SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
AUGUST 2, 2024
CLEVELAND, OHIO AT R.M. ARENA
AIRED ON FOX
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
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 PWTorch’s Travis Bryant 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.
LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN TONIGHT: CLICK HERE
[HOUR ONE]
-They showed a drone shot of the stadium in Cleveland where Summerslam will take place. Then they showed Logan Paul show up in an energy drink branded truck with his crew. Corey Graves introduced the show as the the camera cut to a view from the upper deck of the big crowd. He previewed the show with Wade Barrett.
-Cody Rhodes made his ring entrance. Graves noted that the Bloodline has taken out Cody’s close allies Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, so he was all alone going into Summerslam. Cody asked Cleveland what they wanted to talk about. “Better yet, who do we want to talk to? Solo Sikoa.” Solo made his entrance.
Cody said Solo is a little brother like him. He said from distance, he almost admires what he’s going through to become the Tribal Chief. He said tomorrow night the bell’s gonna ring, as the old saying goes, and he’s going to find Solo has nothing to lose. Solo interrupted him and asked if he was done. He said he has no patience for him. Cody said he’s not done. He said he’s the self-appointed Tribal Chief, whereas he (Cody) earned the Undisputed WWE Championship. He said if he loses at Summerslam to him, he cannot repay the debt of those who wore the title proudly before him.
Solo said when he beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, “he was a Tribal Chief that was weak.” Fans booed. He said he isn’t weak. He said he’s the opposite. He said he’s dangerous and tomorrow night he’s going to show him how dangerous he is. He said Cody talks a big game. Fans what’d him and he told them to shut up. He told him to put his money where his mouth is. Jacob Fatu walked through the crowd to the ring. Then Tama Tonga joined him. Graves said Cody was outnumbered. Tonga Loa came out next. Solo proposed a Bloodline Rules match. Cody said he isn’t scared of Loa, Tonga, or Fatu. He called Fatu “a dumb son of a bitch” and noted that it’s probably dumb for him to say he isn’t scared of him. He agreed to make it a Bloodline Rules match, acknowledging that it’s not the smartest decision, but it’s the only choice he has.
Solo said since he accepted the challenge, he could snap his fingers and his three cohorts could tear him apart. He said he won’t do that because tonight the tag titles come back to The Bloodline and then tomorrow night the WWE Title comes back to the Bloodline. Cody said he doesn’t have to fight his family, he just has to defeat the Tribal Chief. He looked at Solo as he said it. “And since the Tribal Chief’s not here, I’ll settle for the wanna be!” Cody added. He dropped the mic and stared at Solo. Graves called them incendiary words.
(Keller’s Analysis: The added stip takes pressure off of Cody and Solo to tell the full match story without a lot of bells and whistles, which is a bit disappointing as I’d like to have seen the match they could produce within the ropes with normal rules. It also should make us question Cody’s judgment, unless he is confident that he has enough wrestlers to watch his back, perhaps including Roman Reigns himself. The added stip does send a message to viewers that there’s going to be more to the match than just Cody and Solo. Solo was solid on the mic there. Cody was his usual good self, effective as being himself with the crowd behind him.)
-Carmelo Hayes spoke about facing Andrade while clips were shown of him at a barber shop. He said when he shoots, he doesn’t miss.
-Andrade made his entrance. [c]
(1) CARMELO HAYES vs. ANDRADE
Carmelo made his entrance after the break. Barrett said Carmelo accomplished everything in NXT that could be achieved and it’s been “a shock to his system” that he hasn’t had the same success on Smackdown “despite the fantastic performances.” The bell rang 25 minutes into the match. Graves noted Andrade was also a former NXT Champion. They talked about Andrade aspiring to win the U.S. Title and said if he were to win here, he’d be watching the Summerslam match between Logan Paul and L.A. Knight closely. They cut to a break at 2:00 when Carmelo bailed out to ringside. [c]
Back from the break, Carmelo was on the attack at ringside. Andrade landed a superplex at 8:00. Both were down and slow to get up, so the cut to another break. [c]
Andrade landed a back elbow and scored a near fall at 14:00. He quickly went for a top rope moonsault, but Carmelo moved. Andrade followed up with a standing moonsault right away for a near fall. A “This is awesome!” chant broke out. Andrade applied a figure-four leglock mid-ring. Carmelo reached the bottom rope to force a break. Carmelo stood and superkicked Andrade twice. He then leaped off the top rope, but Andrade moved and then went for The Message finisher; Hayes rolled up Andrade instead, but Andrade countered and leveraged Carmelo’s shoulders down for the win. Graves said, “Wow, wow, wow.” Barrett said, “An exhilarating battle.”
