By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@barnettjake)
WWE Smackdown (Episode 1,310)
Nashville, Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena
Aired live October 4, 2024 on USA Network
DIY and The Street Profits were shown walking into the building. Country music artist Hardy was introduced in the ring. He was tasked with announcing AJ Styles, who made his ring entrance. Specifically, he welcomed back the “Phenomenal Forearm”, which I think was a flub but I’m not certain. AJ got a warm welcome from the crowd and told them that he missed them so much. He said it was fitting that he was in Nashville because that’s where it had all started for AJ Styles.
Styles said he had done a lot of things over the last few months that he’s not proud of and may not be forgiven for, but he’s back to restore the legacy of AJ Styles. He said despite everything, Smackdown is still the house that AJ Styles built. Carmelo Hayes interrupted and said he’s not surprised that there isn’t a long line of guys waiting to welcome him back, so he’ll be that guy. He reintroduced himself to Styles, and said he loves old timers like him. Hayes said he’s sure AJ deserved the legends contract he just signed, and then went into a rant about how he deserved the US Title instead of LA Knight or Andrade.
AJ responded that he’s been in the ring with LA Knight, and he’s relentless. He recalled Knight showing up at his house and their match at WrestleMania. Hayes said he doesn’t take advice from quitters. Styles said he deserved that, but if Hayes was really him, he’d already be United States Champion. Hayes responded that if AJ Styles was truly phenomenal, he’d already be World Champion. Styles offered Hayes a match to prove himself, but he declined and said he was good.
LA Knight made his way out as Hayes tried to leave. He mocked Carmelo from running away from a fight, and he said that was a familiar sight. Knight then said he and Styles aren’t friends either, and told him he made a liar out of himself by pretending to retire a few months ago. He then said Hayes is always claiming to be “Him”, but he was the guy who was going to get stomped out tonight. Knight said he could do it himself, or Hayes could defeat AJ Styles right now and he’d make a case to Nick Aldis to get him a US Title match. He then said his catchphrase, and called for a referee…(c)
My Take: A nice return for Styles, who is back in babyface mode here. Hayes continues to do a nice job as an overconfident rookie that can talk himself into a beating. I have to wonder if Andrade gets involved here and Hayes manages to steal a win.
1. AJ Styles vs. Carmelo Hayes: LA Knight sat at ringside as the bell rang. Styles and Hayes traded chops and strikes early on. Styles clipped Hayes with a dropkick, and he retreated to ringside. Styles missed a springboard moonsault, but Hayes managed to hit him with an awkward springboard forearm in return. Hayes then tossed Styles to the floor. The announce team talked about Styles having a match for NOAH in Japan while he was away from WWE. Hayes then tossed Styles into the announce table and then stared down LA Knight…(c)
Styles limped and sold his leg. He managed to fire back with a running lariat and a splash in the corner. He attempted an Ushigoroshi, but his leg buckled and he grabbed his left leg. Charles Robinson called for the bell and the match was over.
Carmelo Hayes defeated AJ Styles by ref stoppage at 8:47
After the match, AJ Styles limped up the ramp frustrated. LA Knight entered the ring and delivered a BFT to Hayes, who sold the move on the crown of his skull. The announce team then pivoted to Bad Blood, and introduced a video package that recapped the story of the Bloodline vs. Rhodes and Reigns Tag Team Match. Cole questioned whether Rhodes can truly trust Roman Reigns. Some production people started wheeling a dumpster to ringside. Michin vs. Chelsea Green in a dumpster match is up next…(c)
My Take: It’s hard to be 100% certain, but I think AJ’s ankle sprain was an angle. They speculated he got hurt on the springboard moonsault before the commercial break, but then had him work another 4 or 5 minutes before calling the match.
Alicia Taylor made ring announcements for the dumpster match. Chelsea made her entrance wearing a modified sanitation workers uniform with a garbage bag train attached to her skirt. She was then followed by Michin, who carried a trash can full of weapons to the ring with her. Picture in picture videos aired of Chelsea and Michin’s trash can antics over the past few weeks.
2. Chelsea Green vs. Michin: They had a kendo stick fight to start the match, and Michin then kicked Chelsea to the floor. She then performed a suicide dive onto Green, and tossed a bunch of weapons into the ring, including a table. Chelsea tried to perform a dive of her own, but got hit with a cookie sheet. Michin sent Chelsea back to the outside and attempted to toss her into the dumpster, but Chelsea escaped and shoved her into the side of the dumpster…(c)
Michin teetered over the dumpster on the apron, and Chelsea landed a few punches. Michin managed to fight her way back into the ring, but Chelsea countered with a Canadian Destroyer. Chelsea then tossed Michin threw the ropes and into the dumpster, but had to scramble to ringside to close the lid. Michin prevented her from closing the lid and hit her with some trash. Both women ended up back in the ring, where Michin landed Eat Defeat.
