WWE has added two matches to the lineup for tonight’s SmackDown.
Bloodline brothers Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa will team up as they take on The Street Profits tonight. An Andrade vs. Apollo Crews singles match has also been announced for the episode.
This is Loa’s first match since joining The Bloodline. It was originally announced that Loa & Solo Sikoa would face The Street Profits on last week’s SmackDown from Saudi Arabia, but there was instead a backstage segment with Paul Heyman saying customs wouldn’t allow Loa into the country. Heyman told Sikoa there’s a reason why dangerous people like Loa and Tonga weren’t allowed into The Bloodline before.
In storyline, The Street Profits are out for revenge after being laid out by The Bloodline three weeks ago. Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford are also looking to position themselves for a shot at Grayson Waller & Austin Theory’s WWE Tag Team titles. Ford pinned Waller in a six-man tag match last week.
Andrade and Crews are competing on SmackDown for the first time since joining the brand in the WWE Draft. Last week, a video aired hyping that Andrade would be coming to SmackDown soon. Legado Del Fantasma debated whether Andrade could be an asset to them or an enemy.
MVP Arena in Albany, New York is the venue for tonight’s show. Here’s the updated lineup:
After arriving at Backlash, we now know when Tonga Loa will be making his in-ring debut as a member of The Bloodline.
The former NJPW wrestler will be part of a tag team match on SmackDown next Friday. Loa is teaming with Solo Sikoa against The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford).
This is Loa’s first WWE match since 2014, when he wrestled in NXT as Camacho.
Loa was introduced as the newest member of The Bloodline by helping Sikoa & Tama Tonga defeat Randy Orton & Kevin Owens in a street fight at Backlash. The Bloodline has gotten a new identity in recent weeks with Sikoa taking charge of the group. Tonga and Loa have joined the faction while Jimmy Uso was kicked out.
In storyline, Sikoa claims that Roman Reigns has put him in charge of The Bloodline while Reigns is gone. Reigns hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since his loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.
Loa was a seven-time tag team champion in NJPW, teaming with his brother Tonga as the Guerrillas of Destiny. In WWE, the spelling of Loa’s name has been changed to “Tonga Loa.” It had been “Tanga Loa” in NJPW. WWE filed trademarks for both spellings of the name earlier this month.
Next Friday’s SmackDown is taking place from Saudi Arabia one night before WWE’s King & Queen of the Ring PLE. Tama Tonga vs. Randy Orton in a King of the Ring semifinal match will take place on SmackDown. Tonga defeated Angelo Dawkins earlier in the tournament. Both members of The Street Profits were laid out by The Bloodline in that match.
WWE SmackDown (Friday, May 24) —
King of the Ring semifinals: Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga
Queen of the Ring semifinals: Bianca Belair vs. Nia Jax
AJ Styles meets with Nick Aldis
Bayley vs. Chelsea Green
The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa & Tonga Loa) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
A stipulation match has been made official for WWE WrestleMania 40.
WWE confirmed today that Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits will clash with The Final Testament’s Karrion Kross & AOP in a Philadelphia street fight at WrestleMania 40. Dave Meltzer first reported over the weekend that the match was planned to take place at WrestleMania.
SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis said the street fight will take place at night two of WrestleMania 40 this Sunday.
The Final Testament was formed when The Authors of Pain and Paul Ellering returned to WWE this January. Since Kross & AOP attacked Lashley & The Street Profits that night, the two factions have been at war.
On SmackDown last Friday, The Street Profits lost to Grayson Waller & Austin Theory after being distracted by The Final Testament. It was revealed on the video screen that Kross and Scarlett had attacked Lashley and B-Fab backstage during the match. The Final Testament then beat down The Street Profits as well.
Lashley cut a post-SmackDown promo where he promised to destroy The Final Testament.
Lincoln Financial Field is hosting WrestleMania 40 this weekend. Here are the 13 matches scheduled to take place over the two-night event:
WWE WrestleMania 40 —
Night one (Saturday, April 6):
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
Night two (Sunday, April 7):
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Drew McIntyre
Philadelphia street fight: Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Karrion Kross & AOP (Akam & Rezar)
Night to be announced:
WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY defends against Bayley
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Becky Lynch
Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Sami Zayn
Triple threat match: United States Champion Logan Paul defends against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens
Six-pack ladder match: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) defend against DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa), The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods), The Miz & R-Truth, Grayson Waller & Austin Theory, and Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate
Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits’ faction now has a name.
