The September 5th, 2017 edition of WWE SmackDown takes place at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
- SmackDown opens up with a video promoting Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura’s match tonight. We then go deep into the backstage area of the arena where Orton cuts a promo about the match later. Orton says that Nakamura will not distract him from his ultimate goal of taking the WWE Title from Jinder Mahal, and no one rises above the Viper. We then go to Nakamura in the locker room where he cuts a promo saying he respects Orton, but he’s going to fulfil his destiny of winning the WWE Title.
- James Ellsworth and Carmella are in the ring, and Ellsworth starts to introduce Carmella on the mic until he gets interrupted by Kevin Owens. Owens comes down to the ring and says he has good news for them: He’s going to be the special guest referee for Carmella’s next match. Owens tries to forcibly take the referee’s shirt, but Shane McMahon comes out for the save. Shane steps in the ring and says he’s shutting him down, and Owens won’t be making himself a referee tonight. Shane says Kevin needs to stop blaming him for losing. Shane says on SmackDown they won’t hand him a Championship like Triple H did on the RAW brand. Owens blames Shane for not being the U.S. Champ right now, and he says Shane acts like this because Vince didn’t give him enough attention as a kid. Owens says Shane’s family would have been better off had he not survived his recent helicopter crash, including his kids. This sets off Shane and he starts fighting with Owens out of the right and over the announce table at ringside. Shane gets on Owens and starts pummeling on him and shoving off anyone who tries to stop him. Daniel Bryan, Joey Mercury and others come out to pull Shane off and calm him down. Shane heads backstage and Daniel Bryan doesn’t look happy.
- Kevin Owens is being helped backstage by Charles Robinson and some other referees. Daniel Bryan runs up and apologizes for Shane and says he was way out of line. Owens says Bryan better enjoy his job while he has it because he’s going to sue Shane and literally turn SmackDown into the Kevin Owens Show literally. Owens says he’s suing WWE and every member of the McMahon Family. Bryan asks if there’s another way they can handle this, and Owens says the only other option would be to press criminal charges against Shane.
- Natalya def. Carmella: Carmella hits a hurricanrana early on and follows up with a dropkick. They trade slaps to the face then Natalya drops Carmella with a discus clothesline. Natalya comes back with a suplex, then we see Naomi watching on a monitor backstage. Carmella comes back with a front face lock, but Natalya powers out and slams her down. Natalya goes for the Sharpshooter but Carmella fights out. Carmella hits an elbow and a superkick for a two count. James Ellsworth gets on the apron and hands over the Money In The Bank briefcase. Carmella gets mad and doesn’t want the briefcase now, and Natalya takes advantage of the distraction and rolls up Carmella from behind for the win. Ellsworth apologizes to Carmella and she rips into him. Carmella says Ellsworth is the sorriest excuse for a human being she’s ever met, and she doesn’t need a genetic defect like him. She says Ellsworth is a charity case and his mother should have given him away at birth. She says she’s through with Ellsworth, then she leaves with the briefcase.
- Shane McMahon is shown backstage looking concerned about what happened earlier.
- We’re told that Dolph Ziggler will “re-debut” next.
- Dolph Ziggler comes out with his usual entrance music and gets on the mic on the stage. He says the WWE Universe doesn’t appreciate how great he is in the ring, and they don’t realize that he’s the greatest performer in WWE history. Ziggler says the fans would rather have some dumb gimmick than Ziggler, so the screen goes dark and he walks off. John Cena’s music hits with Ziggler’s name still on the screen, and he comes out wearing Cena’s hat. The crowd boos so Ziggler gets on the mic and says he’s got another one. This time he goes behind the curtain, and comes back out with Macho Man’s music and entrance. Ziggler gets on the mic and says the crowd isn’t going for the nostalgia act like they usually do, but he knows what they want. Ziggler comes out dressed in glow-in-the-dark stuff and does Naomi’s dancing entrance next. Ziggler says anyone can do what he just did, but no one can do what he does in the ring. Ziggler says he doesn’t care about the crowd just like they don’t care about him, and they all make him sick, then Ziggler heads backstage.
- Aiden English def. Sami Zayn: Zayn interrupts English’s song to start the match. Zayn is in control right off the bat with a hurricanrana. Zayn goes up top and misses, and English rolls him up in a small package pin for the win after a very short match. Right after the match, English gets back on the mic to finish his song but once again Zayn interrupts him. Zayn chases English all the way to the back.
- The New Day & The Usos both walk in to Daniel Bryan’s office and discuss their match next week. The Usos says it’s going to be a Sin City Street Fight in Las Vegas next week. The Usos leave and the New Day seem excited about the match, then Bryan tells them he needs to take a phone call. He calls the person on the other line “sir” and they talk about Bryan going to the ring to do something.
