WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 21
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Credit: WWE.com
WWE SmackDown may have moved to Fox Sports 1 for a week but the civil war raging within The Bloodline continued, with Jey Uso and Roman Reigns establishing the rules of engagement for their SummerSlam showdown, where The Tribal Chief’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship is on the line.
That segment headlined a broadcast that also featured the continuation of the United States Championship Invitational and the latest on the company’s march to SummerSlam on Saturday, August 5.
Find out what went down, how each segment graded out and what it meant for those involved with this recap of Friday’s show, live from the Amway Center in Orlando.
Match Card
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Announced for Friday’s show in advance were:
Roman Reigns and Jey Uso’s Rules of Engagement for SummerSlamUnited States Championship Invitational: Rey Mysterio vs. Sheamus vs. Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight
United States Championship Invitational
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Credit: WWE.com
Rey Mysterio will square off with his LWO teammate and protege, Santos Escobar, for a shot at United States Champion Austin Theory following his win in a Fatal 4-Way Match to kick off Friday’s show.
The WWE Hall of Famer overcame interference by the titleholder that threatened to take him out of the contest and defeated the wildly popular LA Knight, Sheamus and Cameron Grimes in an action-packed bout at the top of the broadcast.
A smartly laid out match, it was a battle of babyfaces that kept fans invested despite never establishing any drawn-out heat segments or forcing any of the four competitors to play heel.
The crowd was solidly behind Knight throughout but did not reject Mysterio’s victory, a testament to that legendary competitor’s connection with the audience. It will be interesting to see, though, how long the the crowd will tolerate the creative team resisting Knight’s momentum before rejecting any, and every, decision that does not see him emerge victoriously.
A backstage segment coming out of the commercial saw Theory demand a (non-title) match with Escobar, who jumped him after he attempted to cost Mysterio the victory.
Result
Mysterio defeated Grimes, Sheamus and Knight
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
Knight continued to be one of the most over Superstars on the planet as he was greeted with a thunderous ovation, the clear fan-favorite in Friday’s opening contest.Wade Barrett referring to Sheamus as a gatekeeper in WWE, an obstacle for any prospective Superstar to overcome en route to success, was a great call and the perfect explanation for the Celtic Warrior at this point in his career.Following a confrontation earlier in the match, Theory pulled Mysterio off a pin and sent him into the ring steps, momentarily costing him a victory. Escobar hit the ring and fought Theory off while the Hall of Famer recovered and pinned Grimes for the win.
Charlotte Flair vs. Iyo Sky
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Credit: WWE.com
On the same day that Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair vs. Asuka for the latter’s WWE Women’s Championship was made official for SummerSlam, The Queen sought to build momentum by knocking off the 2023 Women’s Money in the Bank winner, Iyo Sky.
She did just that, overcoming a distraction from Bayley at ringside and a game Goddess of the Sky to earn the hard-fought victory following Natural Selection. A post match beatdown by Asuka sent a message to the winner and potentially planted the seeds for an arm injury she can exploit come August 5.
The match was really good despite a commercial break right in the middle of it. Furthermore, it advanced two ongoing stories: the mounting dissension within Damage CTRL between Sky and Bayley, as well as Shotzi’s revenge against The Role Model.
Both are secondary stories to the women’s title picture, but exactly what the blue brand’s women’s division needed after the lackluster, frankly sub-par creative efforts of a year ago.
Flair, Asuka and Belair are fixing to tear the house down at SummerSlam and their match may be a legitimate dark horse contender for best match of what is looking to be a jam-packed card.
Result
Flair defeated Sky
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
Despite concerns about a potential injury suffered during a live event last weekend, Bayley accompanied Sky to the ring for the match, with no noticeable limp to speak of.Bayley and Michael Cole’s undying side feud will always be fun. Cole trying to further sow seeds of dissension within Damage CTRL was great.Flair vs. Sky is a match deserving of more time, a grander stage and no commercial interruption. A distraction from Bayley led to a sunset flip powerbomb by Sky for two, followed by a video package in which Shotzi maniacally called The Role Model’s name. Visibly freaked, Bayley abandoned her teammate, leaving her to go it alone the rest of the match.Asuka attacked Flair immediately after her victory. The timing here was fantastic as The Queen quite literally had no time to breathe before the WWE Women’s champion attacked her and targeted her left arm.
Santos Escobar vs. Austin Theory
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Credit: WWE.com
United States champion Austin Theory may have demanded a match with Santos Escobar but he ultimately regretted it as the potential No. 1 contender to his title picked up a decisive and definitive victory over the brash young heel.
Escobar built on the momentum of his victory from a week ago by pinning the US champ clean in the center of the ring, something few have done as WWE has actively protected the future star.
It was a welcome change of pace as Escobar has all-too-often endured losses despite an increased role on TV.