Lashley, Angelo Dawkins, and Montez Ford have been aligned together on WWE television since last summer. Now, it looks like their group has been named “The Pride.” In his bio on X, Lashley lists himself as the “leader of THE PRIDE.”
There were plans in place to name the Bobby Lashley / Street Profits faction on last weeks SmackDown, which got axed at the last second for unknown reasons. I’m told those plans are still tentative as the direction of the trio could be shifting. The planned name for the group is ‘The Pride.’
Lashley and The Street Profits are currently involved in a program against a new faction that formed on SmackDown last Friday. The Authors of Pain and Paul Ellering made their return on the episode, joining forces with Karrion Kross and Scarlett. Kross and AOP laid out Lashley, Dawkins, and Ford.
B-Fab, who has been an associate of Lashley and The Street Profits, may also be a member of The Pride. After last week’s SmackDown, WWE uploaded a post-show video with B-Fab checking on Lashley and The Street Profits. They vowed to get revenge on Kross and AOP.
The Undisputed Tag Team and Women’s Tag Team titles will be defended on next week’s WWE Raw episode.
It was revealed during Monday’s Raw that both sets of Tag Team Championships will be on the line next week, as The Judgment Day defend the Undisputed WWE Tag titles against The Creed Brothers, while Chelsea Green & Piper Niven will defend the WWE Women’s Tag titles against Katana Chance & Kayden Carter.
The Creed Brothers won a Tag Team Turmoil match on the November 27 Raw to earn the number one contendership to Damian Priest & Finn Balor’s Undisputed Tag titles, while Chance & Carter defeated former top contenders Natalya & Tegan Nox on the December 4 Raw to stake their claim as number one contenders to the Women’s Tag Team titles.
A future Intercontinental Championship match was also agreed to during Monday’s Raw, as Gunther accepted a challenge from The Miz with the stipulation that Miz will never again challenge Gunther for the title should he lose. No date has been announced for that title bout.
The announced lineup for the Monday, December 18 Raw:
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest & Finn Balor defend against Julius Creed & Brutus Creed
Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green & Piper Niven defend against Katana Chance & Kayden Carter
A tag team number one contender’s match is set to take place on SmackDown tonight.
WWE has announced that tonight’s SmackDown will feature a triple threat match between Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson), The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford), and The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch). The winning team will be next in line to challenge Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest & Finn Balor.
With an assist from Drew McIntyre, Judgment Day retained their titles against Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso on Raw this past Monday.
It’s also been announced that Damage CTRL will appear on tonight’s SmackDown episode. Last week, Asuka aligned with Damage CTRL by turning against Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. Belair, Charlotte, and Shotzi are expected to be part of a team that will battle IYO SKY, Bayley, Kairi Sane & Asuka in WarGames at Survivor Series.
Tonight’s SmackDown takes place from the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. Here’s everything that’s been announced for the show:
LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso
Solo Sikoa appears
Number one contender’s match: Pretty Deadly vs. The Street Profits vs. The Brawling Brutes
The LWO will have a mystery partner for Saturday’s Fastlane match.
On Friday’s SmackDown, The Street Profits attacked Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde during a Bobby Lashley vs. Rey Mysterio match, with Lashley picking up the win. Later backstage, Mysterio told Santos Escobar and Zelina Vega that Toro and Wilde would be unable to compete on Saturday’s show. After Escobar asked Mysterio what they could do, Mysterio said he was going to make a phone call.
The match was set up last week when Lashley and The Street Profits attacked Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar after Mysterio defeated Escobar to retain the United States title. As they were recovering in the trainer’s room, Mysterio issued the challenge for Saturday’s Fastlane.
Here is the updated lineup for Saturday’s Fastlane:
Last man standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins defends against Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Women’s Championship: IYO SKY defends against Asuka and Charlotte Flair
Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles: The Judgment Day defend against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso
John Cena & LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso
Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar, and ??? vs. Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits
Bobby Lashley returned to television on SmackDown Friday, teasing something with The Street Profits.
