Internet Desk: James Ellsworth makes his way to the ring to a big reaction, looking worried and sad. We see clips of last week’s episode where Ellsworth ends up getting Dean Ambrose disqualified against WWE World champion AJ Styles.
Ellsworth said he wanted to thank Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan for letting him to come out here to say goodbye. Lots of “No” chants. He said that after what he did last week, he’s been barely able to sleep and eat and he won’t be able to move on in life until he tells Dean Ambrose that he’s truly sorry. He asks Dean to come out so he can make it right.
Ambrose comes out to a nice reaction and walks out to the ring. Dean says that Ellsworth is his “special little boy” and he’s had a lot of time to think about ripping Ellworth’s head off with his bare hands but when he looks at him with those big eyes like E.T., he can’t stay mad at him. He says that James doesn’t need to give him an apology as he made the call to let James at ringside, so it was his fault. James said that he has two victories over AJ and he repaid Dean by taking away his chance at the WWE World title. He said that he came to Smackdown to fight and got caught up. He said that any man with two fists can make a mistake. Dean said it is OK but warned him to never let it happen ever again.
James said that if he could build a time machine and go back, he would, but he can’t,so all he can do is go back and tell Dean that he’s sorry.
AJ Styles’ music played and he came out to the stage. He asked if they were kidding him. He asked Ellsworth why he would apologize to Dean. The fans began chanting for Styles and he actually got a bigger reaction than either babyface. He came to the ring and addressed James, saying that Dean has been using him the last several weeks. He said that Dean doesn’t respect Ellsworth. Styles claimed to respect him more than Dean does. AJ said that when he wrestled Ellsworth, he was going to take it easy on him but Dean kept pushing him to kick and punch Ellsworth. He said that Dean was trying to get AJ DQ’d. He said that if anyone deserves an apology, it’s him because James has t-shirts now because of him.
Dean and Styles got in each other’s faces. Ellsworth tried to get in between them and was tossed to the outside. AJ nailed an enziguiri and hit the phenomenal forearm on Dean.
– The announcers welcomed everyone to the show and showcased what happened last week with Randy Orton claiming he had joined the Wyatt Family via his surprise RKO on Kane. We go to commercial.
Backstage:
Back from the break, Dean Ambrose and James Ellsworth were having words. Daniel Bryan came among them and demanded they calmed down. James kept apologizing over and over tonight. Bryan said Dean was going to get another match with Styles tonight and if he wins, he gets a WWE World title shot. He said this is his last shot. Dean walked off. James told Daniel he felt bad and didn’t know what to do. Bryan told him he was free to hang out back, watch “Talking Smack” or anything else he wants, but under no circumstances was he to go back to ringside tonight. Ellsworth said he understood.
No DQ Match: Kane vs. Randy Orton
Orton went right to the floor at the bell. Kane followed by Randy nailed him. He went to grab a chair but Kane cut him off and nailed Orton across the back with it. Orton was tossed back inside the ring with Kane following with the chair. Kane sent Orton into the corner and nailed a sideslam. He set up for a chokeslam but the lights went off and when they returned, Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt were outside the ring.
Kane kicked Orton down but the Wyatts grabbed him by the legs and pulled him to the floor. Kane fought them off, then nailed Kane with a big right. They followed Kane into the ring. He fought them off until Randy nailed the RKO out of nowhere to score the pin.
Winner, Randy Orton!
Orton and Harper faced off after the match. Kane rose to his feet and was nailed with a discus clothesline by Luke. Bray nailed Sister Abigail on Kane as Oton watched on and continued to stare back and forth at Harper. Orton went to the ropes and posed as the Wyatts stood over Kane. Of note, Orton never actually physically helped The Wyatts, so if he’s playing mind games, that could still be in play.
– Still to come, Daniel Bryan on MizTV. We see Alexa Bliss and Carmella walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– They aired a well produced black and white video on Baron Corbin. The basic idea was that friends, family and fans pull him dwn by wanting his attention and help. He doesn’t give a damn and won’t lift a finger for anyone but himself.
– They showed clips of Alexa Bliss attacking Becky Lynch last week.
Becky Lynch & Nikki Bella vs. Carmella & Alexa Bliss
Bella and Carmella were to start but Carmella tagged out to Bliss. Lynch tagged in and nailed a sliding kick that sent Bliss to the outside as they went to commercial.
When they returned from the commercial, Lynch was cleaning house on Carmella but Bliss broke up a pinfall attempt. Becky took her down but the referee was distracted by Carmella. Bliss was able to maneuver out and scored a DDT for the pin.
Winners, Alexa Bliss and Carmella!
A complete waste of our time as we got to see just a brief amount of action from the short match due to the commercial. Ugh.
after the match, Dasha Fuentes, up from WWE NXT, tried to interview the winners but they dismissed her. Bliss said asked Carmella who she was looking to face at Survivor Series. Carmella ripped on Bayley for being a fan girl and said Charlotte was an overhyped Daddy’s girl. The crowd reacted to that like a big burn. Carmella said that the Raw women can’t hang with the Smackdown Live women and warned Nikki Bella to step aside and let her captain the team at the PPV.
