Smackdown Review – 07.31.26

Consistency is key, and brother, we are CONSISTENT. AAA VdeE | Raw | NXT | Evolve | Main Event | Impact

Smackdown provides the go-home show for the big Summerslam weekend tonight on the USA/Netflix airwaves from The Resch Center in Green Bay, WI. The announcers for tonights show include Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett on match calls and analysis, Mark Nash on ring introductions, and Cathy Kelley on interviews and news segments. There’s a big weekend ahead in Minneapolis, so let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever…..TOGETHER

Who showed up for work? Here’s QB1 Cody Raheem Rhodes entering the backstage area. WWE Men’s Undisputed Champion CM Punk walks a hallway. Next up are WWE Women’s US Champion Tiffany Stratton and her new bestie Chelsea Green at a merch table. Their opponents tonight, B-Fab and Michin, arrive flanking their friend and ersatz leader, Jade Cargill. Our favorites Lash Legend and Nia Jax are arm in arm, while Legend’s opponent Giulia has gotten a hair cut and color and has some COFFEE. Here’s WWE Men’s Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and R-Truth entering, and they now have team merch! Their opposition on tonight’s show AAA Tag Team Champions Erik and Ivar of The War Raiders will be going title-for-title with Priest and Truth.

Here’s Finn Balor out in a t-shirt and jeans to start things in the arena. Balor is TOO SWEET for a few fans as we see his match graphic for Summerslam where he’ll face Sami Zayn in a number one contender’s match to determine the next challenger for the Men’s Undisputed Championship. Balor mentions 2016 and talks about his first Summerslam, where he had the best and worst night of his career. (Thanks Seth Rollins, you goon.) Balor has spent the last ten years trying to claw back the glory of that night and here we are in GREEN BAY WISCONSIN.

Here’s Sami Zayn out for a chat. Zayn stays in the aisle to start and tells Balor he knows it’s an emotional time for him but there’s things that Zayn has to get off his chest. Zayn reiterates his belief that he should be part of the CM Punk-Cody Rhodes title match at Summerslam. Zayn says he wants to see Cody Rhodes as the champion again because he pinned Rhodes to win the title and knows he can do it again. Zayn also says he wouldn’t mind seeing Punk retain either, because Punk is the biggest fraud, hypocrite, and piece of trash in the company. Zayn mocks the Pipe Bomb and says Punk has risen to the rank of “Corporate Poster Boy #2” and it would be a treat for Zayn to take the title back from the person who stole it from him. Zayn says he respects Balor, and Balor says Zayn should grow some balls and come to the ring. Zayn marches to the ring and says he owes Balor that. Zayn says he respects Balor and says everyone who’s watched Balor since 2016 knows how great he is. Zayn says Balor should have been champion 2 or 3 times in those ten years, but Balor clearly doesn’t understand that THIS moment belongs to Zayn. Zayn says all of this is bigger than them because it’s about JUSTICE. Balor wonders where Justice for Finn is because he’s spent ten years just trying to get back to this type of opportunity. A chuckling Zayn says that after ten years, perhaps Balor should have just taken the hint. Balor laughs and tells Zayn it took ten years to just get a sniff of the title, so why should he give up his dream. Balor points out Zayn’s nine day reign and says it ended because Zayn simply lost. Zayn is now thoughtful and points out that those sounded like fighting words, and if he was anyone else Zayn would drop him right now, but Zayn is the last real good guy and will be walking away. Balor agrees that he’ll see Zayn at Summerslam and….

