Plenty of excitement was built for SmackDown LIVE last night with a huge first time ever match and the King of the Ring continuing on. No need to sugarcoat it and blab, let’s jump into the SmackDown highlights!
SmackDown Highlights: King of the Ring Night 2 Results
The first round of matches continued on as the SmackDown LIVE side got a taste of the action. The two matches featured Apollo Crews and Andrade going head to head along with Kevin Owens vs Elias in a match that many expected to see Shane McMahon stick his head into.
King of the Ring First Round: Apollo Crews vs Andrade
Apollo Crews vs Andrade was all about athleticism inside the ring. These two are among the best talents in the WWE and showed that last night. Crews’ crazy ability was on display as Andrade was off-kilter the entire match looking for ways to finish off Apollo. Zelina Vega did all she could do to try and keep Andrade from losing in the first round. Despite the efforts of Crews, Andrade still had enough in the tank. “El Idolo” would hit his spinning elbow on Crews, knocking his lights out. He proceeded to lift up Crews and hit the Hammerlock DDT to move on to the next round. Andrade is many peoples favorite to win this whole thing, and the second match of the night only helped that.
King of the Ring First Round: Kevin Owens vs Elias
Kevin Owens attempted to get his fine lifted by reasoning with Shane McMahon. His respectful manner was noticeable and it seemed it would be fixed. Come the bout between KO and Elias in the first round for the King of the Ring. Kevin Owens seemingly had the upper hand before Shane McMahon made his way out. As the match came to a close, Shane would reveal himself as an official WWE referee. He would reveal the shirt and it put Owens at a disadvantage instantly. Kevin remained in control, but Elias had the wherewithal to reverse the Stunner. Elias pushed KO into Shane but KO did what he could to avoid. This led to the roll up on KO by Elias and Shane would do a quick count to eliminate Owens from the tournament. Shane vs Owens is not over, but KO’s run to be “King” certainly is.
SmackDown Highlights: Sami Zayn joins forces with Shinsuke Nakamura
Sami Zayn would appear on Miz TV to air his grievances. He realizes the losing streak he has been on and his King of the Ring run ending as well. Zayn made the point that his entire career he found success fighting for something he believed in, and starting now he would find that way again. He would point to the entranceway as Shinsuke Nakamura made his way down to the ring. Zayn would let it be known that he is now the exclusive talker for Nakamura. He explained how Shinsuke is an artist and he will no longer be disrespected. Nakamura would attack The Miz and hit two Kinshasa’s to make the statement. This new pairing of Sami Zayn and the Intercontinental Champion is one no one expected, but certainly, one that can be really exciting as this stems back to Shinsuke’s first match in NXT.
SmackDown MVP: Buddy Murphy
A week after being disrespected by Daniel Bryan and having his star-making match with Roman Reigns, Buddy Murphy is an MVP once again. This week he took on Daniel Bryan in a first-time match that was sure to steal the show and it did exactly that. These two men had one of the harder-hitting battles on SmackDown LIVE in a while, which was said last week as well between Roman and Murphy. Murphy was pulling out all the stops to try and get the biggest win of his career against Daniel Bryan.
Towards the finish of the match, Rowan would try to help Bryan out but Murphy would have none of it. He would go for a Superkick on Daniel Bryan that would instead connect with Rowan. Bryan would roll him up only for a two count. Murphy would get to his feet and hit a huge V-Trigger knee. He would finally set up Bryan for Murphy’s Law, hitting the move and pinning Daniel Bryan in the middle of the ring. Murphy’s stock is only continuing to rise as he is getting the fans on his side and two huge matches under his belt. Next week he has a shot at advancing in the King of the Ring tournament as he takes on Ali.
NXT may be making the waves, but Buddy Murphy is the talk of the town when it comes to SmackDown LIVE and the main roster. With the King of the Ring prepped to continue next week, it should be another good week of WWE TV.
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