Posted on 7/04/126 by Bob Magee
Sami Zayn kicks off SmackDown as Undisputed WWE Champion
The new Undisputed WWE Champion Sami Zayn opened the show,
with a mix of cheers and boos, and lots and lots of pyro.
“It seems to me that a lot of folks here tonight came to
ride ro die with the ‘Last Real Good Guy’,” said Zayn to
begin his opening. He said he appreciated the love from the
past few days, but it was funny because the people booing
for the past few months turned their backs on him. Zayn said
he could be petty and tell everyone of those single those
people to kiss his ass… but he won’t. Because Zayn said he
was a good guy. It is the same reason he is the World
Champion, because he has always been the same. Zayn claimed
that he won the belt the right way without being as
cutthroat as people told him to be. Zayn said he could be
petty to those who doubted him and tell them to again kiss
his ass, but he won’t, because this was a celebration.
Zayn said that he would be forever now known as a
WrestleMania main eventer, Grand Slam Champion and until the
day he died, he will be forever known as a WWE Champion. And
that no amount of hate or noise would take that away from
him.
Cody Rhodes’ entrance music interrupted Zayn as the former
Undisputed WWE Champion made his way down to to the ring,
looking a bit more serious than usual. Rhodes introduced
himself to Zayn, who mocked his “what do you want to talk
about” starter. Rhodes said that Zayn talked about how when
Cody won the world championship that he was the first to
congratluate him. Rhodes then mentioned how he wanted to be
the first to congratulate Zayn as the new world champion.
Rhodes and Zayn shook hands, as the latter told him to stay
right put. Zayn said that Rhodes wasn’t just here to be
congratulate, and it had something to do with what Rhodes
used to hold (i.e. the Undisputed WWE Title). Before things
could escalate, Jey Uso walked down to the ring, wanting to
tell Zayn that he wanted a shot at the title.
The two friends exchanged their handshakes as Jey said that
he was so proud of Zayn for earning what he deserved. But,
Jey said that he was out here on Bloodline business, as this
was his warning shot to Zayn. Jey said he needed to bring
the gold back to “The Family”.
Rhodes interrupted and said that Jey was out here running
errands for Roman Reigns. Zayn said that Rhodes had his
chance and now it was his time to become the WWE Champion.
Zayn pointed out that the title was still “in the family”
and that nobody would touch the World Title. Zayn told
Rhodes and Jey to stay away from him.
Adam Pearce interrupted due to Nick Aldis being sent home
after a dustup with Gunther following Night of Champions, as
the acting SmackDown GM. Pearce said that we’d be doing
things his way, with Zayn defending his Undisputed WWE Title
this Monday on Raw. As for tonight, we’d see Jey Uso vs.
Cody Rhodes with the winner facing Zayn this coming Monday.
Fun opening segment, but I’m not sure about having Cody
Rhodes hovering in the world title scene once again. The
potential alternative of Jey Uso facing Sami Zayn on Monday
isn’t that enticing either, since it’d be more Bloodline
nonsense. It’s a no-win scenario, and I’m sure I’ll have a
lot more to say on this at the conclusion of the main event.
***************************************
– Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and Tiffany Stratton had a
bit of a tense argument of sorts before their six-woman tag
match against the Baddies.
Charlotte Flair, Chelsea Green & Tiffany Stratton vs. The
Baddies (Jade Cargill, Michin & B-Fab)
Stratton and Cargill kicked this match off with a test of
strength that Cargill easily won. Stratton with a dropkick
that sent Cargill to her corner as Michin tagged in.
Floatover Alabama Slam was reversed by Michin as she took
advantage and tagged in B-Fab. Double suplex by B-Fab and
Michin as Stratton kicked out at two. Stratton escaped a
move from B-Fab as Charlotte tagged in and delivered a
crossbody to B-Fab. Charlotte then struck Cargill and Michin
with big boots before she went to work on B-Fab with a
fallaway slam. Chops to the chest by Charlotte to B-Fab as
she followed with a boot to the face, followed by a
cannonball to Michin on the outside. Cargill then struck
Charlotte with a clothesline as we took a break.
Back from commercial as B-Fab and Michin were still in
control against Charlotte with a double team. Cargill tagged
in and hit the fallaway slam and kip-up on Charlotte. The
showboating seemed to cost Cargill as she whiffed on a
running attack to the corner. This allowed Charlotte to get
away from Cargill. Double down for Charlotte and B-Fab as
Chelsea Green tagged in.
Green connected with a barrage of armdrags on Michin,
followed by the face slam. Rough Ryder by Green wasn’t
enough as B-Fab broke the count up. Chaos unfolded with all
four six women getting involved. Green leaped off the rope
with a hurricanrana as she avoided Cargill’s pump-kick. Un-
Pretty-Her reversed into Jaded, but that became a roll-up.
B-Fab provided a distraction, which allowed Cargill to pick
up the win with Jaded on the second go.
The Baddies def. Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair, & Tiffany
Stratton via pinfall
I’m still trying to wrap my head around a bit on how
strongly booked the Baddies have been since their formation,
but it is a testament to how WWE views Cargill in the food
chain.
