Match Ratings For WWE Smackdown Live 9/10/19 At MSG From Sean Ross Sapp

Taker

• The Undertaker comes out and says he’s called Madison Square Garden home for 30 years.
• He says it’s time to usher in a new era of Superstar.
• Sami Zayn’s music hits.
• He comes out and talks his shit, per usual. He’s heeling the crowd to set up to get his ass kicked.
• Undertaker pretends he’s going to leave before chokeslamming Sami Zayn.

The Miz defeated Andrade (w/ Zelina)
5/10

• Miz is a walking commercial for his reality show right now and that’s it.
• Shinsuke Nakamura is on commentary, which I love.
• We get two commercials pretty early and come back to Miz doing the IT kicks.
• I get Miz being in this spot because of history and his reality show, but this isn’t a great performance from him and Andrade is outstanding.
• The Miz tosses Andrade over the announce table onto Nakamura. This is a great spot.
• Miz blows the finisher spot out of the double moonsault.
• This was not great.
• Nakamura comes in and hits his finish on the Miz.

Nikki Cross (w/ Alexa Bliss) defeated Mandy Rose (w/ Sonya Deville)
5.25/10

• Mandy Rose gets ZERO heat for saying she’s pretty and Nikki Cross is ugly. Almost like it’s a shitty line.
• Who…………the………………………fuuuuuu……..wrote…….this…..promo. It’s so dumb
• Whoever is writing this “YOU’LL NEVER LOOK LIKE ME” shit for Mandy, stop. It’s bad.
• Nikki Cross gets a good pop when Alexa brings her out, and she’s on fire.
• Sonya Deville distracts Nikki, but Mandy is rolled up after a missed Bicycle knee.
• That was a good short match that had to battle through the rainstorm of dialogue shit that was written for Mandy.

Heavy Machinery crushes Jobbers
Squash

• Tucker shows off his agility and KILLS Jon Silver.
• Otis is tagged in and does his Caterpillar.
• An assisted powerslam and Compactor gets it done.

Reigns and Rowan

• “You see” three times in the first 30 seconds of the promo is promising
• “All you people.”
• Roman Reigns comes out and brawls with Rowan into the crowd.
• Reigns does Superman punches on Rowan.
• Erick Rowan stealing Jordynne Grace’s fanslamming gimmick. Steve Harvey has Eric Bischoff SHOOK.
• Rowan took out a whole bunch of staff, and slams a jib camera into Reigns’ face.
• The promo was terrible, but the brawl ruled.

Bayley defeated Ember Moon
5/10 (short)

• Ember Moon confronts Bayley. She doesn’t like who Bayley has been lately. Ember’s dialogue is wooden, but improving.
• Charlotte Flair is watching on.
• Some hard hitting stuff out of Ember Moon, but she’s about to lose again.
• Bayley-to-Belly, that’s it.
• All the good matches last night, none tonight so far.

A Decade Later

• Kofi Kingston runs down his MSG history.
• Randy Orton interrupts Kofi and calls him stupid, and says he’s always been a phony.
• “Whether it was the fake accent or that phony power of positivity shit.”
• Orton takes a chair to Kofi, but the tides are turned.
• They GOTTA run the table spot back in MSG.
• Oh noooooooooo the table broke when Kofi got up.
• A super awesome spot that WWE made almost unwatchable because of terrible camera work

King of the Ring Semifinals
Special Ref: Kevin Owens
Two out of three falls
Chad Gable defeated Shane McMahon 2-0
5.75/10

• Why would you have Chad Gable say that he’s expecting a bye in the tournament? It makes him look dumb, and like a coward. Shane says Elias will have a replacement tonight. It ends up being Shane.
• Shane tells Kevin Owens that if he helps him win tonight as referee, his $100,000 fine will go away. Owens isn’t happy about having to do this.
• Shane McMahon is making a bunch of short jokes.
• Chad Gable SQUASHED Shane McMahon.
• Kevin Owens counts the pinfall.
• Shane McMahon demands the match be made two out of three falls.
• He attacks Gable and slams him into the table, working him over during the break.
• Shane scolds Owens. But then, why would Owens have counted the fall at all? He counts slow for Gable and fast for Shane.
• Nobody can sell Gable’s rolling kick. He MAKES Shane sell the rolling neckbreaker.
• Owens counts slow for a moonsault from Gable.
• Shane can’t win with a rack neckbreaker and a fast count.
• Owens stops Shane from using a chair.
• Gable applies an Ankle Lock and wins!
• Shane McMahon attacks Owens from behind.
• Shane McMahon “fires” Kevin Owens

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!