Posted on 7/05/125 by Bob Magee
– Following the WWE signature, we saw Solo Sikoa arriving to
the arena with J.C. Mateo and the United States Championship
in tow. As Sikoa noted that it was time to celebrate, Jacob
Fatu jumped into the scene and attacked both Sikoa and Mateo
in an ambush. Fatu took Mateo out of the car and threw him
against the door as security led by SmackDown GM Nick Aldis
appeared to get Fatu to back off.
Cody Rhodes opens SmackDown
The 2025 King of the Ring, Cody Rhodes, made his way to the
ring to a huge ovation from the crowd, Joe Tessitore and
Wade Barrett recapped Rhodes’ victory over Randy Orton at
Night of Champions to secure the crown.
With his crown in one hand and a microphone in the other,
Rhodes asked the Pittsburgh crowd, ‘what do you wanna talk
about?” Before starting, Rhodes gave a shout out to Cam, a
young fan sat in Club 66, who was battling Leukemia. Once
that was done, Rhodes said that the King of the Ring crown
represented where we’ve been, mentioning past King of the
Ring winners like Bret Hart, Booker T, and Stone Cold Steve
Austin. He said it also stood for where we were going: the
Main Event of SummerSlam in the form of a WrestleMania
rematch against John Cena.
Before Rhodes could go on any further, “Voices” signalled
the arrival of Randy Orton, the man who Rhodes defeated at
Night of Champions. Orton started by reminding his friend
that for weeks and weeks, he told Rhodes that he wouldn’t
hesitate. But, at Night of Champions, he had Rhodes “dead to
rights” and ready to rearrange his skull with a punt, but he
hesitated. However, Rhodes pulled the trigger instead,
something that Orton respected. Orton told Rhodes to promise
him that he not squander the opportunity earn to go on to
SummerSlam and kick John Cena’s ass.
Drew McIntyre made a shocking return for the first time
since Saturday Night’s Main Event a couple of months ago.
With mic in hand, McIntyre mocked Orton and Rhodes for
having “beta male energy”, stating that “the alpha” — as in
himself — has returned. McIntyre said Orton lost the
psychological battle due to Rhodes supposedly “buttering him
up” for months and stabbing him right in the back. He then
turned his attention to Orton’s surgically repaired back,
and pointing out how Rhodes targeted that surgically-
repaired back.
McIntyre lambasted Orton for losing his edge as the Legend
Killer, because that legend of Randy Orton was “dead”, as
far he was concerned. McIntyre then turned his attention to
“Super Cody”, stating that he wanted him to win at
SummerSlam, because this was a match he was looking forward
to, and because he wanted to be the one to rip that title
off of Rhodes’ hands. As McIntyre turned, Orton delivered an
RKO to him out of nowhere. Orton and Rhodes shared a tense
staredown as the segment ended.
Very interesting opening segment, with Drew McIntyre’s big
return and the gears being turned for a potential Randy
Orton heel turn, which is kind of hitting the same beats as
the Kevin Owens’ turn against Cody Rhodes last year. Still,
when that turn does happen, it should be a good story,
nonetheless.
**********
– Earlier Today footage showed Charlotte Flair talking to
Nick Aldis, learning that she’ll be in a Women’s Tag Title
qualifier match against the Secret Hervice and Michin & B-
Fab, with the winner going on to Evolution II. Alexa Bliss
appeared and revealed that she was going to be Flair’s
partner for the match.
– Backstage, Drew McIntyre walked up and demanded a match
against Randy Orton, but was informed by Aldis that Orton
had left. However, McIntyre will get his shot at Orton next
week at Saturday Night’s Main Event, which worked for him.
McIntyre turned to see Jacob Fatu, and then left. Aldis
informed Fatu that if he wanted a shot at Solo’s Bloodline,
he could find a partner to take on two of them in tag team
action. Jimmy Uso appeared and stepped up to be Fatu’s
partner.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Qualifier Triple Threat: Alexa Bliss &
Charlotte Flair vs. Secret Hervice (Alba Fyre & Piper Niven)
vs. Michin & B-Fab
The match got underway with Bliss, Michin, and Niven
starting off for their respective teams. Before Bliss could
do anything, Flair blind tagged herself in as she then
kicked B-Fab off the apron. Flair chopped away at Niven, but
got hit with some chops by Michin. It was a kick frenzy by
Michin that got stopped short, at least until Michin took
out Flair outside the ring. Niven then took flight to take
down Michin & B-Fab. Fyre then got her turn as she leapt
from the top to wipe out Flair and B-Fab with a dive to the
outside, which took us to a break.
