Ringside Intel brings you live play-by-play, results and viewing party for tonight’s Smackdown Live (9/18/2018) broadcast. Pre-show starts at 7:50 pm EST and the main show starts at 8 pm EST. Time for the blue brand fallout after this past weekend’s Hell In A Cell. Tweet and follow @RingsideIntel on Twitter.

Smackdown Live: 8 pm EST

Show opens up and Miz is in the ring for an edition of Miz TV. Miz says he has some big news. He will be facing Daniel Bryan at the Super Showdown in Australia and the winner will get a title shot against the WWE Champion. Miz says he’s superior to Bryan. Don’t believe him? Miz reminds everyone he beat Bryan at SummerSlam and Hell In A Cell. He will beat Bryan again. But, Miz says, that’s 3 weeks away. Miz has other business he’d like to attend to for tonight.

He brings out his wife, Maryse, to be his guest on the show. Miz asks her how difficult it was beating Daniel Bryan’s wife, compared with being the greatest wife and mother on earth. Maryse laughs and says beating Brie Bella was the easiest thing she’s ever done. Miz says Brie hooked up with Bryan because she thought she was hitching herself to a big star. Miz suggests that was an error in judgement on her part. Miz asks Maryse what’s next for her and she says she’s going to be stepping away from the ring.

The crowd chants “Yes” and Miz explains they’re chanting “Yes” about the fact she’s going back home to be a great mother. The crowd boos and Miz yells at the crowd to not boo his wife. He says he’ll give them all something to boo about and he calls Bryan out for a fight. Bryan’s music hits and he comes out. Bryan says Miz can talk about him as much as he wants, but when he talks about Bryan’s wife, he’s in for a fight. Bryan charges the ring and goes after Miz but he inadvertently nails Maryse.

Maryse is down and Miz is anxiously tending to her, perturbed and worked up. Medical staff come out with a stretcher and help her as Bryan looks on horrified at what he’s done. Bryan apologizes to Maryse. Suddenly, Maryse gets up and is fine and she smiles deviously. Miz takes advantage of Bryan’s confusion and attacks him. Bryan manages to fight Miz off and Maryse gets bumped for real this time. Bryan stands tall in the ring as Miz and Maryse stumble up the aisle toward the back.

***

Bryan is interviewed backstage and he says he knows Miz’s tricks and knows he’s a coward. And at Super Showdown, Bryan will be punching his ticket for the WWE Championship opportunity.

***

New Day and The Bar have a verbal exchange on the mic.

Singles Match: Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston

Back from commercial and Kofi is climbing to the top rope but Cesaro dropkicks him and Kofi is crotched. Cesaro starts trying to set something up but Kofi spikes him with a tornado DDT. He pins but Cesaro kicks out. Cesaro ends up outside and Kofi does a bouncing flip off the top rope out onto him. Back in the ring and Cesaro starts to get back in it. He plants Kofi with a Neutralizer for the victory.

Winner: Cesaro

***

Rusev tells Aiden English that he lost the match for them at Hell In A Cell. He tells English he’s not pulling his weight anymore. Rusev leaves and English flips out on a nearby person, saying that Rusev and Lana wouldn’t be anything without him. The whole Rusev Day thing was his idea. He talks some trash about Lana but it turns out Lana is still standing behind him. English tries to retract his words but Lana says she’s going to tell Rusev. She walks off and English follows after her, pleading.

***

Randy Orton is backstage in the production truck and he’s bullying one of the guys sitting at the monitors. He forces the guy to look at images of Orton yanking on Jeff Hardy’s ear at Hell In A Cell. Orton asks the guy how he feels and asks the guy to just imagine what he’s going to do to his next victim.

WWE Champion AJ Styles admits that perhaps Samoa Joe did get the short end of the stick at HIAC, because Styles did tap out just as the ref was hitting the count. But Styles says lady luck shined on him, and perhaps it was karma for all the horrible things Joe did and said regarding Styles’ family. But Styles has a match against Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas tonight and Almas took him into deep water last time. He needs to focus on tonight.

***

United States Championship Match: Rusev (with Aiden English & Lana) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c)

Back from commercial and Nakamura has Rusev in a headlock. English cheers on Rusev from ringside and gets on the mic to start a “Rusev Day” chant with the crowd. Rusev manages to make some space and get a breather. Nakamura and Rusev trade shots until Rusev levels Nakamura with some clotheslines and a big kick. Rusev is getting fired up as he plants Nak with a jumping spin-kick. Rusev sets up for the Machka Kick but Nak evades. Rusev still manages to knock Nakamura down with a high-kick to the head and pins for a near-fall.

Nakamura fires back now and he stomps on Rusev in the corner. They end up on the apron and jockey for position. Nakamura hits Rusev with a knee and he falls to the floor. Nak throws Rusev into the barricade and then back in the ring. Nakamura charges in for a Kinshasa but Rusev counters with the Machka Kick. Both men are down. Rusev starts to get up and he lets his rage fire him up. Suddenly, English jumps up on the apron and he yells “Rusev, crush!” Rusev looks at him confused and Nakamura takes advantage of the distraction and rolls Rusev up for the 3-count.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (c)

After the match, English attacks Rusev and leaves him laid out in the ring after a vicious assault. Lana screams at him for what he’s done and the crowd starts to boo.

***

Singles Match: AJ Styles vs. Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas

Before the match gets officially underway, Almas attacks Styles from behind and puts a beating on him. The ref asks Styles if he wants to proceed with the match and Styles gives him a staggered affirmative. Bell sounds and Almas jumps on him but Styles starts to fight back until Almas lays him flat with a big kick. Almas lands a backbreaker for 2. Commercial break.

Back again and Almas is in control. Styles fires back with a DDT. Both men sell. They get to their feet and Almas lands a spinning back-elbow for a near-fall. Styles gets back in it with a fireman’s carry neckbreaker. Styles hits Almas with some forearms and then kips up. He goes for the Styles Clash but Almas backdrops him. Almas goes for a moonsault but Styles rolls away. Almas lands on his feet and continues with a standing moonsault, but Styles gets his knees up.

Styles goes for a springboard but Almas knocks his legs out from under him. Styles gets hung up in the ropes and Almas jumps off the top turnbuckles and drives both his feet down into Styles’ heart. Both men tumble to the floor. Almas gets back in the ring and kicks Styles back to the floor as he climbs up to the apron. Commercial break.

Back again and Styles knocks Almas out of the ring. The ref starts to count him out. Styles brings Almas back in, not wanting to win that way. Styles hits a Phenomenal Forearm to the back of Almas’ head. He pins. 1-2-… but Almas gets the shoulder up. Styles goes for a Styles Clash but Almas fights him off and then lands a missile dropkick off the top turnbuckle. Almas hits double-knees on Styles in the corner and pins. 1-2-… but Styles kicks out. Almas looks for the Hammer-Lock DDT but Styles does a nifty transition into the Styles Clash for the finish.

Winner: AJ Styles

After the match, Samoa Joe attacks Styles. They battle to ringside and Styles starts to fight back. Joe ends up making some space and leaves through the crowd, yelling back at Styles saying, “You’ll never be safe!”

***

Singles Match: Asuka (with Naomi) vs. Billie Kay (with Peyton Royce)

Bell sounds and Kay has some success early. She slaps a hold on Asuka and talks trash relentlessly. Asuka manages to counter with an Asuka Lock for the submission victory.

Winner: Asuka

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1042228453389393921

***

Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair meet in the ring and Becky tells her she wants Charlotte to call her ‘queen. Things escalate and Becky ends up putting Charlotte in the Disarm Her before leaving.