Betrayals were the theme of WWE’s post-Crown Jewel edition of SmackDown.
Asuka and Santos Escobar both turned heel on last night’s show. Asuka aligned herself with Damage CTRL, turning against Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair during a six-woman tag team match. Escobar betrayed Rey Mysterio following dissension within The LWO.
At least for the moment, Damage CTRL remained on the same page last night with Kairi Sane now part of their ranks. Sane said she respects Bayley as the leader of Damage CTRL and forgives Bayley for the attack that sent Sane out of WWE in 2020. Sane, IYO SKY & Bayley then teamed up against Belair, Charlotte & Asuka in last night’s main event.
The match ended in a no contest when Asuka turned against her partners. Asuka pulled her hand away when Belair was reaching for a tag. She then spit mist into Belair’s face. Asuka reunited with Sane before SKY and Bayley also joined in with them. They beat down Charlotte and then did the same to Shotzi when she tried to make the save.
Asuka, Sane, SKY, Bayley & Dakota Kai stood united to close last night’s show. While not yet officially announced, it looks like Asuka, Sane, SKY & Bayley will be teaming up in WarGames at Survivor Series against a team that will include Belair, Charlotte & Shotzi.
Escobar’s turn happened after Carlito blamed him for Mysterio losing the United States title to Logan Paul at Crown Jewel. After that, Escobar refused to save Carlito from being laid out by Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits.
That led to an argument between Mysterio and Escobar. Escobar then attacked Mysterio from behind.
“I love you. You were my hero. You made me do this,” Escobar said to Mysterio. “It was supposed to be me and you. All the way. Me and you. For life. You did this.”
When asked why he attacked Mysterio, Escobar said that Mysterio had it coming.
After Bobby Lashley defeated Carlito on Friday’s SmackDown, the Street Profits joined Lashley in beating down Carlito. Escobar hopped on the apron, but paused, still angry after Carlito accused him earlier in the show of costing Rey Mysterio the United States title at Crown Jewel. Rey Mysterio made the save and scolded Escobar before tending to Carlito. Escobar then attacked Mysterio, who fought back.
On the apron, Mysterio seemed conflicted about what he had done and tried to bring Escobar to his feet. Escobar instead shoved Mysterio into the ring post, causing Mysterio to fall into the ring steps. Escobar dropkicked the steps and argued with Zelina Vega before leaving.
Backstage, Cathy Kelly asked Escobar why he attacked Mysterio. Escobar replied that Mysterio had it coming before he left the arena.
At Crown Jewel, Santos Escobar chased away a member of Logan Paul’s entourage who had introduced brass knuckles into the match. However, Escobar left the knuckles on the apron, allowing Paul to grab them and attack Mysterio to win the match.
Two LWO members are set to clash for the United States Championship on tonight’s SmackDown from Sacramento, California.
Santos Escobar is challenging Rey Mysterio for the US championship. Last month, Escobar was supposed to get a title shot against Austin Theory but was taken out by Theory before the match. Mysterio took Escobar’s place and defeated Theory to become United States Champion. Mysterio recently agreed to give his friend Escobar a title shot when Escobar asked for it.
Bayley and Charlotte Flair will meet in their first televised singles match since 2020. Last week, Charlotte stopped Bayley from interfering in IYO SKY’s title defense against Asuka. But Asuka was distracted by Charlotte and wasn’t able to defeat SKY for the title.
Bobby Lashley appears on The Grayson Waller Effect tonight and will discuss his recent unhappiness with The Street Profits.
We’ll also see if John Cena is able to find a tag team partner for Fastlane. Cena is currently slated to face Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso in a handicap match at the October 7 PPV.
SmackDown opened with Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman of The Bloodline heading to the ring. Heyman introduced himself on the mic to a chorus of boos by the crowd and after Heyman responded by telling the Sacramento crowd he was in a hell hole tonight, he acknowledged Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief.
Heyman followed up by stating that the second greatest of all-time, John Cena, took a beating last week, a beating that he hadn’t taken in a very long time before calling for footage from last week’s assault on not only Cena, but AJ Styles as well.
After the footage aired, Heyman stated that he heard that Cena was having transportation issues tonight and wasn’t at the building. Heyman followed up by stating that Styles also wasn’t in the building tonight due to being in the hospital with medical issues before Jimmy grabbed the mic.
Jimmy started bragging about the chaos that’s been caused by messing with the Bloodline but as he was talking smack, Karl Anderson hit the ring and attacked Jimmy. Anderson sent the Bloodline to the outside and stated that because Styles was in the hospital, it was now O.C. business.
Jimmy stalled at responding and Sikoa looked at Jimmy and stated that he better do something before he does as we headed to commercial.
Jimmy Uso (w/Paul Heyman & Solo Sikoa) defeated Karl Anderson
We’re back from commercial and a match is officially underway between Anderson and Uso.
Anderson was hitting a lot of offense but because he was flying solo, Sikoa became a distraction on the outside. After a rake of the eyes, Jimmy soon found himself on the top rope and nailed a huge splash for the easy victory.
After the match, Anderson attempted to attack Uso but Sikoa made the save and laid him out with the Samoan Spike. As the Bloodline headed up the entrance ramp, Mia Yim headed to the ring and nailed Uso hard on the way by causing Jimmy to be almost somewhat amused.
– Backstage, Cathy Kelley was with Santos Escobar of the LWO. Escobar stated that while he was focused, he had butterflies. He stated that it was his dream to challenge Rey Mysterio in a championship match and that Rey was in for the fight of his life tonight.
Back to ringside and the ring crew was setting up for The Grayson Waller Effect as we headed to commercial.
– We’re back from commercial and the Bloodline was heading through the hallways as a very frustrated Jimmy Uso was attacking anyone that got in his way. Paul Heyman then decided to call Roman Reigns.