- Daniel Bryan comes out to the ring without his entrance music, and he tells Shane to come down to the ring. Bryan says back when The Miz used to call him out, Shane told him to put WWE, the fans, and the employees first so Bryan restrained himself from punching Miz in the face. Bryan says Shane can’t assault an employee and they can’t run SmackDown like that. Shane says he’s right and he takes responsibility for his action. Bryan says they’re in legal trouble now and the company employees are in jeopardy. Shane says he’ll talk to Owens and smooth this over, but Bryan says it’s too late for that. Bryan says he just got a call from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and effective immediately Shane is indefinitely suspended. Bryan leaves first, then Shane heads backstage.
- Jinder Mahal is backstage with the Singh Brothers, where the WWE Champion cuts a promo about how he’s already beaten Orton and Nakamura. Jinder says he represents Asia better than Nakamura ever could, and for over 100 days he’s proven that he’s the greatest WWE Champion of all time. Jinder says tonight he’ll be watching Orton vs. Nakamura very closely.
- AJ Styles is on commentary where he talks about auctioning off his gold elbow pad he’s wearing tonight for the Connor’s Cure charity.
- Baron Corbin def. Tye Dillinger: Corbin rolls outside immediately to talk trash to AJ at ringside. Tye takes advantage of the distraction with a suicide dive onto Corbin. Back in the ring, Tye lays into Corbin with chops to the chest then clotheslines him back to the outside. Back in the ring, Corbin comes back with a chokeslam backbreaker and then a clothesline. Corbin and Tye trade strikes in the ring until Tye drops him with a flying forearm shot. Tye stomps on Corbin in the corner, then he goes for the Tyebreaker but Corbin escapes. Corbin puts the boots to Tye and Tye starts selling a leg injury. Back in the ring Tye hits ten punches in the corner, but Corbin gets in a cheap shot to the throat then hits the End of Days for the win. AJ takes issue with Corbin’s win on commentary. Corbin and AJ stare each other down after the match before Corbin heads backstage.
- Tye Dillinger is backstage selling the cheap shot to the throat when AJ Styles approaches him. AJ offers Tye another shot at the U.S. Title on SmackDown next weeks, and Tye says that would be phenomenal.
- A special look at Bobby Roode is up next and we see a video package looking back at Roode’s NXT career highlights.
- James Ellsworth finds Carmella and apologizes to her again for messing things up. He begs her for another chance and says he’ll do anything she wants. Carmella says from now on they’re doing things her way, and she grabs Ellsworth and gives him a big kiss then slaps him across the face. Carmella walks off and Ellsworth looks confused.
- Shinsuke Nakamura def. Randy Orton: Orton goes for an RKO early on but Nakamura avoids it. Orton also goes for a DDT early but Nakamura escapes and rolls outside. Back in the ring, Orton drops Nakamura across the top rope then keeps him grounded with a chin lock. Nakamura fights up and delivers some elbows to the head of Orton. Orton rolls outside and pulls Nakamura out with him. Nakamura throws Orton into the announce table, then Orton grabs Nakamura and suplexes him on top of the table. Orton takes Nakamura back in the ring for a two count. Nakamura unleashes an extended flurry off kicks on Orton, then sets up Orton in the corner for a running knee strike to the ribs. Nakamura goes up top but Orton stops him and executes a top rope superplex. Nakamura tells Orton to bring it, so Orton charges forward and Nakamura trips him. Nakamura follows up with a series of knee strikes to a grounded Orton, then Nakamura goes for another one but Orton reverses into a spinning powerslam. Orton hangs Nakamura off the middle rope and DDTs him, then he gets ready for an RKO. Orton goes for it but Nakamura reverses and puts Orton in an armbar. Orton blocks the armbar so Nakamura goes for a triangle choke and Orton powerbombs him to get out. Orton goes for the RKO but Nakamura counters with a backbreaker. Nakamura hits the Kinshasa for the three count, and Nakamura has now earned another shot at Jinder Mahal’s WWE Title. Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers are shown watching as referee Charles Robinson holds up Nakamura’s hand.
- Backstage, Daniel Bryan runs up to Kevin OWens and tells him that Shane has been suspended so this situation is done. Owens tells him he’s just getting started, and next week he will make SmackDown his personal playground. Owens says there’s nothing Bryan can do about it, but Bryan says there is someone who can do something about it - Vince McMahon - and Vince will be in the house on SmackDown next week!
- We go back to the ring where Shinsuke Nakamura is still celebrating his victory as SmackDown goes off the air.
