WWE SmackDown aired an action-packed episode on Friday, July 22, ahead of the much anticipated SummerSlam event which will be held on July 30. An interesting match card saw a gruelling encounter between the blue brand women’s champion Liv Morgan and former titleholder Ronda Rousey.
Following Vince McMahon’s retirement, allegations surfaced that the veteran Brock Lesnar stormed out of the arena prior to his scheduled appearance and would not be participating in the show. WWE then deleted Lesnar from all show ads, but the beast did show up at the conclusion of the night’s episode to continue the build-up to his last man-standing fight against the reigning WWE champion Roman Reigns at SummerSlam.
Stephanie McMahon opened the show by briefly mentioning her father’s retirement before leading the audience into a “Thank you, Vince” chant.
Here are all the highlights from the Friday night episode of WWE SmackDown:
Singles Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Ludwig Kaiser
Ludwig Kaiser fought Shinsuke Nakamura in a rematch after suffering a thumping defeat two weeks ago. The loss resulted in Kaiser being on the receiving end of a brutal onslaught of chops from the Intercontinental champion Gunther.
Kaiser dominated in the opening stages before the Artist ignited a late-match comeback. Against the run of play, Gunther physically intervened while Kaiser kept the referee occupied. The sidekick was then able to secure a victory by pinfall after connecting DDT.
After the match, Gunther smashed Kaiser with another chop to the chest, utterly displeased with having to intervene to assure the victory.
Face-to-Face Match: Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey was confronted by SmackDown Women’s champion Liv Morgan and had a brief backstage exchange. Morgan claimed that she will not only defeat Ronda in Nashville but also shake her hand after the match. Exactly what Rousey did at Money in the Bank. Morgan responded by stating that she had more passion and determination than everyone else in the locker room. Rousey replied to Morgan’s statement, “Liv, this is why everyone adores you. You have more zeal than everyone else in the locker room. Except for me”
Happy Corbin assaulted Pat McAfee
Right after the two women verbally threw jabs at each other, Happy Corbin launched an assault on Pat McAfee at the commentary table, igniting a huge brawl that continued backstage.
Tag Team Match: The Viking Raiders vs Jinder Mahal and Shanky
While Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of New Day were at the ringside, the new and ferocious Viking Raiders battled Jinder Mahal and Shanky. Erik and Ivar dominated the bout, dumping Mahal into Kingston and Woods at ringside before winning by count-out. They chose to escape rather than battle New Day, despite the fact that they had dominated them in previous encounters.
Drew McIntyre warned by Sheamus
The Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre met in the ring for a promo sequence in which The Scottish Warrior slammed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns.
Drew McIntyre was informed by Sheamus that they will square off next Friday in a donnybrook match with Irish weaponry and no disqualifications or count-outs.
Raquel Rodriguez vs Sonya Deville
Sonya Deville faced Raquel Rodriguez in a singles match. After a gruelling battle, Rodriguez managed to fend off a game Deville and knocked her out with her newly named finisher the ‘Tejada Bomb’.
Main event; Six-Man Tag Team Match: Usos and Theory vs Madcap Moss and the Street Profits
The main event of Friday’s episode saw the Street Profits and Madcap Moss being forced to defend against a determined onslaught by The Bloodline’s tag team champions and Mr Money in the Bank.
Montez Ford swung the tide back in favour of the babyfaces, but the heels eventually cut off his momentum and sent him crashing into the timekeeper’s position.
Theory leapt off the apron when Jimmy tried to tag him in. Jey stunned Theory with a superkick and seemed to be about to leave when Ford wiped out the twins and his own partner, Angelo Dawkins, with a plancha.
Theory used the briefcase to hit Moss in the head as he started his own onslaught, resulting in a disqualification. He battered Moss until Brock Lesnar stormed to the ring, and smashed him with the F-5. The Beast smashed Theory continuously with the briefcase and then hit him with another vicious F-5 to end the episode.
Read all the Latest News and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment