The show opens up with a video package hyping up the main event for tonight between AJ Styles and Jinder Mahal as well as some promos from a black room where both men are talking about how they’re going to win tonight. We then cut to the SmackDown Live intro video.
We are welcomed to the show by Tom Phillips.
Commentary hypes up our inter-gender match as well as our two title matches before Shane McMahon makes his way down to the ring.
He asks Manchester what’s up before talking about Survivor Series being the one time Raw and SmackDown go head to head each with each other. Shane says that after this year Raw will never be able to call SmackDown the B show and at Survivor Series it’s personal, specifically because of what happened to Daniel Bryan. McMahon says that he holds his sister and Kurt Angle responsible for what happened, claiming they sent Kane to do their dirty work.
Shane says that he has a personal message for Angle. He says that he will get his payback personally at Survivor Series. Shane also says that Bryan will be back next week and he represents what they stand for because when they get knocked down, they don’t stay down. And speaking of fighters, he’s bringing out some dudes who did a phenomenal thing last night, firing a shot across the bow of Raw.
Big E does their usual promo and The New Day make their way down to the ring. We get a video recapping their promo from last night and the end of the tag title match before Kofi Kingston kicks it off by saying that they made the Raw guys look pretty silly and he loves it here and he tells McMahon it wasn’t their intention to cause a title change, but such are the consequences of putting Raw under siege, baby!
Xavier Woods picks it up from there by saying considering that the Shield are part of the Raw roster, what are they gonna do? Nothing! Big E continues by saying a couple of weeks ago they lead the siege and looked the Raw roster dead in the eye and what then? They beat them down! Kofi says that they are prepared to accept repercussions and Xavier adds that if Raw ever tries anything they will be first in line to beat them back to Mondays.
Shane says that is exactly what he is talking about, The New Day are all about Team Blue and he sets up The New Day rocks gimmick and a dance.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn interrupts and makes their way down to the ring. Owens says that was the stupidest, most painful thing he has seen in his life and Zayn says that he hates to break it to Shane, but he is not cool and he should probably never ever dance again. Kingston takes issue with Sami telling someone how to dance given his own dancing during his entrance makes him look like a fool. Never mind that, Owens says, they have something important to say and that is that Shane is having a hard time dealing with his loss at Hell in a Cell.
He’s acting out and trying to cope with his daddy issues, but he shouldn’t punish the rest of SmackDown for it. Zayn says that the truth is they could have shown up on Raw and beat up the entire roster themselves, but they are men of honor and integrity who do things the right way. Because that doesn’t jive with the Shane McMahon agenda and they have been set up to fail.
McMahon says that that is exactly why they are not representing SmackDown, but Sami takes issue with that, saying that he didn’t lose to Randy Orton, he lost to a low blow and if he or Kevin had done that they would be suspended, fined, or worse, fired. Shane says that the other reason is because Owens lost to Shinsuke Nakamura and Owens says that it is a shame they even had qualifiers because they are the top two superstars on this roster.
Owens continues by saying what is the problem. They are not entertaining enough, they don’t dance and sing like his New Day puppets? Kofi says that the only puppet he sees is that 1930s puppet looking Zayn and Big E says that Owens’ hand is so far up Sami’s butt that every time he brushes his teeth, Owens gets a manicure. The New Day fall over themselves laughing at this and Zayn slaps his leg and says they’re real funny, but he will find it funnier when Team Raw wins and they have no one to blame but Shane McMahon.
Shane says that is exactly what he is talking about, they have no loyalty, they don’t care. They walk around like they own the place and since they seem so entitled, he thinks Sami’s entitled to a match tonight against Kofi Kingston, right now!
We go to a commercial break and the match will have after the break.
Back from the commercial break, we start the match.
Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn: Back and forth as the match kicks off. Kofi ends up nailing a big dropkick to send Sami out of the ring. Sami takes a breather and chats with Owens as Woods plays Francesca to get fans riled up. Sami really takes his time coming back in. Kofi brings the fight out but Sami runs back in. Kofi chases him but Sami attacks as he enters. Sami with a big clothesline to turn Kofi inside out. Owens talks trash to Kofi as Sami keeps control.
Kofi gets back up and delivers a big shot to Sami that sends him back out of the ring. Kofi then launches himself out onto Sami. Kofi brings it back into the ring but has the SOS countered but still manages a 2 count. Sami blocks Trouble In Paradise and hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for a close 2 count. Owens yells at the referee for the count. Sami goes for the Helluva Kick but Kofi counters with a kick. More back and forth between the two. Sami takes Kofi down but Kofi comes right back and goes to the corner. Kofi hits a crossbody for the pin. Winner: Kofi Kingston
After the match, Kevin Owens immediately hits the ring to attack Kofi but Big E and Xavier Woods make the save. Owens hits the ramp and calls Sami over as Woods and Big E check on Kofi. The New Day music hits.