The Grayson Waller Effect with Bobby Lashley
Lashley stated that he made a mistake when it came to aligning with The Street Profits. Lashley stated that the Profits just didn’t have what it took to be successful before Waller stated that himself and Austin Theory could be that tag team he was looking for.
Lashley stated that he knew all about Theory and what he stood for and as Waller attempted to defend Theory, The Street Profits music hit and Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford headed to the ring.
Dawkins and Ford stepped up to Lashley but Bobby stated he didn’t want to hear it and that the Profits needed to prove it to him before leaving the ring. Dawkins and Ford caught up with him but Lashley reiterated that they needed to prove it to him as the Profits looked confused.
Waller got back on the mic and said that he needed to liven things up again before introducing Austin Theory to the Sacramento crowd for his upcoming match against Cameron Grimes as we headed to commercial.
We’re back from commercial and a video promo aired for Dragon Lee and some of his highlights in WWE NXT before he was shown in attendance live at SmackDown tonight.
Austin Theory (w/Grayson Waller) defeated Cameron Grimes
Waller was apparently upset that the Dragon Lee promo aired as it should have spotlighted Theory.
Grimes managed to control the majority of the match but with Waller ringside, Theory capitalized when Waller distracted Grimes allowing him to shove Cameron flying into the post on the outside of the ring.
Back inside the ring and Theory sent Grimes packing after nailing his A-Town Down.
After the match, Theory got in the face of Dragon Lee and a scuffle broke out before Theory headed to the back.
– Backstage, Kayla Braxton was with Rey Mysterio. Mysterio stated that the LWO was all about family. Mysterio stated that when he’s in the ring, he expected the best out of his opponent and that he would give the fight of his life tonight before heading to the ring.
As we headed to commercial, a video promo aired featuring an upcoming special on FOX titled the Top 25 SmackDown Moments in History airing on October 8th.
We’re back from commercial and Jimmy Uso was attacking Ashante “Thee” Adonis backstage as B-Fab looked on helplessly. As Uso looked to be leaving the scene, Solo Sikoa attacked Adonis as well, sending him through a table.
Rey Mysterio defeated Santos Escobar (w/Zelina Vega) to retain the United States Championship
The match began with both men feeling one another out, attempting to gain a technical advantage. As Vega looked on, Mysterio was sent to the outside followed by a diving crossbody by Escobar as we headed to a commercial break.
We’re back from commercial and Escobar has Mysterio trapped in an abdominal stretch in the middle of the ring. Mysterio escaped and as Rey was bouncing off of the ropes, Escobar nailed a huge dropkick sending the champion down.
Mysterio mounted a comeback and after Escobar was sent to the outside, Mysterio hit the second rope and nailed Escobar with a crossbody of his own to the outside. After the match was back in the ring and Mysterio nailed an awkward crossbody, Jimmy Uso was shown attacking people once again backstage in a split screen.
Mysterio attempted to nail the 619 but Escobar dodged it and after Rey soon found himself on the outside again, Santos nailed him with a dive through the ropes knocking Mysterio down hard. Escobar followed up with a moonsault off of the barricade before sending the match back to the inside.
Escobar feeling the momentum going his way, battled Mysterio on the top rope and after gaining the upperhand, he sent Rey crashing to the mat with a hurricanrana but could only follow up with a two count as we headed to commercial.
We’re back from commercial and Escobar was still on the attack but Mysterio was holding his own but you could tell the damage had been done as Santos locked Rey in a Gory Special.
Escobar attempted to follow up with a diving crossbody from the top rope but missed and then Mysterio missed with a flying crossbody of his own. Escobar then nailed a huge tilt-a-whirl backbreaker followed by a modified torture rack but again could only get a two count on his mentor.
Escobar attempted a power bomb but Mysterio countered and managed a close two count of his own. Mysterio attempted a top rope hurricanrana but Escobar blocked it, attempted to nail his Phantom Driver but Mysterio blocked it and finally nailed a top rope hurricanrana.
Mysterio attempted to hit the 619 but Escobar caught him. Mysterio escaped and sent Escobar back into the ropes and successfully managed to hit the 619 but as he headed to the top rope to hit his Drop the Dime, he missed. Escobar attempted to pin Mysterio with a cocky cover and he paid the price as Mysterio almost gained the victory with a backslide.
A frustrated Escobar picked Mysterio up and attempted to again nail Rey with his Phantom Driver but Mysterio was too quick and rolled him up with a quick modified small package to get the 1-2-3 and retain the United States Championship.
After the match, a frustrated Escobar and a concerned Vega were collecting their thoughts as Mysterio celebrated his victory with the championship. Before Mysterio and Escobar could pay respect to one another however, The Street Profits hit the ring and attacked but Rey and Santos.
Bobby Lashley’s music hit and as he was heading down to the ring, the other members of the LWO attempted to make the save for Mysterio and Escobar but were laid out as well. Lashley smiled and celebrated the work of The Street Profits as we headed to a commercial break.
– Backstage, Kayla Braxton was with a beaten down LWO. Mysterio told Braxton that he was challenging Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits to a match at WWE Fastlane.
Michael Cole referenced this week’s huge WWE signing of Jade Cargill and what her potential and future could look like in the WWE.
Charlotte Flair made her way to the ring with her upcoming match with Bayley before we headed to commercial. Before the break took place, John Cena finally arrived to the arena in a sports car. Cena got out of the car with his WWE Fastlane contract in his hand and headed towards to backstage area as we headed to break.
We’re back from commercial and a video promo aired on the massive injury Elton Prince had suffered back in July and his road to recovery since. The conclusion of the video showed Prince hopping up from his wheelchair in celebration of a full recovery.
