with a Phoenix Splash. Miz rushes in to save the match, using Frazer as a launch pad to deliver a DDT to Axiom. Frazer attempted a superplex on Hayes, but Hayes countered in mid-air with a cutter. Hayes climbed the ropes for the finish, but Miz tagged himself in. The A-Lister hit Frazer with the Skull Crushing Finale for the win.
Winners: The Miz and Carmelo Hayes
Grades: B
Analysis: It was a fun tag team match, and the crowd stuck to it throughout. Miz and Hayes got the win, but there are evident tensions between the two. A week-by-week progression will likely lead to them breaking up. There is some hope for Carmelo’s push in this, which is good. A program with Miz has always been beneficial for the upcoming talents, and we hope it does the same for Carmelo Hayes.
Drew McIntyre explained his attack on Cody Rhodes
Drew McIntyre came into the ring and started off by playing the clip of him hitting a Claymore to Cody last week. Drew smirked and told the fans that their eyes lied to them, and he didn’t attack Cody. Drew asked Joe Tessitore for a medical update on Cody, but there was no update. Drew accused management of hiding the truth, protecting their “golden boy” after what happened. McIntyre clarified that this isn’t about hate.
Drew said he feels sorry for Cody, who always craves the validation and the approval of fans and management. Drew said he was just like Cody five years ago, but he has evolved. He said he wants the title, the money, and the recognition for himself and his family. McIntyre reminded Cody that he even told him that it’ll be Drew who takes the championship from him. The Scottish Warrior said he’s not the bad guy, but if provoked, he will do very violent things.
Grades: B+
Analysis: It was a solid promo from the Scottish Warrior. Cody didn’t appear here, and it was a wise move to keep him away, selling the attack from last week’s SmackDown. We cannot wait for this program; as Drew said, he’s earned it.
DIY vs Street Profits
Ciampa unloaded with right hands and hard chops on Montez Ford. Dawkins got the tag and landed corner strikes on Ciampa. DIY used Candice LeRae to get the upper hand. Ford landed a crossbody off the top onto Ciampa. Ford laid out Gargano with a Famouser. Montez delivered a neckbreaker and a standing moonsault to Ciampa for a two-count. At ringside, Candice sent B-Fab face-first into the steel steps.
The distraction allowed Ciampa to send Dawkins shoulder-first into the ring post. LeRae hit a hurricanrana on Ford, allowing Gargano to deliver a rope-hung DDT for a near fall. B-Fab recovered and nailed Candice with a running knee. Back in the ring, Dawkins crushed Gargano with a spinebuster. Ford followed it up with a frog splash from the top rope for the win.
Winners: The Street Profits
Grades: B-
Analysis: It was a decent tag team match. SmackDown’s tag team division has delivered impressive in-ring action in the past few months. Only the lack of proper storylines is holding them back. WWE should focus more on stories rather than making random matches every week.
Sami Zayn, Jacob Fatu, and Jimmy Uso vs Solo Sikoa, JC Mateo, and Tonga Loa
It was a six-man tag team match in the main event of the night, which SmackDown GM Nick Aldis made official in the opening segment. Jimmy Uso started things off against JC Mateo with a couple of kicks before tagging Sami Zayn in. Mateo slammed Zayn in the corner. Tonga Loa tagged in, distracting the referee long enough for Tala Tonga to level Sami with a big boot at ringside. Solo continued the assault on Sami in the ring.
Zayn bounced back with a tornado DDT from the top rope. Fatu joined the action and exploded with a clothesline, a senton, and a big corner splash, followed by a running hip attack on Loa. On the outside, Jimmy landed a splash over the ropes onto JC. Solo tagged in and hit a top rope splash on Jacob for a close fall. Both Sikoa and Fatu traded superkicks and clotheslines. Fatu tagged in Zayn, who delivered a Blue Thunder Bomb for a close count, broken up by JC.
Uso and Fatu landed superkicks on Mateo and Loa. Tala Tonga jumped on the apron, but Fatu dropped him with a superkick and a suicide dive to the floor. Back inside, Zayn connected with the exploder into the corner. He delivered the Helluva Kick for the victory. Zayn and Fatu hugged after the match as Jimmy was watching happily. The show ended with the face team standing tall.
Winners: Sami Zayn, Jimmy Uso, and Jacob Fatu
Grades: B
Analysis: It was a fine six-man battle in the main event. The show closed with the newly SmackDown superstar Sami Zayn going over. It looks like Zayn will be getting a title opportunity, and Jimmy and Jacob will help him deal with the MFTs. The smallest details make a story better. For instance, Sami and Fatu weren’t on the same page before the match, but the trust came in during and after the battle. It was wise to see them not forgetting the past hatred in a second.
Overall, it was a fine show. There was nothing special. Drew McIntyre delivered a strong speech. Sami Zayn’s arrival makes things fresh for the coming weeks. Carmelo Hayes is back on TV, and it looks like there are finally some plans for him. The show was from John Cena’s hometown, but the 17-time World Champion didn’t appear. It looks like the appearance is being saved for his final match, which is expected from the same town in December. Were you expecting John Cena on the show? What are your thoughts on WWE SmackDown August 15 Results?
