Smackdown Review – 07.24.26

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Smackdown is on the USA/Netflix airwaves LIVE AND IN LIVING COLOR from the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA. The announcers for tonight’s show include Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett on match calls and analysis, Mark Nash on ring introductions, and Cathy Kelley on news and interviews. We’re one week away from Summerslam, so let’s see where we get to tonight. It’s time, so let’s watch some wrestling.

Then, Now, Forever….TOGETHER

Arrivals: Cody Raheem Rhodes, WWE Men’s Undisputed Champion CM Punk, Brie Bella alongside Paige, and Bella’s opponent for later, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Lainey Reid who is flanked by her partner Fallon Henley and their pal Jacy Jayne.

Here’s Raw GM Adam Pearce in the ring with an anxious Smackdown GM Nick Aldis as a video package shows the ever-growing feud between Aldis and GUNTHER. Pearce welcomes Oakland to the show and has a contract folder but he has terms and conditions. Here’s GUNTHER out to take a seat opposite Aldis. Pearce informs Aldis that if he signs this contract he will no longer be Smackdown GM and Pearce will assume those responsibilities. There’s also a “Hold Harmless” clause that has GUNTHER smiling like the Cheshire Cat, and Aldis says he knows exactly what he’s signing. Aldis says GUNTHER found his breaking point and he’s willing to forgo his responsibilities for this chance. Aldis signs, and now it’s GUNTHER’s turn to monologue. GUNTHER complains about Aldis and Pearce being all dressed up and says this match will be the greatest match of Aldis’s career but GUNTHER is forced to waste his time with this because Aldis doesn’t know how to do his job. GUNTHER says Aldis is jealous of him and he does know Aldis’s life as NWA champion. GUNTHER says Aldis never really “made it” as a WWE Superstar, but here comes GUNTHER walking in as a multi-millionaire wrestler with a lot of titles and accolades in his history. GUNTHER says he’ll fulfill Aldis’s dream and signs the contract promising to make Aldis an iconic legend when he retires him at Summerslam. Aldis says GUNTHER keeps repeating himself but if he actually believed it he wouldn’t keep saying it over and over. Aldis says GUNTHER never expected any response from his actions and in NYC when Aldis smacked him, he saw that GUNTHER doesn’t want any of this smoke. Aldis says GUNTHER is going to turn out to be the guy who was made a bitch by his boss. This, predictably, leads to fisticuffs. Pearce tries to break it up which allows GUNTHER to sneak in a kick to Aldis’s gentleman’s area. GUNTHER powerbombs Aldis through the table and then barks at him as referees and security pour out from the back. We go to a break.

(If anyone thought Aldis had a chance to win, this would have been a fun segment. All it really did was move the story along on Aldis’s side, so I guess he’s now just an active competitor? I know Nick looks great and is younger than people realize, so I hope he’s going to get what he wants out of this move to competing.)

Here’s Cathy Kelley at Medical to tell us that Aldis is being checked but instantly here’s an irate Sami Zayn who is yelling about winning the Undisputed championship only to find out that he had to defend the title on a show he isn’t even on. Zayn rails about Cody Rhodes and CM Punk stealing his glory to have a huge match at Summerslam, and now he doesn’t even have a match on the card. Here’s Adam Pearce in to try to go see Aldis, and Zayn says he’s glad Aldis is in Medical because he screwed Zayn. Zayn tells Pearce to make things right and jam him into the title match at Summerslam. Pearce says the match is locked in and screams at Zayn to shut up. Pearce admits things went wrong for Zayn but he will be in a number one contender’s match at Summerslam against the winner of a four-way happening on Smackdown tonight between WWE Tag Team Champion Damian Priest, WWE Men’s US Champion Trick Williams, Royce Keys, and Finn Balor. An incredulous Zayn continues to scream about Punk, Rhodes, and all the contenders while he has to “earn” his way back in, and Pearce says this is “take it or leave it”. Zayn agrees and they have more tense words about Pearce leaving to see Aldis.

