Posted on 7/12/125 by Bob Magee
– The voice of Joe Tessitore set up the action over shots of
the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. Shots of the Street
Profits were briefly interrupted by the Wyatt Sicks’
graphics as we then saw Jelly Roll arriving and being
welcomed by Randy Orton.
LA Knight addresses Saturday Night’s Main Event
LA Knight made his way down to the ring to kick off
SmackDown with some words at the ready for his SNME
opponent, Seth Rollins.
“Let me talk to ya,” Knight started off in his usual manner.
He started talking about predictions and spoilers, two
things that came out of Paul Heyman’s mouth an awful lot.
Knight called Seth Rollins a desperate man, who made a
desperate move by siding with Heyman and forming a crew with
“slop house” Bronson Reed and “dog-brained idiot” Bron
Breakker. Knight said that Reed and Breakker tried to injure
him on the orders of Rollins because he couldn’t do it
himself.
Knight said that while he got to drop Rollins on his head
this past Monday on Raw, it wasn’t enough because he wanted
justice and he wanted to hurt Rollins. Knight declared that
Rollins would get his ass kicked because it’s not a
prediction or a spoiler, it’s just a fact of life, because
he was the spoiler.
Paul Heyman interrupted Knight and admonished the fans for
“missing the cue” for his “ladies and gentlemen”
introduction. Heyman said that as the Oracle of Seth
Rollins, he was gifted with being able to see the future,
and that the future of his and Rollins’ group is the future
of the entire industry. On the other hand, Knight had no
future at all, per Heyman’s claims.
Solo Sikoa and his “M.F.T.” group of JC Mateo, Tala Tonga,
and Tanga Loa showed up next. Sikoa said that some things
changed, but some things have stayed the same. Sikoa said
that when Heyman left to Raw, there was no more Bloodline,
no more Tribal Chief, and no more Wiseman. Sikoa threatened
Heyman to leave before he and his M.F.T.s put Heyman through
a table. On that note, Heyman made his retreat through the
crowd.
Sikoa then turned his attention to LA Knight. He said that
one thing has changed: he is the new United States Champion.
That means the man that beat Knight at WrestleMania, Jacob
Fatu? He’s no longer a factor, according to Sikoa. The U.S.
Champion issued the same ultimatum to Knight that he did to
Heyman, otherwise the M.F.T.s would make sure he’d never be
able to walk again. Knight refused to acquiesce to Sikoa’s
group as he got ready for a fight.
The M.F.T.s surrounded the ring as a chair got slid into the
ring by Jimmy Uso. The two then teed off on Sikoa’s group
with chairs before Tala Tonga looked like he wanted to
fight. Sikoa managed to get Tala to back down in a strategic
retreat.
SmackDown GM Nick Aldis interrupted and said that he still
ran the show even though Sikoa had his new friends. He said
that it seemed like Sikoa wanted a fight and he was going to
oblige that wish with a tag match between Sikoa and JC Mateo
versus LA Knight and Jimmy Uso.
I liked this opening segment and I did enjoy the continuity
being acknowledged with Solo threatening Paul Heyman.
**********
– Alexa Bliss approached Charlotte Flair backstage and asked
her to be in her corner for the fatal-four way match coming
up next, since her opponents would have their partners.
Charlotte agreed and mocked the idea of being a
“cheerleader”, stating that she’d be a cheerleader for
herself.
Fatal Four-Way Match: Alexa Bliss (w/ Charlotte Flair) vs.
Roxanne Perez (w/ Raquel Rodriguez) vs. Sol Ruca (w/ Zaria)
vs. Kairi Sane (w/ Asuka)
Ruca and Bliss mixed it up while Sane and Perez fought it
out in the corner. As Ruca went for an early pin, Sane broke
it up and went on the attack. Sane sent Ruca to the outside
and looked for a dive, but Perez intercepted her with a
Thesz Press. As Perez had Sane set up for a move, Ruca took
both out with a double drop kick. Ruca wasn’t done yet as
she somersaulted and launched herself onto Bliss, Perez, and
Sane on the outside, which took us to the break.
We resumed with Perez and Sane fighting on the top
turnbuckle as the former looked to an attempt a superplex.
Bliss and Ruca rushed towards the corner and we got the
Tower of Doom superplex/powerbomb spot that seemed to knock
the wind out of everyone. Bliss and Ruca recovered and began
to mix it up with Bliss connecting with the flipping
neckbreaker for a near-fall. Bliss’s attempt at a DDT was
met with a superkick by Perez, followed by the running
European uppercut to the back. DIving moonsault and pin was
interrupted by Ruca. The NXT Women’s North American Champion
pounced and hit a running knee on Perez for the two-count.
Scoop slam by Ruca didn’t lead to anything as Sane met her
at the top rope and trapped her in a Tree of Woe position
for a double stomp. One, two… Bliss and Perez simultanuously
broke up the pin.