Carmella then asked Bliss about her title match against Lynch next week. She said it was going to be deja vu as it was going to be yet another loss like tonight and said Lynch’s fairy tale was going to come to an end. She channeled the Wicked Witch of the West and said that she was going to get Becky and her little title too.
Backstage:
Bryan and Shane are backstage with Naomi. They inform her she’s the next Superstar to be added to Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. She thanks them and leaves. Natalya comes in, still lobbying for a role on the team after losing last week. Bryan makes her the Coach of the team and she says she’s going to whip them into shape.
– Still to come, Ambrose vs. Styles in the main event. Ellsworth is banned from ringside. Back to commercial.
Survivor Series Qualifying Match: The Spirit Squad vs. American Alpha
Back from the break and Kenny is in the ring with Mikey. The Spirit Squad start their routine but American Alpha quickly interrupts. Chad Gable and Mikey start things off.
Mikey takes control of Gable and tags in Kenny, who misses a big leg drop from the top. Gable tags in Jason Jordan, who unloads on Kenny. Jordan launches Kenny across the ring with a suplex but misses in the corner and gets rolled up for 2. The Spirit Squad double teams Jordan but they miss and Gable tags in. Jordan and Gable hit the double team on Mikey to qualify for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.
Winners: American Alpha
– The announcers lead us to a promo for Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar. Back to commercial.
MizTV featuring Daniel Bryan
We are back live as Maryse introduces The Miz. He talks about having a “prickly” past with his next guest, but is willing to put that aside tonight to discuss Survivor Series. Miz introduces the Smackdown Live General Manager, Daniel Bryan.
Bryan walks out to a big reaction in Newark.
Bryan walks out to a big reaction in Newark. A loud “DANIEL BRYAN” chant breaks out. Miz asks if he can start his show now? The fans boo loudly and start a “NO!” chant. He asks if they should just listen to the crowd all day. The fans cheer loudly. Miz said it is nice to see two colleagues in the ring not fighting…unlike the crew over at Talking Smack. Bryan said if Miz wants to be passive aggressive he can just cancel MizTV. The fans cheer this. Miz said that wouldn’t be great and if he had a problem with him he would “aggressively” let him know. Bryan is ready to make some announcements about the Survivor Series teams including the Smackdown Live tag teams. Two more qualifying matches will take place to find out who joins The Hype Bros and the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater and Rhyno. Miz wants to know who is part of the men’s Smackdown Live Survivor Series team. Bryan said they are as follows: Randy Orton, Baron Corbin, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose and…(Bryan smiles)…WWE World Champion AJ Styles. The Miz is not pleased.
Miz wasn’t happy he wasn’t on the team and asked if he was even considered. Bryan said he wasn’t. He asked Bryan if he came out here to embarass Miz in front of his wife. Miz said he was the only chance Smackdown Live had to win and said that nothing changes around here because there’s no opportunities. Bryan admitted he lied and said that they did consider Miz, but they need talents who aren’t afraid to fight, insinuating that Miz is. He said they wanted stars who can fight anytime but last week, Miz proved he was afraid to fight because he didn’t fight Dolph Ziggler when he was offered a shot at getting his Intercontinental champioship match. Bryan said he turned it down because it wasn’t on Miz’s terms and at Survivor Series, they need someone to fight on their terms. Miz said they were actually Bryan’s terms and he was going to lead them to defeat.
Miz said that he wasn’t scared to fight, Bryan was. He put Maryse in between them and said that Bryan was afraid to fight. He said Bryan wasn’t good at his job and wasn’t good at anything anymore. He told Bryan to go back to moping in John Cena’s house on Total Bellas. Bryan threw a chair down. He told Miz that he wasn’t good at fighting. He said that Miz turned down a chance for the IC title but there are a ton of guys who want that opportunity. He told Miz to go sit at the commentary booth while Ziggler defends the belt in an open challenge. Back to commercial.
– We return live. Challenging Dolph Ziggler tonight will be…Curt Hawkins.
WWE Intercontinental Championship – Open Challenge Match: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Curt Hawkins
The Miz and Maryse join Mauro, JBL and Otunga on commentary. Curt Hawkins said this is a great opportunity to make his debut.
The bell rings and Ziggler hits Hawkins with a superkick right away to get the win.
Winner and still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Dolph Ziggler
After the match, Renee Young interviewed Ziggler. He said that Miz says he’s not a fighting champion but he’s been fighting his entire life and put his entire career on the line at No Mercy. He cut an entertaining promo about Survivor Series being all about fantasy warfare. He said that Miz didn’t want to take the title shot last week. He issued an open challenge to anyone from Monday Night Raw to come and try and take the belt from him. Miz was not happy about that at all.