WINNER: Andrade in 16:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Really good match. I liked the early discussion about Carmelo’s success in NXT compared to Smackdown, and noting that he’s a disappointing first-round draft pick when it comes to wins so far. It’s a common sports story, well told here. I was also glad to see Andrade drop the tired bit of playing to the crowd and taking his time when on offense before setting up his next move. He had a new sense of urgency and it made the match better. I didn’t like Carmelo’s choice to hit two superkicks right after being in a figure-four. It’d be better to actually sell the effects of that move to give it more credibility.)
-Elektra Lopez told Santos Escobar that tonight it’s time to take care of business. Angel said, “Easy.” Escobar took issue with that. He said they need to get back on track. He said Berto’s failure last week is not indication of the true potential of their group. He said they need to take care of Apollo Crews right then to set a new tone. They turned and headed to the ring. [c]
-They plugged custom Summerslam merchandise.
(2) SANTOS ESCOBAR (w/Elektra Lopez, Angel Garza, Humberto Carillo) vs. APOLLO CREWS (w/Baron Corbin)
The bell rang 47 minutes into the hour. Elektra swiped her arm near Crews’s boots right as the bell rang, which was framed as an opening for Escobar to take early control. Crews landed a standing moonsault at 3:00. He climbed to the top rope. Someone tripped Corbin at ringside. Crews was distracted. Escobar then gave Crews a Phantom Driver and scored a three count.
WINNER: Escobar in 3:30.
-Byron Saxton interviewed Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair backstage. They expressed confidence in regaining the tag titles.
-They went back to the ring as it was prepared for Logan Paul’s “Homecoming” to Cleveland. [c]
-They showed Cleveland’s skyline as they plugged sponsors.
-Nick Aldis stood mid-ring along with three “Cleveland dignitaries.” He introduced Logan who was booed as he came out. The “dignitaries” applauded and smiled. Graves said one of them was “a guy named Steve who manages a Sears.” Graves said the woman books Logan’s travel. He said he’s never met a man as eager as L.A. Knight is to try to take his belt. He said the fans might not admit it, but he inspires the great city of Cleveland. “I am Cleveland!” he said. A fan held up a sign that said, “Low T Logan P.” (I didn’t expect that to catch on at all.) He told the booing fans that they apparently don’t think he’s a great champion. He said he has only had two title defenses since winning the title 273 days ago. He said that’s two more than Knight will ever have.
[HOUR TWO]
Logan said he can’t relate to the fans because he’s great and he made it. Aldis said he put the “dignitaries” names in the computer and couldn’t find them. Logan said they’re legit and it’s insulting to him and them to suggest otherwise. Logan said it was time to unveil the banner that will permanently hang in that arena to remind everyone he is Cleveland’s finest. After a drum roll, the banner dropped and it was Knight’s image with the U.S. Title belt, but it had “Yeah” spray-painted over it. Knight’s music played and fans cheered.
Fans chanted “L.A. Knight!” as he walked out. “Let me talk to ya!” he said. He asked Cleveland what the banner says. Fans yelled, “Yeah!” Logan said, “Congrats. You people can read!” Knight said they’re 24 hours away from Summerslam when Logan will lose the title. Knight said Logan is from West Lake, not Cleveland. (West Lake is just west of Cleveland.) Knight went to the back. Logan asked, “Where are you going, you little scaredy cat.” Knight approached Pretty Deadly andasked if they had a banner he could use. They instead produced flyers for their musical. As he walked away, they yelled “Brat summer!” Knight saw the Logan-branded vehicle. He opened the door and then got in and sped off as Logan chased after him, yelling “No! Come on! That’s a crime!” (He’s not wrong.)
-They went to Barrett and Graves at ringside. Barrett said Knight is going on “the ultimate joy ride.” Graves said they have a gold rush of their own going on tonight before Summerslam. A threw to a sponsored video on Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn talking about their defense tonight.