– Backstage, Butch and Ridge Holland of The Brawling Brutes shared their thoughts on what they just saw and stated that they should have done more damage back in July.
Charlotte Flair defeated Bayley (w/Damage CTRL)
Before the match began, Flair asked Bayley what happened to her as she was one of the four horsewomen. Flair then stated that after she beat her tonight, she was challenging IYO SKY to a WWE Women’s Championship match at WWE Fastlane.
After the bell rang, both women looked to gain the upperhand but after Flair was sent to the outside, Bayley flew off of the ring apron with a diving elbow drop sending Flair down hard as we headed to a quick commercial break.
We’re back from commercial and Flair was on the top rope and managed to land a massive crossbody on Bayley to gain control of the match. Flair followed up with a fallaway slam but as she was looking to weaken the legs of Bayley to set up for the Figure 8, Bayley made a comeback.
The comeback wouldn’t last long however. Bayley was fired up but wasn’t as focused as she could have been and because of it, Flair managed to nail a spear out of nowhere and score the victory.
After the match, Bayley grabbed the mic and stated that it was her goal tonight to destroy Flair. As Damage CTRL looked like they were about to fulfill Bayley’s promise, Asuka’s music hit and she headed to the ring.
Asuka cut a promo in Japanese and Bayley attempting to translate, stated that SKY would defend the title in a Triple Threat match against Flair and Asuka at WWE Fastlane. As you could imagine, SKY wasn’t happy.
– Backstage, John Cena with his WWE Fastlane contract in hand was on his way to the ring as we headed to commercial.
– We’re back from commercial and it was announced that The Judgment Day would return to SmackDown next week. On top of the Judgment Day’s appearance, it was also announced that Dragon Lee would face Austin Theory on next week’s episode as well.
John Cena promo
Cena made his way to the ring with his WWE Fastlane contract in hand. Cena stated that he didn’t have a partner to face Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa and that he could simply rip up the contract and move on or he could step up and fight them both in a handicap match. Cena followed up by stating that he would take them on by himself if he couldn’t find a partner before Jimmy Uso’s music hit.
Uso and Sikoa came down to the ring and Jimmy stated that Cena wasn’t going to make it to Fastlane before the attack on Cena ensued. Cena attempted to fight them off but the numbers game was just too much and Cena found himself down and out.
Jimmy attempted to setup Cena on the announce table to land his splash but Sikoa stopped him, wanting to end Cena on his own. As it looked like Cena was all but done for, the music of the one and only LA Knight hit… Yeah!
Knight rushed down to the ring and after nailing Sikoa with Blunt Force Trauma, he landed a powerslam on Uso before hitting his Yeah Elbow in the middle of the ring. As Cena reentered the ring, Knight picked up the Fastlane contract and signed it as a surprised Cena and a packed arena cheered as the show came to a close.
Final Thoughts:
The return of LA Knight officially alongside John Cena for WWE Fastlane should be a great main event against The Bloodline next weekend.
You’ve got the LWO challenging a unified Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits for the PLE as well as what looks to be a Triple Threat match between IYO SKY, Charlotte Flair and Asuka with the continuous dissension of Damage CTRL with regards to Bayley and her blinded jealousy of SKY’s success.
Speaking of sky, I think the sky is the limit for Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Their chemistry with regards to their young arrogant attitudes and these two could be one of the greatest tag teams we’ve seen in a while.
Rey Mysterio accepted a United States title challenge from Santos Escobar on Friday’s SmackDown.
The two were in the ring with the rest of the LWO when Escobar started to talk about how it was a dream of his to face Mysterio for a championship title and requested a United States title match from Mysterio. After appearing surprised by Escobar’s request, Mysterio quickly accepted the request, setting up a future title match.
Mysterio won the United States title back on the August 11 edition of SmackDown. The storyline had been that then-champion Austin Theory attacked Escobar before the match, injuring his knee. It was eventually determined that Escobar could not wrestle, but WWE official Adam Pearce instead accepted Mysterio’s offer to wrestle in Escobar’s place. Mysterio then went on to defeat Theory.
After the two agreed to a match, Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits came out. After some back and forth, it turned into a match where The Street Profits defeated LWO members Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro in a tag team match that ended under a minute.
Santos Escobar made a surprise appearance on Tuesday’s NXT, wrestling in the main event.
Escobar teamed with Tony D’Angleo and Stacks to take on all three members of Gallus. With Escobar’s help, Stacks & D’Angelo won the match. All three men celebrated as NXT went off the air.
Tuesday’s show opened with Stacks and D’Angelo pulling up in the Performance Center’s parking lot when all three Gallus members attacked Stacks & D’Angelo, furious over their Tag Team title loss at Great American Bash on Sunday. D’Angelo said they would take them all on later, and would bring in a third person. Later, as D’Angelo and Stacks made their way to the ring, D’Angleo revealed he had called an old friend, that friend being Escobar.
Last year, Tony D’Angelo and Stacks were embroiled in a feud with Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro. The feud came to a head last August, when D’Angelo defeated Escobar in a match where Escobar would have to leave NXT if he lost.
Rey Mysterio is doing fine after suffering an injury on Friday night.
His match against Santos Escobar on SmackDown was stopped early when Mysterio was unable to continue. The situation was addressed by our own Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, who noted there was concern Mysterio may have suffered a concussion.
Meltzer said:
“He’s fine. He did the match with Santos Escobar last night and apparently, something happened, and I have to rewatch the tape, but I was told it was a move by Santos Escobar that knocked Rey silly but he continued to wrestle.”
It is not clear what move led to Mysterio being “knocked silly.” However, Meltzer continued to say it was not Escobar’s suicide dive that caused the injury.
