Posted on 8/01/126 by Bob Magee
– Our show got going with the pre-requisite arrivals of our
cast of players for tonight’s show, including CM Punk, Cody
Rhodes, Chelsea Green & Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill and
the Baddies, Lash Legend, and Giulia, among others.
Finn Balor kicks off SmackDown
The man who will face Sami Zayn on Sunday for a shot at the
Undisputed WWE Championship made his way down to the ring to
a good ovation from the Green Bay crowd.
After Balor got into the ring, he took the mic and started
off how every time SummerSlam season rolled around, his
minds raced back to 2016. That was the year where he won the
Universal Championship, the highest of highs, which was
followed by the lowest of lows when injury forced him to
relinquish the belt. And now, in 2026, Balor spent years and
years to scratch and claw to reach those glories again. He
said that with the Balor Club behind him, they were so close
to getting back. That was when Sami Zayn interrupted him .
Zayn said that he understood that this was an emotional time
for Balor, but there were things that he needed to get off
his chest. Zayn complained that the Punk vs. Rhodes match
should’ve been a triple threat match. He said that everyone
had a skin in the game, but Zayn noted how he wanted Cody
Rhodes to win at SummerSlam, for the simple reason that he
had already beaten him once, and that he could do it again.
That said, Zayn noted that there was a small part of him
that wanted Punk to win over Rhodes. He called him a
hypocrite for becoming a corporate poster boy. Zayn talked
about how it would be a treat for him to take the title back
from the man who allegedly stole it from him. Balor
interrupted and challenged Zayn to get in the ring and say
whatever it was he wanted to say in his face.
Zayn marched down to the ring and told Balor he had all the
respect for him and that he oculd easily have been a world
champion many times over. However, Balor needed to
understand the moment, which supposedly belonged to Zayn. He
said that this moment was all about justice, namely justice
for Sami.
Balor again cut off Zayn, talking about how this was his
moment and that he worked hard for ten years to get to this
point. Balor pointed out that Zayn held the title for nine
days, not because he was injured or screwed over, but simply
because Zayn lost.
Zayn said that Balor’s remarks sounded like fighting words,
and that if he didn’t respect Balor as much as he did, he
would’ve dropped him already. But, Zayn said he wouldn’t do
that because he was a good guy. As Zayn tried to make exit,
Gunther entered the ring and attacked both Balor and Zayn,
laying the two out with lariats.
Gunther took the mic and called himself the real number one
contender. Adam Pearce appeared on the stage as Gunther
confronted him. Balor attacked Gunther from behind as Zayn
joined in and it became a massive brawl amongst the three.
Gunther took Zayn and Balor out with a double clothesline,
but Nick Aldis ran in and got into it with Gunther. Inside
the ring, Aldis countered Gunther’s powerbomb into a Texas
Cloverleaf. As the security forces tried to break both guys
up, Gunther hit Aldis with a big boot.
I think I’ve been clear on how the Aldis/Gunther feud has
been one of the few best parts of the SummerSlam build.
Whether that speaks about how weak the road to SummerSlam
has been and how well this feud has been built is up to you
to decide, but I think it’s a bit of both. That said, Zayn’s
“last real good guy” thing has been an entertaining part of
an otherwise weak stretch for SmackDown.
************
Tiffany Stratton & Chelsea Green vs. The Baddies (B-Fab &
Michin)
B-Fab hit Stratton with a forearm as she then threw her into
the corner and hit her with a spinning kick. Stratton got
out of it and hit B-Fab with a dropkick. With both Baddies
prone on opposite ropes, Green and Stratton hit them with
simultaneous running hip attacks. We took a weirdly-placed
ad break just as Green was in control.
