Baron Corbin defeated Apollo Crews on the pre-show. This makes sense, since Corbin is on the rise as a monster heel destined to blow through Kane on his way to Ambrose, while Crews is in a rut right now, waiting for that right little something to kick-start his character. I'm not sure what they should do with Crews at this point, since there are two many active heels right now to turn him and he's already exhausted his feud with The Miz. More intensity, more something.
Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon opened the main show, hyping up the crowd and boasting about Smackdown's new titles and big match-ups. This wasn't really necessary, but it didn't drag on for too long either.
Becky Lynch, Natalya, Nicki Bella, Alexa Bliss, Naomi, and Carmella competed in an elimination style match for the new Smackdown Women's Championship. Putting this match on so early in the show kinda bugged me, especially since they did the same thing at SummerSlam, but once the action got going, I forgot all about it. There were okay entrances for the ladies, with Naomi's dazzling glow in the dark look being my favorite. Alexa Bliss went for what I think was a Harley Quinn look, but didn't commit enough to the cosplay to pull it off. While the action was a little awkward at times (which is often the case in any match with more than three people), each woman settled into a role and found a part to play. Alexa was the opportunist, Becky was the underdog hero, Natalya was the physically dominant heel, Naomi was the show stealer, Nicki Bella was the expected winner a la John Cena, and Carmella was the aggressive heel. The match came down to Becky and Carmella, the latter of whom tapped to Lynch's Disarmer submission. It's a good move to have Becky be the first Smackdown champ, and she's also the last one of NXT's "Four Horsewomen" to finally hold a title. Cool match.
Backstage, we saw Bray Wyatt attack Randy Orton. He slammed a door onto his leg several times. Nice character move for Wyatt, tough break for Orton.
The Usos changed their manner of dress and demeanor to fit their new heel personas. Their match against the Hype Bros. to advance in the tag title tournament saw then unveil a harder edged style, with slightly less acrobatics and more targeted offense. They haven't gone full "Revival" mode yet, but they did seem to stick to the mat a little more in this match. They beat the Hype Bros. to advance in a pretty good match. Mojo and Ryder have been a fun team on NXT and Smackdown, but I don't see this particular tandem (or at least this version of it) being champs anytime soon. They're babyface gatekeepers for any heel team on the climb.
The Miz and Dolph Ziggler had a great match for Miz's IC title. Miz might've taken some of Daniel Bryan's words to heart as he showed a little more recklessness than usual and even did some things I don't think I've ever seen him do. Ziggler was his usual badass self. Miz's wife Maryse nailed Ziggler with what looked like pepper spray, allowing Miz to finish off the challenger with a Skull-Crushing Finale and retain his title. Great mid-card match and I hope Miz keeps that belt for a looong time.
Bray Wyatt made his entrance for his match against Orton next. Ring announcer Greg Hamilton informed us that Orton would not be able to compete, but Wyatt would have to face Kane in a No Holds Barred match instead. I saw this whole segment as WWE trying to make the most of a lousy situation. The crowd wasn't wild about it, either. (Orton probably sells a lot of tickets, so him not wrestling no doubt irked more than a few fans.) Kane and Wyatt made good use of the no holds barred stipulation, battling all around the ring anf even bringing a chair into play for a sec. Orton did a run in (well, more of a hobble really) and surprised Wyatt with an RKO, allowing Kane to put Wyatt away. It sucks Wyatt had to lose to Kane, but they did announce him as the winner of the Orton match by forfeit, so there's always that, right?
The main event WWE title match between AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose was nothing short of incredible. We all know AJ is a monster in the ring by now, but Dean really seems to turn it up a notch for some of his title matches. This reminded me of his match against Triple H at Roadblock earlier in the year. Styles busted out some of his New Japan arsenal, giving the paying fans a little something extra for their coinage. Dean employed his usual bag of tricks, but really carried the acting side of things. While Ambrose might not be the technical wunderkind that Styles is, he has the face of a champion and can be really compelling in long, physical matches. Continuing the theme of nut shots, Styles nailed Dean with a sneaky low blow, allowing him to hit the Styles Clash and win the title. I thought for sure Dean would walk away champ from this one, and I was wrong. I like both guys so I'm okay with the outcome. I also liked how they teased the Styles Clash several times during the match and built to it. That reminds me of AJ's time in New Japan, where the Clash was considered a near-lethal move and put several wrestlers on the shelf (kayfabe). Protecting finishing moves is one area I wish the WWE would improve on.
This was a good show, aside from Orton not getting to wrestle. I would've put the women's title match on later, but in retrospect, it was a really good opener. The small card and the longer matches made this feel like an NXT special, which is perfect. Less filler, more wrestling, matches that matter; these are the things that will help both "brands" build a more trusting, enthralled fan base.
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