“The dive was the excuse to call the match off. Like, when he took the dive and they were attending to him and everything like that, they had already planned to stop the match. They stopped the match before the commercial break.”
“He was selling a way to stop the match, he was not actually knocked out there, but he was dizzy before that. So, that’s what I was told about how it went down. I don’t think he had a concussion. If you watch it on TV, it looked like he did but it was a precautionary measure. They didn’t know.”
“I’m told he’s fine. That’s good, it looked like it could have been scary when he was laying there.”
As a result of his victory over Mysterio, Escobar earned a United States title shot against Austin Theory on the August 11 edition of SmackDown.
Mysterio came into the match against Escobar after two big house shows in Mexico last weekend. He lost a Universal title match to Roman Reigns on a July 22 show from Mexico City and then teamed with Cruz del Toro & Joaquin Wilde to defeat Imperium on July 23 in Monterrey,
Santos Escobar will get a United States title match in two weeks.
Escobar defeated Rey Mysterio to become the next contender for Austin Theory’s United States title. The match will take place in two weeks on the August 11 edition of SmackDown.
The finish of Friday’s match had Escobar hitting Mysterio with a suicide dive during a commercial break, Mysterio’s head bouncing off the ground upon impact. Once SmackDown returned, it was shown that medical personnel were checking on Mysterio. The referee eventually decided to end the match and award the victory to Escobar. After the match. Mysterio and Escobar hugged. Theory, who was watching the match in a balcony, got up and posed with the United States title.
Two four-way matches have taken place in the last two weeks to determine the next United States title contender. Escobar defeated AJ Styles, Butch, and Grayson Waller to advance to tonight’s match, while Mysterio defeated Cameron Grimes, LA Knight, and Sheamus.
Two LWO members will face off tonight with a United States title shot up for grabs.
Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar will meet in the United States Championship Invitational Finals on tonight’s SmackDown from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The winner becomes the number one contender to United States Champion Austin Theory.
Mysterio earned his way into the finals by defeating LA Knight, Cameron Grimes, and Sheamus in a fatal four-way match on last week’s SmackDown, while Escobar beat Grayson Waller, AJ Styles, and Butch on the July 14 edition to land his spot in the finals.
With SummerSlam now eight days away, the build to the pay-per-view will continue tonight. Roman Reigns and Jey Uso are set to appear in advance of their Tribal Combat match at the Saturday, August 5 pay-per-view. Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and his title of Tribal Chief will both be on the line at the PPV.
A match between Karl Anderson and Karrion Kross has also been announced for tonight. Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Michael Cole welcomed everyone in to the show. Jey Uso was standing in the ring with a microphone.
The Jey Uso/Roman Reigns segment
Jey said he’s in New Orleans and Roman Reigns’s music hit. Reigns walked out with Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. It was seven minutes between when Roman’s music hit and he told the crowd to acknowledge him. Reigns told Jey when the Tribal Chief appears, the Tribal Chief opens the show. Reigns told Jey he made Jey the right hand man. Reigns also took credit for Jey having the Main Event Jey Uso name. Reigns asked Uso if he thought he was the Tribal Chief now. Jey said he never wanted any of that (even though he was wearing a shirt that read “The Real Chief). Jey said all he did was watch Roman’s back. Jey said he believed in Roman. Jey said he believed Roman could lead the family, but Roman broke the family and because of that Jey is going to do what he has to do.
Jey said everything was all Roman’s fault. Roman said Jey’s jealously was what made everything turn south. Roman called Jey selfish. Roman said Jey doesn’t get it and that Jey is going to be all alone. Roman said Jey screwed Jimmy and Solo loves and respects Roman more than he does Jey. Roman said, hypothetically speaking, what if Jey beats Roman. In that case, Jey would take the title, the lei and everything from Roman. At that point, Roman said he would not longer the Tribal Chief. Even so, Roman said he’ll always be Roman Reigns. Roman kept saying Jey can’t beat him. The two engaged in a stare down while the crowd chanted “Uso.”
Jey said he’s the only one who has beaten Roman because he’s already pinned him. Jey grabbed the back of Roman’s neck and said at SummerSlam, he’ll beat Roman again. Jey’s music hit and Jey left the ring to end the segment.
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– Backstage, Jey Uso ran into Grayson Waller, who asked Jey to come on the Grayson Waller Effect. Jey responded in kind my smacking Waller across the face.
Santos Escobar defeated Rey Mysterio [14:15]
Well, the match was pretty OK for what it was. The two worked hard and Escobar came away looking much more like a contender to beat Theory, if only because Escobar was given the bulk of the offense. At the end of the day, though, it felt like the match was just kind of there and the program between Escobar and Theory has little to no heat.
Escobar had control early, working Mysterio’s leg. Austin Theory was shown in the upper bowl watching the match with popcorn. Escobar turned his attention to Mysterio’s arm. Escobar kicked Mysterio’s leg and Mysterio slapped the hell out of Escobar. Escobar returned the favor. Mysterio set Escobar up for a 619, but Escobar rolled to the outside. From there, Mysterio hit a Senton onto Escobar before the show went to break.
When the show returned, Mysterio landed an arm-drag back inside the ring. Mysterio went to the top and landed a Senton. Mysterio went for a cover and got a two count out of it. Escobar responded with a series of leaping elbows before hitting an enzigouri. Escobar hit a leg-drop for a two-count. Mysterio rolled up Escobar for a two-count. Mysterio ran at Escobar, who caught him with a tilt-a-whirl back-breaker. Mysterio was on Escobar’s shoulders and the two made their way outside in the same position. Ultimately, Mysterio went for a baseball slide and Escobar moved. Escobar followed that up with a tope suicida as the show went to another commercial break.
