The (Executive Director) Brother Love Show - WWE SmackDown (10/18/19)

Earlier in the week, the news broke that Eric Bischoff was "relieved of his duties" as executive director for SmackDown, and the position would then be filled by Bruce Prichard. Seems like the last few months have been all for nothing, then, huh? And in a week that saw reports of WWE looking to buy Pro Wrestling NOAH and STARDOM (which WAS acquired by Bushiroad, the parent company of New Japan) to further the development of "NXT Japan," Eazy-E being canned from his position feels like chump change, doesn't it?

WWE SmackDown
Bankers Life Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN
Live on FOX - October 18, 2019

Roman Reigns vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) (w/ Sami Zayn), Intercontinental Championship  - A matchup we seldom see, it's a rather pleasant treat. And hopefully, it'll wash the stink off of Monday. And for a solid 15-minute match, it did a good job of wiping off a bit of it. The crowd was pretty hot for this match, especially for Roman, there were plenty of moments with Sami being a smarmy heel, Roman doing "big dog" things, all leading to a big finish... and then Corbin comes out. There's that stink again. Great to see Bryan come out to make the save and... wait... are they planting the seed for a match between Bryan and Nakamura? If there's any justice, PLEASE let that happen.

Last Tuesday saw the preview of WWE Backstage, the new FS1 studio show, and it had Triple H on to announce a trade for the Draft: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are being traded to SmackDown. And yes, that does feel slapdash. So does announcing the rest of the "free agent" picks on a puff piece YouTube show that nobody watches because it's on at 10 in the morning.

S-T-A-C-K-E-D. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/kreH2Nk83g

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) October 19, 2019

Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

Chad Gable vs. Curtis Axel - Not sure how wise it is to keep going with this "shorty" gimmick in the same week that the internet is losing its mind over Marko Stunt, but hey, I'm not the WWE brain trust. Anyway, quick match, showcase for Gable, here's hoping they DO something with him. And hopefully, that something is being better than a white meat babyface.

Perhaps I spoke too soon. Remember that trademark rumor about "Shorty G"? Well, it's now official. Again, I hope he's got Cody's number saved.

Skype promo with Hulk Hogan... yeah, don't care.

Heavy Machinery & Big E and Xavier Woods vs. The Revival & Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode - Unfortunately, this match is a giant advert for the multi-team match taking place in Parts Unknown, so I have no craps to give about it. Sorry. House show match, babyfaces win, hooray.

Oh boy, more tag team action to come, Roman and Bryan versus Corbin and Shinsuke. Must be tag team week this week for wrestling.

Miz TV time with Bayley, anything worthwhile here? Well, her new music is awesome. And Sasha is here for some reason. Good to see the clip of "Bayley brah, making kids cry brah" in her highlight package, too. She says that she doesn't owe anyone an explanation, while Miz implies that she's just trying to ride Sasha's coattails with her new attitude. She slashed the "Bayley buddies" because it was how "they" saw her, and it just wasn't enough for her, all "they" did was take. "What about me, Miz? What about Bayley?" That wasn't what happened, but it's kinda reminiscent of that Raven promo. She's placed herself up atop the entire division now, because she's outgrown them, and like the role model she is, she pulls out a quote from the head man in charge: "Life sucks, and then you die." BEAUTIFUL.

Then out comes Nikki Cross to interrupt, saying the time for action is now. Time to get ready for the six-woman cluster.

I bet Charlotte still wins https://t.co/uV2crFQRhg

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) October 18, 2019

Nikki Cross vs. Dana Brooke vs. Lacey Evans vs. Sonya DeVille vs. Mandy Rose vs. Carmella - One fall to a finish, the winner faces Bayley for the title. Perfectly fine match, didn't get too crazy, but Nikki got the win in the end. I was expecting shenanigans and I was glad that there weren't.

Another recap of the Fiend and Geek feud, and now their Falls Count Anywhere match on Halloween has the label of "can't be stopped for any reason." Watch them stop it for a stupid reason. And then we get a recap of the contract signing between Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury. Fantastic.

Braun Strowman vs. Drew Gulak - Well, this was inevitable, wasn't it? Gulak takes the mic for a mid-match promo, saying that if Braun goes into his match with his... well, gimmick, he'll be knocked out cold. Then we get the Powerpoint presentation, beautiful heat that this crowd does not care about. Alas, the crowd wants a squash, so a squash they get. All the hits, easy pin fall.

Time for the same WWE 2K20 commercial that's already aired twice, and I'd be into this game if it weren't for the game being a total graphical and mechanical mess.

Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura (w/ Sami Zayn) - Yeah, not quite as hype as it should have been. And that's with Roman hitting a spear on Corbin thorugh the barricade. At least this Indy crowd is hot, so there's that. Again, more of a house show tag match, Bryan got the win in a fast finishing sequence over Shinsuke, maybe this'll lead to something going forward? Please? Can we please get this program?

Final Thoughts: Yeah, not quite an "A-Show" kind of show. There wasn't anything super horrible on display, it was just... a show. Didn't care too much for the Crown Jewel shilling, but I've learned to ignore that. Good book-end to the show, I really enjoy heel Bayley, and... yeah, that was it. SmackDown will be live next week on FS1 due to the World Series, which means it'll actually be live coast-to-coast for once.

Verdict: It was perfectly adequate. Still better than Raw, though.