These are the types of victories that will ultimately help him establish a connection with the audience and, at the very least, the type of credibility necessary to be considered a threat to any opponent he challenges.
That includes Rey Mysterio, his mentor, who he battles on next week’s show for a shot at Theory’s title.
Result
Escobar defeated Theory
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
Barrett, gradually developing into the best color commentator in the company, covered for the questionable booking of this match by suggesting Theory would be eager to get Escobar in a non-title match so he can get exposure to the potential No. 1 contender’s playbook and be able to gameplan for it in the event of a championship encounter. A logical explanation. Escobar pulled off the damndest midair headscissors from the top rope. The room for error was next to zero. The spot set up the Phantom Driver and a big win for the former NXT North American champion.Backstage, we got a brief tease at the continuing development of a business relationship between Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits.
NXT North American Championship Match: Butch vs. Dominik Mysterio
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Credit: WWE.com
New NXT North American champion Dominik Mysterio benefited from a distraction by Pretty Deadly and interference from Women’s World champion Rhea Ripley to retain his title against Butch in the night’s next match.
On a night where there was a heavy NXT presence on the show, thanks to SmackDown emanating from Orlando, it was nice to see the creative forces highlight the brand between the ropes with a character in Mysterio that continues to be among the hottest heels in the business.
The feud between the Brawling Brutes and Pretty Deadly was at play here but given the uncertainty of the Elton Prince’s availability given his separated shoulder, one has to wonder how long that can be dragged out before it becomes repetitive. Especially if Prince really is out for months, as suggested by Cole on commentary.
Result
Mysterio defeated Butch
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
Ripley slipped Mysterio a steel chain to use to his advantage but Ridge Holland hit the ring and pulled the weapon away from the champion just in time.Pretty Deadly made their way to the ring, Elton Prince in a wheelchair as he nurses a separated shoulder. Barrett, on commentary, revealed that the chair is (hilariously) named “Prince Wheeliam.”Ripley’s facial expressions and body language are among her most underrated traits. They put over the danger Mysterio was in and sold the idea that he might actually lose the title to Butch, even if that never really felt like a possibility.Holland chased Pretty Deadly out of the arena, providing a momentary distraction that allowed Ripley to take out Butch’s knee and Mysterio to retain his title.
Roman Reigns’ Rules of Engagement for SummerSlam vs. Jey Uso
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Credit: WWE.com
Both the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and the role of Tribal Chief are at stake at SummerSlam when Roman Reigns and Jey Uso meet in Tribal Combat.
The no holds barred, anything goes match was the choice of The Bloodline elders, revealed Uso, and the only way the issues between those involved can realistically be settled.
Tonally, this appeared a bit off early until one looked a bit closer at the interactions between Uso and Reigns.
A week after Jey appeared passionate and defiant in the face of The Bloodline, he reverted back to being torn, uncertain if what he was pursuing was the right decision. The difference? Reigns was not there last Friday night but was this week.
Despite knowing it is the right decision and having engaged Reigns physically before, there is still that controlling element to their relationship that leaves the former Right Hand Man uncertain if standing up to the Head of the Table is right, not just for himself but the family.
Then there is the increasingly unpredictable Solo Sikoa, who attempted to lay Uso out to wrap things up, only to be stopped by Reigns, who is clearly growing more and more concerned about the enforcer’s hair trigger and apparent desire to be the Tribal Chief himself.
There are still plenty of chapters to this story but even so, SummerSlam is setting up to be an unforgettable night, thanks to what should be one of the most emotionally fueled matches of the year.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
The image of Reigns quite literally sitting at the head of the table as Uso sat to his left was powerful. The Tribal Chief condescendingly referring to his cousin as “Little Jey” was great.Uso tore up the contract for SummerSlam. “We don’t need no contract. The contract is in the blood. This right here, this is tribal combat now.””Do the elders know about this?” a visibly concerned Reigns asked. “It was their idea, uce,” Uso revealed before laying down the no holds barred rules for the proposed Tribal Combat.Sikoa attempted an attack, only for Reigns to grab his arm and stop him. Uso responded with a superkick to his brother and stared Reigns down to close out the show.
Overall Grade
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Friday’s episode of SmackDown may have been headlined by the promo segment that officially gave us Uso vs. Reigns for SummerSlam but it was defined by strong in-ring content.
The four-way to start the show as a ton of fun, the Flair-Sky match that followed highlighted the chemistry that exists between them and the Escobar and Theory had a fun little banger of their own right after.
Longer than normal matches that advanced stories are always welcome and this had them in spades.
Add to that the noteworthy announcement of Tribal Combat and you have a show that accomplished the goal at hand by remaining focused on building to one of the biggest premium live events of the year.
Grade: B+
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