Here’s GUNTHER into the ring to push Balor into Zayn. GUNTHER wrecks Balor and Zayn and snatches up the mic to throw out some words in German before calling Balor and Zayn a joke because the real number one contender is standing here right now. Here’s Raw GM Adam Pearce out and GUNTHER wants to know what he has to do to be recognized and suggests beating Pearce’s ass much like he did to Nick Aldis. Balor comes flying up the aisle and mashes GUNTHER with a forearm from behind. Balor pounds away and here’s Zayn to yank Balor off to continue beating on GUNTHER. Balor immediately goes after Zayn which allows GUNTHER to rise up and smash them both with clotheslines. GUNTHER tosses Zayn towards the barricade and then does the same to Balor. Here’s Nick Aldis out to start beating on GUNTHER before tossing him into the ring. Aldis drops GUNTHER and slaps on the Texas Cloverleaf. A bunch of refs yank Aldis off and GUNTHER staggers to a corner before firing out to blast Aldis with a high kick. Aldis gets pulled from the ring and he yells that GUNTHER finally felt the Cloverleaf. GUNTHER is in the ring and looks a bit shook by the whole thing. We go to break.

For an opening segment, I thought they mostly did well for what they were trying to get across. Zayn is crushing it character-wise at the moment and Balor has underdog babyface down pat, so their thing should be very good. GUNTHER and Aldis isn’t as interesting to me because it seems wildly apparent how it’s going to go, but at least GUNTHER is doing this and if it’s Aldis’s retirement, I’m sure Nick will be just fine. The crowd enjoyed the chaotic ending.

Tickets are on sale next Friday for Survivor Series in Houston! Did you know that WarGames happens at Survivor Series this and every year?

Here’s some highlights of the opening segment.

Chelsea Green and WWE Women’s US Champion Tiffany Stratton vs B-Fab and Michin

Stratton and Green have very similar blue and yellow gear tonight. Jade Cargill is out with her Baddies and looking resplendent in a white bodysuit. It’s Stratton and B-Fab to start and B-Fab hits a high leg lariat in a corner, but Stratton shakes it off and nails B-Fab with a shotgun dropkick from behind. Michin tags in and gets dropped over the second rope. Green tags in and they hit double Hip Attacks before Green drops B-Fab and Michin with facebusters. Green salutes the crowd and we take a break.

Tessitore tells us that Green’s success prior to the break was short-lived and she’s been taking a beating from B-Fab and Michin throughout the break. Green and B-Fab slug it out and Green hits an enziguri to make space. Stratton tags in as does Michin and Stratton hits a cartwheel into a vicious Alabama Slam. Stratton yanks Michin into place and ascends. Stratton hits a swanton and her cover only gets two. Stratton hoists Michin onto her shoulders before Michin slips off. Green grabs a blind tag as Michin eats a double boot from Stratton. B-Fab sneaks over to yank Stratton out to the floor and Stratton hits a weird looking Codebreaker after springing off the ring steps. Green ascends and as the ref is checking on Michin, Cargill charges over and drives Stratton into a ring post. Michin and Green slug it out and Green hits a headbutt. Green hits a missile dropkick and Michin stumbles into her corner where B-Fab grabs a tag. Green wants the Unpretty-her on B-Fab but eats a Michin superkick. Michin and B-Fab yank Green up for the BTA and that finishes things.

Three heels overcoming a pair of babyfaces feels fine to me from a booking standpoint but the work here was a bit spotty overall. You could tell everyone was working kind of gently, other than Stratton utterly murdering Michin with the Alabama Slam, and there wasn’t a lot of heat to this with three of the five performers in the ladder match this weekend involved. Anyway, you didn’t miss much here but the story was fine in terms of the build for the ladder match. 2*

Winners – B-Fab and Michin (BTA on Green)

Post-match sees Charlotte Flair come out all in black and heading to the ring. Green and Stratton yank B-Fab and Michin out of the ring to continue throwing hands and that spills all the way through the timekeeper’s area. Flair takes her jacket off and heads onto the apron to exchange some verbals with Cargill. The fists start flying and Flair ducks a pump kick before nailing Cargill with one. Cargill immediately bails up the aisle as Flair makes the “I once caught a fish….THIS BIG” gesture to Cargill.

Here’s FrAxiom and AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix running into JD McDonagh and AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio. The Judgement Day goons are asked why they’re here on Smackdown and McDonagh says they can do whatever the hell they want, but they’re actually there to find Danhausen. Fenix says they haven’t seen him and Mysterio says Fenix has been hiding in Mexico. Fenix laughs at that and says he’s back and ready to fight. Mysterio says Fenix’s title would look good on the arm of McDonagh and Fenix says BET.

