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Two quick pieces of housekeeping before we get started:
• NXT wrestler Meiko Satomura announced her retirement in 2025, and outside of a brief appearance on WWE’s Japanese tour, there are currently no plans for her to reappear on WWE programming before then. No matter the reason, Satomura was a shining light in early NXT 2.0, and her retirement will leave behind a luminary figure in the world of wrestling. I wish her luck in the future.
• Following her husband Adam Copeland’s departure from the company last year, Beth Phoenix is no longer under contract with WWE. Phoenix briefly returned as an in-ring competitor in 2023 alongside Copeland, and had also worked intermittently as a commentator for the NXT brand. There is no news on Phoenix joining Copeland in AEW, but doing so would open a whole new world of dream matches for wrestling fans.
• WWE has touched down in Cleveland for Summerlam. Well, almost. We still have tonight’s go-home episode of Smackdown, which looks to tee up the blue brand’s main feuds ahead of this weekend’s PLE. Such a fundamental difference in the all-out anarchy of Attitude Era go-home episodes, which seemed like a last-ditch attempt to get extra PPV buys with crazy moments.
In the age of streaming TV, go-home episodes feel like the episode before the finale. You might not see any big epic moments, but you’ll see a lot of matches being lit, all for the bombs to go KABOOM in the finale.
It’s a packed episode this week, so let’s recap the various feuds on Smackdown!
Cody Rhodes vs. The Bloodline
Latest Developments
Following their attacks on allies Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes had enough of The Bloodline and wanted to meet Solo one-on-one in the ring this week, ahead of their title match on Summerslam.
Solo agreed later that night, while threatening Roman Reigns to stay out of his business if he doesn’t want to end up like Orton, Owens and Rhodes.
Analysis
A surprisingly light week for the Rhodes-Bloodline feud, which was a much-needed refresher after multiple repetitive beatdowns in the past few weeks. It’s clear that this feud has been built up as far as it can go, and there’s not much else to really say other than fight.
This week’s promos highlighted this storyline’s main problem: when you strip away all the ancillary elements, there’s very little heat between Cody and Solo. The pre-taped promos where they addressed each other should be getting us fired up, but they speak about each other as if they barely interact. Yet again, the impending return of Roman Reigns, a Randy Orton heel turn, and the Tongans’ tag title shot have all felt more interesting than the linchpin feud linking them all. This doesn’t bode well, especially for the main event of Summerslam.
Additionally, I’m hoping that Rhodes has a plan up his sleeve going one-on-one against The Bloodline, because otherwise this decision feels absolutely braindead. Following several 3-on-2 beatdowns, if Rhodes expects Solo to walk out alone, his character will firmly cross the bridge from honorable to a chump. I have enough faith in HHH to not inwardly groan at this segment’s prospect, but there’s also no other ally that has been built up to have Cody’s back on Smackdown. Could we be looking at a Jimmy Uso return? Time will tell.
Grade: C+
Tiffany Stratton & Nia Jax vs. Bayley
Latest Developments
Over the past few weeks, Nia Jax has slowly begun to grow paranoid over her protégé, Ms. MITB Tiffany Stratton ahead of Jax’s championship match against Bayley at Summerslam.
Last week, Jax promised to get Stratton a new MITB briefcase after Bayley & Michin destroyed the last one, under the condition Stratton not cash in on her. Stratton agreed. Later, the two won their tag match against Bayley and Michin
Analysis
Last week’s tag match firmly laid out the odds against Bayley ahead of Summerslam. After weeks of playing up the ridiculousness of “Queen Nia” for heel heat, the tag win was a great way to remind viewers of Jax’s hoss prowess in the ring. And with a sidekick to run interference, the odds have never looked so stacked on paper against babyface champ Bayley.
However, by continuing to show Jax’s paranoia at Stratton turning on her, the writing team have revealed a character weakness that Bayley can exploit (and has over the past few weeks). This intelligence has added some fire to Bayley’s character, which has been plagued by repetitive booking and one-note “I’m sorry I was mean” promos.
In a nod to her Damage CTRL roots, Bayley’s willingness to play dirty gives her some nice character continuity while also giving her an edge over more physically intimidating opponents. If you can’t beat them, make them lose their nerve. It’s a classic brain vs brawn mentality, simple yet effective.
Grade: A-
Austin Theory vs. Grayson Waller
Latest Developments
After boxer Terrence Crawford helped Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens secure a win over Theory and Waller, the former tag champs have had it out for Crawford. Last week, they invited him in-ring, daring him to apologize. Much to Theory’s surprise, Waller claimed Theory would kick Crawford’s ass, which yet again led to Theory receiving a beatdown at his tag partner’s expense.
Analysis
Terrence Crawford being one of the more entertaining WWE guest stars wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are. A quick, solid, but unspectacular comedy segment that didn’t further any character beats, but wins several points just for the laughs. Watching Waller (an ace on the mic) find new ways to continually deflect and gaslight Theory is always a joy to watch.