Back from break, a doctor was working on Mysterio. The commentary team sold the idea that Mysterio hit his head on the ground after Escobar hit that suicida. As a result, the referee called the match off, saying Mysterio could no longer compete. Because of that, Escobar was named the winner of the match.
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– Backstage, Bianca Belair was being interviewed, but she was interrupted by Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville. The two mocked Belair for not being a champion. Green mocked Charlotte. Belair told Green to not be disrespectful. Charlotte showed up and called Green and Deville bullies. From there, Charlotte suggested a match featuring Charlotte/Bianca vs. Green/Deville.
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– Hit Row was in the ring and almost instantly, LA Knight interrupted them. Knight called Top Dolla Uncle Phil. Knight recalled Dolla saying NOLA is corny. Knight called B-Fab corny. Knight led the crowd in his catchphrase.
LA Knight defeated Ashante Thee Adonis [1:30]
Pretty basic stuff here. The only disappointment was that I thought we’d get a hint for what Knight might do at SummerSlam, but it was not to be.
Ashante took control early, but the crowd went nuts for Knight. Dolla landed a cheap shot on Knight. Before long, Knight hit a neck-breaker and a power-slam before playing to the crowd. Knight landed his elbow and Blunt Force Trauma for the win.
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– Jey Uso was backstage and Adam Pearce talked to him. Pearce made a match between Waller and Uso for later.
– Backstage, the Street Profits were hanging out with Bobby Lashley, who told the Profits they had to lose the sweats. Lashley brought in a new wardrobe for the team to pick from. We went back to the ring, where Charlotte stood.
Charlotte Flair & Bianca Belair defeated Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville in a non-title match [10:27]
That went about as expected as it could go. They could have figured out a way to turn up the heat a little more on Charlotte and Belair, but it was what it was. I’m not a fan of having the new tag champs take a loss this early in their reign – you’re telling me that as long as a couple top-tier stars decide to team up for a night, they can beat the supposed best team in the company on a whim? – but the point here was to further the tension between the two babyfaces in the SummerSlam match. Mission accomplished.
Belair and Green started the match. Belair worked a side head-lock and then landed a shoulder-block to take Green down. Charlotte got a blind tag, which annoyed Belair. Charlotte slammed Green’s head into the mat repeatedly. Belair tagged in and slammed Green, who crawled over to tag Deville … who was then slammed by Belair. Soon thereafter, Belair landed a dropkick on Deville. Deville came back with a boot to the face of Belair and got a two-count out of it. From there, the show went to a commercial break.
As the show returned, Green and Deville had control. That changed when Belair landed a double suplex on both Green and Deville. Charlotte received the hot tag and came off the top for a double cross-body. Charlotte hit a series of chops on Green. Charlotte landed a fallaway slam on Green, which was followed up with a clothesline and a two-count. Green tagged in Deville, who was rolled up by Charlotte for a two-count. Charlotte hit a fallaway slam on Deville and went for the Figure Eight, but Deville worked out of it.
Belair tagged herself in and landed a bunch of dropkicks on Deville. Green got in a blind tag and cut Belair off and went for the Un-Pretty-Her, but Charlotte got in the way. Charlotte tagged herself in while Belair was going for the KOD. Charlotte hit a boot to Green’s head and pinned Green for the win – only after Charlotte and Belair argued.
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– The show cut backstage, where Bayley and IYO SKY were talking. Bayley had a message from Shotzi in her backpack and the two were going to leave until Asuka showed up and stopped them. Asuka said she’s going to wrestle two of the best ever at SummerSlam in Charlotte and Belair. Asuka mocked SKY for potentially cashing in her MITB briefcase. SKY said she will leave SummerSlam as the WWE women’s champ.
– Adam Pearce was backstage talking on the phone when he was interrupted by LA Knight, who talked about a Battle Royal at SummerSlam. Sheamus cut Knight off and Sheamus was surrounded by the Brutes. Sheamus did the “Banger after banger …” catchphrase. Pearce put Sheamus and Knight in the battle royal and said on next week’s SmackDown, Sheamus and Knight will have a one on one match.
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Karrion Kross defeated Karl Anderson [2:08]
Quick and painless (unless if you’re Anderson, perhaps). Kudos to Kross for giving Anderson so much offense for the first 90 seconds of the match until Scarlett interfered. In a lot of ways, it feels like a nothing-happening program, but I’m intrigued to see how they blow it off. A mixed tag feels like it’ll be somewhere on the way to it.
Anderson attacked Kross to start the match. Anderson landed a leaping neck-breaker for a two-count. Scarlett distracted Anderson and Kross took advantage of that by hitting a series of elbows. Kross hit a Saito Suplex. Kross hit his new finisher for the win.
After the match, Kross choked Anderson out until AJ Styles and Michin ran down for the save. The show went to a back room, where Heyman, Reigns and Sikoa sat as they watched Jey Uso make his entrance.
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Jey Uso defeated Grayson Waller [11:12]
Boy, the powers that be in WWE sure do love themselves some Grayson Waller. No shade or hate; just an observation. Waller looked good in defeat and this was a convenient way to further the Bloodline saga. Roman standing tall at the end of the show was a nice touch. The actual show-closing match was pretty good, considering how long Waller’s been out with an injury. Jey brought the best out of him and Waller responded in kind. In all, it was television main event worthy.
Waller had control early until Uso fought back with a leaping elbow. Waller regained the edge with a boot to the face, but Uso slammed Waller before landing a kick to Waller’s throat. Waller fired up and raked Uso’s face. Uso stood up and hit an enzigouri. As Uso was playing to the crowd, Roman Reigns’s music hit and Reigns came to ringside flanked by Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. Waller took advantage of it with a knee to Uso’s head as the show went to its final commercial break.
