Match Ratings For WWE Smackdown 8/13/19 From Sean Ross Sapp; Podcast Notes

KO

• Kevin Owens remembers signing with WWE five years ago. He’s super over with this crowd in Toronto.
• He’s happy he got to share the moment of kicking Shane McMahon’s ass with all of Toronto in the family.
• Owens puts over the King of the Ring huge by saying it would be just as important to him as any title he’s won. Saying things like that go a long way.
• Why is the unemployment line outside of Scotiabanks Arena? Shane says that’s where Owens should be, but he took the coward’s way out.
• Shane says that Elias is traumatized and has the night off, and the 24/7 rule is suspended.
• When Owens attacked Elias, he was an official, and this doesn’t stand. Owens is being fined $100,000. The crowd thinks it’s boring.
• Owens demands that Shane McMahon reconsider, as that’s a lot of money to him, but Shane won’t. KO stomps to the back.
• Owens goes into Shane’s locker room. Shane threatens to sue Owens and put his family in peril.
• Instead, Owens destroys a TV in Shane’s office.

Charlotte Flair defeated Ember Moon
6/10

• Bipolar chants for Charlotte, and Ember is in control early on.
• Charlotte uses a Lion Tamer after the commercial, but more of an elevated Boston Crab variation.
• Ember fights back with some good kicks.
• Ember does a great flying Codebreaker, but gets yanked off the top rope and barely clears for the bump.
• Ember taps out to the Figure 8.
• Since becoming top contender, Ember has been attacked by Bayley, beaten by Bayley, beaten by Alexa Bliss, left laying by Natalya and beaten by Charlotte Flair.

Backstage Crappenings

• Aleister Black is still moody, and I’m still not very interested in these promos. This is like a promo from Bray Wyatt from a couple of years ago where he’d talk for a few minutes without really saying anything.

Roman Reigns defeated Buddy Murphy
7/10

• Reigns slugs Murphy, but gets welcomed with a huge flying knee.
• Reigns sold his ass off for Buddy Murphy on that flying knee.
• Dueling Buddy Murphy-Roman Reigns chants.
• Reigns heaves Murphy over the table.
• This is a good test for Buddy Murphy working the top guy pace on WWE TV. He hits a Meteora on the floor before a commercial.
• We come back to Reigns breaking a sleeper hold.
• Reigns gets a bunch of offense, but also eats post and almost got pinned.
• Another Meteora hits for Murphy and he slugs it out with Reigns before kicking out of a Superman Punch.
• Tom Phillips is calling the hell out of this match.
• Murphy counters a Spear with a huge series of knees and a filthy brainbuster.
• Murphy gets punched off the top rope into the barricade and Reigns hits a big Superman Punch off the stairs.
• A HUGE spear that Murphy flips on gets the win for Reigns after 13 minutes.
• Reigns gave and gave and gave, and Murphy gave back. That was outstanding.

Samoa Joe defeated Kevin Owens
5.75/10

• Shane McMahon isn’t happy about his TV backstage, and Samoa Joe is ready to help Kevin Owens learn his place.
• Elias comes out to be the special enforcer.
• Pretty standard stuff through the commercial. A KO swanton and Joe uranage hit.
• I do wish WWE would do a better job building and hyping first time matches. Joe and Owens have never had a one on one match on the main roster before tonight. Their one in NXT went to a no contest.
• Owens does a great pop-up powerbomb, but a ref bump happens and Elias counts the pin.

BRYAN AND ROWAN

• Daniel Bryan comes out and says Buddy Murphy falsely accused he and Rowan of attacking Reigns.
• He outright says they had nothing to do with it and Buddy Murphy
• This is really stupid. Bryan says he doesn’t blame Murphy because ALL YOU PEOPLE would cave, too.
• Bryan goes off about the lies and repeats that he didn’t have anything to do with it, and they’ll prove it.
• Later they go into the locker room and clear everyone but Murphy out. They attack Murphy when he won’t go back on what he said.
• He says he lied while he is being attacked by Rowan.
• Bryan says he hates liars.
• Roman Reigns finds Bryan and Rowan at the end of the show. Bryan wants an apology.
• Bryan says next week they’ll bring Reigns the culprit.

The Revival & Randy Orton defeated The New Day
6/10

• The Revival regrets winning the 24/7 title and says that New Day have ruined the tag team division.
• Xavier Woods is sad about not being in King of the Ring. He really should have been. They joke about spoiling things, and Kofi will be with them tonight.
• Randy Orton comes out before the match and says that Kofi’s family will consider him a coward for taking the easy way out. This was a really great promo from Orton.
• Orton suggests a six-man tag and it’s happening.
• The Revival are such a well oiled machine.
• Dawson gets a good Guerrero backdrop on Xavier, but Big E gets the hot tag.
• Big E’s hot tag is always great to watch. He got PLANTED by a Revival DDT and was laid out.
• Kofi does an insane dive over the top onto Orton, and Xavier handicap back body drops Dawson. These were great spots.
• New Day and Revival work together great.
• The Revival pin Xavier Woods with a Shatter Machine.
• I hate the Wild Card rule and shit, but this should lead to a title match.
• Revival continue the beat down. Kofi makes the save on them, but Randy Orton stands tall with the RKO.
• Orton does another to Xavier Woods.
• Revival pick up Big E and Orton does another. He hits one more on Kofi.

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.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones. Don’t take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!