However, following Summerslam, the focus definitely needs to shift to Theory if this breakup angle is set to kick into high-gear. The heel has been established, but outside of a few conflicted moments against Johnny Gargano, it’s been tough to find any sympathy for Theory. The guy’s played a punchable jerkwad for so long, that audiences will need more than a few quick moments to lay the groundwork for a face turn.
Additionally, bonus points to WWE for setting up this segment with a brief clip of Crawford talking to The Street Profits earlier in the night. Little touches like this make the roster feel more connected, establish who Crawford is for lapsed viewers, and overall feel more elegant than the “superstar is arriving at the arena” shots that production has typically leaned on.
Grade: A-
L.A. Knight vs. Logan Paul (and Santos Escobar)
Latest Developments
Last week, LA Knight faced Santos Escobar in a tune-up match, before his US title bout at Summerslam. Paul interfered after the match, laying Knight out before telling the audience he had a big surprise planned in Cleveland.
Tonight, Paul faces his hometown, and has teased a big reveal preceding the PLE this weekend.
Analysis
Triple H loves to plant the seeds for future stories overlapping the climax of a current one. Whereas, in previous eras, Escobar would be nothing more than a plot device for the inevitable Paul interference and stand-off, Escobar’s throughline calling Knight out the week prior feels like groundwork for an inevitable US title shot post-Summerslam (assuming Knight wins). Escobar has circled the US title for the past year, since betraying then-champ Rey Mysterio. Additionally, Knight and Escobar have tussled in several multiman matches, and have always had each other’s number. If a 1-on-1 feud is being teed up, there’s plenty of material to draw from.
Meanwhile, Paul continues to play an egotistical heel better than anyone on the roster (probably because he’s just playing himself). In his hometown of Cleveland, it’ll be interesting to see if Paul gets any mixed reactions. The teased segment for tonight will likely test the waters for Paul’s reception, as the last thing WWE top brass wants is LA Knight facing unexpected boos in his long-awaited coronation to title holder.
Throughout this feud, Knight has solidified himself as a WWE main eventer. But for the first time, it feels like he’s holding back against Paul, which is slightly frustrating. A full-on verbal undressing would be amazing from Knight, but he seems oddly restrained over the past few weeks. However, audiences remain hot, booking remains consistent, and this match looks to be the highlight of Summerslam.
Grade: A-
Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill vs. Unholy Union
Latest Developments
Last week, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill prepared to confront the Unholy Union, but were blindsided by the tag champs during their entrances. Cargill got the best of the Scottish witches, and the babyfaces stood tall.
Tonight, Belair and Cargill receive their official title shot for the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Analysis
This segment felt completely unnecessary. Not only did it serve no purpose except to drag out the feud until the go-home episode of Smackdown (which couldhave been avoided by the witches just… choosing to wait until the next episode to confront Belair and Cargill), but also made the heel champs look extremely weak. Belair & Cargill’s booking has been largely stagnant since losing the titles, steamrolling the rest of the tag division in quick squashes and vaguely making promises to get the belts back. I’m more forgiving of Goldberg-esque squashes than most, but this has gotten old fast.
Additionally, the Unholy Union’s reign feels like a true missed opportunity. Following a standing babyface ovation at Clash At The Castle, the lack of follow-up characterization, meaningful feuds, or even TV time feels like an insult to the tag division. Fyre & Dawn feel like nothing more than MacGuffins for the good guys to pursue, and their NXT booking proves they can do so much more.
With the tag belts again relegated to the go-home episode of a PLE rather than the main card, the women’s tag division feels like it’s undone much of the goodwill built up in the 1st half of the year.
However, the resulting airtime has at least been used to build up a longer list of credibly challengers (Baszler & Stark, Niven & Green, KC2). For the first time, we finally have a tag division that feels like more than 2 singles wrestlers thrown together. Now all
Grade: D
DIY vs. The Bloodline
Latest Developments
Tonga Loa is out with an eye injury, so The Bloodline appealed to Nick Aldis by letting Jacob Fatu sub in. Later that night, Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu were the final entrants into the Tag Team #1 contender’s Gauntlet Match, and won.
Tonight, Tonga & Fatu’s title shot is scheduled against reigning tag champs DIY.
Analysis
The elephant in the room: the tag titles are being defended on Smackdown instead of Summerslam. I have mixed feelings: on one hand, WWE is so hot right now that the atmosphere will be hot regardless. And with all the main event-level angles in store for Summerslam, keeping the tag titles on Smackdown allows DIY a main event spotlight they might not otherwise have. On the flip side, the tag titles deserve a spotlight on the 2nd biggest PPV of the year, especially with Johnny Wrestling being a Cleveland native.