The show returned and Waller was working a side head-lock on Uso. Jey fought his way out of it and the two battled on the second rope. Waller dropped Uso with a right hand and followed that up with an elbow for a two-count. Waller went for a kick, but Jey ducked and lifted Waller, but Waller worked out of it and hit a spine-buster. Waller mocked the Rock’s People’s Elbow and put his own spin on it … but Uso moved and fired up.
Uso went for a hip attack, but Waller moved. From there, Waller ran into a super-kick from Uso. Jey stared Roman down and landed a spear on Waller. Uso went to the top rope hit an Uso Splash on Waller for the win.
After the match, Sikoa attacked Uso from behind. Sikoa lifted Uso and went for the Spike, but Jey ducked it and hit a super-kick. Roman ran into the ring and Jey landed a spear on Roman. Jey went to the top, but Sikoa pushed Jey off. Sikoa planted Uso and grabbed a hold of Jey. Roman speared Jey. Roman did it again. Roman went to the second rope and posed to end the show.
Santos Escobar has advanced to the finals of the SmackDown United States Championship Invitational.
Escobar won the first four-way match on Friday’s SmackDown, defeating AJ Styles, Grayson Waller, and Butch. The finish of the match had Styles preparing to use the Styles Clash on Butch when footage was shown backstage of The OC being laid out by Karrion Kross and Scarlett. Styles exited the match as Santos Escobar managed to pick up the victory, pinning Waller.
Another four-way match will take place between LA Knight, Rey Mysterio, Cameron Grimes, and Sheamus on next week’s SmackDown. The winner of that match will then advance to the finals on the July 28 edition of SmackDown, where they will face Escobar.
Austin Theory, who was on commentary during Friday’s four-way match, has held the WWE United States title since November 26. His last title defense was on the July 7 edition of SmackDown, where he defeated Sheamus to retain the title.
The road to deciding a new number one contender for the United States title will kick off on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
WWE has announced that a United States Championship Invitational will begin on SmackDown tonight. The show will feature a fatal four-way match involving AJ Styles, Santos Escobar, Butch, and Grayson Waller.
Another fatal four-way will then take place on SmackDown next Friday. The winner of tonight’s match and the winner of next week’s match will face off on the Friday, July 28 episode of SmackDown to determine the next challenger for United States Champion Austin Theory.
The participants for next week’s fatal four-way haven’t been revealed.
After getting help from Pretty Deadly, Theory retained the United States title against Sheamus on SmackDown last week.
WWE has also announced Sheamus & Ridge Holland vs. Pretty Deadly for tonight’s SmackDown. The updated lineup for the episode is listed below:
WWE Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Bianca Belair
Jey Uso is on a warpath after issuing challenge to Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns last week
United States Championship Invitational match: AJ Styles vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Grayson Waller
Sheamus & Ridge Holland vs. Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince)
A non-title match with United States Champion Austin Theory facing Ridge Holland is also set to take place on SmackDown tonight. Adam Pearce told Holland that he’ll be in contention for a US title shot if he defeats Theory.
WWE has announced that Bayley vs. Shotzi and LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch have been added to the lineup for tonight’s SmackDown. If Shotzi defeats Bayley, she’ll take Bayley’s spot in Saturday’s women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
The women’s Money in the Bank ladder match is also set to feature IYO SKY, Zelina Vega, Becky Lynch, Zoey Stark, and Trish Stratus.
Knight, Escobar, Butch, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Damian Priest, and Logan Paul are the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match participants.
Bayley vs. Shotzi and Knight vs. Escobar vs. Butch had been announced for last week’s SmackDown but were removed from advertising prior to the show going on the air. Knight was still in action on the episode, defeating Rey Mysterio in a singles match.
A Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin match was also advertised for SmackDown last Friday but didn’t take place. The changes to the show were made by Vince McMahon.
SmackDown is being held at The O2 Arena in London tonight. The venue is also hosting Money in the Bank tomorrow.
The updated SmackDown lineup is listed below:
Roman Reigns appears
WWE Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Charlotte Flair
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defend against Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson)
The Grayson Waller Effect with guest Logan Paul
Bayley vs. Shotzi (if Shotzi wins, she takes Bayley’s spot in Money in the Bank)
LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch
Non-title match: United States Champion Austin Theory vs. Ridge Holland
The SmackDown World Cup concludes on tonight’s episode of the show from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Ricochet takes on Santos Escobar in the World Cup finals. Escobar advanced with wins over Shinsuke Nakamura and Butch, while Ricochet beat Mustafa Ali and Braun Strowman. The winner of tonight’s match receives a future title shot against Intercontinental Champion Gunther.
At Survivor Series, The Bloodline defeated Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, and The Brawling Brutes in the men’s WarGames match. Sami Zayn, who stayed loyal to The Bloodline at WarGames, will kick off tonight’s show by facing Sheamus in a singles match.
After returning on last week’s SmackDown, Becky Lynch teamed with Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, and Mia Yim to defeat Damage CTRL, Nikki Cross, and Rhea Ripley in the women’s War Games match. WWE has announced that Damage CTRL will appear on SmackDown tonight following their WarGames loss.
Tonight’s show is airing on FS1 due to college football being on Fox. Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Bloodline Segment
Sami Zayn, The Usos, and Sola Sikoa entered the ring to a big reaction. A video package recapped Survivor Series: War Games.
Zayn spoke about The Bloodline leveling up at Survivor Series. He started praising The Usos, but Jimmy interrupted. Jimmy noted tonight is about Zayn. He added that Zayn was the MVP and started a “Sami Uso” chant.
Jey Uso admitted that Zayn proved last Saturday that he’s with them. He added the Zayn’s the reason they won War Games. Zayn was grateful and didn’t know what to say. Jimmy asked him how he was feeling, and Zayn responded that he was feeling pretty Ucey. The fans broke into a loud “Ucey” chant. Zayn and The Usos did their special handshake to a huge reaction.