Back from the break and suddenly, the Baddies were in
command of the match as B-Fab duked it out with Green. B-Fab
got hit with an enzuigiri, which allowed her to get Stratton
in for the hot tag. Faced with Michin, Stratton was on fire
with the floatover cartwheel Alabama Slam on Michin, as she
headed to the top rope for a swanton bomb. The cover, but
Michin kicked out at two. Green tagged in blindly as
Stratton hit B-Fab with an attack on the stairs. Cargill
took out Stratton with a throw to said stairs. Back in the
ring, Green got Michin with a dropkick, but B-Fab tagged in.
Superkick by Michin led to the B.T.A. double team finisher
and the win for the Baddies.
The victory celebration was interrupted by Charlotte Flair,
who showed up wearing an oversized jacket. Green and
Stratton recovered and fought with B-Fab & Michin. Flair
removed the large jacket and stood face to face with Cargill
in the ring. Then the fight was on.Flair dodged Cargill’s
pump kick and got her with a big boot to send her rival
retreating.
The Baddies def. Chelsea Green & Tiffany Stratton via
pinfall
Pretty much a standard tag match, and I’ve been iffy on the
booking of Cargill and her faction, I will say that they’ve
been at least booked consistently strong for months now and
it doesn’t seem so out of the blue for them to be winning
matches on the regular.
************
– Fraxiom & Dragon Lee were confronted by Dominik Mysterio &
J.D. McDonagh. The two Judgement Day members were looking
for Danhausen, as this led to a challenge for the AAA
Cruiserweight Championship.
– We got a video from Tama & Talla Tonga. The two talked
about how they’d put the family first. They were confronted
by Haku, who gave marching orders for his sons to make
themselves feared names once again.
WWE Tag Team Championships/AAA Tag Team Championships:
Damian Priest & R-Truth (c) vs. War Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
(c)
This was a “Title for Title” match.
We got underway with Erik and Priest going blow for blow.
Priest threw Erik into his corner and battered him with
strikes as Truth tagged in and got his foe with a spinning
elbow. Erik blasted Truth from behind after an Ivar
distraction, as the War Raiders had the advantage now.
Priest went for a leaping attack from the stairs, but Erik
and Ivar slammed him against the barrier. Ivar then ran into
both Truth and Priest on opposite ends, into the barrier for
both. We again took a commercial break literally two minutes
into the match.
Back to our match as Priest kicked Ivar and looked for a
poison rana off the top. He nailed it, but Erik tagged in
blindly. Priest caught Erik with the bellclap and got ready
to wind up for the home run swing. He instead got caught in
a pop-up powerslam. The cover, but Truth broke up the pin.
The War Raiders battered Truth and pushed the referee away.
Priest stepped in and fought the Raiders as the referee got
pushed. This forced a disqualification to be called.
After the bell, the fight between the Raiders and
Priest/Truth continued into the crowd. Truth got on the
barricade and leapt onto everyone with a splash. Priest hit
both men back into the ringside area as Tama Tonga & Talla
Tonga entered the fray. Emboldened by Haku’s words, the
Tonga brothers went on the warpath and destroyed everyone.
Once all was said and done, Haku walked down and saw his
sons with both sets of tag titles in their hands.
R-Truth & Damian Priest vs. The War Raiders ended in a No
Contest
This match was a complete waste of time. I will say Haku
getting involved with his sons is a nice development, at the
very least.
************
– We got house show footage of CM Punk & Cody Rhodes
scuffling over an “accidental” hit after a tag match
celebration.
– Punk was interviewed about his match with Rhodes tomorrow.
He talked about how at the end of the day, he’d still be the
Undisputed WWE Champion. Trick Williams showed up and
challenged Punk for a future title match. Punk said that he
hoped that Williams would a contenders match soon, as he was
ready to whoop that Trick.
– We got a video package on Nick Aldis that showed his
history as an in-ring competitor in Impact Wrestling and
NWA. Aldis said that he was committed to being the best GM
he could be, even if it meant putting his in-ring dreams on
hold. But, Gunther forced his hand by attacking him, and it
meant that he was going to face him tomorrow at SummerSlam
like a man.