On Friday, The Street Profits were shown waiting for someone in the parking lot backstage. A limo pulled up, with Lashley eventually emerging from the car. He asked the Street Profits if they were “ready to go talk”. The Street Profits said they were, climbing into the limo as it drove away.
Lashley has largely been off television in recent months. He last appeared on the May 12 edition of SmackDown, winning a three-way match to face off against AJ Styles later that night. Styles won, setting up a match between himself and Seth Rollins to determine the first World Heavyweight Champion. Styles went on to win that match before eventually losing to Seth Rollins at Night of Champions.
The Street Profits last wrestled on the June 23 edition of SmackDown, losing a match to Pretty Deadly.
LA Knight is set for tag team action on next week’s episode of SmackDown.
WWE has announced that Knight will team up with Rick Boogs against The Street Profits on SmackDown next Friday (May 19). The match was set up by a confrontation that took place on The SmackDown LowDown.
Knight interrupted an interview with The Street Profits and told them that he could beat them no matter who his partner was. Since Boogs was in the locker room too, Knight called him over and announced that Boogs would be his partner.
The Street Profits moved to the SmackDown roster in the WWE Draft. Boogs also moved to SmackDown, while Knight remained on the brand.
SmackDown is taking place at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina next Friday. Here’s what’s been confirmed for the episode:
Face-to-face segment with Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa and Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) vs. The LWO (Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar)
The Grayson Waller Effect with guest AJ Styles
The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson)
The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. LA Knight & Rick Boogs
During an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, Montez Ford gave an update on an injury he’s been dealing with.
Ford and his wife Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair were guests on Tuesday’s edition of the “Today” show. When asked about a calf injury he’s been recovering from, Ford said he’s feeling 100 percent and should be back in the ring soon.
“100 percent now,” Ford said when asked how he’s feeling. “Should be back pretty soon. Just picking my spots and making sure when I arrive, the mission is still at hand, which is with my right-hand man, 100 grand, Angelo Dawkins. That’s winning the Undisputed Tag Team Championships.”
The Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles are currently held by The Usos.
Ford has been out of action since September due to the injury.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC before Monday’s Raw.
Shelton Benjamin defeated Akira Tozawa (5:22)
This was a solid match between two good athletes where they both played the babyface. Coming off of back-to-back defeats on Main Event, Shelton got his arm raised here against an exciting Akira Tozawa.
Tozawa is so good at flipping all over for a bigger opponent. Some of the air time that he got on his back body drops and suplexes were not only impressive but made Benjamin look seriously strong here.
One little thing that seems to have changed since Vince departed is some of the camera work on this show. There was a nice moment where they cut to a camera that was behind the hard cam to the left and it panned across to take in the action. It gave the feel that this was a classy live event.
In the end, Tozawa came off the top but Benjamin had it scouted. Tozawa landed on his feet and then ran into the Pay Dirt to end it.
After the match, Benjamin helped Tozawa to his feet and offered him a fist bump as a goodwill gesture.
The Street Profits defeated Alpha Academy (6:51)
Not only was this a really strong match but the live crowd were really into it, which helped the match.
These two teams have been used sparingly on Main Event in the past year or so, but this is the first time they’ve faced off against each other on an episode of the program. It was well received by the live crowd and you could tell that they were all buoyed by the reaction.
The Street Profits came out in Washington Commanders shirts which got them a nice pop when they hit the ring.
They began with Dawkins and Ford cutting the ring in half to keep Gable in the ring and they did loads of neat chain wrestling that the crowd enjoyed. They then headed to the break with a tope from Ford.
Otis was in after the break and the action slowed down. Ford played babyface in peril and they built up the tension for the hot tag really well.
After Dawkins came in and cleared house, they quickly went to the finish, with the Street Profits hitting the Doomsday Blockbuster on Otis for the win.
Seeing Otis take the finisher here got a great reaction. They should be doing this sort of match on Main Event every week. As far as curtain-jerkers go, this was pretty hard to top.