She then placed a trash can over Chelsea’s head and performed a top rope senton onto the trash can. Chelsea then placed a table across the dumpster opening, but Piper Niven appeared to give Chelsea an advantage. She delivered a senton to Michin on the floor, but Michin avoided the follow up Cannonball and Niven collided with the dumpster.
Both women battled on the apron, but Michin got the advantage and delivered a powerbomb through the table and into the dumpster. She then closed the lid and got the victory.
Michin defeated Chelsea Green at 10:34
After the match, Michin celebrated while Chelsea emerged covered in dumpster juice. Backstage, AJ Styles was getting checked on and got evaluated by WWE doctors. They said he was transported to a local hospital shortly after that footage was filmed. Elsewhere backstage, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill told Naomi that the three of them will be the hosts of Bad Blood tomorrow. They started to dance, and Bayley appeared and danced awkwardly with them. This caused Bianca and Jade to roll their eyes, and Bayley asked for a minute to talk to Naomi.
She told Naomi that she was going to call out Nia Jax, and when she beats her at Bad Blood, Naomi gets the first shot at the title…(c)
My Take: A fun match from Michin and Chelsea. I was honestly hoping Chelsea would steal a win somehow, but the table spot that ended the match looked great. AJ Styles ankle looked swollen, so I was wrong earlier. Hopefully the injury isn’t too severe.
Bayley made her ring entrance as the show returned. She said she would get right to it, and called out Nia Jax and told her she had something to say to her face. Nia then made her entrance with Tiffany Stratton, who wore a cowboy hat for the occasion in Nashville. Jax told Bayley to say what she had to say straight to her face. Bayley told Nia that she has never understood the importance of the title to people like her. She recalled Molly Holly, Beth Phoenix, Trish Stratus, and Lita holding that title and making it feel larger than life, and that isn’t Nia. Bayley then gave Jax credit for being a dominant champion.
She then said there are two people who can take that title from her. One of them is her tomorrow night, and the other is her friend Tiffany Stratton. Bayley it’s not because Tiffany is good enough, it’s because as soon as she gets tired of being berated and abused, she’s going to hit in the head with the briefcase and take her title away. Tiffany got upset about the comment that she’s not good enough to beat Nia, and put her foot in her mouth by saying that she could. She then apologized and told Bayley that she should bow down in front of her queen. Bayley said she has respect for Nia, but absolutely none for Stratton, and said she’d rather bow to a queen than be patronized by a stupid bitch.
A brawl then broke out, and Bayley took out Stratton with a knee lift. Nia landed a few shots, but Bayley turned things around by hitting her with the briefcase and delivered a knee to the head. She then held up the Women’s Title. Stratton teased cashing in on Nia, but Naomi made her ring entrance before she could…(c)
My Take: A solid segment that covered all the main points of the feud. The question tomorrow is whether Tiffany gets involved and what impact it has on the match.
Chelsea walked through the backstage while various people gagged at how bad she smelled. She ran into Nick Aldis, who made some garbage puns before telling her she needed a shower. Carmelo Hayes walked up and said he beat AJ Styles and wanted his match with LA Knight. Aldis told him that wasn’t a win, and that he needed to check on AJ Styles and they could talk next week.
3. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi: Stratton started out strong, but Naomi turned things around with a lariat and a snap suplex. Stratton put Naomi down with a right hand, and then performed a springboard moonsault for a two count. Both women ended up on the floor, where Naomi reversed an Irish whip and sent Tiffy into a seated position on the apron. She then landed some strikes that put Tiffany flat on her back. Naomi then followed up with a splits leg drop…(c)
Naomi landed a backpack stunner as the show returned. Both women got to their feet and traded punches. Naomi landed a single leg drop kick and a bulldog, followed by a head scissors driver. She then went for a sit out facebuster, but Stratton avoided it by doing a handstand and landed a drop kick to a seated Naomi. She then placed Naomi on the top rope, but Naomi shoved her off. Naomi then attempted a flying cross body, but Stratton rolled through and picked her up. Naomi broke free and attempted a split legged moonsault, but Stratton avoided it.