We returned from break with Niven landing on Flair with a
senton, but only getting a two count. A missed senton on
Michin allowed B-Fab to enter the match with a tag. B-Fab
took down Flair and Niven with kicks galore on both. Flair
countered a neckbreaker attempt and tried for a Figure-
Eight. B-Fab shoved Flair into her corner, which allowed
Bliss to get the hot tag. Bliss was on fire and almost had
B-Fab set up for Sister Abigail, but Michin made the save
with a kick. Fyre caught B-Fab offguard with a Canadian (or
Scottish?) Destroyer, as Niven then connected with the Black
Hole Slam.
The Secret Hervice’s attempted double team was intercepted
by Flair and Bliss. Flair condescendingly tapped Bliss on
the head, which was counted as a tag by the referee. This
allowed Bliss to enter as the legal woman and hit Twisted
Bliss on Fyre to get the pin and win, qualifying for the
Women’s Tag Title match at Evolution II.
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss def. The Secret Hervice and
Michin & B-Fab via pinfall
A decent match, but the finish with Charlotte’s attempt at
being condescending towards Alexa Bliss kind of backfiring
on her was a nice touch.
**********
– Earlier Today footage showed Nick Aldis admonishing the
SmackDown tag division for causing chaos in the Wyatt Sicks
vs. Street Profits WWE Tag Title match last week. This would
end up with Andrade & Rey Fenix vs. FrAxiom booked for
tonight, as well as an eight-man tag match being booked with
the Wyatt Sicks against four stars from the SmackDown tag
division.
Eight-Man Tag Match: The Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy, Joe Gacy,
Erick Rowan, & Dexter Lumis) vs. Berto, Johnny Gargano,
Chris Sabin, & Montez Ford
Berto and Gacy got things going, as the latter blasted the
former with a clothesline from the corner, followed by a
running senton. Gacy looked to continue the momentum, but
Berto caught him with a springboard elbow strike. Lumis got
the tag and threw Berto around before Gargano entered the
match. Gargano tried to make “peace” with Lumis, but ate a
punch, followed by a slam for the two-count.
Uncle Howdy stepped into the ring, which led to all
competitors stepping into the ring as things descended into
chaos. Rowan tried to chokeslam Gargano and Berto, but got a
stereo superkick from Sabin and Ford for his troubles. The
SmackDown tag division stalwarts then kicked Rowan to the
outside as Ford looked to get some momentum going. Rowan
recovered and caught Ford before he threw him into a
superkick by Lumis, leading to a commercial break.
We returned with the Wyatt Sicks working over Ford in their
corner, as Lumis and Gacy did their “powerbomb into the
opponent” spot. Lumis held Ford in a submission, but
couldn’t maintain it. Chris Sabin got the tag and floored
Lumis with a missile dropkick. Sabin used his speed to take
out the entirety of the Wyatt Sicks in their corner, as he
then unexpectedly teamed up with Gargano for a double kick
on Gacy.
More chaos unfolded as we saw Ford take flight to wipe out
Gacy and Lumis just near the entrance ramp outside the ring.
Berto looked to soar, but got taken out by Uncle Howdy, who
threw him over the ropes. In the ring, Howdy had Sabin right
where he wanted him with the uranage as he then tagged in
Rowan. The former Bludgeon Brother did what he does best and
went on the attack, but Sabin dropped him with a slam. As
Sabin looked to get a tag, Gargano had second thoughts and
backed away from the apron as he locked eyes with Rowan.
This left Sabin at the mercy of Rowan’s Iron Claw Slam to
give the Wyatt Sicks the win here.
The Wyatt Sicks def. Chris Sabin, Johnny Gargano, Berto, and
Montez Ford via pinfall
This was an alright tag match, though I enjoyed the concept
of #DIY’s attempts of marshalling the SmackDown tag division
to unite against the Wyatts unraveling because of the two
(or at least Johnny Gargano in this particular match)
actually being afraid of the Sicks.
