WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, News And Notes On August 14, 2020

WWE Friday Night SmackDown, which bizarrely displayed a TV-14 graphic prior to airing, featured an opening segment where RETRIBUTION attacked Big E and John Morrison in addition to a sit-down interview with Alexa Bliss.

SmackDown also featured a Tri-Branded Battle Royal won by Asuka, which means Asuka will now challenge both Sasha Banks and Bayley in individual matches for the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships, respectively, at SummerSlam.

The main event segment featured a face-to-face confrontation between The Fiend and the newly bald Braun Strowman, who press-slammed a heartbroken Alexa Bliss.

Friday Night SmackDown was up slightly last week with 1.962 million viewers.

• August 14, 2020—1.962 million viewers
• August 7, 2020—1.894 million viewers
• July 24, 2020—1.924 million viewers
• July 17, 2020—1.893 million viewers
• July 10, 2020—1.900 million viewers

WWE Friday Night SmackDown—Key Competition

• Mainstream News Coverage of COVID-19
• MLB Regular Season Slate
• NBA Regular Season Slate

Pro Wrestling Bits—How WWE can Save Raw Underground

WWE SmackDown Total YouTube Viewership Last Friday

11,011,247 views (Up from 8,141,163 )

• Most-Viewed: Mandy Rose Debuts New Look as Brawl Erupts on SmackDown (3,042,652 views) 
• Least-Viewed: Lince Dorado vs. Cesaro (232,962 views)
• Median Viewership: 525,741

WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results: Friday, August 14, 2020

Big E vs. John Morrison is Interrupted by RETRIBUTION

If this company was in competent hands, any Big E vs. John Morrison match would be exclusive to a world title match and/or pay-per-view.

More members of RETRIBUTION proves WWE can never have too much of a bad thing.

A good byproduct of RETRIBUTION is WWE establishing Big E as a locker room leader in combatting them. That’s the only positive I can think of so far.

RETRIBUTION is The Shield and The Nexus combined with none of the star power or purpose.

Asuka wins the Tri-Branded Battle Royal for a Shot at the WWE SmackDown Championship

Anybody who watched this year’s Royal Rumble knows that Bianca Belair is really good at Battle Royals. It showed again tonight.

In the worst Battle Royal strategy I’ve ever seen, Dana Brooke waited until only Asuka and Shayna Baszler were in the ring to reenter. Unfortunately, Asuka and Baszler in a ring alone is more dangerous than a ring filled with the entire division.

If Asuka wins the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championship, WWE will might not be able to resist the temptation of unifying them.

WWE booked Naomi to be unceremoniously eliminated just so she can trend worldwide again.

The right way to play this is for Asuka to win one title and lose the other, thereby building to the friendship-killing line of either Bayley or Sasha Banks gloating that they beat Asuka and the other couldn’t.

Sheamus def. Shorty G

The lack of effort WWE puts into Shorty G’s theme music is a microcosm of how this otherwise talented man is booked.

Crazy as it sounds, I’m pretty sure Sheamus was technically supposed to be the babyface in this one.

Shorty G’s offense is equal parts unique and believable.

AJ Styles Introduces the Phenomenal Intercontinental Statistics System

When AJ Styles came out with the artist formerly known as Abyss, I thought he might re-brand his title as the TNA Intercontinental Championship

There’s no way this “piss” joke wasn’t getting approved by Vince McMahon.

Even with questionable material, AJ Styles was very good in this segment.

Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles should not be fighting for the Intercontinental Championship in 2020.

Gran Metalik def. Shinsuke Nakamura

Belt theft is becoming a serious epidemic in pro wrestling and it happened again tonight with The Lucha House Party stealing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

I legitimately forgot that the Lucha House Party is a three-man stable until Kalisto showed back up.

Alexa Bliss Sit-Down Interview

Alexa Bliss saying Braun Strowman is her best friend had to break Nikki Cross’ heart.

Between Otis-Mandy and Braun-Alexa, nobody loves a Beauty and the Beast storyline quite like WWE.

Big E vs. John Morrison

The Miz on commentary felt like a tryout.

Did WWE fire its security along with everyone else on Black Friday? Is that how RETRIBUTION is able to do whatever it wants?

Braun Strowman and The Fiend come Face to Face

“Consume your entrails” is not something Braun Strowman would ever say in real life with or without hair.

One of the few long-term storylines that WWE sticks to is that everyone who comes into contact with The Fiend changes. Good on them.

Is The Fiend the babyface in this feud all of a sudden? Because he feels like the babyface, especially after Braun Strowman press-slammed Alexa Bliss and cackled maniacally.