(Zayn is doing a good job of playing the boiling kettle here. His points are logical and laid out well, and his story feels organic in terms of why he’s so angry about the whole thing. I don’t necessarily care all that much but I appreciate when a story at least makes sense narratively and the performer is giving everything they have to it.)

Brie Bella vs WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Lainey Reid

Bella, who is with Paige, gets no entrance. (Fare thee well, three hour Smackdowns! I will see you in January.). Reid and Henley talk some smack on the way to the ring and Jayne says they’d be the perfect package if she had some gold as well, but because of “you two idiots” she isn’t in the women’s title match at Summerslam. Jayne says the US championship that Tiffany Stratton holds will be hers, and Reid is going to put Bella out of her misery once and for all. The fight starts and Bella smashes Reid around on the floor before running her back in. The bell sounds and we’re off.

Bella grabs a roll up for two and then lifts a knee into Reid’s face. Reid reverses an irish whip and sends Bella into a corner. Reid gets dumped to the apron where she continues to smash Bella’s face into turnbuckles. Reid hits a leaping cutter and barks at Paige as we go to a break.

Bella is hitting Yes Kicks when the show returns. Bella hits a running knee and covers Reid for two. Reid dumps Bella in a corner but runs into a back elbow when she charges. Bella hits a bulldog and then fights off Henley as she ascends in a corner. The distraction from Henley gives Reid enough time to spring up and blast Bella with a right. Reid ascends and gets shoved off by Bella. Jayne leaps up to chatter at Bella but Paige flies over to yank Jayne off the apron. Reid uses this distraction to sit on Bella while using the ropes to get a two count. The ref breaks it up when she sees what Reid is doing and Bella immediately uses that to grab a roll up for three.

Not a lot to this but Reid held her own here. I could rail for a paragraph about the booking of this but I know that the Bellas and Paige are here and I can’t do anything about it. 1.5*

Winner – Brie Bella (roll up)

Post-match sees a pissed off Jayne fly in to attack the celebrating Bella and Paige. The numbers overwhelm the veterans quickly but here’s a returning Nikki Bella out to even things up. The Bellas clear the ring and Fatal scurry away. Nikki grabs a mic and says that these “bitches from the minor leagues” thought they could steal her sister’s title and get away with it. Nikki says there’s a six-woman tag at Summerslam while insisting that her sister, Paige, and herself are the reason why Fatal are even in WWE.

(I cannot begin to describe how much I hate “we’re the veterans so pay homage” storylines.)

Here’s Cathy Kelley with Finn Balor and he talks about his first Summerslam in 2016 when he had the best and worst night of his career. Balor says he’s been scratching and clawing for ten years trying to recreate that night so when…and here’s a grinning GUNTHER in to say that he is next in line and no matter whether it’s Balor, Cody, or Punk, he’s taking what’s his. We go to a break.

Did you know that WWE will now have a channel on SiriusXM? Listening to wrestling on the radio would be wild. PANDA EXPRESS sponsors a look at the Bloodline vs Solo/Knight/Keys six man at Summerslam.

Here’s Royce Keys warming up in the locker room as an excited Solo Sikoa joins him. Sikoa hypes up Keys potentially having two matches at Summerslam should he win the big four-way tonight but Keys reminds Sikoa he’s in his hometown and not to worry about the Bloodline. Here’s Los Angeles Knight in to say that you always have to worry about the Bloodline and wants Keys to win tonight, but Keys says he’s a grown-ass man who will take everything he wants tonight. Sikoa hypes up everybody and says he’s got their back before leaving.

Here’s WWE Women’s US Champion Tiffany Stratton with Chelsea Green and they aren’t necessarily on the same page regarding who should become the Interim Women’s Champion. Green leaves and here’s Blake Monroe in to say she likes Stratton because she likes the finer things in life just like Monroe. Monroe tells Stratton to polish the title because everyone will try to take her shine. Back in the arena, Chelsea Green makes her entrance as we go to a break. (45 minutes into this show and we’ve had about four minutes of actual wrestling. It’s another YAPDOWN!)

