Ringside Intel brings you live play-by-play, results and viewing party for tonight’s Smackdown Live (10/2/2018) broadcast. Pre-show starts at 7:50 pm EST and the main show starts at 8 pm EST. Paige will address Samoa Joe’s actions from last week. Tweet and follow @RingsideIntel on Twitter.

Smackdown Live: 8 pm EST

Smackdown General Manager Paige comes out to address how she’s going to deal with Samoa Joe’s actions against AJ Styles and his family last week. One is option is to fire him. But first she called WWE Champion AJ Styles to see what he thought. Styles told her that he was dropping the charges against Joe and begged Paige not to fire Joe. Styles wants to be the one to pay Joe back for what he did. Paige agreed. Then Paige shows a clip with a message from Styles where he apologizes for not being there tonight.

Styles says with everything that has happened, he just doesn’t think he’d be able to perform tonight. The crowd boos. He says he has four amazing kids and he needs to be with them before he goes to Australia to face Joe. Styles says he has to be there for his daughter, Anna. She’s been waking up in the middle of the night looking for Uncle Joe, like he was the boogyman. He says this thing between him and Joe needs to end. Styles is talking about burying Joe alive. He stares meanly into the camera as the message concludes.

***

Mixed Tag Team Match: R-Truth & Carmella vs. Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas & Zelina Vega

Match gets underway and the ‘Fabulous Truth’ end up sending Almas & Vega out to ringside as it cuts to commercial.

Back again and Truth lands a jumping spin kick on Almas. Both men sell as both women are eager for the tag. The tags are made and Carmella comes out aggressively against Vega. Carmella hits a hurricanrana and a Bronco Buster. She connects with a flatliner and pins but Almas breaks the count at 2. The crown boos. Carmella jaw jacks at Almas, who cockily waves her off. Then Truth attacks Almas and they go tumbling to the floor. Carmella and Vega scramble until Mella locks on the Code Of Silence for the finish.

Winners: R-Truth & Carmella

***

Smackdown Tag Champs The New Day comes out for the pilot edition of “New Day Cooks. They introduce Mr. Bootyworth, who is the guy that cooks their pancakes each week, and he’s going to share his secret recipe. Before they can get started, New Day’s title opponents this weekend at Super Showdown, The Bar, come out to interrupt. Sheamus reminds New Day that Cesaro is Swiss, and the Swiss know a thing or two about delicious pastries. They continue to play coy, until Sheamus finally tips over the table in the ring and sends its content spilling everywhere.

A brawl ensues and a cloud of flour fills the ring after being thrown and The Bar ends up leaving New Day laid out. Mr. Bootyworth is left standing, watching nervously and Sheamus goes over and puts a hand on his back. The Bar talks, seemingly innocuously to Mr. Bootyworth, but then they dump pancake batter in his hat and dump the hat on his head. Mr. Bootyworth tries to leave but Sheamus stands in his way. Cesaro dumps more batter all over his back and then The Bar orders Mr. Bootyworth to leave. The crowd boos as The Bar rejoices their actions.

***

Singles Match: Randy Orton vs. Tye Dillinger

Dillinger requested this match earlier because of Orton’s attack on him last week. Dillinger comes out to meet Orton during his entrance and Orton engages. They battle into the ring and Orton takes control. Dillinger fires back with some chops and then clotheslines Orton over the top rope out to the floor. He goes after Orton and belly-to-back suplexes him him onto the announce table. Dillinger is showing an aggression as never seen from him before. Orton fights back now and spikes Dillinger with a Draping DDT off the barricade.

Orton then goes over to the steel steps and pick the top piece up, looking to use it as a weapon. But he thinks better of it and tosses them aside, perhaps not wanting to earn a disqualification. Instead, Orton walks over and begins cranking Dillinger’s finger brutally over the turnbuckle pin, prying it like a lever as Orton begs and agonizes, trying to free himself. Orton holds it and holds it, not relinquishing as officials swarm the ring and plead with him to stop.

Finally, Orton lets go and Dillinger pants laboriously as he lays on the ground, clutching his hand. Orton takes his leave.

Rusev and Lana come to the ring and the crowd chants “Rusev Day!” Rusev says Aiden English turned on him and now he wants to claim something happened with he and Rusev’s wife in Milwaukee once. Rusev calls for English to come out and show the bogus evidence he has for this. English comes out and is about to show it, “But first!” English then starts going into some trivia about the city of Milwaukee. Lana says he’s stalling and to just get on with it. English ends up showing the video.

The video shows Lana arriving at English’s hotel room and saying, “I want you…” But the video stops there. English says he’d love to show the whole thing but he’s entertaining an offer from TMZ right now. And, says English, “I wouldn’t wanna cheat on them.” He inflects the words in a way that makes his implication clear. Rusev looks taken aback by what he’s seen. He looks to Lana, confusedly. Then he angrily leaves the ring and chases up the aisle after English.

***

Backstage, Rusev is on a tear looking for English. Lana tells him there’s more to the video and she needs to a explain, but Rusev says he doesn’t want to do it there. He walks off as Lana looks after him, fretting.

***

Singles Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Daniel Bryan

Miz joins the broadcast table and talks smack on commentary during the match. Benjamin comes out hard and batters Bryan with some power moves. Bryan suddenly capitalizes on a mistake and nearly sinks the Yes Lock on but Benjamin escapes. They battle to the outside and Benjamin throws Bryan back and forth brutally into the barricade and the ring apron respectively. Commercial break.

Back again and Benjamin is in control. He gets a bearhug. Bryan fights out of it and tries to mount an offense but Benjamin hits him with a German suplex. Bryan again tries to gain momentum but Benjamin stifles him with another German suplex. Bryan finally finds his spot and hits Benjamin with a Frankensteiner. He lands some Yes Kicks and lays Benjamin out with a big shot. Bryan gets fired up, looking for the finish, but Miz jumps up on the apron and causes a distraction. Benjamin takes advantage and hits the finish.

Winner: Shelton Benjamin

After the match, Miz puts a beating on Bryan at ringside. He throws Bryan into the announce table repeatedly and then tosses him in the ring. Miz has a fierce look in his eyes as he stalks Bryan. Miz plants Bryan with a Skull-Crushing Finale and leaves him laid out ahead of their match this Sunday at Super Showdown.

***

Singles Match: Asuka vs. Peyton Royce

Asuka picks up the quick win.

Winner: Asuka

***

Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch comes out and talks about how she learned that being kind only lets people take advantage of you. She wasn’t willing to take that anymore. Becky realized her best friend had been holding her back and she plays a video package to demonstrate her point. Becky says she has proven many times that she can handle Charlotte Flair, but where are her magazine covers? On Saturday, Becky will prove that it’s her face that should be on the billboards and posters. And if no one gives it to her, she’ll do it herself.

Becky says she has designed a new poster for the Super Showdown. She reveals the poster and it’s of her standing triumphant over a beaten Charlotte. Charlotte’s music hits and she storms out to the ring for a fight. They brawl and Charlotte ends up hitting a big Spear. The crowd boos. Charlotte then locks on a Figure-4 and hangs off the apron for leverage, ala Bret Hart. Charlotte leaves Becky beat up in the ring and the two will face each other this Sunday in Australia.