Here’s Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga in a pre-tape to say that they had been too occupied with Solo Sikoa’s battles and it took BALLS to walk away. Talla says from now on they put their family first and here’s Haku (!) in to tell his boys to not forgot WHO THEY ARE. Haku tells the boys to go and make sure they fear their name once again. (I was legit shocked to see Haku and to realize he’s not in the Hall of Fame, so perhaps things have softened enough now to get him in.)

WWE Men’s Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and R-Truth, dressed as a Cheesehead, make their entrance as we go to break.

Title for Title: AAA Tag Team Champions The War Raiders vs Damian Priest and R-Truth

Priest and Erik immediately start throwing hands at the bell and Priest tosses Erik to a corner to pound away. Truth tags in and he and Priest combine on a Side Russian Leg Sweep-flying forearm deal that drives Erik down. A fired-up Truth nails Erik with a corner splash before nailing a charging Ivar with a right. Erik uses that distraction to blast Truth from behind before driving Priest off the apron as well. Ivar gets a tag and they descend to the floor. Erik nails Truth with a knee strike and then he and Ivar catch a charging Priest to drive him back-first into the barricade. Ivar gets rammed into Truth and then tossed onto Priest. The War Raiders celebrate and we take a break.

Ivar has just smashed Priest with a high boot when the show returns. Ivar ascends but catches a Priest enziguri. Priest hits a top rope rana and claps Erik’s ears when he tries to attack from behind. Priest charges into the Raiders lofted powerslam and Truth breaks up Erik’s cover at two. Truth takes a beating in a corner and Erik and Ivar push Charles Robinson away when he tries to intervene. Priest flies in and then he shoves Robinson away as well. Robinson calls for the bell.

Yeah, despite Priest’s relatively new position within the AAA hierarchy, I didn’t think they were switching any of these titles when this was booked. Nothing surprising here and they kept the DQ finish simple enough. 2.25*

No winners – Both team DQ’d for striking the ref

Post-match sees the team continue fighting on the floor and Ivar yanks up the championship podium stand and casually whips it at Truth. Everyone fights through the timekeeper’s area and into the WWE UNIVERSE. Truth dives off a production table to nail everyone with a splash and Priest fires the Raiders back into the ringside area with a double lariat. Here’s Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga out to attack the Raiders and Priest/Truth. The MFT’s wreck everyone and it ends with Talla chokeslamming Priest. Haku enters at the end and the Tongans hold both sets of belts over the victims of their attack.

Here’s some highlights of the ending of a house show last night that saw Cody Rhodes and CM Punk team up. Rhodes “accidentally” elbowed Punk and a lot of words were exchanged. Here’s Cathy Kelley with WWE Men’s Undisputed Champion CM Punk who says that this is competition and Rhodes got caught up in their relationship. Punk says Rhodes isn’t his friend right now and won’t be at the bell, but at the end of the night he’ll still be champion. Here’s WWE Men’s US Champion Trick Williams in to interrupt as Kelley scurries away. Trick tells Punk that he’s coming for Punk’s title and it will be soon. Punk says he wants challengers and says when Trick finally gets there he’s going to WHOOP THAT TRICK. We go to commercials.

Here’s Nick Aldis in a pre-tape to say that while it’s been an honor to have been Smackdown GM it wasn’t his dream. Aldis’s dream was to be a wrestler and we see some TNA and NWA highlights of Aldis’s careeer. (I guess Billy Corgan doesn’t mind a check coming once in awhile.) Aldis was okay being the GM until GUNTHER pushed him WAY too far. Aldis says he was left with one choice and that was to lace them up and face GUNTHER like a man.

Members of the Green Bay Packers are in the crowd and here’s Micah Parsons with his two lovely children in the front row. (WE ARE!)