WWE Women’s Interim Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: Chelsea Green vs Kiana James

James entrance happened during the break. James slams Green into a corner but misses a charge. Green slaps James and then dumps her to the apron for a dropkick. James stops a tope suicida attempt with a right hand as Green tumbles to the floor. James rams a knee repeatedly into Green’s mid-section before draping her over the barricade at the timekeeper’s area. James hits a reverse thrust kick and drives Green back into the ring. Green fires up with some rights and then slips away from a James elbow drop attempt. Green snaps off some armdrags before yanking James into a Side Russian Leg Sweep. Green hits a Ruff Ryder and covers James for two. Green wants Unpretty-her but James slips out and hits a superkick. James hits a Falcon Arrow and gets two. James misses a running kick and Green rolls her up for two. James hits a Codebreaker and covers Green for two. James drags Green up but Green slips out and nails James with the Unpretty-her and that ends things.

Not a lot of wrestling on this wrestling show tonight, but at least Chelsea Green actually won something cleanly. She should do well in the ladder match because she’s really not afraid of anything, which is both admirable and scary in terms of pro wrestling ladder matches. James is kind of drifting right now after her thing with Giulia broke up so we’ll see what’s next for her. I suggest WWE call Kat Bourne to head up Women’s creative, because it could use an overhaul. Just a suggestion. 2.25*

Winner – Chelsea Green (Unpretty-her)

Here’s WWE Tag Team Champions R-Truth and Damian Priest backstage with Priest stretching as a warm-up. Truth thinks they have a match tonight but Priest helpfully points out that they’re defending against the War Raiders next week and tonight he’s in a four-way. Truth: “I don’t know if that’s PG, DP.” Priest points out that it’s a singles match and Truth wonders how it can be a four-way then. Truth wants to know if Priest is frazzled because he found out Truth used his credit card to buy hot dogs for the 4th of July. Here’s Cody Rhodes in to agree that he also likes hot dogs. Truth and Rhodes banter and Truth leaves. Rhodes has a quick chat with Priest with Priest telling Rhodes that he respects both Punk and Rhodes but he’s sick of the same people being the face of this brand. Rhodes tells Priest he likes that attitude and wishes Priest good luck. We take a break. (Seriously, just so much talking tonight, man oh man.)

Here’s a look back at Saturday Night’s Main Event and the escalating verbals between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk.

Here’s “Kingdom” bringing out Cody Rhodes. Rhodes visited Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show recently to hype up Summerslam and chat about Punk. Rhodes has a mic and soaks in some chanting before wondering what Oakland wants to talk about. Rhodes decides to get right to it and introduces WWE Men’s Undisputed Champion CM Punk as “Cult of Personality” fires up. Rhodes drops a mic he was trying to hand Punk and claims it was an accident so Punk drops his title and takes his jacket off in response. They bicker off mic and Punk defiantly grabs another mic from a PA. Punk says he can’t believe they’re here where he has to be paranoid about his friend attacking him by “accidentally” dropping a mic. Punk says he didn’t want the title to come in between them, but he’ll hear Rhodes other reason for needing to win at Summerslam. Rhodes says he knows people think they are like Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp to each other (I don’t know one person who thinks that but go on, since all we’re doing on this show tonight is talking.) but the truth is that Rhodes doesn’t like Punk. Rhodes says that in 2011 Punk cuts the pipe bomb promo and showed people that there was a pathway out. Rhodes says he followed that path and dropped a nuke on the business (Man, Raheem really REALLY thinks a lot of himself, but perhaps it’s earned and I’m just a cynical dipshit.) but he’s never told Punk that while he was forging that path, the crowds were wishing it was Punk instead. Rhodes says he’s done apologizing for what he’s worked for because he’s gone from the list of those knocking on doors to the list of those that have doors that get knocked on. Rhodes says he’s stood in the ring with the best roster in wrestling history and he doesn’t sweat any of them but Punk. Rhodes says that for this story to have the proper ending he HAS to beat Punk at Summerslam. Punk says he casts a very long shadow that Rhodes and a few other people cannot get out from underneath. Punk mentions that if Rhodes watched Punk’s path and paid attention he did what he should have done, but Punk questions if Rhodes did things bigger or better than Punk did. Punk says it’s up to the history books and in 2022 he saw Rhodes leading a new thing. Punk says they’ve been chasing each other since then. Punk points out that Rhodes is lying to himself because he cannot handle the pressure of trying to take the title from someone he cares about. Punk says Rhodes has to make himself the victim and everyone else the enemy. Punk name drops Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and John Cena and says that makes Punk his only friend. Punk says he told Rhodes he’d never stab him in the back, so he’ll just stab him from the front. Punk promises to break Rhodes’s heart at Summerslam. Rhodes removes his tie and unbuttons his collar before pointing out that they’ll be tagging all week long at house shows. Rhodes says he’ll whip Punk’s ass at Summerslam after that. Punk says Rhodes has a pillar-to-post asswhipping at Summerslam and says he’s the best ever and cannot be touched even by “Dusty’s kid”. Rhodes cuts off the music and says he wants “Kingdom” played because it’s the music Punk is going to hear at Summerslam after their match is over.