Let’s Hear From Trick Williams
The United States Champion was ready to address his
SummerSlam opponent, the returning Baron Corbin. Inside the
ring, Williams introduced himself and said that he had a lot
to get off his chest. Williams talked about Baron Corbin,
who he said that he decided to wake up one day to hate on
Trick Williams looking like a giant Tommy Pickles.
Williams, who walked down without Li’l Yachty, called out
Corbin to figh thim right here and now. On cue, Baron Corbin
walked down with a mic in hand. Corbin said that he learned
some valuable lessons on his time away, like the virtue of
patience. Corbin said that Williams’ downfall would be that
how he felt more important than anyone else. Corbin told
Williams that he was going to make Williams panic on Sunda.
Williams cut Corbin off and got right down to it, telling
Corbin that the only thing he was collecting the size 15
Lemon Peppa Steppas up his ass. As Williams wanted to fight,
Corbin said that this wasn’t going to happen. Corbin said he
didn’t care what anyone wanted, and that Williams was a dumb
rookie that didn’t understand. Corbin declarted that he was
going to take the U.S. Title on Sunday and that there was
nothing Williams could do anything about it.
The U.S. Champion got the last word in, stating that there
would be only one thing happening on Sunday, the crowd in
Minneapolis chanting one thing: “Whoop That Trick”.
This segment kinda highlights the huge disparity between
Trick and Corbin, at least in promo work. While Corbin’s
promo was just generic heel naff, Trick showed why he’s done
really well with his promos. This was some good stuff from
Williams here, even if the match on Sunday will probably be
nothing to write home about.
************
– To fill time, we got a Brock Lesnar/Oba Femi hype package,
with the Hell in a Cell “cutting” a promo about the match.
AAA Cruiserweight Championship: Rey Fenix (c) vs. J.D.
McDonagh
McDonagh kicked Fenix in the gut to gain an advantage in a
test of strength. Fenix recovered and hit McDonagh with a
monkey flip as the grip remained firm. Fenix got the best of
his foe with a springboard armdrag. Fenix went for a
springboard kick, but McDonagh caught him. Fenix countered
as McDonagh rolled out of the ring. At ringside, Dominik
Mysterio distracted Fenix by pulling at the foot, which
allowed for McDonagh to take advantage with stomps in the
corner.
Fenix recovered and hit Fenix with a springboard enzuigiri.
McDonagh just missed getting hit with the feint kick from
Fenix as he avoided a splash to the outside. He got up and
then hit a splash of his own in the ring to Fenix, as we
took another ad break.
Back to this match as McDonagh had Fenix caught in an arm
submission. Fenix fought back and broke the hold, but
McDonagh put him on the ground with a strike to the face.
McDonagh missed on the splash, which opened him up for a
frog splash by Fenix. Modified brainbuster by Fenix on
McDonagh only got a near-fall. Both men struggled to their
feet, but Fenix was up to his feet first. An exchange of
strikes between the two, but Fenix got the best of it with
the handspring springboard cutter. McDonagh countered with a
running Spanish Fly on Fenix. One, two… NO.
Fenix absolutely nailed McDonagh with the feint kick into
the spin kick. As Fenix got on the top rope, Dominik caused
a distraction, which got him thrown out of the ringside area
after the referee got wind of it. Just as Dominik was
leaving, Danhausen interrupted. He was about to be cursed,
but Dominik punched Danhausen down. This brought the Mini
Danhausens out to help Danhausen beat up on Dominik.
In the ring, McDonagh got hit with the Adios Amigo Kick, the
double knees, and the Mexican Muscle Buster from Fenix. The
cover and this one’s in the books.
Rey Fenix def. J.D. McDonagh via pinfall to retain the AAA
Cruiserweight Championship
This was a really good match, even with the expected
Danhausen/Dominik antics. Rey Fenix is doing well in this
role as the AAA Cruiserweight Champion, where he just puts
on good matches on SmackDown and AAA’s weekly show. Not a
bad spot for him, all things considered.
