New matches were made for Crown Jewel and new champions were crowned as Brooklyn, NY played host to an eventful episode of WWE Crush. After winning a grueling number one contender’s match with DIY on just the second episode of SmackDown, Motor City Machine Guns shocked The Bloodline to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline challenged the weary WWE newcomers, but they would regret it. Jimmy Uso, Roman Reigns and Jey Uso would interfere, but Jey delivered the fatal blows that cost The Bloodline their titles.
Randy Orton would call out Triple H to secure his match against Kevin Owens at Crown Jewel, and L.A. Knight’s temper would ruin Carmelo Hayes and Andrade’s Match 7 but put him in a triple threat for the US Title in Saudi Arabia next week. Naomi would continue her winning streak by defeating Candice LeRae and Gunther and Cody Rhodes got into a fight as the Crown Jewel’s departure became personal.
Motor City Machine Guns
SmackDown crowns new tag team champions
What a night for Motor City Machine Guns! If the WWE audience wasn’t familiar with their game last week, they certainly are now after a series of events that saw them start the night in a match to become number one challenger to the Tag Team Championship, but end the night with gold. Despite all the years together on the indie circuits DIY vs Motor City Machine Guns took place for the first time on SmackDown. Worthy of the immense talent in the ring, the fight was a war that saw MCMG fight for victory.
Motor City Machine Guns’ victory song had barely started playing before it was interrupted by Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline. Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa vs Motor City Machine Guns is an interesting match for people who like WWE’s newest toys against the tag team champions, as well as indie nerds who want to relive the teams’ classic NJPW matches. Solo demanded champions compete for the title instantlyand the sensible option would certainly be the decline of competitors.
Bravely (and against Nick Aldis’ wishes), MCMG insisted on performing and winning the title. They would be rewarded for their bravery by winning the tag team championship.becoming one of the biggest beneficiaries of The Bloodline civil war that is going on right now. Jimmy Uso would appear from the crowd to take down Solo Sikoa, Roman Reigns’ music would play and OTC would go up the ramp to punch Jacob Fatu Superman, but the biggest pop would be reserved for the revenge of former Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso who hit Tonga and Tama with a steel chair, MCMG got Skull And Bones, and SmackDown has new tag team champions.
The Uses
Blood Brothers reunite on Road To Survivor series
It’s been over a year since Jimmy and Jey came together as The Usos. There’s something beautifully symbolic about WWE’s greatest tag team of the modern era getting back on the same page when new tag team champions are crowned. It is unlikely to lead to a full meeting, but the hug shared by the Uso brothers feels like a big moment to the WWE main event scene, and especially the upcoming Survivor Series.
But what about the Roman reigns? The former Table Boss was recently wisely described as a “boss without a tribe” by Jimmy Uso. As the Usos hugged in the ring, Roman watched his cousins with a conflicted expression on his face.. Jey and Roman remain unable to find common ground. There will be retribution for tonight’s actions by The Bloodline. WarGames at Survivor Series casts a bigger shadow with each passing week.
Carmelo Hayes and Andrade
Both men win without actually winning
It’s a rivalry that showed that opportunities can be taken advantage of in today’s WWE. Andrade and Carmelo Hayes had their first match on SmackDown on July 19th and created so much magic together that it generated a 7-match series that has been one of the highlights of WWE’s summer. The crowds went from lukewarm at first to “this is amazing!” chants at the end of matches, and now both men will have a shot at the US Championship at Crown Jewel after LA Knight decided to take matters into his own hands.
For Andrade, this is the hottest he’s been since his first stint in NXT. AEW didn’t work out for him, but this rivalry gave him a second chance at notoriety on the WWE main roster and adds value to whatever he does next. For Melo, this is his first significant victory in the main squad. This is confirmation that Carmelo Hayes is a superstar, NXT rookies matter again, and this man is gunning for main roster gold, not in the future, but now. LA Knight has been a formidable US champion thus far, but facing an enthusiastic Melo with momentum on his side and a revitalized Andrade at the same time represents his biggest challenge yet, where both challengers can realistically emerge as champions.