Final Thoughts:
Lots of babyfaces having good matches is a fun way to book a show. If they continue to do this every week, this show will be a pleasure to watch. There’s still a rationale, though, that says that Main Event ought to be a platform for talent to try out new gimmicks and for fresh talent to learn their trade. Otherwise, you have to ask what this show is really all about.
Date: July 25, 2022 Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City
The Big Takeaway —
There were some very minor differences but this was essentially the same Raw show as usual.
********
Show Recap —
No intro or recaps to start Raw. The show opened immediately with Miz and Logan Paul brawling in the middle of the ring until officials ran down to break them up.
Things quickly settled and they showed a clip of Miz charging out to the ring before they went on the air because Paul had called him out.
(Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton are on commentary as usual.)
*********
Roman Reigns, the Usos and Paul Heyman entered to officially kick things off at Madison Square Garden. They received a big mixed reaction including chants for Roman.
Reigns told MSG to acknowledge him. They did. Reigns said he didn’t feel like talking anymore so he handed the microphone over to Heyman.
The mic cut out as Reigns spoke and again as Heyman spoke. Heyman said they must have a sound guy from New Jersey. Heyman said, “We want your name written down, you’re the next one out the door.”
Heyman said Sunday would mark 700 days of Reigns as the champion but he knew that Brock Lesnar wanted to end Reigns’ party. Heyman noted that Lesnar ended Randy Couture when he was on top, ended Undertaker’s streak, and took John Cena to Suplex City when he was at his peak.
Heyman mentioned notable streaks in sports, whether it be the Red Sox vs. Yankees or The Rock vs. Stone Cold. However, you wouldn’t think about Lesnar alongside Reigns’ name anymore after Saturday. It was time for Lesnar to go back to Saskatchewan to slaughter hogs. In their final match against each other, Reigns would finally rid himself of Lesnar. The crowd chanted “Suplex City.”
Theory interrupted. He repeated his plan for SummerSlam again. Reigns told him to step in the ring and acknowledge his Tribal Chief. Theory was defensive as he entered the ring.
Reigns told Theory that he had no idea what to do with the briefcase so he offered him some advice. Reigns told Theory to analyze the situation. “Your daddy’s not here anymore.” This got a big pop from the crowd followed by chants of “daddy’s boy” and “who’s your daddy.” Reigns told him that the Garden belonged to him.
As the Bloodline left, Jey Uso smacked Theory in the back of the head. Theory responded by hitting him with the briefcase. Reigns held Jey back before he could go after Theory. Reigns settled things down and they left.
********
Theory was still in the ring after a break and was introduced to the live crowd. Before he could say much, he was interrupted by Drew McIntyre. I guess they’re having a match.
Drew McIntyre defeated Theory via disqualification (9:37)
This match featured your usual number of rapid camera cuts and it ended in a DQ.
McIntyre hit a Future Shock DDT and set up for the Claymore Kick but Theory rolled outside the ring. McIntyre went after him and dropped him onto the announce table which led to break. Theory briefly took the advantage after driving McIntyre into the steel steps but McIntyre came back with a vertical suplex and spinebuster for two.
As McIntyre set up for the Claymore again, Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch ran in for the DQ.
As they attacked McIntyre, Bobby Lashley ran down to make the save and they cleared the ring. Theory tried attacking from behind with the briefcase but they chased him away.
US Champion Bobby Lashley & Drew McIntyre defeated Theory & Sheamus (approx. 12:20)
This match featured interference and a distraction finish.
The match started during a break. Sheamus was amused by McIntyre chopping Theory but he used a distraction to knock down McIntyre and take control. The crowd chanted “we want Bobby” as Sheamus faked a tag to Theory. McIntyre headbutted Sheamus before tagging in Lashley.
Lashley gave Sheamus a delayed vertical suplex before giving Theory a flatliner. Lashley went to spear Theory through the barricade but Sheamus clocked him with a knee strike. Butch and Holland tried to attack McIntyre but McIntyre caught Butch and suplexed him onto Holland. The referee kicked them out and they went to another break.
They briefly had the heat on Lashley until he made the hot tag to McIntyre who hit Theory with a sit-out spinebuster for two. Lashley made a blind tag and gave Theory a chokeslam but Sheamus broke up the cover with a flying knee strike. McIntyre wiped out Sheamus but Sheamus poked him in the eye and gave him White Noise on the outside.