Commentary recaps Jinder Mahal’s attack on AJ Styles from last week to set up a backstage interview with Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers. Jinder says that earlier today he was eating out and when the server brought the first course, he demanded she call it AJ Styles, because he’s an appetizer. Styles is a formidable opponent for any mere man, but he’s The Maharaja and he’s going to make a meal out of AJ Styles before he feasts on the Beast.
Commentary hypes up the inter-gender match between Becky Lynch and James Ellsworth before informing us that Rusev has a chance to join Team SmackDown if he can beat Randy Orton, which is right after the commercial break.
Back from the commercial break, we get another Bludgeon Brothers video vignette, which is all cryptic and woodsy and heavy breathing as always.
We go to the ring and Greg Hamilton introduces Aiden English, who asks Manchester to be silent as he introduces The Lion of Bulgaria. English sings the introduction as Rusev as he makes his way down to the ring. Rusev says that he is going to beat Randy Orton again and join Team SmackDown, which will lead to Rusev Day being declared.
Randy Orton makes his way to the ring next.
Rusev vs. Randy Orton: The bell rings and Rusev goes for a kick but Orton goes for the RKO. Rusev drops Orton with a kick to the head for a 2 count to start. Rusev with two more pin attempts. Rusev keeps Orton down. A “Rusev Day” chant starts off. We see Shane, Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura watching backstage. Orton tries to fight back but Rusev keeps him down. Rusev with another pin attempt. We get dueling chants from the crowd. Rusev drops knees on Orton and covers for another 2 count. Rusev shows some frustration now.
Rusev with a big kick to the back and another 2 count. And another pin attempt by Rusev. Rusev argues with the referee. Rusev walks over but Orton leaps up and nails the RKO outta nowhere for the pin. Winner: Randy Orton
After the match, Orton stands tall as a furious English looks on. We see Shane, Roode and Nakamura backstage again. We go to replays from the match. Orton hits the corners to pose as the announcers hype Survivor Series.
We head backstage where we see James Ellsworth is alone when Tamina comes out of the women’s locker room. He is not dressed like a dog today but he asks her to go get Carmella. She heads back in but Becky Lynch comes out, which leads Jimmy to say she doesn’t have a chance and he just hopes she doesn’t get hurt. And the women’s revolution is a farce, plus they’re in MANchester, not WOMANchester, they know that men are superior to women.
He keeps digging his hole, saying he only lets Carmella compete because it makes her happy, but what’s gonna make him happier is proving he’s the better MAN tonight. Becky says those are pretty ballsy statements, but it’s a pity he doesn’t have any.
This takes us to a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break, we get a video recapping the feud between SmackDown and Raw.
When the video ends we see that the SmackDown women’s division have come out to ringside for our next match which is the battle of the sexes.
The music hits and out next comes James Ellsworth with Carmella, using her theme song. Becky Lynch is out next to a big pop.
Becky Lynch vs. James Ellsworth (Battle of the Sexes): The bell rings and Ellsworth drops down to do push-ups. Ellsworth with more stalling as fans sing “Becky’s going to kill you” at Ellsworth. Becky grabs Ellsworth for the Disarm Her but he makes it to the ropes.
Ellsworth takes off his shirt. They lock up and Ellsworth takes Becky down. Ellsworth mocks Becky and laughs as a “where’s your chin?” chant starts. Ellsworth another takedown as they trade holds. Becky counters and takes Ellsworth to the top. They break and Ellsworth runs into a kick. More running of the ropes and counters. Becky out-wrestles Ellsworth some more for a 2 count. Becky rolls Ellsworth around the ring with her legs.
Becky grabs a dizzy Ellsworth and spins him around on her shoulders. Becky tosses Ellsworth out of the ring. Ellsworth makes it back into the ring before the 10 count. He taunts Naomi, Tamina, Flair and Lana. He turns around and shoves Becky to the mat as fans boo. Ellsworth sends Becky out of the ring at Carmella’s feet. Ellsworth taunts the other female Superstars and turns around to a missile dropkick from Becky for a 2 count. More back and forth with Becky in control now. Ellsworth goes back to the floor. Ellsworth tries to leave but the others stop him. Charlotte pushes Ellsworth back into the ring. Ellsworth begs Becky and says he’s sorry. Ellsworth tries to hug Becky. She drops him into the Disarm Her for the win. Winner: Becky Lynch
After the match, the other female Superstars cheer Becky on as she celebrates. Carmella enters the ring and has words with Becky. Becky and Carmella look like they’re about ready to fight but Carmella drops Ellsworth with a superkick instead. A “yes!” chant starts up. Carmella’s music hits and she leaves with her briefcase, all alone. Becky is all smiles in the ring as Ellsworth recovers.
