Even though Raw has its own Pay-Per-View to worry about this Sunday with Clash of Champions, SmackDown has no time to rest. In just a couple of weeks, SmackDown will host its second brand-specific Pay-Per-View: No Mercy. Before the big night, there are two huge matches announced for tonight: John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose, and The Miz defending the Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler.
Contract Signing – SmackDown Women’s Championship
Last week on SmackDown, there was a Fatal Five Way match to determine the #1 Contender to Becky Lynch’s Women’s Championship. To kick off the show tonight, General Manager Daniel Bryan decides to have a contract signing. Unlike contract signings of the past, Bryan hopes to keep it civil. Let’s see how well that turns out.
That didn’t last very long. After Bliss signs the contract, she hits Lynch with it, then proceeds to flip the table onto the champion. Lynch would go on to send Bliss fleeing to the back and then she signs the contract.
The Usos vs. American Alpha – #1 Contender’s Match (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)
In the semifinals of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament, American Alpha defeated the Usos in under a minute. After the surprisingly quick loss, The Usos would turn on Jason Jordan and Chad Gable, injuring the leg of Gable. This would give The Usos the opportunity to make it to the finals of the tournament, where they would lose to Heath Slater and Rhyno. Whoever wins this match will take on Slater and Rhyno for the tag titles at No Mercy.
Unsurprisingly, The Usos work on Gable’s leg throughout the match, making the end of the match a 2-on-1 affair. The Usos took advantage to use the numbers game against Jason Jordan, and they pick up the win. Winners, and NEW #1 Contenders: The Usos
Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
Last week, these two were supposed to have a rematch of their battle at Backlash, but Corbin decided to attack Crews before the match instead. After the assault, Jack Swagger decided to come down to the ring and announce that he is a new SmackDown signee, and he is on commentary for some reason. Crews is all business and no smiles, with Corbin dead in his sights.
After assaulting Crews at the ring post, Corbin hits the End of Days to end the match. Winner: Baron Corbin
The Miz (c) (w/Maryse) vs. Dolph Ziggler – Intercontinental Championship
Dolph Ziggler failed to capture the Intercontinental Championship from the Miz at Backlash, but it was only thanks to Maryse spraying something into Ziggler’s eyes. Tonight, Ziggler hopes to have this match be fair and square. The Miz complained to Daniel Bryan earlier in the night about this match, but his restructured contract states that he has to defend the Intercontinental Championship or he relinquishes his contract.
Maryse tries to spray Ziggler’s eyes again tonight, but the referee catches it and ejects her from ringside. The Miz manages to pick up the spray bottle she dropped, and uses it against Ziggler so he hit the Skull Crushing Finale to retain the title. Winner, and STILL Intercontinental Champion: The Miz
Randy Orton vs. Erick Rowan
Randy Orton was supposed to face Bray Wyatt at Backlash, but he was injured attacked by Bray Wyatt before the match. Bray Wyatt would then go on to defeat Orton via count-out/forfeit, and then lost to Kane in a surprise Extreme Rules match thanks to an RKO. Since this feud is far (or less than three weeks) from over, Orton takes on a member of the Wyatt Family in Erick Rowan. It is also rumored that Luke Harper has been cleared to return, so maybe he will be involved in this as well.
Rowan does not provide much of a challenge for Orton, and the Apex Predator hits an RKO a few minutes into the match to put Rowan away. After the match, Bray Wyatt appears on the Titantron to tell Orton that he is just a man, and that Wyatt is a god. Winner: Randy Orton
Naomi & Nikki Bella vs. Natalya & Carmella
The match barely gets underway and Carmella tosses Nikki Bella out of the ring and assaults her until she gets disqualified. Naomi then kicks Natalya and sends Carmella fleeing before the assault continues further. Result: No Contest
Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena
Apparently, this match has never happened before, even though both of these men have been around each other for years now. While this is the first time these two clash, it won’t be the last. Dean Ambrose and John Cena will be challenging AJ Styles for the WWE World Championship at No Mercy. After their war of words last week, they have a more physical battle tonight.
Both Ambrose and Cena kick out of each other’s finishers, and Ambrose gets a quick roll-up on the 15-time champion to pick up the victory. Winner: Dean Ambrose
Ambrose’s celebration would be cut short when AJ Styles rushes the ring and attacks both men. Daniel Bryan appears at the stage to announce Dean Ambrose’s one-on-one championship rematch against Styles for next week’s episode of SmackDown.