Here’s WWE Men’s US Champion Trick Williams out for a chat by himself. Trick was attacked by Baron Corbin after Smackdown went off the air, and a match for the title was subsequently signed. Trick does Booker T’s routine as the fans chant for him, and then wants the music cut. Trick is the sexiest and most entertaining champ and has finally arrived. Trick says he’s got a lot to say and it’s time to get to business. Trick mentions that “big bald-headed” Baron Corbin polished his head up real good to look like a grown-up Tommy Pickles. Trick says Corbin makes him sick and wants Corbin out there RIGHT NOW so he can slap Corbin all the way to Minnesota. Here’s Baron Corbin out to say that while he was away he learned some lessons and the best one was about patience. Corbin talks about Trick’s music and chant make him seem more important than he actually is. Corbin says he’s going to suffocate Trick at Summerslam and promises to wrap his arms around Trick’s neck. Trick says everyone knows Corbin is acting like he’s badder than he was before he left and the only thing he’s going to collect is Trick’s foot up his ass. Corbin hops up on the apron but says there will be no preview tonight. Corbin calls Trick a dumb rookie and Trick charges. Corbin drops down and emphasizes patience before telling Trick he’s taking the title on Sunday and there’s nothing in this world Trick can do about it. Trick says there won’t be no title taking on Sunday, just 35000 people chanting his name hearing AND STILL.

I don’t know if jamming Corbin immediately into a title match was the best plan, but timelines and availability are what they are so we’re here now. I’m sure the match will be fine but the build is fairly spotty at this point.

Tessitore and Barrett pivot to a promo package for Hell in a Cell. I suspect it will be leading off the show on Saturday, and they are really presenting it as the final showdown between Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar. Femi has beaten up a lot of fake cops the past few weeks, that’s for sure.

AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix makes his entrance as we go to break.

AAA Cruiserweight Championship: Rey Fenix (C) vs JD McDonagh

McDonagh gets a quick two count off a bridge, and Fenix monkey flips McDonagh over. Fenix does a rope-assisted armdrag but catches a McDonagh right hand in response. Fenix fires off a sit-down roll up for two and then slips a McDonagh standing moonsault attempt. McDonagh bails and we reset. AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio is out with McDonagh and gives him a thorough fanning with his hanging shirt. Mysterio distracts Fenix and McDonagh blasts Fenix from behind. McDonagh puts his boot on Fenix’s jaw. Fenix fires up and dumps McDonagh to the apron before blasting him with a leaping enziguri. Fenix misses a dive to the floor and catches a McDonagh springboard moonsault in response. We take a break.

McDonagh has Fenix’s arm tied up when the show returns. Fenix rises and eats a big right from McDonagh. McDonagh misses a charge and Fenix hits a springboard splash. Fenix yanks McDonagh up for a brainbuster and covers him for two. McDonagh tries to bail but Fenix catches him to slug it out mid-ring. Fenix hits a superkick and a springboard stunner before wandering into a McDonagh Spanish Fly that gets two. They slug it out and Fenix fires off a kaman giri to send McDonagh down. Fenix ascends as Mysterio climbs onto the apron. McDonagh springs up to crotch Fenix but the ref has had enough and ejects Mysterio. Here’s Danhausen out to try to curse Mysterio, but Mysterio pounds him down before he can finish. Here’s a bunch of Mini-Hausens out to attack Mysterio before chasing him to the back. (I love wrestling, friends.) A baffled McDonagh catches an immediate kick to the head before getting mashed by a running Meteora. Fenix yanks McDonagh up and plants him with the Mexican Muscle Buster to finish things.

Now that’s good wrestling nonsense right there. We set up more Summerslam conflict with Danhausen and Dom, and Fenix got a solid win over McDonagh to continue his Good Vibes Tour with the Cruiserweight title. No major issues here. 3*

Winner AND STILL AAA Cruiserweight Champion – Rey Fenix (Mexican Muscle Buster)

Tessitore promises a look at Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins after a commercial break.

Here’s a highlights package of the long history between WWE Men’s World Champion Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Rollins promises that Reigns will never be able to escape the ghost of Seth Rollins. They will main event on Summerslam Sunday.

Lash Legend makes her entrance as we go to commercials.