Theory set up for his finisher but got distracted by Dolph Ziggler who suddenly appeared at ringside so Lashley applied the Hurt Lock for the submission win.
— The Usos superkicked Theory after the match. Reigns placed the briefcase on Theory’s chest and sarcastically reminded him to bring it on Saturday.
********
There was a Rey Mysterio video package featuring words from JBL, Kurt Angle, Kofi Kingston, Batista, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and John Cena. There was a clip of Rey early in his Smackdown run where he wiped out Lance Storm and Christian with a dive off the top of the steel cage as well as clips of Rey winning the 2006 Royal Rumble and winning the world title at WrestleMania 22. They also showed Rey and Dominik winning the tag titles.
Rey, Dominik, Aalyah and Angie were shown arriving at the building.
[SECOND HOUR]
The cryptic video aired.
Ziggler told Kevin Patrick that Theory has risen fast but hasn’t done anything to earn it. AJ Styles approached him and basically agreed with him. Alpha Academy showed up to mock them and challenge them to a match. Styles and Ziggler accepted.
********
Rey Mysterio’s 20th-anniversary celebration
Rey and Dominik entered. The crowd chanted “thank you, Rey.”
Rey mentioned having his first match at 14 years old in Tijuana and never imagined back then that he would perform in a WWE ring, travel the world, make money, and create legendary rivalries for the crowd to enjoy.
Rey said guys his size were not part of the business back then but he broke the blueprint of what a superstar should look like. He was a smaller guy and a proud Latino who went on to win the world title.
Rey thanked Dean Malenko, Konnan (“K-Dog”), Batista, Kurt Angle, Edge, and of course, Eddie Guerrero. The crowd chanted for Eddie. Rey choked up as he told Eddie how much he missed him. He thanked Eddie for always watching over him.
Rey was humble and appreciated the love and support the fans have given him over the years. Rey said it meant that much more to be able to celebrate it with his family. The crowd chanted “you deserve it.”
Rey thanked Angie and Aalyah for always being there. He told Dominik that he was proud of him. Rey knew that Dominik would represent the Mysterio legacy to the fullest when he no longer could.
Rey thanked the fans for always accepting him and for the most awesome 20 years. Rey especially wanted to thank the fans at the Garden. Rey spoke in Spanish and said, “Viva mi Raza!”
Finn Bálor and Damian Priest approached through the crowd and sarcastically applauded as they went to break.
********
Rey & Dominik Mysterio defeated Finn Bálor & Damian Priest (approx. 10:30)
Dominik tried a dive but Priest caught him and chucked him into the barricade. Rey made a hot tag after a break and hit Priest with a springboard crossbody, kicks and a seated senton for two. Priest responded with a thrust kick for two.
Priest tried a Razor’s Edge but Rey brought him down with a hurricanrana. As Rey set up for a 619, Bálor made a blind tag and killed Rey with a clothesline. Bálor followed with a shotgun dropkick and Coup de Grace but Dominik broke up the cover.
Bálor tried the Eddie Guerrero trick by chucking a chair at Rey before taking a bump. Dominik had the ref distracted though so Rey chucked it back at Bálor and took a bump himself. As Bálor pleaded with the ref, Rey dropped both members of Judgment Day on the ropes and the Mysterios followed with 619s.
Rey gave Bálor a frog splash for the pinfall win. The crowd popped big for the win.
The celebration and match finish was a big thumbs up.
********
They aired clips of Titus O’Neil and Cody Rhodes (with Brandi Rhodes) at the ESPYs.
********
Mysterios/Judgment Day angle
Rey’s extended family was shown celebrating in the back. Rey and Dominik entered to celebrate with them and Rey took a shot of tequila. Aalyah had a gift for him: his original gear from Halloween Havoc 1997. Rey was surprised to see it and said he’s been looking everywhere for it.
Rhea Ripley entered the room. Aalyah told her to back off. It was a distraction and the Mysterios were attacked by Bálor and Priest. They put Rey through a table.
(During the ambush, Bálor yelled, “it’s not your anniversary, it’s my birthday!” which was pretty damn funny.)
