Match Ratings For WWE Smackdown Live 9/11/18, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp Of Fightful.com

Jeff Hardy defeated Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ
5.75/10

• Jeff Hardy says Randy Orton wants to inflict a load of pain on him. How the hell is Jeff Hardy gonna say INFLICT A LOAD on a night where I don’t have a @getbluechew read.
• Then he sings Obsolete, and fewer fans are remembering the song. The WWE machine really took a big shit on the Broken Universe.
• “After tonight I’m going STRAIGHT TO HELL, ENJOY THE SHOW” – Jeff Hardy. 
• This match is just there, but Nakamura seems like he’s really turning up the strikes. He utilized some good knees and kicks, especially the rebound heel kick.
• Tom Phillips calls Jeff Hardy’s sleeperslam a Slingblade. It’s close, but it’s not a Slingblade. He follows up with a really good Whisper in the Wind. 
• Nakamura nails a really smooth sliding dropkick, but whiffs on a few kicks and eats a Twist of Fate. 
• As Hardy goes for a Swanton, Randy Orton emerges and pushes him onto the top rope, crotching him. 
• Orton attacks Hardy, but Hardy is able to fire back and wears out Orton with a chair and an old-school style Twist of Fate. A Swanton Bomb hits, too. 

The House That AJ Styles Built

• AJ Styles cuts a promo sitting on the stairs of an empty arena ring. This was a really nice, different setting, and a good promo about him building “this house.” He says Joe has a family, too. 
•  A different approach and setting. Shift the paradigm
• Samoa Joe certainly shifts the paradigm. He tells a bedtime story promo about kicking Joe’s ass. I feel like this is more of a Bray Wyatt promo. 

Charlotte Flair defeated Sonya Deville (w/ Mandy Rose)
4/10

• I loved all the graphics and lights in the background and how Sonya Deville’s entrance was shot. 
• Charlotte wants competition ahead of this Sunday, and says Becky Lynch needs to watch. 
• The little things like Charlotte Flair stuffing a Sonya Deville takedown and Sonya getting pissy about it. Establishes Charlotte as being able to do such, too.
• Charlotte sends us to the commercial with a boot. She welcomes us back with a back suplex. 
• Flair throws some lame looking chops, misses a moonsault by a mile, and then the two weren’t in sync on a Deville spinebuster.
• These two are just not on the same page. Charlotte tries to to a slingshot powerbomb out of a triangle choke attempt, but almost misses the ropes with Sonya and settles for a sitdown powerbomb.
• Figure 8 gets the win. The ring rust seems to be back. 
• Charlotte takes a selfie with fans, but one attacks her. It’s Becky Lynch, who applies the Disarmher.

WWE Tag Title Contender Tourney
Rusev Day (w/ Lana) defeated The Bar
5.75/10

• Kofi Kingston is dressed as a white guy backstage pretending to interview the Bar. New Day are on commentary.
• Really basic, back and forth stuff early until Aiden English tags in and we see some new babyface offense — a flying body press and a running neckbreaker where he barely touches the opponent.
• Rusev Day hit an assisted Tope Con Hilo, but back inside the ring, Sheamus bumps too early on a falling front DDT. 
• We come back from a commercial to see Rusev get a hot tag and a weak pop up knee followed by a good head kick.
• Sheamus breaks up the Accolade, and Aiden English sacrifices himself to a Brogue Kick. Rusev lands a Machka Kick for the win.
• Rusev Day are ELATED.

Backstage Crappenings

• We get a really weird backstage interview where Asuka and Naomi can’t understand each other. Well, then.

Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas (w/ Zelina) defeated R-Truth (w/ Carmella)
5/10

• A newly babyface Carmella doesn’t give damn that she’s note champion
• I would be incredibly unsurprised to see R-Truth beat Almas to push MMC.
• R-Truth and Almas do a floor routine that ends in a great Pele kick from Cien.
• I’d like everyone’s thoughts on R-Truth wearing cargo capri pants.
• Truth seems motivated. He hits his front suplex, but gets distracted and pinned after Carmella pulls Zelina out of the ring during a Tranquilo pose. 
• This is the definition of a harmless 5/10 TV match. Five minutes long, nothing really. The leap between 5-6/10 is major. 

Brie Bella (w/ Daniel Bryan) defeated Maryse (w/ The Miz) via DQ
N/A

• Kayla Braxton introduces Miz & Maryse, but Miz wants the spotlight on Maryse. Maryse had a child FIVE MONTHS AGO. She’s going to main event Smackdown and wrestle on PPV this week. She says as much.
• Miz calls Brie & Bryan the “sure couple,” because they’ll just do whatever. 
• The last televised singles match Maryse had on Smackdown was an April 2009 Divas title defense against Gail Kim. 
• Ahh, WWE production missed Maryse’s taunt. That’s the equivalent of missing Roman Reign’s Superman Punch. Gaffe of the century.
• Miz calls off the match after Brie Bella calls Maryse a coward.
• Brie goes back to get Maryse and slams her on the apron. 
• Maryse slugs Brie with a huge kick but falls on her face.
• Brie applies a Yes Lock and gets violently yanked out of the ring and his ass beat real proped.
• Miz throws Bryan into Brie, then throws Bryan into the stairs.
• Brie fights back and beats up Maryse, and Bryan is back throwing Yes Kicks.
• What were they thinking with all those cuts and zooms during the Yes Kicks? Do any viewers at home think that looks good?
• Brie punches Miz.
• Well, that’s it.