Bliss attempted the Sister Abigail DDT on Perez, but got
countered out of it. Ruca ran to the corner and connected
with a double Sol Snatcher on Perez and Bliss. The cover,
but Raquel Rodriguez put Perez’s rope to break the count. A
melee outside the ring led to Rodriguez tossing Zarya as she
then found herself thrown over the commentary table by Flair
(and right into Joe Tessitore in the process).
In the ring, Sane’s Insane Elbow was blocked by Bliss’s foot
as this match then came to an end with a Sister Abigail DDT
and the three.
Alexa Bliss def. Kairi Sane, Sol Ruca, and Roxanne Perez via
pinfall
Fun opener that got really chaotic towards the end. It’s
always nice to see Sol Ruca break out another variation of
her finisher, especially on a main roster show. This was
great stuff.
**********
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Street Profits (c) (Montez
Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. The Wyatt Sicks (Joe Gacy &
Dexter Lumis; w/ Uncle Howdy, Erick Rowan, and Nikki Cross)
Dawkins and Gacy got things going to start this match off.
Both men attempted a lockup, but neither man could get an
upper hand. Dawkins eventually managed to throw Gacy down as
he worked him over in the corner with some hard strikes.
Ford entered the match with a tag and looked for a dive, as
Lumis pulled Gacy out of the ring. Ford mocked Lumis’ taunt
just as we went to a break.
SmackDown returned from break with Lumis attempting to hit a
superplex on Ford, but being unable to, on the account of
Ford fighting back. Lumis tried again, but got blocked by
Ford, who instead hit a sunset flip powerbomb that created
needed separation. Dawkins got the hot tag and went to work
right away on Gacy with a running shoulder charge, spinning
clothesline, and a neckbreaker. With both Wyatt Sicks
members outside, Dawkins flew over the rope with a dive to
both Gacy and Lumis.
Inside the ring, Dawkins connected with a gigantic Swanton
Bomb, but Gacy managed to kick out. Gacy then connected with
his handspring clothesline, as he and Lumis nailed a double
team combination neckbreaker on Dawkins that wasn’t unable
to put an end to this match. Lumis threw Dawkins hard into
the corner, as he then sent him outside and we got another
break.
SmackDown returned from break with Gacy continuing the
punishment on Dawkins, up until Ford got the blind tag,
which gave the Street Profits a chance to connect with a
double team move, but that wasn’t enough to put the match
away. With Gacy in no man’s land, he fell victim to a double
team blockbuster by the Profits. One, two… Gacy somehow
kicked out at two.
As Ford ran at Gacy, he got thrown to the outside, but
Dawkins connected with a pounce, as he then connceted with a
diving splash on Lumis inside the ring. Erick Rowan headed
up to the ring and pulled Ford out of the ring with the
referee distracted by Gacy. Dawkins ran into Rowan and sent
him over the timekeeper’s area, which took him out in the
process.
Ford headed up top and looked for another frog splash, but
he missed thanks to the distraction from Gacy at ringside.
This left him at the mercy of the Wyatt Sicks’ double team
powerbomb/neckbreaker, and that’s it, over. We have new WWE
Tag Team Champions.
The Wyatt Sicks def. The Street Profits via pinfall to win
the WWE Tag Team Championships
A really solid tag match and seeing a title change here is
quite interesting. Having the Wyatts as the monsters running
the SmackDown tag division with teams stepping up to them in
the hopes of wresting the tag titles away from them should
make this run one to watch, at the very least.
**********
– The SmackDown tag division discussed the fallout of the
Wyatts’ tag team title win, as Andrade and Fenix announced
themselves as part of the SmackDown tag team division
officially based on their recent successes.
– Crews were getting a stage set up for Jelly Roll’s
performance coming up next.
Jelly Roll performs
After being introduced as “Nashville’s own hometown hero”,
Jelly Roll began to perform a song for the live crowd.
Before he could continue on, he was rudely interrupted by
Logan Paul.
Paul said that everyone was here to see real WWE superstars,
not music by for people who had tattoos of their children,
but don’t have custody of them. Paul said that Jelly Roll
belonged on the stage, not a WWE ring. Paul got upset about
celebrities, clout chasers, and influencers thinking they
could hang in the WWE ring. Paul said that the WWE didn’t
need a Jelly Roll, but they “needed” a Logan Paul. He said
that the WWE loved him so much, his podcast just inked a
long-term deal.
Jelly Roll interrupted and said that this was his hometown,
and nobody gave a damn about Paul’s podcast in Nashville.
The two got in each other’s face before Randy Orton walked
down to the ring and took exception to Paul’s dismissal of
Jelly Roll.
Orton called Paul a “whiny, entiitled bitch” because
everyone moved heaven and earth just to make Logan Paul look
good. Before Orton could go on, McIntyre blasted him with a
Claymore Kick. Paul attacked the fallen Orton with repeated
strikes but Jelly Roll grabbed him from behind and threw him
down. Jelly Roll then helped Orton up as Paul wanted a piece
of him. Security got Paul to back away
Paul snapped and wrecked the music set on the stage to end
the segment.
