Match Ratings For WWE Smackdown 9/24/19 From Sean Ross Sapp Of Fightful.com

Rowan defeated Daniel Bryan
6/10

• Second sentence in, “You see” from Rowan.
• Rowan cuts a promo on Daniel Bryan and Rowan.
• There’s some new production and cameras. The frame rate is decreased.
• Bryan challenges Rowan and the match starts right out of the gate.
• A big body press outside the ring leads us to a commercial.
• Bryan is going low on Rowan as we come back from the break.
• Bryan works over Ryan’s leg expertly, but gets cut off.
• Rowan hits a modifed Jackhammer. The guy is always innovating in the ring and trying different things.
• Rowan is really in control. He catches Bryan on a suicide dive, but Bryan takes over.
• It’s great to hear the “Yes” chants again.
• Yes Kicks and Lebell Lock! Bryan takes out Harper at ringside, but he gets right back up.
• While distracted, Rowan hits a goddamn sloppy Iron Claw Slam that ties Bryan up into the ropes.
• Another one gets the pin for Rowan.
• This was a good match with a hot crowd. The crowds have been pushing a lot of these TV matches to “recommended viewing” on my arbitrary and pointless scale.
• Reigns has to make the save.
• Bryan asks the crowd if they want to see them kick Harper and Rowan’s asses, and the crowd chants “Yes.”

Backstage Crappenings

• Kofi Kingston does a sit-down interview with Michael Cole. There’s nothing groundbreaking here.

Chad Gable defeated Mike Kanellis
SQUASH

• Chad Gable makes a short joke about himself and complains about not winning the last couple of weeks.
• Mike Kanellis cuts him off and says size matters, and he wants to prove that to his wife.
• This would have been better if Gable had someone interviewing him and Kanellis wasn’t scripted to make a short joke right after Gable did.
• Chaos Theory, Ankle Lock.
• I’d love to see someone not monster-sized go on a string of squash matches. Why not?
• Elias returns on the TitanTron. He needed a break after being buried for so long. He sings about Gable being short.

Boss N’ Hug Connection defeated Carmella & Charlotte Flair (w/ R-Truth)
5.5/10

• Charlotte asks if Truth has seen Carmella. Truth covers for her, but they chat about their match.
• Really happy to see Carmella back in the ring regularly.
• Bayley turns on Carmella with the quickness.
• Sasha Banks does the old “pretend I’m gonna hit a running strike and grab a chinlock” trick. Okay.
• Charlotte Flair gets the hot tag and applies a Figure Four to Bayley, but Sasha uses a Meteora to break it up.
• Carmella’s offense looks a lot better this week than last week. Superkick Party.
• A tilt-a-whirl into the Banks Statement, and Carmella taps out.
• All of the Smackdown women — a stacked roster, chase Carmella out as champion.
• Kairi Sane using her telescope while running was hilarious.
• Becky Lynch tosses around Boss N’ Hug.
• To close the show, Sasha attacks Becky Lynch from behind.

Shinsuke Nakamura (w/ Sami Zayn) defeated Ali
6/10

• Ali almost EATS IT on a suicide dive and face plants outside.
• The action is fast and furious here. Nakamura gets one of his best sliding Germans.
• Ali connects with a superkick and Tornado DDT.
• Ali hits one of the wildest tope con hilos ever. Over the ref, almost over Nakamura, then rolled through it.
• Zayn distracts Ali long enough for the Kinshasa to hit.
• I like Graves mentioning that Ali allowed this to happen. It’s true. Stupid babyfaces.

New Day defeated B-Team
N/A (Short)

• B-Team getting offense surprises me.
• They do the “B-Train,” which Big E joins in on.
• Midnight Hour.
• New Day win. Harmless.
• They hug George Kittle.
• WWE has to get George Kittle across the ring from Gronk in a battle royal.

Kabuki Warriors defeated Fire & Desire
4.75/10

• Otis gets a selfie with Mandy and her Maxim magazine.
• Kabuki Warriors work really well together.
• Sonya dumps Kairi outside the ring hard.
• This is a commercial for a goddamn magazine and it’s stupid in so many ways. One of which being that Kairi missed kicking it out of her hands.
• Walk The Plank.
• Kairi and Asuka get the win with a Codebreaker/Insane Elbow.

OWENS AND SHANE

• Shane McMahon brings out lawyers and Kevin Owens.
• He says if Owens drops the lawsuit, he’s reinstated and gets his fine money back.
• Owens says he wants a match. McMahon wins, he drops the lawsuit and he’s fired.
• Owens wins, Shane is gone.
• It’s a ladder match.

Rating guide

10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor

Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a “star rating,” which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive “TV match” lands at a 5. The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.