***************************************
– We got a recap of an altercation Gunther and SmackDown GM
Nick Aldis had following Night of Champions. WWE’s official
statement was that Gunther and Aldis were sent home, with
the latter being sent on administrative leave pending an
investigation into Saturday’s incident.
– Elsewhere, Adam Pearce was confronted by Sami Zayn, who
was upset that he had to defend his Undisputed WWE Title on
Monday’s Raw. Pearce said that Zayn should be honored that
he’s defending his title on a great show and maybe he’d
invite some SmackDown superstars to Chicago to make it a
true “supershow”. After Pearce left, Zayn had a chat with
Johnny Gargano, as he celebrated his win with his best
buddy.
AAA Cruiserweight Championship: Rey Fenix (c) vs. El Hijo
del Vikingo
Vikingo attempted a quick roll-up to start, but Fenix kicked
out. Vikingo then took the champ for a ride with a
hurricanrana. Fenix flexed on the middle rope as he shelled
Fenix with a kick, and another one followed by the Cristiano
Ronaldo “siuuuuuu” pose. Fenix responded with a crossbody
from the top rope for a near-fall. Fenix mised with his
spinning kick, but he made no mistake with the handspring
backwards cutter for the two-count.
Fenix attempted a baseball slide, but Vikingo used the ring
apron to trap him, as he then hit Fenix with a dropkick,
followed by the springboard standing moonsault, which took
us to the commercial break.
Back from commercial as Fenix connected with the Goodbye,
Amigo kick across the ropes. Frog splash from Fenix, but
Vikingo somehow kicked out at two. Fenix missed with the
meteora as he was met with a kick from Vikingo afterwards.
This led to a meteora from Vikingo instead. Vkingo hit an
amazing hurricanarana from the corner for a near-fall. This
was followed by a spinning kick that hit Fenix on the
button. Vikingo went up top, but Fenix got him with the kick
to the side of the head. After a scuffle, Vikingo hit an
amazing poison rana from the ropes. One, two….
2.99999999!!!!!!!! Vikingo missed with the springboard 450
splash, which gave Fenix the opening to hit his foe with the
meteora into the corner, followed by M.M.B. for the one,
two, three.
Rey Fenix def. El Hijo del Vikingo via pinfall to retain the
AAA Cruiserweight Championship
A terrific, terrific AAA Cruiserweight Championship match.
Fenix has been having these kind of matches as of late and
I’ve been enjoying them immensely. Vikingo looked quite good
in this one and gave as good a fight as possible. Highlight
of the night thus far.
***************************************
– Giulia wanted to fight Blake Monroe, but Kiana James
interrupted her. This led to Monroe ambushing Giulia from
behind. As James tried to smack talk Giulia while she was
down, Monroe threw her into the crates as well, clearly
wanting to make a name at both Giulia and James’ expense.
– We got a recap of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns making it
official for SummerSlam for the World Heavyweight Title.
– Backstage, Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu were met by Royce
Keys. Jimmy said that Roman Reigns sent him and Fatu on a
mission to find Solo Sikoa. Keys said that he and Fatu knew
each other for fourteen years, and that made him his family
as far he was concerned. Jimmy flatly told Keys “not no
more” as he and Fatu left.
Trick Williams addresses his Night of Champions victory
Flanked by his good buddy Li’l Yachty, U.S. Champion Trick
Williams made his way down to the ring with the crowd loudly
supporting him by way of “whoop that Trick” chants.
Before Williams or Yachty could say anything, Carmelo Hayes
interrupted them and marched down to the ring with a
purpose. Once Hayes got into the ring, he took the mic and
said it was time to get to business. Ricky Saints couldn’t
get the job done, which meant that it was time to run back
Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes for the U.S. Title.
Williams didn’t say anything, which Hayes expected. Hayes
said that Williams seemed unstoppable, because he didn’t
decide him to stop him yet. Hayes declared that Williams
made the U.S. Title an accessory, and it was wrong for him
to do. Hayes called the U.S. Title the workhorse
championship. Hayes told Williams to prove him wrong by
putting that title against someone who can prove that
they’re the best.
Yachty butted in and called Williams “nothing short of pure
greatness”. Yachty asked the Atlantic City crowd if Hayes
should get a match for the title. Yachty said that next
week, Hayes has that match, but it’s not for the title.
Yachty said that when things get “tricky” next week, he
won’t have any excuses for why he can’t get the job done.
Williams said that with all the history he and Hayes had, he
really did know him like the back of his hand. He then gave
Hayes the backhanded slap, stating “mind your business when
the grown folks were talking” as he and Yachty left.
Hayes didn’t take that lying down as he hit Williams with
the Fosbury Flop just as the U.S. Champion and Yachty were
outsidfe the ring.
***************************************
– Backstage, Danhausen was in his laboratory as Matt Cardona
talked to him. Danhausen said that he had backup against the
Judgment Day at Saturday Night’s Main Event as he told
Cardona to try on a new experiment. Cardona did the
experiment as Kit Wilson and the Miz were being
electrocuted. This was Danhausen’s cue to go as the
experiment continued to go off. Cardona rattled off his old
Zack Ryder catchphrases at the stunned Wilson and Miz to end
the segment.