**********
– We got a vignette from Giulia as she talked about her
Women’s United States Championship victory last week on
SmackDown. She stated that we were about to witness her
beautiful madness as the Women’s U.S. Champion.
Tiffany Stratton chooses her Evolution II opponent
The WWE Women’s Champion made her way down to the ring to
make an important decision regarding her opponent for
Evolution II. Stratton said that since she became the
Women’s Champion, she’s had a target on her back, but Nia
Jax’s revenge wasn’t enough to stop her from becoming the
Last Woman Standing. She turned her attention to Jade
Cargill, the woman she’ll face at SummerSlam… but only after
she defeats the opponent that she’ll choose to face at
Evolution II.
Stratton was interrupted by the 2025 Queen of the Ring
herself, Jade Cargill. With a mic in hand, Cargill talked
about how she was crowned Queen of the Ring by beating one
of the best in Asuka. Cargill warned Stratton that she had a
choice to make, and that if she chose wrong, Stratton might
not make it to SummerSlam. But, it didn’t matter to Cargill,
because she’d beat whoever she’d end up facing at
SummerSlam. Stratton interrupted and revealed she a surprise
for everyone… in the form of the WWE Hall of Famer Trish
Stratus.
Once Stratus entered the ring, Stratton talked about how she
invited her to the ring, stating “what would Evolution be
without some Stratusfaction?”, as she then issued a
challenge to the Canadian for title match at Evolution.
Stratus talked about how the women had to fight just to have
a single match on the card, but now at Evolution II, we’re
going to have a card of incredibly talented women. Stratus
gave thanks to Stratton for letting her kids see her in the
ring, but those kids of hers haven’t seen their mom as a
champion.
Stratton said that this wouldn’t be easy because this isn’t
the Attitude Era anymore, and that whether it was Stratus at
Evolution or Cargill at SummerSlam, the WWE would still run
on Tiffy Time at the end of it all.
Trish returning as Stratton’s Evolution opponent borne out
of a respect the two had when they teamed up at Elimination
Chamber is at least a nice thread to follow up on for this
match.
**********
– Solo Sikoa spoke from his “office” as he introduced the
newest member of his family, Tala Tonga (the former
Hikuleo), Sikoa said that this group was nothing like a
bloodline, but it was now stronger than ever. Sikoa said
that he and JC Mateo would join forces in their tag match
later tonight, as he concluded that “his” family was now
complete.
– Backstage, Trish Stratus was met by Jade Cargill, who
warned her that if she defeated Tiffany Stratton at
Evolution II, she’d be facing her at SummerSlam. As Stratus
left, Naomi snuck up on Cargill with a shot using her Money
in the Bank briefcase. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis, who’s had
quite the busy night, checked up on Cargill afterwards.
FrAxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom) vs. Andrade & Rey Fenix
We got started with Andrade and Frazer mixing it up in the
middle of the ring and neither getting a n advantage. Frazer
dodged Andrade before he made the tag to Axiom as Fenix
leapt into battle with a dive. Fenix landed on his feet
after an attempted DDT from Axiom. All four men began to
trade blows in the ring as Andrade got sent to the outside.
Frazer and Axiom blasted Andrade and Fenix with repeated
dives to the outside, which took us to the break.]
SmackDown resumed with Frazer having Fenix caught in a
submission hold. FrAxiom used their unorthodox tag team
offense to keep Fenix grounded at the moment. Fenix escaped
out of an Axiom hold as he kicked Frazer off the apron.
Fenix then took down Axiom with a flipping DDT before
Andrade got the hot tag.
El Idolo was a house of fire against both Frazer and Axiom,
as he then paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero with the Three
Amigos suplexes. Fenix followed up the homage to Eddie with
a Frog Splash that only got a two-count. With a cry of
“Animo!”, Fenix headed up top, but was intercepted by
Frazer. A dogfight at the top rope saw Frazer floor Fenix
with the superplex, followed by a superkick. Cover by Axiom
was broken up by Andrade, who shoved Frazer into the pin.