(Really ego-driven stuff from both guys here. It feels like they’re trying for Hogan-Savage with this and I’m not sure if we’re there.)

Tessitore and Barrett show highlights of Charlotte Flair ruining the Jade Cargill-Nia Jax ladder match qualifier last week. Cathy Kelley is with Charlotte Flair and Flair doesn’t regret what she did last week because she wasn’t thinking about the circumstances of the match. Flair was driven by the thought of revenge for “Lexy” who’s done so much for her career lately. Flair says Cargill can come after her all she wants and if Flair has to go through Nia Jax to get to Cargill then so be it. Flair makes her entrance as we take a break.

Here’s some highlights of Fanatics Fest because we definitely didn’t see enough on Raw.

WWE Women’s Interim Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: Charlotte Flair vs Nia Jax

Jax gets no entrance so we’ll see if she meets the same fate as Kiana James did. Jax lifts a knee and yanks Flair up to truck her in a corner. Jax runs into a high boot and Flair ascends for a rana. Flair drives Jax into a corner and chops away. Jax runs Flair up and over a turnbuckle and then wanders into a Flair high boot in response. Flair ascends and hits a cross-body for two. Flair gets caught and powerbombed by Jax for two. We take a break.

Flair tells Jax to suck it before ascending, but Jax flies over and yanks Flair down. Jax invites Flair to suck it and then hits a second rope legdrop that gets two. Jax drags Flair to another corner and wants the Annihilator, but Flair senses it and mashes Jax in the back. Flair pulls Jax up and powerbombs her down for two. (The crowd went nuts for the visual of Jax actually sitting on top of Flair’s shoulders.) Flair goes to ascend again and here’s Jade Cargill with B-Fab and Michin stomping down the aisle. Jax uses this distraction to yank Flair away and drive her to the floor. Jax complains to Charles Robinson about Cargill’s presence as Flair is forced to fight off Michin and B-Fab. Flair drops Jax over the top rope throat-first and then flies over to smash Cargill with a right to drive her off the apron. Jax wants a Samoan Drop but Flair slips off her shoulders and boots Jax to the floor. Cargill comes in to the ring and mashes Flair with a huge right hand, so Robinson is forced to call for the bell and Jax is DQ’d yet again.

Nia Jax is going to snap on someone’s ass, y’all. Someone’s about to get hit with about 19 Annihilators in a row if this keeps up. This was pretty darn good, albeit a bit slow, before all the nonsense at the end. I think Jax is moving better and working in a more clever way these days that plays well to her strengths and facial expressions. Flair worked at Jax’s pace quite easily and if they’d gotten a chance to finish, I think it would have been match of the night by a country mile. 2.75*

Winner – Charlotte Flair (Jax DQ’d after Cargill interference)

Cargill and her goons overwhelm Flair who gets lofted up for Jaded. After the DQ announcement is made, a furious Nia Jax clears the announce table and says a bad word as there’s a definite break in the audio. Flair is now in the ladder match with Chelsea Green, Tiffany Stratton, and Jade Cargill with one more spot to fill next week. I’m guessing Jax will be involved in that after these past two weeks. Tessitore and Barrett run down the rest of the current Summerslam card. (Barrett says that this Aldis thing is “temporary” in terms of him giving up his GM duties, which I was not clear on, so I appreciate that context.)

