Sports
WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from November 1
0 of 6Credit: WWE.comWWE Crown Jewel 2019 was a night filled with massively hyped matches between some of the biggest stars in the business. It answered some important questions and left many more to be determined.Brock Lesnar made a statement by dominating Cain Velasquez, making him tap out within three minutes to the Kimura Lock.…
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Credit: WWE.com
WWE Crown Jewel 2019 was a night filled with massively hyped matches between some of the biggest stars in the business. It answered some important questions and left many more to be determined.
Brock Lesnar made a statement by dominating Cain Velasquez, making him tap out within three minutes to the Kimura Lock. SmackDown also added a second world champion as Bray Wyatt pinned Seth Rollins to become the new WWE universal champion.
Most important for the November 1 edition of Friday Night SmackDown though, it left the blue brand without most of the top stars in the business.
Due to unexpected travel issues returning from Saudi Arabia, SmackDown was left without some of the most important talent for the brand and would need to take some unusual risks to keep the show live for two hours.
It was to be a special night because it had a potential to be unlike any other. Surprises aplenty were in store.
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Credit: WWE.com
Paul Heyman stood in the ring with Brock Lesnar and showed fans the events of WWE Crown Jewel where The Beast Incarnate made Cain Velasquez tap out then got attacked by Rey Mysterio.
Because Vince McMahon refused his demand to send Mysterio to SmackDown, Heyman announced Lesnar was quitting the blue brand to get his hands on The Master of the 619 on Raw.
Grade
D
Analysis
It was far too obvious that WWE was stalling for time. WWE has always avoided showing long clips from a past pay-per-view days later, but now the company was willing to air Lesnar vs. Velasquez in its entirety.
The Advocate even slowed his cadence throughout. Having The Beast quit SmackDown and head to Raw also felt like a cheat just weeks after the WWE Draft. It would have made more sense to announce he was traded to the red brand as repayment for Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss.
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Credit: WWE.com
Bayley was not quite ready for the tenacious fight of Nikki Cross. The Twisted Sister nearly took the win as she prepared for The Purge, but Sasha Banks made the save. While The Boss got taken out, it was enough for the SmackDown women's champion to recover and hit the Bayley-to-Belly to win.
Afterward, Shayna Baszler stormed the ring and threw Banks into the steel post before planting Bayley with a running high knee. She walked out through the crowd with her NXT Women's Championship.
Result
Bayley def. Cross by pinfall to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship
Grade
B
Analysis
This was a solid match, but Bayley and Cross have never quite hit it off in the ring. This was their strongest match and still missing something. If this was the end of this rivalry, it would be a shame, but it would not be surprising.
As will be frequently brought up with this show, WWE has turned a bad situation into a positive by starting early with the build to Survivor Series. NXT has come to SmackDown to make an impact. Baszler attacking Bayley instantly added excitement to the women's championship triple threat match to come.
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Credit: WWE.com
Sami Zayn was interviewed about recent events backstage and noted that it looks like NXT was trying to take advantage of SmackDown's vulnerability. He challenged all NXT stars to step to him. Matt Riddle and Keith Lee arrived.
They chased The Critic of the Critics into the ring. The Original Bro connected with BroDerek before The Limitless One hit a moonsault.
Grade
C
Analysis
As always, Zayn does not deserve to be embarrassed like this, but it was nice to give a fresh audience a chance to see these stars. In particular, that moonsault by Lee made an impact. It would have been better though if we got an actual match out of this.
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Credit: WWE.com
The Miz talked up Bray Wyatt's win at Crown Jewel but decided he couldn't just talk about his absentee guest. He turned to the arrival of NXT this week, and Tommaso Ciampa interrupted Miz TV. He called The A-Lister everything that is wrong with WWE.
This turned quickly into a match. While Tommy Entertainer got the early advantage, The Most Must-See WWE Superstar found an opening when he injured the knee of Ciampa. Off a dive, Ciampa caught Miz with a knee then connected with the Fairy Tale Ending for the victory.
Result
Ciampa def. Miz by pinfall
Grade
A-
Analysis
Beyond a few sloppy moments likely coming from a lack of prep or experience with one another, this was a really good overall TV match. The two brought their all to the contest and have the right storytelling chemistry to do even more if they ever get the chance.
Matches like this are going to turn this impromptu SmackDown into a regular event.
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Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville waited in the ring for their opponents. It was revealed backstage that Carmella and Dana Brooke were taken out by Bianca Belair.
Rhea Ripley and Tegan Nox arrived as the surprise replacement opponents for Fire and Desire. The NXT stars were fired up and dominant. They quickly took Deville out of the action then Nox connected with the Shiniest Wizard to set up the elevated inverted cloverleaf for the submission.
Result
Ripley and Nox def. Fire and Desire by submission
Grade
B-
Analysis
This felt a bit rushed especially on a show with so much time, but the overall effect was appropriate. While the NXT invasion started slow, it grew vicious quickly. This was particularly clear as NXT stars Ripley and Nox, who still have a complicated history, were happy to play the heels for NXT.
It will be interesting to see how WWE plays off this night going forward. NXT has made a statement while many of the stars of SmackDown were indisposed. Serious heat has been added to this brand warfare.
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Daniel Bryan ran into Triple H and Shawn Michaels backstage, asking them why they were here. HHH stated he came to SmackDown after the announcement that NXT would be competing at Survivor Series. Bryan challenged The Game. Instead, he announced Bryan vs. Adam Cole for the NXT Championship.
The King of Kings and HBK watched from ringside as The Planet's Champion gave the leader of Undisputed Era a fight unlike he had ever faced before. It was a high risk and physical contest where Bryan brutalized Cole at every turn.
All that pressure built to The Planet's Champion trapping the NXT champion in the LaBell Lock where Cole barely got to the ropes. Cole managed to catch Bryan with the Panama Sunrise into the Last Shot for the victory.
Triple H stood in front of the NXT roster who took over the ring as he made clear this was just the beginning of a war for supremacy.
Result
Cole def. Bryan by pinfall to retain the NXT Championship
Grade
A
Analysis
WWE fell into an absolutely electric main event. Because Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin could not happen, everyone got to experience Bryan vs. Cole. Beyond the commercial breaks taking away from the action, this was a TakeOver main event in full quality.
It was a particularly impressive moment to see Cole defeat Bryan clean. In NXT, he has always weathered great storms, but he has done so with help. WWE was willing to take one of their top stars down a peg for the evening to make clear NXT is on the same level as Raw and SmackDown.
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