WWE Smackville Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights

WWE pay-per-views and NXT TakeOvers are planned months in advance, but Saturday's Smackville special falls into a different category. It was essentially a glorified house show similar to the Beast in the East show WWE held in Japan on July 4, 2015.

The company has done this a few times, and it is usually on short notice. It's kind of like a bonus for WWE Network subscribers.

The two matches announced prior to the show were Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Championship and Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE title.

WWE announced Balor would be unable to compete about an hour prior to the show on its official Twitter account, so Nakamura ended up having a new challenger.

Let's take a look at everything that happened on WWE Smackville.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ali (Intercontinental Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Shinsuke Nakamura

After a quick introduction from David Otunga and Tom Phillips, Nakamura came to the ring. He grabbed a mic and told the ref to ring the bell so he could win by count-out.

Before the official could count to 10, Ali's music hit and he challenged the champion to put his belt on the line. The Japanese Superstar accepted, and the match got underway.

Ali took control early, but it didn't take long for Nakamura to turn the tables. The champion kept the pace slow while the challenger tried to use his speed to counter Nakamura's vicious strikes.

The former Chicago cop came close to winning with a tornado DDT, but The Rockstar was able to avoid the 450 splash and hit his trademark Kinshasa to retain his title.

The match was roughly 10 minutes, and they managed to fit a lot into the time they were given. If this is just a taste of what they are capable of together, WWE needs to put them in a long-term storyline right away.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• It's great to see Ali back in the ring. He has unlimited potential.
• Nakamura kicking Ali off the top turnbuckle led to a nasty fall onto the apron. Ali appeared to be fine, but the impact looked painful.
• Nakamura perfectly sold a dropkick he received after jumping off the top turnbuckle.
• Nakamura should refuse to speak English again and give all of his promos in Japanese with some lackey to translate for him. He would get so much more heel heat. Too many people still cheer for him.

Elias vs. Kevin Owens

Credit: WWE.com

Elias performing for the WWE crowd

Elias complained about the sound levels for his microphone and guitar before he was finally satisfied enough to begin his performance.

He then proceeded to play a guitar solo for a solid two minutes before addressing the crowd. He said people claim they want to walk with Elias, but he never sees a standing ovation.

He played with the crowd by pretending he wasn't going to sing but eventually sat down and belted out a tune about why Shane McMahon is the best in the world. Kevin Owens confronted Elias and challenged him to a match.

After some coaxing from The Prizefighter, a referee ran to the ring and made it official. There were no headlocks or hip tosses. Nobody was going for a collar-and-elbow tie-up. This was a fistfight for the majority of the match.

After a few near-falls, KO scored the win with a Stunner. The crowd participation helped make this a fun segment.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Elias told a story about meeting Johnny Cash, but he was only 16 when Cash died in 2003.
• He had the crowd engaged for the entire time he was in the ring. Some people can barely give a 30-second promo, and he was out there for about 10 minutes before KO showed up.
• Watching Owens hit a Swanton Bomb will never get old.
• KO's celebration involved kicking the bottom rope repeatedly like it owed him money.

Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE Championship)

Kingston has retained the WWE title against Joe and Ziggler in individual matches, but the odds were stacked against him in this Triple Threat.

The Showoff and The Samoan Submission Machine formed an alliance early on so they could team up on the WWE champion. They worked together to wear him down for a few minutes, but their partnership was doomed from the start.

Joe tried to steal the win by covering Ziggler. While they argued afterward, Kingston took advantage with a cross-body to both competitors.

The pace picked up as they progressed, and this turned into the kind of contest you would expect to see headlining a PPV.

All three men were in control at different times, but when it came time for someone to get the win, Kingston put away Joe with Trouble in Paradise.

Grade: A

Notes and Highlights

• Otunga and Phillips had an old-school setup at ringside with a standard folding table and chairs. It combined with the house-show stage and barricades to give this program a classic feel.
• Ziggler's ring jacket was awesome.
• Joe tried to throw Ziggler through the announce table, but it didn't break.
• The final sequence was great.