In any case, we’re in store for an amazing match. DIY does their best work against hoss villains, and excel in telling complete stories in-ring (heck, the two worked in references to their original NXT tag title win, when facing A-Town Down Under). While The Bloodline’s characterization has been ridiculously thin, the ensuing match looks poised to deliver.
Meanwhile, The Bloodline’s secondary players continue to underdeliver. Despite Fatu’s aura shining like a beacon, the team felt largely out of place in the Tag Team gauntlet match. It’s hard to buy Tonga & Fatu as these unstoppable monsters when they had very little ring time and beat a team that had already run the entire gauntlet.
In order to continue The Bloodline’s dominance on Smackdown, a title change seems likely. And a crowd hot for the hometown boys, who have succeeded in playing underdogs against nearly everyone, could be the perfect launchpad to finally cement these hosses as the new end bosses of Smackdown’s tag division.
Grade: B
Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes
Latest Developments
Following Hayes’ loss to Andrade, the former NXT champion demanded a rematch. Andrade brushed off Hayes, claiming to be done with him, but eventually relented. Hayes offered a handshake, but Andrade casually rebuffed him.
Analysis
A segment that followed up on a hot rivalry, putting Andrade over as a cool confident babyface. Simple booking done very well, and indicative of WWE’s new trend of sneakily building midcard feuds with little TV time. There’s nothing groundbreaking, but by using simple character dynamics (Carmelo’s unwillingness to accept loss, and Andrade’s amusement at his bluster), it’s easy to tell a quick logical story.
More than anything, this segment is proof that WWE has raised the bar on their midcard development. And with a certain megastar in line to win the US championship, we could be witnessing the heating of two possible contenders.
Grade: A-
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Pretty Deadly vs. The Street Profits
Latest Developments
The Street Profits committed to their new face turn following the departure of former leader Bobby Lashley, running the gauntlet and defeating 3 other teams before valiantly falling against the Bloodline.
One of those teams were rivals Pretty Deadly, who were swiftly taken out of the match thanks to some strategic thinking from Dawkins.
Analysis
The Street Profits have been dealt a bad hand over the past year, dealing with inopportune injuries, lackluster feuds, and now the departure of Lashley. However, they’ve proven there’s still some babyface juice in their act. The addition of B-Fab has actually enhanced their presentation, with her natural swag perfectly fitting in with theirs.
Running a gauntlet is classic babyface booking, showing heart, teamwork and perseverance. The Profits showed all 3, as well as highlighting their versatile in-ring style.
With The Bloodline the heavy favorite to win the Smackdown tag titles, the groundwork has been laid for the Profits to be their 1st title defense. Not only have they been built up as babyfaces with fighting spirit, they’ve been subtly calling out The Bloodline for weeks and now have a chip on their shoulder thanks The Bloodline stealing their title shot. These feel like subtle details, but they enhance the weekly programming so much.
Oh, and Pretty Deadly was amazing as always. Nothing much else to say, they pretty much exist to lose comedically now. But, by god, nobody does it better. Five stars.
Grade: A-
Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews vs. Legado Del Fantasma
Latest Developments
After weeks of torment against LDF, Corbin & Crews entered the Tag Team #1 Contenders Gauntlet match, and surprisingly scored a win against LDF.
Analysis
Two underrated jobbers coming together is nothing new. But actually allowing them to create a memorable moment is great. After losing to the LDF separately, these two babyfaces found themselves stronger after teaming up. A simple story, that led to big dividends. Corbin & Crews have surprisingly strong in-ring chemistry, pairing high-flying offense with power-based slams. They looked smooth against a far more established team, giving a long gauntlet some juice with a surprise upset win early on.
This was an example of unneeded effort paying off for all parties. It could have been so easy to just throw Corbin & Crews together to fill a spot. But by allowing them to find a common enemy, team up, and finally get a win allowed them to have a brief babyface moment with precious few seconds of TV time. Unspectacular, simple, and short. But effective.
Grade: B
Naomi vs. Blair Davenport
Latest Developments
Naomi cut a brief promo last week, telling the audience she still hasn’t forgotten her beef with Blair Davenport.
This originally began due to Davenport angling for Bayley’s WWE Women’s championship, which put her on a collision course with Bayley’s ally Naomi.
Analysis
Nothing much to say here. A quick throwaway segment that keeps this feud in people’s minds until the time is right to heat it back up.
But while many love WWE’s slow-burn storytelling nowadays, this feud is a shining example why hotshotting can sometimes be beneficial. Many superstars find themselves without consistent TV time post-draft (hi, Kiana James!), and with only a few seconds per week, these lower-card feuds can drag on for months with few plot developments.
Unlike several other superstars, Naomi hasn’t quite learned to maximize her minutes in the WWE structure yet, so these brief interviews don’t leave much in the mind beyond “oh yeah, she’s still here”.
Grade: C-
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