WWE Women’s Interim Championship Ladder Match Qualifier: Lash Legend vs Giulia

Giulia gets no entrance. Legend pushes Giulia to a corner and Giulia flies up to put on an Octopus. Legend turns it into an Air Raid Crash that gets two. Giulia wraps Legend into a double arm lock but Legend powers her way out of it. Giulia fires off the Arrivederci Knee and gets two. Legend elbows her way out of a Northern Lights Bomb, but Giulia pulls Legend into a guillotine. Legend bullies her way out of that and crushes Giulia with the Lash Extension to finish things.

Well then. That was rather short and decisive. I’m not sure if Giulia is on the outs right now but this barely cracked two minutes and she got no entrance. That’s math I think anyone can do. 1.5*

Winner – Lash Legend (Lash Extension)

Post-match sees Legend celebrating while making the “I want the belt” gesture.

Here’s a quick pre-tape of Cody Rhodes picking up some dog tags which apparently has to do with his role as GUILE in the new Street Fighter movie. It’s time for more commercials.

Here’s Cody Rhodes out as “Kingdom” blares throughout the arena, but it’s immediately cut off by “Cult of Personality” as a brusque WWE Men’s Undisputed Champion CM Punk pushes right past Rhodes and stalks to the ring. Rhodes follows as Punk starts berating his “pal”. Rhodes says they are indeed where they are and screams at Punk about the part they don’t talk about is that Rhodes knows Punk and sees through his mind games. Rhodes says Punk’s title opportunity fell into his lap and they’ve always been running towards each other. Punk cuts off the intensity to put over Green Bay and given his affiliation with Chicago, gets a pretty good pop from the Green Bay crowd. Punk digs back into Rhodes by saying he knew he was going to ruffle some feathers, but he’s not one of these “pissbabies” in the back who complain about the four same guys always being champion. Punk says he hopes people are pissed off about him because he’s been ruffling feathers for 20 plus years. Punk says he was gone for ten of those years and people were still pissed about him. Punk says he won’t be friends with Rhodes until things are over and it’s up to Rhodes once things are over, but Punk needs to know for BUSINESS PURPOSES who the best wrestler is. Rhodes asks Green Bay what they want to talk about as Punk relaxes along the ropes. Rhodes says this sounds like CM Punk double-talk and says this isn’t business, it’s very personal to Rhodes. Rhodes says the title that Punk carries actually means that you are the Best in the World and you get to call the shots. Rhodes says everyone is tired of talking about friends and reminds Punk that he said he came back to make money, not friends. Punk says he didn’t come back to lose friends, but if it comes down to the title or a friendship, tomorrow isn’t going to be Rhodes night. Rhodes says that the word “tomorrow” is bothering him because Punk has made it clear what he’s prepared to do tomorrow night, so Rhodes wants to know what Punk wants to DO about it tonight. The mics are tossed and Punk tosses the title belt down between them before removing his jacket. Punk says “say when” off mic and squares up, so Rhodes joins him. Punk points to his jaw and Rhodes takes a beat. Punk wades in and it finally starts. Punk gets caught with a Rhodes forearm and then sent to the floor with a Rhodes lariat. Rhodes smashes Punk into the announce table and then drives him into the ring apron. Rhodes clears the announce table but Punk recovers to drive Rhodes over top of the table. Punk gets tripped up and Rhodes jumps up. Punk trips him down and the hockey fight resumes. Here’s a bunch of security and suits out to try to break things up. Punk leaps on the announce table and Rhodes joins him for more fighting. They both get yanked down to the floor and it will simply not end as they find each other once again. The credits come up as they cannot be torn apart.

Yeah, the hockey fight ending worked. Overall, this was just an average go-home that did what it needed to do in terms of the final pieces being put into place for tomorrow and Sunday. The promo work was decent tonight for the most part but the show was kind of weirdly paced and very highlight-and-video package heavy. You didn’t miss a ton if you didn’t see this live. We’ll move on to Summerslam weekend and hope for the best.

Y’all be cool and enjoy the big shows! Remember there’s Night Two of AAA’s Verano de Escandalo on Saturday night and I’ll have that recapped when you wake up on Sunday.