Brie Bella vs. Lainey Reid
Reid tried to go for a shot early, but Brie dodged it and
then went after with some strikes of her own. Reid got her
with a shot to the left chin, but that only seemed to anger
Brie, who went after the shoulder of her foe. Reid responded
with a belly-to-back suplex to Brie. Elbow dropped was
missed by Reid, who got sent to the corner by Brie. Another
whip to the corner, shoulder-first for Reid by Brie.
Reid countered and attacked Brie in the corner before she
lifted her up and for a superplex. Brie pushed her off the
perch and then landed the missile dropkicks. The “Yes” Kicks
from Brie to Reid, but Fatal Influenced caused a distraction
at ringside. But, that didn’t seem to help as Brie applied
the Yes Lock on Lainey. Fallon Henley tried to get invovled,
but Paige got into it with Henley and Jacy Jayne. Brie Bella
tried to get involved, but that opened her up for the
running knee by Reid for the three.
Lainey Reid def. Brie Bella via pinfall
This was certainly a match that happened. But, I will say
it’s good that Fatal Influence got to look strong here at
least.
***************************************
– R-Truth and Damian Priest were backstage enjoying a hotdog
contest with Fraxiom when the War Raiders interrupted. Truth
said that this would be a hotdog eating contest, but it’ll
actually be a title-for-title match on SmackDown.
– We got a recap of the tomfoolery between Oba Femi and
Brock Lesnar that led to a Hell in a Cell match being made
at SummerSlam, which meant Femi’s guaranteed title match at
SummerSlam will not be happening.
– As Cody Rhodes walked down for his main event, he met with
Finn Balor. Rhodes was told by Balor that one of the reasons
he came to SmackDown was to face him. Balor wished him luck
in getting back the title. As Rhodes left, Tama Tonga told
Balor that he went to the elders for advice, which led to a
Talla Tonga ambush. Tama said that he was closing the books
on everything in the past, and this meant tha Balor was
next.
Cody Rhodes vs. Jey Uso (Winner faces Sami Zayn for
Undisputed WWE Title on 7/6 Raw)
Rhodes and Jey faced off on opposite corners before they got
into a lock-up battle to start. After that ended on a
stalemate, Jey went for a superkick, but that got countered
into a Cross Rhodes attempt by Rhodes. Jey countered it but
he got hit with an elbow to the back of the head. Rhodes
went after Jey’s arm as he got deposited over the top rope.
Suicide dive by Jey as we took a commercial break.
Back from commercial as Jey went for his signature punches.
Rhodes responded with the drop-down right to the face. Jey’s
superkick was block, which led to a Cody Cutter from Rhodes
for a two-count. Samoan Drop by Jey, who apparently tweaked
his ankle on the suicide dive before the break. Outside the
ring, Jey’s spear was blocked by Rhodes, as the commentary
table was re-arranged. Jey tripped up Rhodes to sent him
slamming down. Another suicide dive attempt by Jey, but
Rhodes intercepted with a right hand. Jey was sent over the
barricade as Rhodes barreled into him.
As the action spilled back into the ring, both men took each
other out with a clothesline as we took another commercial
break.
Our main event returned just as Jey hit the Uso Splash on
Rhodes, but that wasn’t enough to put the match away. Cody
Cutter from Rhodes couldn’t get the job done either as “QB1”
tried to hype himself up. Disaster Kick attempt was met by a
superkick from Jey, followed by the Spear. One, two… NO! Jey
pulled himself to his feet and headed to the top. Rhodes
rolled out of harms way and hit Jey with a Spear, followed
by Cross Rhodes. One, two…. 2.9999999!!!!!!! Rhodes made his
way to the top rope for a high-risk move as the splash was
blocked by the knees of Jey Uso. The subsequent cover
couldn’t get the three, however.
Both men struggled back to their feet as they exchanged
strikes. Jey applied a sleeper hold on Rhodes, as he looked
for a roll-up. The sleeper hold was again locked, but Rhodes
backed into a corner to block it. In the ensuing moments,
Rhodes turned that into Cross Rhodes for the win and a
chance to regain his Undisputed WWE Title on Raw this coming
Monday.
Cody Rhodes def. Jey Uso via pinfall
***************************************
This was a pretty mediocre main event, if we’re being
honest. Both guys felt like they were just going through the
motions and the prospect of Cody Rhodes hovering over the
World Title picture like that zit that just won’t go away
doesn’t interest me in the slightest.
The likely outcome, given that we’re in Chicago, will be
Cody winning and a returning CM Punk confronting him to set
up their SummerSlam Title match. And that unfortunately
means that Sami Zayn will be the odd man out once again, and
I’m not sure if that’s really ideal.
As for tonight’ show, this felt like one of the SmackDown
episodes of all time, and certainly not just because it was
a taped show due to the Fourth of July weekend. Aside from
Fenix vs. Vikingo, nothing really stood out for me and it
made for a rather dull show, all things considered.