Smackdown Results and Recap: Pre-volution

The October 23, 2018 episode of SmackDown Live was the go-home show for WWE’s first all-women’s pay-per-view: Evolution. The episode also featured some important events for the men of the blue brand, including Rusev getting a chance at revenge against Aiden English and a rematch of AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan against the Usos.

Smackdown opened with the New Day entering the ring to cut a promo on the Bar, who took their tag titles last week with illegal help from the Big Show. Big Show entered the ring for a one-on-one match with Kofi Kingston, who he had chokeslammed through a table the previous week. The match was thrown out and turned into a brawl when the Bar ran into the ring and then Xavier Woods and Big E did the same to even the odds. All three members of the New Day caught finishers from Show, and the tag team champions stood victorious in the ring with their new enforcer.

After a video package recapping Roman Reigns’ heartbreaking announcement that he would be vacating the Universal Championship to fight leukemia, the Usos did the signature fist-cocking warmup for the Superman Punch and heart hand motions to show support for their cousin.

Their opponents, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan, initially displayed great teamwork and gained the upper hand. However, when the show returned from commercial break, the Usos had isolated Bryan in their corner. Styles shifted the momentum in the match and scored a few nearfalls after Bryan managed to tag him in. Styles almost hit Bryan with a flying forearm, and then accidentally took him out with a Pele kick. In the confusion, the Usos picked up the win after a frog splash with Superman Punch theatrics.

Backstage, Styles said that his blows to Bryan were accidental, but Bryan didn’t believe him and mocked his signature Too Sweet hand gesture.

After a video package for the WWE Evolution main event showing off the feud between Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella (which will be for the Raw Women’s Championship), we caught up with the escalation of the SmackDown Women’s Championship feud between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. We saw a video of Flair giving a motivational speech about the evolution of women’s wrestling to female trainees at the Performance Center. Lynch interrupted the speech to insult and attacked Flair. We cut to a prerecorded promo by Flair, who said that Lynch disrespecting NXT, where they both started their WWE careers, showed there was no line she wouldn’t cross.

The grudge match between Rusev and Aiden English started aggressively. English held his own for a little while but was distracted by Lana at ringside. He screamed at her that this feud was her fault and she threw one of her high-heeled shoes at him. Rusev took advantage of the distraction to hit a Matchka kick and win the match by tapping out English with an impassioned Accolade.

On Miz TV, the Miz questioned why Rey Mysterio had returned to the WWE. Miz mocked Mysterio’s past as an underdog, and said “larger than life stars” like him are what the current WWE audience wants. The men traded insults, and Mysterio said he returned to WWE to compete, not appear on talk show segments, and that they should throw down right then. The Miz at first tried to get out of the impromptu match, then jumped Mysterio. The two former world champions ended up having a lengthy and competitive match. They both attempted pinfall victories several times, but Mysterio ultimately beat the Miz after a 619.

Naomi and Asuka entered for a tag team match against Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, but were interrupted by the Iconics, who vowed to win the battle royal at WWE Evolution. The Iconics were then interrupted by Lana, who was interrupted by Carmella, who started a dance break. Zelina Vega ran out to attack Carmella, and all nine women started to brawl in the ring in a preview of Sunday’s battle royal. Asuka, the winner of the first Women’s Royal Rumble, ended up the last wrestler left in the ring.

SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon entered the ring to promote the all-women’s Evolution PPV, but mostly the World Cup tournament for upcoming all-men’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia and this episode of SmackDown’s main event of Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton.

Orton displayed his newfound brutality throughout the match and even went after Hardy’s ear gages again. Hardy eventually got in some offense, including a Twist of Fate setup for the Swanton Bomb. Orton rolled outside of the ring to dodge Hardy’s finishing move, and the Enigma took a nasty bump trying to hit the aerial maneuver from the apron to the mat. Back in the ring, both wrestlers had close calls, but Orton ultimately pinned Hardy after an RKO to end the match.