Naomi
A hellish October to feel the shine
Often one of the most overlooked competitors in the women’s division, it has been impossible to ignore Naomi in this type of form. The latest win over Candice LeRae on this week’s SmackDown may not have been big news, but it’s another W to add to an ever-growing pile. Undefeated in a single competition all month and taking serious scalps along the way, Naomi should be the number one contender for Nia Jax’s WWE Women’s Championship.
Randy Orton
The Viper gets what it wants in the crown jewel
Opening the show, a disgruntled Randy Orton picked things up right where he left them on last week’s SmackDown. Having been denied a match with Kevin Owens at Crown Jewel, with Nick Aldis claiming it was a call “from above”, an excited Orton called Triple H to the ring. WWE’s Chief Creative Officer complied, and after turning down his request because of concerns about Kevin Owens being a danger, Randy Orton decided to contact Triple H personally.
Listing a bunch of atrocities committed by Triple H when he was in his wrestling days, Orton would eventually get his match with Kevin Owens at Crown Jewel. With Cody Rhodes once again sidetracked by the nonsense of the Crown Jewel Championship, the emotion involved in this match will certainly last beyond the event in Saudi Arabia. Kevin Owens is out for blood and Randy Orton is willing to oblige. Their match at Crown Jewel could steal the show.
Los Angeles Knight
A rare creative failure for the Megastar
WWE and LA Knight haven’t made many missteps over the past year. This is a man who headlined last year’s Crown Jewel, trying to take down The Bloodline, end Roman Reigns’ title run, and establish himself as one of the most popular stars on the roster. It’s in line with LA Knight’s ego to not take disrespect lying downbut his decision to relinquish his officiating duties to hand BFTs to Carmelo Hayes and Andrade in their highly anticipated Game 7 is questionable.
A poorly done finish is always unsatisfactory, but ruining a series of seven matches in three and a half months really sucked. Nick Aldis arrived on the scene almost immediately to state the public’s dissatisfaction and Knight will now face Andrade and Carmelo Hayes in a triple-threat match at Crown Jewel. It will only be your fault if you end up without a championship after this defeat. A rare misfire for one of WWE’s most likable characters.
do it yourself
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride
Ciampa and Gargano’s talent is unquestionable, but it’s hard to see exactly where they’re going from a creative standpoint. After they each had a highly successful singles run in NXT, they floundered on the main roster for years (injuries also played a role), so having them back together was a sensible idea. However, it appears they weren’t able to connect with the roster’s core audience as well as they did in NXT, and their “everyday underdog” act struggled to overcome.
Winning the Tag Team Championships was the natural step to take this duo to the next level, but they lost it after a few weeks and have now lost their chance against a debuting team. Every time Ciampa and Gargano enter the ring they create magic, but with their experience they have to be the engine of this tag team division, paving the way for other teams. To do this, however, they need more Ws and, more importantly, a significant championship reign to establish themselves.
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Brooklyn letting out a “yes!” after each number as LA Knight counted Melo and Andrade was great.
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Naomi won all three of her fights in October, defeating Tiffany Stratton, women’s champion Nia Jax and now Candice LeRae.
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Using Lin Manuel-Miranda to try and top the Crown Jewel Championship. Nice try, Cory Graves.
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Huge pop for “what do you want to talk about?” by Gunther. for Cody.
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Guerrillas of Destiny vs Motor City Machine Guns. 2016 World Tag League Tournament. NJPW. You’re welcome.
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Oh! Solo said “making an impact” on Motor City machine guns!
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A Fatal 4-Way match was held for the Women’s Tag Team Championship between champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill and challengers Damage CTRL, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, and Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson.
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Next week’s SmackDOwn includes Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton vs. Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser and a Fatal 4-Way match between Bianca Belair, Lash Legend, Piper Niven and Iyo Sky.
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Bloodline’s Tag Team Championship run ends in 84 days.
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Roman Reigns and Jey Uso’s I Quit Match at Hell In A Cell took place exactly four years ago.