Match Ratings For WWE Smackdown Live 9/4/18, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp Of Fightful.com

Daniel Bryan (w/ Brie Bella) defeated Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas (w/ Zelina)
6.75/10

• Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella come out to watch a video of Miz and Maryse’s attack last week alongside Zelina and Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas.
• Bella and Bryan don’t want to wait for Hell in a Cell, but they’re interrupted by Almas and Zelina. Almas is not the strongest English speaker.
• This sets up a match. Neat.
• Almas does the Tranquilo pose, and then a rope hung triangle armbar before knocking Bryan off the apron.
• Almas misses the knee in the corner, which is becoming a great spot of his.
• Bryan flies off the apron and eats a gorgeous dropkick on the floor.
• Bryan almost went Brie mode on that suicide dive. During the break we see a super frankensteiner.
• Cien is able to hit the double moonsault counter to Bryan. These two are made for one another. There’s a nice kick battle that turns into a schoolboy bomb into the corner. Cien knees follow!
• These two guys show me something I haven’t seen each week. Almas doesn’t have the strength to hit the Hammerlock DDT, so Bryan wins with a knee.
• Brie pushes down Zelina and lands Knee Mode — formerly known as Free Surgery Knee.
• Miz and Maryse are at an Italian restaurant on a date. Excellent. Maryse is hilarious. Bryan and Brie are gonna go get some Italian.

“SCREW YOU”

• Huge Becky chants.
• Charlotte is pleading and Becky looks like she doesn’t care.
• “Screw you” from Becky gets a huge pop. She says she’ll do whatever she has to in order to become champion.
• Charlotte seems so phony in this promo — perhaps by design.

Naomi defeated Peyton Royce (w/ Billie Kay)
n/a

• The IIconics playfully argue who Naomi likes to lose to more. 
• Naomi attacks, but gets blindsided.
• Peyton is really anticipating spots here. She gets sunset flipped and pinned.
• Naomi gets attacked. They’re setting up for someone to come help her. That ends up being Asuka.
• Asuka beats The IIconics asses like she’s had two months off to think about it.

Heck in a sack

• Jeff Hardy pre-taped promo airs for Hell in a Cell. I was told  this Hell in a Cell match was largely a favor to Jeff, who has always wanted to do one. “Here ya go, sport. Jump off of something fun!”
• We get another promo from Randy Orton with Hell in a Cell and Jeff Hardy clips spliced in.

ONE IN A SERIES OF MATCHES
Rusev Day (w/ Lana) defeated Sanity (w/ Alexander Wolfe) and The Usos
5.75/10

• Dain has a nice power Fisherman’s Buster. He works over Jey Uso and Young lands a Cactus Jack elbow.
• After a commercial Rusev tags in and Enzo’s one of the Usos and runs wild. 
• Rusev has to take out Wolfe. Jey Uso almost pins Eric Young with a splash after Young had hit Rusev with a neckbreaker.
• This match breaks down, and highlights how much better Dain is getting.
• Jey Uso with Uso Crazy, but gets DDTd into the apron by English. Aiden also prevents Young from cheating and Rusev wins with the Machka kick.
• This was a story of redemption for Aiden English.
• The Bar come out and giggle and tease.

WEEEEEEEENDY

• Samoa Joe calls out WEEEEEEEEENDY. He says his actions have forced AJ Styles to care about her. 
• Joe says that his promise has been fulfilled to Wendy. He thinks AJ Styles is at home.
• Styles is on the Titantron and says the talking stops. He’s there. 
• Styles attacks and beats up Joe, but referees stop him from attacking with a steel chair. Instead he hits a springboard plancha to the outside onto Joe and a ref. Paige comes out and she’s upset. 
• Paige is one of the best I’ve ever seen at convincingly portraying an authority figure. She adds so much.

R-Truth (w/ Carmella) defeated Miz (w/ Maryse)
4.5/10

• Miz and Maryse later show up and tell Paige they came to confront Bryan and Brie. Paige says anyone who wants to face him, will face Miz. 
• R-Truth is backstage looking for Carmella, but finds Miz & Maryse. R-Truth thinks Maryse is Carmella. These two teamed together five years ago, although R-Truth says 7.
• Truth is still looking for Carmella, and Dillinger helps him. He doesn’t know it’s really Carmella. He asks Carmella to accompany him against the other Carmella (Maryse). R-Truth has quietly been fooling everyone in his plot to main event Smackdown Live. 
• Miz and Maryse trash Bryan and Bella and “call them out.” They get Carmella and Truth instead.
• This is a very slow paced match. R-Truth’s offense is still good, it just comes a lot slower.
• Miz’s kicks look like trash tonight. 
• Daniel Bryan’s music hits and R-Truth pins Miz.
• Bryan runs in and attacks Miz. Almas and Zelina attack Bryan and Brie, but get fought off. They’re the Bryan family’s TV program.
• Carmella traded in Enzo and Cass for Ellsworth and R-Truth and her career thrived.

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.