After another commercial break, we resumed with Frazer’s
Phoenix Splash being adeptly dodged by Fenix as Andrade
entered the match. With Frazer stunned in the corner,
Andrade crushed him with the corner Meteora for the two-
count. Andrade had Frazer in his sights for a high-risk
maneuver and connected with the double moonsault. Axiom
broke up the pin just in time as he then took Fenix out from
the apron.
FrAxiom had Andrade caught with the Spanish Fly & Phoenix
Splash combination maneuver. Rey Fenix made the last-second
save by leaping onto Frazer followed by a codebreaker on
Axiom. The makeshift team of Andrade and Fenix soon took
advantage with the latterr hitting an Adios Amigo kick on
Axiom, and the former blasting Frazer with a vicious
spinning elbow. The finish came when Fenix leapt over a
prone Frazer in the ring right into Axiom at ringside. This
gave Andrade the opening needed to deliver The Message to
Frazer for the three.
Andrade & Rey Fenix def. FrAxiom via pinfall
Just some fun and fast tag team action between two high-
flying teams. I really enjoyed this one from start to
finish. Just a lovely showcase for the SmackDown tag
division.
**********
– Damian Priest confronted Aleister Black, wanting to talk
to him about Ron Killings, as he revealed to Black that he’d
be facing Killings next week on SmackDown. We also learned
that at Evolution II, it’ll be Tiffany Stratton vs. Trish
Stratus for the WWE Women’s Championship, as well as Jade
Cargill vs. Naomi.
Next Week on SmackDown
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. The
Wyatt Sicks’ Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis
Ron Killings vs. Aleister Black
Solo Sikoa & J.C. Mateo vs. Jacob Fatu & Jimmy Uso
Sikoa tagged in Mateo to avoid Fatu’s wrath early on. Mateo
took the brunt of the punishment from Fatu and Uso up until
a thump brought Jimmy down to the ground. Sikoa entered the
match and felt brazen enough to mock Fatu’s signature dance
while he had Uso grounded with the Spinning Solo, which led
to one final break in the action.
Our main event resumed from the commercial with Sikoa and
Mateo having the advantage over Jimmy Uso. Mateo got the tag
and flattened Uso with a standing moonsault. In the corner,
a prone Uso was squashed by a splash from Mateo. Another
attempt at a splash by Mateo was missed, as Uso dodged and
then delivered a Samoan Drop, which created some needed
separation. Fatu got the hot tag as he unleashed an assault
on Sikoa with the senton, followed by a splash in the
corner.
Fatu cracked Sikoa with ten headbutts in the cornered, as he
then caught his foe with a spinning elbow. Fatu blasted both
Mateo and Sikoa with superkicks, which left them stunned in
separate corners. Fatu took both men out with consecutive
hip attacks. Uso and Fatu flew through the ropes with dives
that ook out Mateo and Sikoa.
In the ring, Sikoa kicked Fatu with a superkick, as he had
the Samoan Spike loaded. Fatu countered and planted Sikoa
with the Impaler DDT. Fatu then brought an end to this match
with the jumping moonsault from the top and the three to get
the pin on the new U.S. Champion.
Post-match, Fatu wanted to continue his revenge on Sikoa as
he cleared away the commentary table before he kicked Sikoa
onto it. Fatu headed up to the top, but got intercepted by
Tala Tonga, who emerged from the ring. Tala slammed Fatu
from the top rope, as Tanga Loa soon joined in on the attack
against Jimmy Uso. Tala crushed Uso with a superkick, as
Mateo hit the Tour of the Islands afterwards.
This “family” soon turned their attention on Fatu, as Sikoa
dropped him with the Samoan Spike. Sikoa ordered his men to
drag Fatu towards the commentary table as they delivered the
Shield Triple Powerbomb through the reinforced announce
table. The Paul Levesque & Lee Fitting producer credits
popped as SmackDown ended with Sikoa’s “family” standing
tall.
**********
Pretty much a standard main event and big beatdown segment
from Solo’s not-quite Bloodline group to end this two-hour
SmackDown.
All in all, just a run-of-the mill episode of SmackDown, but
the FrAxiom vs. Andrade & Fenix match was at least exciting
and it’s always nice to see Drew McIntyre back in the fray,
as well as the teasing towards a Randy Orton heel turn.