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WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
JULY 5, 2024
TORONTO, ONT. AT SCOTIA BANK ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON FOX
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier today that 15,940 tickets had been distributed so far; arena set up for 17,438.
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PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by Javier Machado from PWTorch to review Smackdown LIVE. We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Smackdown. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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[HOUR ONE]
-They showed Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, and Cody Rhodes backstage.
-Jey Uso made his ring entrance. He thanked Canada for letting him into the country. He asked the crowd to “yeet” if they wanted him to win Money in the Bank. L.A. Knight interrupted and walked out. He said Jey might be the odds-on-favorite to win and credited him for breaking free from The Bloodline. Knight said the crowd will be chanting “Yeah,” not “Yeet!” They went back and forth and then Carmelo Hayes came out.
Carmelo said Toronto didn’t want to hear all that. Chad Gable interrupted him as he began to address Jey. He talked about living his own personal hell the last few weeks. Andrade interrupted him right away. He said winning MITB is their dream, but dreams don’t win matches.
Drew McIntyre then walked out to chants of “C.M. Punk! C.M. Punk!” He said he expected more from Canada, “being part of the commonwealth.” He said Punk isn’t there, but his family is always with him. He showed off the bracelet. He said the violence Punk has received from him is what’s going to happen to them at Money in the Bank. He entered the ring and called Andrade “Ed Idiot.” A louder “C.M. Punk!” chant broke out. He told Chad Gable he just feels bad for him. A distressed looking Gable said, “Thank you.”
He told Carmelo he has a bright future, “but you are not him, you are looking up at him.” Carmelo fired back, but without a mic and Drew ignored him. He looked over at L.A. Knight and said the word he needs at MITB isn’t “yeah,” but rather “no.” Drew looked at Jey and asked, “How the hell did you get across the border anyway?” The crowd “ohhhed.”
Andrade attacked Drew. Wade Barrett said he was upset with the El Idiot comment earlier. Drew took out everyone who came at him and left Jey and Knight down on the mat and the others down at ringside. Knight and Jey recovered and took turns punching him and then clotheslined him over the top rope to the floor. Graves talked about how winning the MITB contract can change the course of career.
(Keller’s Analysis: Nothing in that segment signaled anyone being likely to win the match other than Drew McIntyre. That doesn’t mean it’s a foregone conclusion, but there wasn’t another wrestler who was clearly flagged as a contender above anyone else. Drew shined here.)
-Jackie Redmond interviewed Bayley backstage and asked what it takes to win a MITB ladder match. Bayley said you have to stay sharp because it’s about timing. Chelsea Green interrupted and said her advice is almost as irrelevant as Bayley is. She said she’s wouldn’t even be WWE Women’s Champion if she weren’t wrongly ejected from the match. She said when she’s Miss MITB, she’ll know when she’s coming for her. Bayley told her to come back after she wins an actual mach. Piper Niven attacked Bayley. Green said the next time she sees her, she’ll have the MITB contract in hand and cash in to win her title.
-The Street Profits made their ring entrance. [c]
-As Baley left Nick Aldis’s office, Naomi walked up to her. Bayley said Aldis just booked her against Niven tonight. Naomi said she’s got her back.
(1) THE STREET PROFITS (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs. PRETTY DEADLY (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince)
The bell rang 22 minutes into the hour. Barrett said the profits have come out on fire. Pretty Deadly took over right after that. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Back from the break, Pretty Deadly gave Ford a top rope tower superplex, but Dawkins then landed top rope Swanton on Wilson. Elton broke up the cover by hitting Dawkins on the back. Dawkins threw Prince out of the ring. Dawkins pounced Wilson into Prince and then Ford hit his running leaping flip dive onto both Wilson and Prince. Ford threw Wilson into the ring and then Ford finished him with a top rope splash. His cover was odd as he flipped over and then flipped back onto Wilson leading to the three count.
WINNERS: The Profits in 13:00.
-Austin Theory told Grayson Waller that they need to be sure they’re on the same page. Waller said he’s losing his focus. Theory said he’s been thinking about what Johnny Gargano has been saying. Waller asked how many titles he won with Gargano. He said DIY is trying to turn them against each other. Theory seemed persuaded and encouraged by the framing of things.
-Graves said they’d revisit The Bloodline’s attack on Paul Heyman later. [c]
-Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell made their entrance.
-A video recap aired of the Heyman-Bloodline angle. Graves referred to Solo Sikoa as “the self-proclaimed new head of the table” and said he’s speak later. He framed his actions as “heinous” and “a betrayal of one of their own.”
(2) INDI HARTWELL & CANDICE LERAE vs. BIANCA BELAIR & JADE CARGILL
They joined the match in progress 46 minutes into the hour. Graves touted 16,932 in attendance. Belair got a hot-tag in at 2:00. Jade tagged back in and finished LeRae with Jaded as Belair gave Indi a K.O.D.
WINNERS: Cargill & Belair in 5:00.
-After the match, Cathy Kelley asked if that win was “imperative to getting back on track.” Belair said the last couple months have been rough, but this is the start. Jade thanked them for keeping the title warm for them. She said everyone knows it’s inevitable that they’ll get their tag team titles back.
-A sponsored video package aired on the Waller & Theory vs. DIY feud. Graves then plugged the title match between them tonight.