The Brawling Brutes interrupted and made their way to the ring. Sheamus is tired of all the talking and wants to fight.
Sami Zayn (w/Solo Sikoa & The Usos) defeated Sheamus (w/Ridge Holland & Butch) (18:26)
Zayn and Sheamus had a fun opening match with a hot crowd. It helped that they got a lot of time to tell a good story, but there was a ton of interference leading to the finish.
Sheamus took over with a hard clothesline sending Zayn to ringside. He went after Zayn and whipped him hard into the barricade.
The Usos caused a distraction allowing Zayn to hit a DDT after the break. Sheamus tried fighting back. Zayn fired up with a dropkick and slowed the pace with a chin lock. Sheamus tried to break free, but Zayn hit a Tornado DDT. The fans chanted “Sami Uso.”
Zayn went for the ten beats of Bodhran. Sheamus broke free, hitting a tilt-a-whirl slam. Sheamus went for the beats of Bodhran, but Zayn escaped. Zayn recovered and went for a flying crossbody. Sheamus was waiting for him and caught him in mid-air. He followed with an Irish curse backbreaker and cloverleaf submission.
Zayn made it to the rope to break the hold and regain control. He sent Sheamus to ringside and hit a dive as they headed to a break.
Back from the break, The Usos and the fans were cheering on Zayn. Sheamus took over and set up for white noise off the top rope. Zayn countered into a sunset flip bomb for a near fall. Zayn attempted the Helluva kick, but Sheamus hit white noise for a close two-count. The fans booed Sheamus and broke into a loud “Sami” chant.
Sheamus set up the brogue kick, but Jimmy caused a distraction. Sheamus recovered and hit the ten beats of Bodhran to a mixed reaction. The Usos interfered and caught Sheamus with a superkick, allowing Zayn to hit the blue thunder bomb for a two-count.
Holland and Butch jumped The Usos kicking off a wild brawl at ringside. In the ring, Sheamus avoided the helluva kick with a knee to the face. Jimmy caused another distraction as Sheamus went for an Alabama slam. Jey jumped in and hit a superkick allowing Zayn to pin Sheamus with a sunset flip.
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Santos Escobar promised to win the World Cup finals tonight in a Legado Del Fantasma vignette.
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Megan Morant spoke with Kofi Kingston. He announced that he’s entering the Royal Rumble this year. Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser approached. Kingston stood up for himself but noted Xavier Woods wasn’t there tonight. He challenged one of them to a single match when Gunther showed up and accepted instead.
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Bray Wyatt spoke backstage. He talked about us once being wild animals. Animals eat each other, but nobody calls it violence. He promised that he didn’t hurt LA Knight as they showed clips of Knight injured. Wyatt repeated that he didn’t hurt Knight. He noted that if he attacked Knight, then we would know it because there’d be none of him left.
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A video package recapped the Ronda Rousey and Shotzi feud.
Shayna Baszler defeated Emma (4:12)
Even for a short four-minute match, the crowd seemed dead.
Madcap Moss gave Emma a pep talk backstage. He praised her as a trailblazer and told her that she belonged in the WWE. Emma called him Riddick and kissed him on the cheek.
Emma scored a series of early near falls. Baszler recovered quickly and targeted Emma’s arm. After escaping, Emma rocked Baszler with forearm shots. She followed with a hanging neck breaker off the middle rope. Baszler missed a knee in the corner, and Emma locked on the tarantula. The finish came when Baszler knocked Emma off the top rope and locked on the kirifuda clutch for the win.
Baszler continued to attack after the match. Shotzi ran out for the save, but Baszler took over. She went after Shotzi’s arm, but Raquel Rodriguez ran out for the save with her arm in a brace.
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They showed a new Lacey Evans vignette. They’re repackaging her character, focusing on her background in the Marines. She’s getting back to basics and on a mission. The vignette featured Lacey Evans training with the Marines.
Kingston and Gunther had an excellent hard-hitting eleven-minute match.
Kingston was on the attack early, but Gunther shut that down quickly. He rocked Kingston with an uppercut. Kingston tried fighting back, but Gunther caught him with a shot to the kidneys.
Kingston fired up with rights and lefts in the corner. Gunther absorbed the shots and responded with a vicious chop. Kingston recovered and sent Gunther to ringside. He went for a dive, but Imperium tripped him up. Gunther took advantage and destroyed Kingston with a boot to the face. He set up for a powerbomb when Braun Strowman’s music hit.
Strowman marched to ringside and beat down Vinci and Kaiser as they fought to the back. Gunther tried to refocus, but Kingston escaped the powerbomb and hit the SOS for a close near fall.
Gunther had Kingston in a sleeper back from the break. Kingston broke free with a near fall. He fired up and hit the boom drop. Gunther avoided the trouble in paradise with a German suplex. Kingston landed on his feet and hit a top rope frog splash for a close two-count
Kingston went for a crossbody, but Gunther rocked him with a chop. Gunther locked on the Boston crab and switched to the STF. Kingston made it to the ropes to break the hold.
Gunther caught Kingston with the shotgun dropkick and a powerbomb for a near fall. Kingston tried fighting back, but Gunther hit the last symphony for the win.
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In the back, The Bloodline was getting ready to leave the arena. Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa went to bring the car around, leaving the Usos alone.
Jimmy admitted he’s surprised that Jey’s fine with Zayn being in the Bloodline. Jey noted Roman Reigns spoke with Zayn. Jimmy asked Jey about Zayn lying to his face last week.
Suddenly, Sheamus attacked The Usos. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre are waiting for The Usos after their title defense on Monday.