************
– Because this is a two-hour that needs time to be filled,
we got a video package for Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns at
SummerSlam.
Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match Qualifier:
Lash Legend vs. Giulia
Giulia avoided a Lash kick early on and went on the
offensive. Giulia used her speed and applied a modified
octopus hold, but Lash used the ropes to break the hold and
then slam her down. Giulia kept the hold on tight, but was
forced to break it with a pin attempt.
The Northern Lights bomb was blocked, as Giulia turned into
a guillotine hold. The counter, and the Lash Extension was
the end of this one.
Lash Legend def. Giulia via pinfall (Qualifies for Interim
WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match)
That this match was about under three minutes or so is
honestly pathetic. It’s endemic of the weird pacing and
timing issues that’s plagued tonight’s show and I feel the
time spent recapping Raw feuds like Oba/Brock and
Reigns/Rollins could’ve gone to making matches like these go
longer.
************
– We got a vignette for the Street Fighter movie, showing
Cody Rhodes picking up a pair of dogtags, as he’s playing
Guile in the upcoming film.
Cody Rhodes & CM Punk’s Face-Off
Rhodes’ entrance was interrupted just before the WHOA-OH by
Punk, who just walked past him and got into the ring.
Things got really heated as the two yelled at one another.
Rhodes said that he saw through Punk and his mind games,
stating that at Chicago, Punk had to know that they were no
longer running from each other, but towards each other.
Punk butted in and asked the crowd if it was great to be
alive on a Friday night in Green Bay. Punk said that he knew
that he was going to ruffle a few feathers in the back, but
he asked Rhodes if he was supposed to say “no”. It’s because
ruffling feathers was what he did for over twenty years.
Punk talked about the ten years where he was gone, he was
like a boogeyman for some. Punk said that he wasn’t going to
be Rhodes’ pal tonight and tomorrow, but he had to know if
he was going to be pals after tomorrow.
Rhodes then had his turn and did his “what do you want to
talk about?” routine. The crowd chanted for Punk when Rhodes
asked his question. Rhodes claimed that Punk already knew
how personal the Undisputed WWE Championship was to him,
because it was something that shared by many men in history.
Because it meant that being champion was the ‘Best in the
World’. Rhodes then invoked Punk’s “I’m not here to make
friends, I’m here to make money” remarks from his 2023
return.
Punk said that when it came to losing friends or losing a
title, it wasn’t going to be Rhodes’ night. Rhodes responded
by talking about how the word “tomorrow” bothered him,
because Punk made it clear what he was prepared to do
tomorrow. Rhodes then asked Punk what he wanted to do about
it… tonight.
On cue, Punk removed his track jacket and title belt and got
into a fighting stance. Rhodes did the same with his jacket
and tracksuit as Punk offered Rhodes to take the first shot
at him. With a punch to the face, Punk and Rhodes got into
it with a brawl.
Rhodes clotheslined Punk out of the ring and smashed his
face onto the commentary table. The furniture was rearranged
by Rhodes, but Punk got him from behind with an attack. The
fight kept going as the gaggle of referees and road agents
showed up to break things up. Rhodes leapt onto the
commentary table and fought it out with Punk. The fight kept
going and going as the Triple H producer credits popped up
to end the show.
************
That was an okay closing angle before tomorrow night, but it
doesn’t change the fact that this Punk/Rhodes feud has been
nothing short of terrible in terms of build. Like the
Rhodes/Orton feud of last year, this had the hallmarks of a
match built on so much history, but it’s come down to very
disappointing returns and accidental belt shots during
celebrations being a focal point of it all. This is
basically how not to do a face vs. face feud.
As far as the rest of the show goes, there is really no
sugarcoating that SmackDown was terrible tonight. I enjoyed
Fenix vs. McDonagh and seeing Haku show up, but everything
else just feels like it’s on auto-pilot, and the rather odd
commercial break placements, needless Raw recaps, and the
other issues plaguing the TKO Era of WWE make this a really
tough show to watch from start to finish.