-They showed Cody, Orton, and KO heading toward the ring from backstage. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Ring entrances took place for Owens, Orton, and Cody. Cody entered the ring and asked, “So, Toronto, what do you want to talk about?” He said they could talk about “Sami Zayn and Friends,” 16,000 in the arena tonight, a sellout crowd for MITB, and Heat Wave on Sunday. He said it seems WWE and Toronto is just a good fit. Cheers. He said Solo Sikoa and the new Bloodline have asked for a fight and they’re ready for it. Orton spoke briefly, saying the fight will end with “the three most dangerous letters in sports entertainment, R-K-O!”
Owens said he wanted to talk about the last four days. He said he got a call from his dad earlier in the week that this mom was in the hospital with a medical emergency. He said he and his dad and his brother were at bedside seeing her fight like hell. He said his dad and his mom aren’t there tonight because his mom is still in her hospital bed fighting like hell. He said he could have stayed home and he probably should have, because the one person it would have been a problem for is his mother.
He said ever since he was 11 and he discovered pro wrestling and WWE, she did everything she could to make sure he’d realize his dream. She always told him to leave it all in the ring, so if she heard he missed a show because of her, she’d be so pissed. He said he’s more serious than he’s ever been. He said all he cares about is doing what his mom has wanted him to do for the last four years, and that is not just kick the hell out of The Bloodline, it’s beat their asses worse than ever before. He slammed the mic down and his music played.
-Graves and Barrett threw to a video package on the history of WWE Tag Team Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: That’s a nice touch that easily they could have skipped. It underlines the history and prestige of the tag titles.) [c]
(3) BAYLEY vs. PIPER NIVEN (w/Chelsea Green)
During Bayley’s ring entrance, they showed Iyo Sky at ringside. The bell rang 18 minutes into the hour. Naomi came out to ringside to watch Bayley’s back. Bayley landed a bulldog. Niven rolled to ringside. Bayley eyed Green, then went for a dropkick on Niven. A clumsy exchange led to Niven yanking Bayley’s head into the ringpost. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Back from the break, Bayley made a comeback. They showed Zoey Stark and Lyra Valkyria watching from the front row. Then Tiffany Stratton walked out. Bayley went for a Rose Plant, but Niven blocked it. Bayley then applied a chinlock from riding Niven’s back. Niven yanked her to the mat. Green and Naomi got into it at ringside. Naomi threw Green into the ringside barricade. Sky jumped Naomi. Valkyria, Stark, and Tiffany got into it at ringside. Tiffany landed a leaping moonsault off the top rope onto the crowd below. In the ring, Bayley avoided Niven’s swing splash out of the corner and then hit the Rose Plant for the win.
WINNER: Bayley in 8:00.
-Afterward, Nia Jax attacked Bayley and landed a running legdrop. She struck a pose as fans booed. She then dragged Bayley to the corner and set up her Annihilator sit-splash, but Michin made the save with a cane. Bayley smiled at Michin who made a friendly gesture toward her.
-Graves and Barrett plugged Money in the Bank. They also showed a clip of Sami Zayn’s comedy show that took place in a local theater the night before. They plugged Fanatics Fest in NYC again. [c]
-Barrett announced Jax vs. Michin and Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews vs. Angel & Berto next week on Smackdown.
-They showed DIY backstage. Tomasso Ciampa talked about winning the NXT Tag Team Titles in that arena. Gargano said Toronto has become a second home. “Toronto, let’s go!” Gargano shouted. They made their entrance through Gorilla as the camera followed them.
(4) AUSTIN THEORY & GREYSON WALLER vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) – WWE Tag Team Title match
As DIY made their entrance, Graves touted how impressive DIY’s NXT Tag Team Title match was eight years ago. Barrett said they feel there is magic in the air tonight and they’re going to grab gold. Theory and Waller then made their entrance. Graves talked about hints of dissension with them. Formal ring introductions took place. The bell rang 39 minutes into the hour. DIY landed a dive over the top rope onto Theory and Waller a minute in and they cut to an early break. [c]
A few minutes after the break, with Theory in control at ringside, Gargano avoided his charge. Gargano then gave Waller a Destroyer at ringside. The announcers said it was ugly. Barrett said Waller might have a stinger. Theory clotheslined Gargano and checked on Waller, but moved away and went back to Gargano. Theory went for a suplex, but Gargano turned it into a small package. Gargano scored another two count with a sunset flip. Gargano went for a hot-tag to Ciampa, but Waller was able to pull Ciampa off the ring apron. Theory scored a two count on Gargano after an A-Town Down Under. They cut to another break at 8:00. [c]
An inadvertent miscue led to a rally by DIY. They scored a near fall after their finisher. Gargano put Waller in a Gargano Escape. Theory blocked a tapout by Waller, but then Ciampa put Theory in a submission. Waller then tapped out.
WINNERS: DIY to capture the WWE Tag Team Titles in 14:00.
-A pretaped statement aired with Solo Sikoa declaring that this isn’t what he wanted, but it’s what his family needed. He buried Reigns for losing to Cody Rhodes, so he’ll take the title back to the Bloodline. He said he’s coming for Cody and Cody will acknowledge him.
(Keller’s Analysis: This seems to indicate Cody vs. Solo at Summerslam. I don’t think they’d tease it here if it wasn’t going to happen there. Showing a pre-taped video felt sneaky at best and bait-and-switch at worst.)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by Javier Machado from PWTorch to review Smackdown LIVE. We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Smackdown. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
If you can’t join us live on YouTube, stream the show on demand later at YouTube or listen on a podcast app. Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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