{"id":100298,"date":"2021-09-11T10:00:43","date_gmt":"2021-09-11T14:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=100298"},"modified":"2021-09-10T23:11:34","modified_gmt":"2021-09-11T03:11:34","slug":"how-super-smackdown-at-msg-delivered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/09\/11\/how-super-smackdown-at-msg-delivered\/","title":{"rendered":"How Super SmackDown at MSG Delivered"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>September 10&#8217;s <strong>Friday Night SmackDown<\/strong><em>, <\/em><strong>World Wrestling Entertainment<\/strong>\u2019s first live broadcast at Madison Square Garden in two years, promised a \u201csuper\u201d card. Super SmackDown at MSG celebrated WWE<em>\u2019s <\/em>return to a venue entwined with its history, and a commemoration of the role that WWE played in helping to heal the nation after the September 11, 200 terrorist attacks on the eve of the twentieth anniversary. Those with a living memory of that time know in what short supply normalcy was then, for an American public collectively traumatized by the event and for New York City, especially, as its locus. WWE, then at the height of its popularity, along with other sporting events were a focal point of solidarity for a nation united in sheer horror and determination to prevail.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Super SmackDown at MSG<\/strong><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrockLesnar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@BrockLesnar<\/a> is making his presence felt at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheGarden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TheGarden<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWERomanReigns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWERomanReigns<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEUsos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWEUsos<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HeymanHustle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@HeymanHustle<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WlABsDXvsT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/WlABsDXvsT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1436484982218838022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 11, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Bloodline and Brock Lesnar Open the Show<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>While there was some homage paid to that day on the eve of its 20<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary, the New York City crowd was convivial and engaged, a punctuating part of the unfolding drama. That drama, as SmackDown<em>\u00a0<\/em>viewers have become accustomed to over the last year, came mostly courtesy of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/09\/04\/the-bloodline-gift-that-keeps-giving\/\" target=\"_self\">The Bloodline<\/a>: Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, <\/strong>and <strong>Jey Uso<\/strong>. They opened the broadcast, with Roman Reigns demanding homage from the crowd. The parade of vanities ended in betrayal, however, in betrayal. <strong>Brock Lesnar <\/strong>entered the scene, calculatedly demanding to know why <strong>Paul Heyman <\/strong>hadn\u2019t told Reigns that he, Lesnar, would be at <strong><em>SummerSlam<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The shaft found its mark, and Reigns&#8217;s trust in Heyman evaporated visibly. He, and <strong>The Usos<\/strong>, departed. Heyman pivoted, seeming to resume his role as Lesnar\u2019s advocate without a second thought. However, Lesnar had demands: a Universal Championship match against Reigns, ASAP. When Lesnar seemed poised to vent his displeasure violently on Heyman, Reigns rushed in to make the save, despite the cloud of suspicion around Heyman. It was a lot to take in, but at the same time inevitable. The seeds of the Bloodline saga have been leading to these moments at Super SmackDown at MSG since Lesnar\u2019s appearance at <em>SummerSlam<\/em>, but all involved made the plot twists organic and fun when they came. Lesnar, especially, seemed to be having a ball.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What will it take to put away <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EdgeRatedR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@EdgeRatedR<\/a>?!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWERollins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWERollins<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SLsYJnFWFU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/SLsYJnFWFU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1436500998281912320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 11, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Seth Rollins and Edge&#8217;s Continued Rivalry<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Bloodline\u2019s, Heyman\u2019s, and Lesnar\u2019s weren\u2019t the only storylines that were at fever pitch before the NYC crowd. <strong>Seth Rollins<\/strong> and <strong>Edge <\/strong>staged a rematch of their <em>SummerSlam<\/em> brawl that will no doubt be studied by young wrestlers honing their craft for years to come. In Chinese opera, it&#8217;s said that the actor who plays the god of war becomes the god of war; Edge eschewed his customary black and red for black and pink gear presumably in honor of his early mentor <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/08\/26\/bret-hart-intercontinental-championship-summerslam-1991\/\" target=\"_self\">Bret Hart<\/a>, <\/strong>and truly did seem to transcend to \u201cHitman\u201d levels of pathos in the ring, with his crafty tenacity and the sympathy-inducing amounts of pain he took from Rollins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy won&#8217;t you just die?!\u201d cried a desperate Rollins, to a depleted Edge, who had withstood or resisted him at every turn.<\/p>\n<p>In false finish after false finish, each man pushed the other to their limits, sparing little of their comparably lethal arsenals on each other in the ring and outside it in an emotionally charged fray. As he\u2019s threatened to do for months, Seth Rollins finally delivered a stomp to Edge\u2019s precarious neck, seemingly transforming his character into something darker than the grandiosely vitriolic \u201cMonday Night Messiah\u201d or \u201cDrip God\u201d incarnations. A disassociated and dazed Rollins watched Edge depart in an ambulance.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Man like <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MontezFordWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@MontezFordWWE<\/a> is a human highlight reel! \ud83e\udd2f<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HOT8KP4GhL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/HOT8KP4GhL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wweontnt\/status\/1436506680867663873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 11, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Super SmackDown Main Event<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Usos and <strong>The Street Profits <\/strong>continues to be a raucous joy, the chemistry shown by the two high-flying, suicide-diving, risk-taking teams a joy, especially in contrast to The Street Profits&#8217; last non-starter rivalry with <strong>Alpha Academy<\/strong>. As the high energy match started to go <strong>Montez Ford<\/strong>\u2019s and <strong>Angelo Dawkins<\/strong>\u2019s way, Roman Reigns intervened to salvage a situation for his clique for a second time that night, locking Ford in the guillotine as he was about to secure a pinfall victory and claim the SmackDown Tag Team Championships for The Street Profits.<\/p>\n<p>Lesnar, Reigns boldly declared, was next, right after he had taken care of <strong>Finn Balor <\/strong>at <em><strong>Extreme Rules<\/strong>.<\/em> Pulsating red lights flared through one of America\u2019s most storied live venues, and the MSG crowd witnessed what no crowd has since <strong><em>Super Showdown<\/em><\/strong> in Saudi Arabia in 2019: Balor in the regalia of the Demon King. The broadcast ended with \u201cThe Tribal Chief\u201d and \u201cThe Demon King\u201d sizing each other up in the ring.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>In Closing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Super SmackDown at MSG was a night of returns: a return to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msg.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Garden<\/a> for WWE, the return of &#8220;The Demon King,&#8221; and WWE\u2019s continued return to touring as it once again visits venues and crowds out of reach during the pandemic. After 9\/11, once again, they provided the normalcy of joy with a truly super show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>September 10&#8217;s Friday Night SmackDown, World Wrestling Entertainment\u2019s first live broadcast at Madison Square Garden in two years, promised a \u201csuper\u201d card. Super SmackDown at MSG celebrated WWE\u2019s return to a venue entwined with its history, and a commemoration of the role that WWE played in helping to heal the nation after the September 11, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3715,"featured_media":100304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,26,4,3],"tags":[57,328,111,256,77,76,5452,153],"class_list":["post-100298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-smackdown","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-brock-lesnar","tag-edge","tag-finn-balor","tag-paul-heyman","tag-roman-reigns","tag-seth-rollins","tag-the-street-profits","tag-the-usos"],"modified_by":"Robbie Sutter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3715"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}