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Damage CTRL Segment
The big news was Tegan Nox returned to the WWE to attack Damage CTRL.
Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY entered the ring. Bayley bragged about dominating in War Games and noted they lasted longer than anyone else. The fans chanted for “Becky.” Bayley mocked Becky, claiming she wasn’t in the match for long. Bayley mocked the SmackDown women’s roster.
Liv Morgan heard enough and ran down to ringside. She fought all three, but they overpowered her. Suddenly, Tegan Nox made her WWE return and ran down for the save. Morgan and Nox cleared the ring. Nox hit the shiniest wizard on Kai to end the segment.
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Karrion Kross cut a promo while Scarlet played with tarot cards. He talked about destroying Drew McIntyre and Madcap Moss. Scarlet revealed Kross’ next target with a Rey Mysterio tarot card.
A creepy Uncle Howdy video interrupted. He said to trust him and revel in what you are.
World Cup Finals: Ricochet defeated Santos Escobar (w/Zelina Vega, Joaquin Wilde & Cruz del Toro) (21:53) to win the SmackDown World Cup
Ricochet and Escobar had a great fast-paced match with tons of creative spots. At one point, the fans got distracted by something in the crowd and took their eyes off the match. By the end, they were popping for every spot.
They did a great job promoting the World Cup finals throughout the show and made it feel important.
Zelina Vega joined Michael Cole and Wade Barret on commentary.
Ricochet overcame Legado Del Fantasma’s interference and hit a suicide dive for the early advantage. He went for a springboard, but Wilde pushed him off. The referee caught Wilde and Del Toro interfering and sent them to the back. Vega was furious and jumped on the apron leading to the referee throwing her out too. The fans broke into “USA” chants throughout the match.
Back from the break, Ricochet ran wild with a head-scissors and a running dropkick in the corner. Escobar sent Ricochet to ringside and hit a suicide dive sending him onto the announce table.
Escobar slowed the pace down with a Boston crab. The fans started reacting to something happening in the crowd. They cheered while looking away from the ring.
Ricochet got the better of Escobar while fighting on the apron. Standing on the apron, Ricochet rocked Escobar with a superkick. He followed with a shooting star press off the apron to an upright Escobar. After the commercial, Ricochet, and Escobar fought on the top rope. Ricochet recovered and hit a superplex. After trading shots, they both hit the ropes and collided in mid-air.
Ricochet ran at Escobar at ringside. He jumped off the steps, but Escobar moved. Ricochet landed on his feet on the barricade. Escobar jumped up and caught Ricochet with a hurricanrana off the barricade. The spot got a huge reaction.
Escobar and Ricochet fought on the top rope. Escobar went for another hurricanrana, but Ricochet landed on his feet to a huge reaction. After hitting Escobar with a jumping knee, Ricochet hit a Northern lights suplex into a brainbuster. He followed with a springboard moonsault off the middle rope for a near fall.
Ricochet went for the 450 splash, but Escobar got his knees up and scored a close near fall. Escobar went for the phantom driver but Ricochet reversed into a pin for a near fall.
The finish was spectacular as Ricochet hit a poison rana off the top rope. He followed up with a jumping knee, superkick, and a kick to the head. He then hit the 630 splash for the win to a giant reaction.
After the match, Ricochet posed with the trophy as the pyro went off. Gunther’s music hit, and the Intercontinental Champion walked out. They had a stare-down to end SmackDown.
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Next Week: Kurt Angle returns to celebrate his birthday in Pittsburgh. Plus, Shotzi takes on Shayna Baszler with Ronda Rousey and Raquel Rodrigez at ringside.
Also, either The Usos or Matt Riddle & Elias defend the tag team titles against Sheamus & Drew McIntyre.
In Two Weeks: Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Ricochet.
Ricochet and Santos Escobar will meet in the finals of the SmackDown World Cup tournament.
Escobar defeated Butch to advance to the finals, while Ricochet defeated Strowman after interference from Gunther and the rest of Imperium. The two will meet on next Friday’s SmackDown on FS1, where the winner will receive a Intercontinental title match against current champion Gunther.
On Friday’s SmackDown, Strowman was in control of his match when Imperium came out for the distraction. Ricochet used the opportunity to roll up Strowman with a crucifix pin for the win. After the match, Strowman dispatched Imperium, leaving himself and Ricochet in the ring. After a tease, Strowman helped Ricochet back up on his feet.
Strowman and Gunther met for the first time last week when Strowman teamed with The New Day to take on Imperium. Gunther appeared apprehensive to square off against Strowman during the course of the match, running off once The New Day scored the win for their team.
Two first-round matches in the tournament took place on the November 11 edition of WWE SmackDown. Santos Escobar defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to advance to the semifinals. Later in the show, Braun Strowman defeated Jinder Mahal to also advance in the tournament.
Two more first-round matches will take place on next week’s show. Mustafa Ali will face Ricochet and Sami Zayn will go one-on-one with Butch of the Brawling Brutes.
The winner of the tournament will earn a title match against Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship.
A report earlier today revealed the participants expected to take part in the World Cup. The only change to the announced lineup has Mustafa Ali added to the tournament and Rey Mysterio removed.
The November 18 edition of WWE SmackDown will take place from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Here is what has been announced for the show:
Shotzi vs. Shayna Baszler
SmackDown World Cup first-round match: Sami Zayn vs. Butch
SmackDown World Cup first-round match: Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali
Lots to discuss on this NXT 2.0 Heatwave edition of Speak Now! Topics include: possible main roster call ups, Tyler Bate confronts Bron Breakker, what is the future of NXT UK, my vision for Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade, the ending of Santos Escobar vs. Tony D’Angelo, plus more!
Tune in every Tuesday to chat NXT 2.0 on Speak Now Pro Wrestling!