Damian Priest makes his entrance as we go to a break.

WWE Men’s Undisputed Championship Number One Contenders Qualifying Four-Way: WWE Men’s Tag Team Champion Damian Priest vs Royce Keys vs Finn Balor vs WWE Men’s US Champion Trick Williams

Keys doesn’t get an entrance, and Balor’s is in progress when the show returns. Tessitore talks up Trick’s impressive first six months on Smackdown as he makes his way down the aisle. Balor and Priest, ex-stablemates, have some verbals prior to the bell.

The bell sounds with Priest and Balor discussing things, so Keys runs them over with a double lariat. Keys mashes Trick, tosses Balor halfway across the ring, and then drops Priest with a sidewalk slam. Keys yanks Trick up for a fall-away slam and we take another break.

Keys charges in to break up a Balor cover when the show returns. Balor slips off Keys shoulders and drops him with a standing sling blade that gets two. Priest charges in and drops Balor with a high boot. Priest catches Trick with a facebuster and then mashes Keys with a big splash. Priest fires up and misses a clothesline before Trick drops him with a leaping neckbreaker. Trick yanks a charging Balor up for a facebuster and then mashes Balor and keys with a bunch of boots in a corner. Priest comes in and boxes Trick’s ears, but Trick slaps him in response and they both end up on the floor after Balor dumps Trick. Balor sends Keys out as well before hitting all three with a tope con hilo. Here’s Solo Sikoa striding down the aisle and we take another break. (My over-booking Spidey sense is tingling, gang.)

Trick dumps Priest and Balor and yanks Keys up for the Bookend when the show returns. Sikoa puts Keys foot on the ropes to stop the count at two, and here’s Big Jim and Main Event Jey Uso out to start fighting with Sikoa. This predictably brings out Los Angeles Knight and everyone starts battling in the aisle. In the ring, Priest catches Trick with a high boot and ascends for his rope walk. Priest decides to instead jump on the floor fight crushing everyone down in the process. Balor pulls Trick into a schoolboy that gets two. Balor hits Trick with a sling blade and then crushes him with a running shotgun dropkick. Balor ascends but Trick slips out of the Coup de Grace. Trick hits the Cyclone Boot and covers Balor for two. The aisle fight has gone all the way to the back as Trick drops a knee pad. Trick’s charge is met by a Priest lariat and then Priest drops Balor with a high boot. Priest hits South of Heaven on Trick but Keys breaks up the cover at two. Keys pulls Priest into a spinebuster and here’s Jacob Fatu out to yank Keys out of the ring for some fisticuffs. Fatu destroys Keys as Balor slips out of a South of Heaven attempt by Priest. Balor hits a sling blade on Priest before mashing him with the running shotgun dropkick. Balor ascends and crushes Priest with the Coup de Grace which finishes things.

Okay, I am ENJOYING this new Finn Balor a whole bunch. Despite the tremendous amount of over-booking here, the match itself was decent. Time constraints and the number of bodies involved in this kept any psychology and selling from really taking hold, but the action was decent and everyone hit their marks. Balor and Sami should put on a solid show at Summerslam and I’m pretty stoked to see how that one goes. 3.25*

Winner and advancing to the number one contender’s match at Summerslam – Finn Balor (Coup de Grace on Priest)

Post-match sees Balor accepting cheers from the crowd before the credits roll and we’re out.

So, as you may have surmised, we had another very chatty Smackdown this evening. The first hour was particularly yappy, but things moved along with several stories leading into the Showcase of the Semi-Mortals so I guess we got where we needed to. The in-ring was just there tonight and I remain disappointed that folks like Giulia and Jordynne Grace aren’t involved in any of the women’s stuff leading into the big show. Only one men’s match tonight and barely any mention of the tag division so clearly, the conspiracy to destroy tag wrestling remains intact.

Have a good weekend, and thanks for reading and commenting.

After the show went off the air, Baron Corbin attacked Trick as he left the ringside area, and apparently this has lead to a title match being booked for Summerslam between the two.