WWE Smackdown Results: Roman Reigns attacker revealed, Kofi Kingston retaliates against Randy Orton

Randy Orton kicked off SmackDown Live still revelling in the beatdown that he and The Revival doled out to The New Day the previous night on Raw.

Orton went for the jugular, repeatedly suggesting that WWE Champion Kofi Kingston is stupid and that he has lost the faith of his family and declaring that he was trying to teach Kofi a lesson before the New Day’s music started blaring through the arena. The Apex Predator attempted to get the jump on Kingston by turning toward the entranceway, but the WWE Champion was one step ahead, turning about fair play from last night by sneaking up behind The Viper and connecting with a pinpoint Trouble in Paradise right to Orton’s dome.

Trouble in Paradise OUTTA NOWHERE!!@TrueKofi gets the jump on @RandyOrton and #TheRevival on #SDLive! @DashWilderWWE @ScottDawsonWWE pic.twitter.com/NXN1jsKb4L

— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2019

Kofi then grabbed a chair, placed it over Orton’s ankle and contemplated smashing his weight down upon it in retaliation for what The Viper and The Revival did to Xavier Woods last night, but Dash and Dawson hit the scene, allowing The Viper the time to retreat. Kingston retrieved the steel chair and decimated the “Top Guys” with several savage strikes. The Revival fled after the punishment, leaving Kofi to stand tall with one symbolic message: He wasn’t backing down.

Bayley decked Charlotte Flair on “A Moment of Bliss”

The blue brand’s portion of the King of the Ring tournament kicked off right, as Apollo Crews clashed with Andrade in one of the most anticipated matchups of the first round.

It was clear the match meant a little extra to both competitors due to their longstanding beef, which flared up as recently as the announcement of the tournament last week. Apollo fed off the energy of the WWE Universe early and often, catching Andrade with an unbelievable dropkick and narrowly avoiding Andrade’s dreaded Running Double Knees.

Someday you’ll get it https://t.co/am1V26cGGH

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) August 21, 2019

However, in the clutch, Zelina Vega grabbed Andrade’s foot to prevent Crews from dropping him, unbeknownst to the official. With Apollo distracted for just a few seconds, Andrade capitalized with a vicious back elbow and the Hammerlock DDT to move one step closer to becoming King.

Buddy Murphy def. “The New” Daniel Bryan

Following the troubling scene that saw “The New” Daniel Bryan & Erick Rowan rough up Buddy Murphy backstage last week until Murphy “admitted” that Rowan had nothing to do with the attacks on Roman Reigns, WWE’s Best Kept Secret challenged Bryan to a match over the weekend.

Bryan, who was promising to reveal who was attacking Reigns by the end of the evening (while also insisting that Buddy was involved), went back and forth with Murphy in a dazzling contest that had the WWE Universe on its feet from the jump. Highlights included an awe-inspiring dive from Murphy and a back superplex off the top rope from Bryan – each nearly resulted in a three-count.

This #BellytoBackSuplex has GOT to hurt! @WWE_Murphy has been BRINGING IT on the blue brand! #SDLive @WWEDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/ojQ3e92TKQ

— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2019

In the pivotal moments, Murphy went for a superkick, but Bryan ducked, and the strike connected with Rowan’s jaw and sent him plummeting from the ring apron. Seconds later, The Best Kept Secret dropped Bryan with Murphy’s Law for what was undoubtedly the biggest win of Buddy’s career.

Elias def. Kevin Owens in the first round of the King of the Ring tournament

Kevin Owens looked to get one over on 24/7 Champion Elias and Shane McMahon by defeating the crooning Superstar in the opening round of the King of the Ring tournament, but claiming a victory also meant overcoming the looming presence of Shane-O-Mac.

Shane strutted to ringside midway through the match just moments after he pondered removing the $100,000 fine that he slapped KO with last week. Despite Shane’s presence, Owens appeared in rare form, besting Elias at every turn and appearing to have the firm upper hand. However, in the critical moments, Shane attempted to stop KO from continuing the attack on the crooning Superstar while the fight was on the outside and then took off the shirt he was wearing to show that he was sporting a referee’s shirt.

.@IAmEliasWWE is pushing @FightOwensFight to the limit in this #KingOfTheRing Tournament battle on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/EOdMaj9JlN

— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2019

Shane-O-Mac took over for the original official, and with the decree that Owens would face grave consequences if he struck another referee, KO had to be extremely hesitant, which led to Elias catching Owens with a rollup and Shane counting an absurdly fast three-count for a highly controversial outcome.