Backstage:
Dean Ambrose is warming up and is asked if he feels confident going into his match with AJ Styles tonight. The new backstage interviewer refers to James Ellsworth as “James Ellis.” Ambrose corrects her when he notices Ellsworth nearby. Ellsworth still feels bad and asks if he can join him at ringside. He wants to make things right. Ambrose says no and tells Ellsworth to chill or eat some Halloween candy. “I got this,” adds Ambrose.
– The Headbangers are back and that is next in another Survivor Series qualifying match.
Backstage:
Somewhere in the dark, Randy Orton is with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. Wyatt brings up skeptism regarding Orton aligning himself with them as he is a snake. He said anyone with credentials like Orton is welcome in the Wyatt family. Orton said he was born with the devil whispering in his ear and that he is done trying to fight it. He said it is almost as if the darkness has shown him the light. “Bray…you are a God.” Orton’s eyes light up and Wyatt smiles.
Winning team advances to the Survivor Series
The Headbangers vs. The Usos
Jimmy and Jey storm the ring immediately going after Mosh and Thrasher. We start with Jimmy and Thrasher. Jey gets the tag and hits a samoan drop on Thrasher for a two count with help from Jimmy. Jey applies a rear chin lock on Thrasher. Thrasher with rights and a swinging neckbreaker on Jimmy. Tag to Mosh and tag to Jimmy. Mosh with clotheslines to Jimmy. Mosh with a splash in the corner and then a clothesline on Jey when he jumps in. Mosh drops Jimmy down face first when Jey breaks up the pinfall. Thrasher tosses Jey out. Mosh with a roll up on Jimmy, Jimmy pushes out, Jey with a shot on Mosh and Jimmy rolls up Mosh to get the quick pinfall. The Usos advance to Survivor Series.
Winners and qualifying for Survivor Series: The Usos
The Usos join Heath Slater, Rhyno, The Hype Bros and American Alpha at Survivor Series. One spot remains open for another tag team from Smackdown Live.
Backstage:
AJ Styles is asked about his match with Dean Ambrose tonight. Styles says he plans to beat Ambrose again and this time he can’t use James Ellsworth as an excuse.
Backstage:
We see Dean Ambrose walking with James Ellsworth and saying they can keep in touch. He adds he just can’t have Ellsworth go to the ring tonight. Ambrose kicks Ellsworth out of the arena and adds any man with two hands can call an Uber. Commercial Break.
WWE World Champion AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose
If Dean Ambrose wins, he becomes No. 1 Contender for the WWE World Championship. This will be Ambrose’s last shot to become the new No. 1 Contender.
We are back from the break and all we get is WWE World Champion AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose heading to the ring before another commercial.
Lots of chanting for Styles early on. Ambrose controlled him early on. Styles scored a two count with a sunset flip but was small packaged for another two count. Dean locked Styles in a Cloverleaf but Styles made it to the ropes. Dean went to the top and nailed a double underhook superplex for another near fall. Styles was able to grab the calf crusher but Dean made it to the ropes. They went to the outside. Styles was placed on the wall of the barricade. Ambrose charged and knocked him off, then tossed him back inside the ring for another two count Ambrose went for the Blockbuster but missed and grabbed at his leg as they went to commercial.
Back live and Ambrose catches Styles with a dropkick sending Styles out of the ring. Ambrose goes up to the top turnbuckle and drops a flying elbow over Styles! Ambrose tosses Styles back in, goes up top, Styles cuts him off, Styles avoids Dirty Deeds, Ambrose with a series of takedowns and then catches Styles with a big lariat. Ambrose avoids another Calf Crusher attempt. Styles then gives Ambrose a big suplex to the corner! Ambrose with a full nelson into a front facebuster on Styles for a two count. Styles with a thrust to the throat. Ambrose avoids a Styles Clash attempt. Ambrose and Styles connect with a double clothesline. All of a sudden we see James Ellsworth show up at ringside coming from the crowd. Ellsworth is trying to fire up Ambrose. Ambrose is yelling at Ellsworth to get out of here. Styles with a Pele Kick to Ambrose! Styles with a cover and Ambrose kicks out. Ellsworth is relieved at ringside. We see security running down and going after Ellsworth. Ellsworth runs through the crowd to the back. Ambrose with a roll up for two on Styles. Series of counters between Styles and Ambrose. Styles rolls through and gets the Calf Crusher applied. Ambrose is hitting his face to fire himself up. Ambrose gets to the bottom rope. We see Ellsworth running back to ringside. He jumps in the ring and security pulls him out distracting Styles. Styles jumps down and knocks Ellsworth over the announce table. Styles with a springboard. Ambrose catches Styles with a kick on the way down and connects with Dirty Deeds. Ambrose hooks the leg and gets the pinfall!
Winner and new No. 1 Contender: Dean Ambrose
After the match, we see security dragging James Ellsworth to the back. Ellsworth is smiling at Dean Ambrose. During the replay, Mauro says turnabout is fair play when it appeared Ambrose caught Styles with a low blow on the kick. Back live, Ambrose walks up the ramp and smiles at Ellsworth. Ambrose helps up a smiling Ellsworth as the show concludes.