Well, this was certainly a segment. I can’t say I’m excited
at the idea of a Jelly Roll versus Logan Paul feud leading
to a match at SummerSlam potentially. Whatever the intent of
doing this segment was had the total opposite effect on me,
if we’re being honest. In short, I did not like this at all
and the hint of potentially roping Randy Orton and Drew
McIntyre in this silliness does nothing for me.
**********
– Backstage, Randy Orton thanked Jelly Roll for his help
moments ago. Jelly offered to be in Orton’s corner for his
match with Drew McIntyre tomorrow for Saturday Night’s Main
Event.
Ron Killings vs. Aleister Black
Killings avoided a Black clothesline and hit him with a
single-legged dropkick to start. Black recovered and swept
Killings with a leg as he transitioned into striking attacks
to the former R-Truth. Killings fought back and sent Black
to the outside. He was looking to line up a dive, but got
kicked by Black. Outside the ring, Black tried for a
moonsault, but Killings got out of the way. Killings grabbed
a chair from the timekeepers area and wanted to use it as a
weapon. Black stopped him with a kick as he looked to use
the chair. Black was about to take a swing, but the referee
stopped him, which allowed Killings to roll him up for the
win.
Ron Killings def. Aleister Black via pinfall
There’s really not much to say about this match since it
honestly ended before it could really get going.
**********
– Aleister Black saw Ron Killings walking and made a beeline
for him, but Damian Priest stopped him from going further.
Black seemed like he was going to back off at Priest’s
urging, but he hit him with a knee to the face, followed by
a Black Mass kick.
Tiffany Stratton & Trish Stratus speak before Evolution
Wade Barrett was in the ring with the WWE Women’s Champion
and her opponent for Evolution to moderate this segment.
Stratton started off by saying that she already beat
Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and Nia Jax, and the reason that
she chose Stratus was because beating her would put her into
consideration for being one of the greats.
Stratus answered by saying that the pressure is on Stratton
because she needs the championship and while she’ll leave on
Sunday as champion, Tiffany will leave with nothing. Stratus
said that she helped solidify the women’s division and that
she was still delivering for this division. She said that
she loves Tiffany, but she’ll be leaving as an eight-time
champion.
Naomi interrupted proceedings, but got clocked from behind
by Jade Cargill, her opponent in a No-Holds Barred Match at
Evolution this Sunday. Security officials stormed into the
scene to keep the two hated rivals separated.
**********
Saturday Night’s Main Event card
World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Goldberg
LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins
Randy Orton (w/ Jelly Roll) vs. Drew McIntyre
United States Championship: Solo Sikoa (c) vs. Jimmy Uso
– Both Cody Rhodes and John Cena were adveritsed to appear
on next week’s SmackDown.
LA Knight & Jimmy Uso vs. Solo Sikoa & JC Mateo (w/ Tala
Tonga & Tanga Loa)
Sikoa and Knight got our main event started, as the U.S.
Champion went on the offensive briefly before getting rocked
by a neckbreaker. Knight stomped away on Sikoa as Uso tagged
in and hit Sikoa with a running hip drop in the corner.
Sikoa recovered and hit Uso with a strike to back him in the
M.F.T. corner. Mateo entered the match and tried to continue
the momentum, but he fell victim to a superkick, followed by
a Samoan drop from Uso for a two-count.
Mateo woke up and hit Uso with an elbow to the face to force
him back to his corner. Sikoa tagged himself in and pulled
Uso out of the ring, as he delivered a Samoan drop onto the
reinforced commentary table to take us to the final
commercial break of the night.
Our main event returned with Mateo attempting a backdrop,
but Uso escaped and kicked him, which allowed for a hot tag
to Knight. The Megastar was on fire as he felled Mateo with
a jumping neckbreaker. He attempted a BFT, but got blocked.
Roll-up pin by Mateo was unable to put this match away.
Knight hit yet another neckbreaker on Mateo, which left him
open for a diving elbow, followed by the big Uso splash by
Jimmy. Sikoa ran into the ring and broke up the pin at the
last second.
Sikoa dragged Mateo back into his corner so he could make
the tag. Sikoa attempted a Samoan Spike, but got blocked. He
did, however, managed to connect with the Spinning Solo.
Knight entered and attacked Mateo on the outside, and was
interrupted by the sight of Paul Heyman in the timekeepers’
area. This distracted Knight long enough to get kicked by
Tala Tonga.
In the ring, Sikoa found himself rolled up by Uso for the
shock one, two, three win.
Post-match, the M.F.T.s chased after Uso in the ring, as
Knight took out Sikoa with the BFT. Bron Breakker and
Bronson Reed caught Knight by surprise with a Spear and a
Tsunami. The show ended with Seth Rollins’ vanguard being
led away from the ring by a group of referees.
Jimmy Uso & LA Knight def. Solo Sikoa & JC Mateo via pinfall
**********
Again a pretty standard TV main event to end the night.
Really not much else to say about the tag match other than
that.
Overall, tonight’s SmackDown fell kinda flat, with only the
Tag Team Championship match being a standout highlight of
the night. The Jelly Roll/Logan Paul segment was the big
disappointment and it seemed like the rest of the show kind
of petered out after that segment.