********
Bianca Belair/Becky Lynch segment
This was supposed to be a promo by Bianca Belair but she was immediately interrupted by Becky Lynch. Belair was in the middle of her catchphrase when Lynch decked her. Belair fought back and they brawled until officials broke it up.
********
Sarah Schrieber asked Alexa Bliss about having Doudrop again. Bliss couldn’t blame Doudrop for asking for this match again but what she didn’t understand was her relationship with Nikki ASH. Bliss didn’t think they seemed to be gaining anything from it, unlike her and Lily. She claimed Lily was independent and made her own money — she was even number one on WWE Shop.
Bliss got serious and informed Belair and Lynch that she was coming for the winner of their match at SummerSlam.
********
Medical staff checked on Rey in the back when Bálor and Priest showed up to mock him so Dominik chased them away. Ripley booted Rey and wished him a happy anniversary. Dominik returned to check on Rey.
Alexa Bliss defeated Doudrop (w/Nikki ASH) (4:22)
Bliss set up for Twisted Bliss but Nikki knocked her off the ropes. It didn’t matter though because Bliss countered a Doudrop powerslam into a DDT for the pinfall win.
The crowd was silent for this.
********
AJ Styles told Logan Paul that he liked what he did to Miz earlier. Styles told Paul that he didn’t really like him that much (“I don’t know you that well”), but he liked Miz even less. He told Paul to do us all a favour and shut the Miz’s mouth at SummerSlam. They bumped fists.
[THIRD HOUR]
impaulsive TV with host Logan Paul
Logan Paul noted that his brother would be fighting in MSG next week which drew a smattering of boos. He said that was next week but tonight was the debut of “impaulsive TV.” He called out Miz.
Miz didn’t show but Maryse did. She plugged her show before warning Paul to never talk about her kids again. She didn’t appreciate Paul’s comments about Miz’s “package.” (Maryse had a purse or something shaped like silver balls.) She said Miz had average-sized testicles and Paul wondered who measured their testicles.
Miz entered to his music and said he measures his testicles. He warned Paul that he was getting big-match Miz at SummerSlam. Paul told him to shut up. Paul mentioned his balls again so Maryse tried smacking the mic out of his hand. Paul said she had bigger balls than Miz.
Ciampa tried attacking from behind but Paul fought him off. Paul tackled Miz so Ciampa pulled him off and they double-teamed him until Miz gave him a Skull Crushing Finale. There was a modest “one more time” chant as Miz and Ciampa stood tall.
This was quite bad.
********
Patrick interviewed the Street Profits and the Usos. Jeff Jarrett (wearing a referee shirt five days early) stood between them. The teams exchanged words before Jarrett told them to shut up. He warned them to keep the peace or else.
********
Chad Gable told New York not to boo an Olympian and not to boo a man with a Master’s degree who did it with a 4.0 GPA. He warned them that the island they live on would collapse to the bottom of the ocean under the weight of human garbage and that was just science speaking. He said Ziggler and Styles weren’t a real team and would fail just like the Knicks.
AJ Styles & Dolph Ziggler defeated Alpha Academy (7:29)
They went to break a minute into the match and Alpha Academy took control during the break after Otis dropped Styles onto the barricade. Ziggler made a tag but was quickly cut off by Otis. Gable followed with the Chaos Theory suplex (he used this recently as a finisher but didn’t go for a cover here). Gable tried a moonsault but Ziggler dodged and hit a superkick. Otis broke up the cover so Ziggler and Styles worked together to take him out.
Styles blocked a Gable suplex attempt and Ziggler gave him a Zig-Zag for the pinfall win.
********
The announcers ran down the SummerSlam card. A no disqualification match between the Mysterios and Judgment Day was added to the show.
********
I feel obligated to do this before the main event every week, so here goes:
10:28pm – Bloodline enter 10:31pm – Commercial break 10:35pm – Street Profits enter 10:36pm – Riddle enters 10:37pm – Main event begins 10:40pm – Commercial break 10:44pm – Main event resumes, heat on the babyfaces 10:49pm – Commercial break 10:53pm – Main event resumes 10:57pm – Main event concludes
Six-man tag team match: Universal Champion Roman Reigns & Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Riddle & The Street Profits (19:23)
This opened with the usual sequence. Ford wiped out the Usos with a flip dive which led to break less than three minutes into the match and the heels were randomly in control after the break.