-Fyre and Dawn’s ring entrance took place. [c]
(3) ALBA FYRE & ISLA DAWN vs. JADE CARGILL & BIANCA BELAIR – Women’s Tag Team Title match
The ring entrances for Belair and Cargill took place after the break. After formal ring introductions, the bell rang 15 minutes into the hour. Cargill and Belair fended off a pre-bell attack and landed stereo fallaway slams. The ref called for the bell. When Fire and Dawn took over, they climbed to the top rope. Cargill and Belair pressed them off the top rope with Gorilla Presses and slammed them as they cut to an early break. [c]
Dawn and Fyre took over during the break. They scored a near fall on Cargill, but Cargill came back with a suplex of both at once. She tagged in Belair who leaped off the top rope with a double crossbody. Fans chanted “EST!” Belair high-stepped as she delivered a vertical suplex to Dawn. She landed a handspring moonsault for a two count to Fyre. Dawn made the save. Cargill superkicked her at ringside. Fyre rolled up Belair for a two count. Blair Davenport threw Cargill into the ringside steps just as Belair was setting up a K.O.D. on Dawn in the ring. The ref called for the DQ.
WINNERS: Cargill & Belair via DQ in 8:00 so Fyre & Dawn retained the titles.
-Cargill and Belair went after Davenport at ringside, but they were soon overwhelmed. Fyre and Dawn threw Cargill over the announce desk and her neck hit the chair as she crashed to the floor. [c]
-Graves and Barrett hyped the Summerslam countdown show. Then they hyped the full Summerslam line-up. A clip aired of Bron Breakker doing a skit on The Pat McAfee Show.
-A vignette recapped the Bayley-Nia Jax build.
-Backstage, Jax presented Tiffany Stratton with a new custom Money in the Bank briefcase. It was pink and glittery. Jax said if she tries to cash in tomorrow, she will no longer be the princess to the queen and she’ll have to answer to her. Tiffany was very excited about the new briefcase. Chelsea Green with Piper Niven walked in and suggested changes to the briefcase. She took issue with Tiffany shoving her off the ladder. Tiffany said green is not her color. Green took exception and gasped.
-Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga made their way to the ring with Solo Sikoa and Tanga Loa. [c]
-A commercial aired advertising the fanfest later this month in New York City.
-Gargano and Ciampa were shown backstage addressing the camera. Gargano was with his wife Candice LeRae and he kissed her. She was holding their son. Gargano said Summerslam 1996 was the very first show he saw in that building and he decided that night to be a WWE wrestlers. He said now 28 years later he’s headlining in that building. The camera followed them to the ring.
(4) DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciamoa) vs. TAMA TONGA & JACOB FATU (w/Tonga Loa) – WWE Tag Team Title match
Formal ring introductions took place. The bell rang 46 minutes into the hour. Barrett said DIY are career underdogs and have never been bigger underdogs than in this match. They cut to a very early break. [c]
Ciampa got the hot-tag to Gargano who entered and then got the best of Tonga and Fatu. He connected with a slingshot spear with Tonga for a near fall. Ciampa tagged back in and they landed a double-kick on Tonga. Gargano then leaped onto Fatu at ringside. Ciampa landed an Air Raid Crash on Tonga for a near fall at 6:00. Barrett said if that was a three count, it would’ve been one of the biggest shockers he’s ever seen if the Bloodline lost that quickly. Fatu came back against Ciampa. Tonga tagged in and took over until Ciampa rolled him up for a two count.
DIY hit Shatter Machine. Ciampa and Gargano played to the crowd and then set up their finisher. Loa distracted the ref as Solo gave Ciampa a Samoan Spike. Tonga then caught a distracted Gargano with his face plant for a believable near fall. Fans popped for the kickout. Gargano stood and superkicked Tonga and Fatu. Loa stood on the ring apron, so Gargano superkicked him too. Gargano then leaped through the ropes onto Tonga. Back in the ring, Gargano hit Fatu with a Poison Rana, but Fatu no-sold it and landed a superkick, a lift-and-drop Samoan drop, a top rope moonsault, and an implant DDT for the win. Graves said Cody Rhodes’s kingdom is under siege as The Bloodline are storming the castle.
WINNERS: Fatu & Tonga in 10:00 to capture the WWE Tag Team Titles.
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 PWTorch’s Travis Bryant 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.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.