Commentary hypes up our WWE Championship Main Event Match for tonight and we are shown the teams that will compete in our tag title match up next to send us to a commercial break.
Back from the commercial break, Charlotte Flair is talking to Shane McMahon about the ending of Raw when Natalya shows up. Natalya says that she knows what Shane wants and she accepts that at Survivor Series, she won’t just defeat Alexa Bliss and prove that she’s the best champion, she will also take Charlotte’s place on Team SmackDown. Flair calls her delusional and McMahon points out that Natalya used a chair at Hell in a Cell and that doesn’t sit well with him or Daniel Bryan, so Natalya has to defend the title against Charlotte next week.
Natalya complains about that being unfair and storms off.
The Usos cut a promo before their match, asking who’s standing in the ring repeatedly, describing Gable and Benjamin as two chumps thinking they can win the titles and represent SmackDown, calling them American Alpha Part II and calling them their next victims before welcoming them to the Uso Penitentiary and beating them down before the bell.
That takes us to a commercial break.
Back from commercial break, the match is in progress.
Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable vs. The Usos: The SmackDown Tag Team Titles are on the line in this one. Shelton Benjamin hits Pay-dirt on Jimmy Uso to send him to the floor. Jey Uso hits Shelton Benjamin. More back and forth leading to Gable taking out Jey’s knee on the floor, then crawling back under the ring. The referee counts and Jey is unable to make it back into the ring due to the injury as Shelton looks on. The Fans boo. Winners by Count Out: Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable
After the match, The Usos retain as we go to replays. Gable comes in to celebrate with Benjamin as Jimmy checks on Jey at ringside.
Commentary tosses to a sneak peek of Damnation, a show that will feature Luke Harper after SmackDown tonight.
We head backstage where AJ Styles is being interviewed and he says that he has an opportunity to do what every WWE Superstar wants to do and that is to become WWE Champion, so Jinder needs to focus on him. Styles says that he has never been the biggest or strongest, but he works harder than anybody, and tonight he’s gonna prove why he’s phenomenal and SmackDown is the House That AJ Styles Built. To borrow a phrase from the Maharaja, He’s gonna be the Beastmaster!
The match will begin after the commercial break.
Back from the commercial break, commentary informs us that we will get Baron Corbin vs. Sin Cara for the United States Championship next week in addition to the Charlotte vs. Natalya title match booked in a previous segment and The New Day vs. Zayn and Owens.
The Singh Brothers gives Jinder Mahal his usual big introduction.
AJ Styles is out next to a huge reaction from the fans. We get formal ring introductions from Hamilton.
AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal: The WWE Title is on the line in this one. Jinder takes AJ down first but fans are behind AJ. They lock up and trade holds again as Jinder goes to the ropes and nails a back elbow to AJ’s face. More back and forth now as Jinder ends up knocking Styles to the floor.
AJ blocks Jinder’s offense with a boot to send him to the mat. Jinder misses in the corner and AJ looks to make his comeback. AJ unloads with strikes and takes Jinder down. AJ with the running forearm. AJ gets fired up. AJ goes on but Jinder blocks a suplex. AJ lands on his feet and nails the Ushigoroshi but Jinder kicks out at 2.
Jinder tries to position AJ but AJ counters and delivers a kick to the chest, and another. Jinder catches the next kick and drops AJ but misses a big boot. AJ with a quick pin attempt. AJ charges but Jinder drops him on his face for another close 2 count.
Fans chant for AJ as Jinder takes him to the top. AJ avoids the superplex and takes out Jinder’s leg to send him to the mat. Styles rolls Jinder into the Calf Crusher as fans cheer. Jinder breaks it by slamming AJ’s neck into the mat. AJ goes for the hold again but Jinder is able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold. AJ with strikes until Jinder floors him with a clothesline for a 2 count.
More back and forth now. Jinder takes AJ to the top but they come back down. AJ sends Jinder to the floor. AJ nails a Phenomenal Forearm to the floor, taking out Jinder. AJ clutches his knee. AJ brings Jinder back into the ring. AJ springboards in and nails the 450 but The Singh Brothers pull Jinder to safety as fans boo. AJ takes out both of The Singh Brothers at ringside.
AJ goes to the apron to come back in but Jinder grabs him. AJ fights Jinder off and springboards in but Jinder goes for The Khallas. Jinder ends up dropping AJ and going for the pin but AJ gets his foot on the bottom rope. Fans are going wild now. Jinder calls for The Khallas again but fans boo. They go on and the finish sees AJ nails the Phenomenal Forearm on Jinder for the pin and the title. Winner and New WWE Champion: AJ Styles
After the match, AJ takes the title and celebrates as fans cheer him big time. Commentary informs us that AJ will now face Lesnar at Survivor Series. AJ celebrates as we go to replays. SmackDown goes off the air with the new WWE Champion celebrating with fans as Jinder looks on from the ramp.