Ford (who earlier yelled, “acknowledge me” at Reigns) briefly ran wild before Reigns cut him off with a Uranage. Ford got busted open at some point here (possibly after getting driven into the turnbuckle).
The Bloodline continued to work over Ford after another break. Reigns knocked Angelo Dawkins off the apron as he set up for a spear and the distraction allowed Ford to hit a blockbuster.
Riddle tagged in and handed out suplexes and sentons to Jimmy and Jey Uso before wiping them out with a dive. Riddle gave Jimmy a powerslam but Reigns had tagged himself in and hit a superman punch.
Ford broke up the cover and took out Jey with a dive. Jimmy knocked down Ford with a suicide dive before Dawkins tackled the Usos into the barricade. Reigns then drove Dawkins into the steel steps.
The crowd popped for Riddle who gave Reigns a draping DDT. However, Reigns blocked an RKO and hit a spear for the pinfall win.
— Seth Rollins entered after the match as the Bloodline was leaving. Rollins and Reigns exchanged looks before Rollins attacked Riddle. He hit Riddle with the steel steps and stomped him. Rollins hit one more stomp onto the steel steps.
Roman Reigns will be in action when Raw comes to Madison Square Garden this Monday (July 25).
WWE has announced that The Bloodline (Reigns & The Usos) will face Riddle & The Street Profits in a six-man tag team match on Monday’s episode of Raw. It will be the first time Reigns has wrestled on television since retaining his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Riddle on SmackDown five weeks ago.
Monday’s episode is Raw’s go-home show for SummerSlam. Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match at the Saturday, July 30 pay-per-view in Nashville, Tennessee.
Though Lesnar walked out before tonight’s SmackDown when it was announced that Vince McMahon is retiring from WWE, Lesnar ended up returning and appearing on the show. Lesnar was involved in an angle where he laid out Theory.
Theory currently holds the Money in the Bank briefcase and has said that he’s going to cash in after Reigns and Lesnar’s match at SummerSlam.
The Usos vs. The Street Profits for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles is also set for SummerSlam. Jeff Jarrett will be the special guest referee for that match.
Here’s the updated lineup for Monday’s Raw:
Roman Reigns & The Usos vs. Riddle & The Street Profits
Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor)
Rey Mysterio celebrates the 20th anniversary of his WWE debut
Friday night’s SmackDown concluded with the special guest referee for The Usos vs. Street Profits at SummerSlam being revealed.
Adam Pearce announced that Jeff Jarrett will be the referee for The Usos and The Street Profits’ Undisputed WWE Tag Team title rematch at SummerSlam. The pay-per-view is taking place in Jarrett’s hometown of Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, July 30.
The announcement came after there were more referee issues during Angelo Dawkins’ singles match against Jimmy Uso last night. After a ref bump, referee Charles Robinson was unable to make the counts when Dawkins and Jimmy each had each other pinned. When Robinson finally woke up, he counted to three despite Jimmy having his shoulder up when being pinned by Dawkins.
The Usos retained their titles against The Street Profits at Money in the Bank when the referee missed that Montez Ford had his shoulder up during the pin.
Last night’s show went off the air with referees attempting to break up a brawl between The Usos and Street Profits.
Jeff Jarrett will be the special guest referee for the Undisputed Tag Team title match at SummerSlam.
Tonight’s SmackDown was headlined by Angelo Dawkins taking on Jimmy Uso. The finish had Dawkins pin Uso. However, the referee didn’t see that Uso’s shoulder was up. This caused the two teams to argue after the match, which brought out WWE official Adam Pearce. He introduced a video package regarding the person that will be refereeing the match, which ended up being Jarrett.
The Usos and The Street Profits have continued their feud following Money in the Bank. At the show, The Usos defeated The Street Profits despite Montez Ford’s shoulder being up during the pinfall.
Here is the latest lineup for SummerSlam, which takes place July 31:
Last Man Standing match: Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Brock Lesnar
SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan defends against Ronda Rousey
Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin
United States Champion Bobby Lashley defends against Theory
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) defend against The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
