This episode of Smackdown [1054] Live comes to us from Buffalo, New York. Dealing with the fallout of Crown Jewel the previous evening WWE was forced to change things on the fly. Citing travel issues, WWE announced that a large portion of the Smackdown roster will not be at the show. That gave way for an NXT invasion of the blue brand.
We open the show with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman coming to the ring. After beating Cain Velasquez at Crown Jewel, Lesnar and Heyman came out to gloat and settle another score. Following the victory, Rey Mysterio came to the ring and beat the hell out of Lesnar with a steel chair.
The attack by Mysterio prompted Lesnar and Heyman to demand a match against the Luchador. Heyman then explains that Raw and Smackdown wrestlers are not allowed to face each other, for reasons and because of this Brock Lesnar has quit Smackdown.
This was another great promo by Heyman but the result did not elicit a great response from the crowd. No one truly believed that Lesnar would quit Smackdown and a match between him and Mysterio was soon booked for Survivor Series.
Back from the break and we get a Smackdown Women’s Championship match between champ Bayley and Nikki Cross. The match was ok for television but would not be winning any match of the year contests. The end came with Sasha Banks interfering and costing Nikki the match.
Following the match, we get our first NXT appearance with Shayna Baszler coming from the crowd and laying waste to all three women.
Baszler looked like an absolute beast so this segment did achieve the desired effect. The only issue was the fact that Bayley, as the champ, came out for her match first. The champion should always be introduced last! Get it right WWE.
We move backstage where Sami Zayn is being interviewed about the NXT invasion. He is in the middle of talking smack about the NXT roster when Riddle and Keith Lee make an appearance. Being the heel, Zayn makes up an excuse to get away from the two men but they follow him right to the ring where they lay a beat down. This was a mildly funny segment and was a nice break during the show.
Coming back from a commercial break and we have the Miz making his way to the ring for an episode of Miz TV.
New Universal Champion, The Fiend, was supposed to be the guest but is one of the superstars held behind in Saudi Arabia. So this gives us a boring Miz face promo. The man is a better heel and should never have been given a face run.
In the middle of the promo, Tommaso Ciampa interrupts the Miz to set up a match between the two. For not having much time to prepare the two men put on a really good match. Both got some shine during the contest and neither looked weak coming out of it. Ciampa got the win with a Fairytale Ending, continuing the NXT dominance.
Going backstage we see Daniel Bryan walking throughout the arena when he runs into Triple H and HBK. Some entertaining back and forth happens before Bryan challenged HHH to a match. Backing out HHH calls on NXT Champion Adam Cole to take the challenge. Bryan then goads the NXT Champ into putting the title on the line. This sets up the title match for later.
After a commercial break, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are in the ring awaiting Carmella and Dana Brooke. Of course, we cut to the backstage area where Bianca Belair is beating down by Carmella and Brooke, therefore taking them out of the match. This attack leads to Rhea Ripley and Teagan Nox coming out and taking the place of Carmella and Brooke.
The tag match, if that’s what you can call it, was the weakest match of the night. It was a squash match that did nothing for Deville or Rose. Ripley and Nox picked up the win within minutes and stood tall in the ring for longer than the match lasted.
Back from a break, and pre-main event, Stephanie McMahon makes her way to the stage. At Crown Jewel, WWE had the first women’s match in the country of Saudi Arabia. It was groundbreaking and something that WWE should hang their hat on. However, Stephanie coming out and putting the attention on her was awful. The performers should be getting the credit yet management decides to pat themselves on the back.
After Stephanie pats herself on the back it is time for the main event. Daniel Bryan and Adam Cole make their way out and low and behold the champion comes out first! At least they got it right once.
When the bell rung Adam Cole and Daniel Bryan put on a clinic. There is a reason that these two men are some of the best professional wrestlers in the world. Even on a throwaway television match, both men created an engaging contest. It was back and forth and did nothing to make either man look weak. The finish came with Cole grabbing the victory and this makes sense considering NXT had run roughshod over the Smackdown roster the entire evening.
Following the victory HHH, and the rest of the NXT roster, enter the ring, and HHH cuts a usual boring promo declaring war on the other brands. Smackdown [1054] goes off the air with NXT celebrating in the ring.