She then went for a Prettiest Moonsault ever, but Naomi rolled out of the way. Both women then locked up and started trading pinfall attempts, and Naomi managed to get a win with a crucifix pin.
Naomi defeated Tiffany Stratton at 10:38
After the match, the announce team threw to a video package of the budding conflict between Cody Rhodes and his friends Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. Backstage, Jacob Fatu talked about his love for his tribal chief. He said his Tongan Brothers love the tribal chief, and others will learn to love him as well. He called out Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, DIY, and the Street Profits, and said they would learn to love the Tribal Chief or they would be forced to acknowledge the True Tribal Chief Solo Sikoa.
Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa then made their ring entrance for the main event…(c)
My Take: Does Tiffany losing there indicate something is going down tomorrow? Maybe. It could just easily establish Naomi being next in line for a title shot against Nia. Jacob Fatu cut a good promo there.
Backstage, Nia Jax approached Tiffany Stratton and told her she thinks she’s teasing her with a cash in. She told her to focus on Liv Morgan’s Women’s World title, because that was a Cash In she would survive. She then told her to swear she was never going to betray her, and Stratton obeyed and called Nia her Queen. The announce time then ran down the card for Bad Blood.
DIY made their ring entrance for the main event ladder match. They were followed by the Street Profits with B-Fab.
4. DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. The Bloodline (Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa) in a Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships: Ladders were strewn about the outside of the ring. DIY and The Profits tossed The Bloodline to the floor early on. Ford then soccer kicked Tama Tonga from the apron, and Dawkins landed a big body block on the floor…(c)
All Six men were on ladders as the show returned from break. Nobody got close to the titles, and soon after everybody was dumped back into the ring. Montez Ford attempted to climb the ladder when Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa were holding it in a highly athletic moment. The Bloodline took control of the match using the ladders for offense on Ciampa and Ford. The action spilled to the floor, where they continued the double team on Ciampa. They then held onto one end of a ladder, and Dawkins performed a flip dive at the ladder to knock them both over.
Gargano then dove onto Dawkins, and Ford soon performed a dive onto everybody. B-Fab pointed Ford to look under the ring for a weapon, and he pulled a table from underneath the ring…(c)
My Take: Say what you want, crowds absolutely freak out for tables. They even saw a great table spot earlier in this episode and they still lit up for another one.
Tama Tonga climbed a ladder, but Gargano and Ciampa pulled him off into a Shatter Machine. They lined up for Meet in the Middle, but Tonga Loa pulled Gargano out of the ring. Loa picked up a ladder and hit both Gargano and Ciampa with it. They managed to kick him in the gut and put the ladder over his head. They then performed meet in the middle on the ladder, which sent it spinning around Loa’s head. Dawkins got back in the ring, and landed a spear on Gargano. He and Ciampa fought over a ladder, and Dawkins put Ciampa on his shoulders.
Ford then landed a blockbuster over a ladder, but he didn’t quite get all of it in a car crash spot. Dawkins began to climb the ladder, but Tama Tonga shut it down almost immediately. The Bloodline then smashed Dawkins into a ladder, and retrieved a chair from under the ring. B-Fab stole the chair away from Tama, and they turned their attention to her. DIY reappeared and hit The Bloodline in the back with chairs. They then set up Tonga Loa on a table near the announce table.
Gargano signaled to Montez Ford, who jumped from the top to put Loa through the table with a giant splash. Dawkins and DIY then singled out Tama Tonga and cleared the announce table. They then delivered a Triple Powerbomb through the table, and the Bloodline was down. DIY then betrayed Dawkins and sent him into the timekeeper’s area.
Ford managed to get to his feet and kicked Gargano. Ford leapt from the ropes onto the ladder and soon after all four men were on the same ladder. Dawkins and Ciampa soon fell off the ladder and crashed through another one that was setup in the corner. Tonga Loa then tipped the ladder and sent Ford and Gargano into another ladder. Tonga Loa then climbed the ladder and retrieved the Titles to retain.
The Bloodline defeated DIY and The Street Profits at 18:37
After the match, The Bloodline celebrated while replays showed highlights from the match. The Bloodline then held up the Titles to close the show.
My Take: A good ladder match and an exciting close to the show. They never really made me believe the Bloodline were going to lose, but it was a strong effort all around and ladder matches are dangerous no matter the circumstances to hats off to the talent for delivering some big moments. This show was missing quite a few of the major stars, but it didn’t suffer from it too badly with good promos and matches coming from other sources.
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