Once the dust settled from SummerSlam weekend, one of my first reactions was to marvel at how stacked the main event scene is on SmackDown. With Randy Orton and Kevin Owens making their returns last weekend, all of a sudden, the blue brand has a bevy of former World Champions on its roster. Tonight’s show was pretty light on in-ring action (only 3 matches took place), but much of the night was focused on the WWE Champion, CM Punk, and the impressive list of top-tier possible contenders he has right
now. Throughout the evening, SmackDown managed to get most of those main event players to interact with each other, either in the ring or through backstage segments.
Before taking a look at the rest of the show, here’s a breakdown of those interactions:
Part 1: Cody Rhodes & CM Punk
Cody Rhodes kicked off tonight’s show just 6 days after his long-time friend and recent WrestleMania foe cost him the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Cody got right to the point and called Randy Orton out before “Kingdom” had stopped playing. After waiting for Randy and getting no response, Cody wondered out loud whether CM Punk was aware that The Viper was going to get involved last weekend in Minneapolis. This cued “Cult of Personality” and out came the WWE Champion. Punk made it clear to Cody that he had no idea Orton was going to interfere, even suggesting that they could pull a Two-Man Power Trip backstage and get some answers together. Cody seemed to accept Punk’s explanation, but vowed to get his hands on Randy Orton by himself, leaving the ring to Punk.
As Cody walked off, Punk stopped him and, in regards to the unfinished business between the two of them, said “Just say when,” setting up another Punk/Rhodes matchup down the road.
Part 2: CM Punk & Kevin Owens
With Punk alone and Cody heading to the back, Kevin Owens joined the party. After a brief staredown, Cody handed off his microphone to the new #1 contender, who then joined the WWE Champion in the ring. Punk and Owens, with years of well-documented history, talked some initial smack to each other without the microphone before Nick Aldis arrived on the scene, reminding both men to remain professional. After reassuring their boss that they could do so, they decided to talk so everyone could hear them.
In round 1, Kevin Owens said Punk was proving him right by acting like an arrogant sociopath. Punk responded by laughing off the accusation about his arrogance, saying he backs up everything he says, and the WWE Championship is proof of that. Punk then turned the tables on Owens in round 2, saying he should be thanking him for paving the way for guys like them to make it to the WWE. Owens responded by saying he didn’t think anything could make regaining the WWE Championship any sweeter, but now he gets to win it by humbling Punk and beating his ass for it. Punk kicked off round 3 by saying that if it wasn’t for him, Owens would be working a 9-to-5 that he hates, grinding on the indies, and asking Punk for tickets to WWE shows for Owens and his kid. KO then landed what might have been a knockout blow, thanking Punk for putting himself on a pedestal and making him determined not to turn into a miserable piece of s–t like Punk is! Damn!
Part 3: Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens
Sami Zayn interrupted the new-old SmackDown GM Nick Aldis on the phone backstage. Zayn congratulated Nick on his performance last weekend, and then aired a few very valid grievances about Aldis messing up his opportunities in recent months… until Kevin Owens walked up. Before addressing his best frenemy, Owens let Nick Aldis know that he wants his WWE Title match in two weeks when SmackDown rolls into Toronto!
With Aldis gone, Zayn appealed to KO’s logical side by saying that while he’s thrilled that Kevin is back, his return 100% screwed him and came at his expense, and Sami pleads with him to acknowledge that. Owens reluctantly apologized but told Sami to admit that he would’ve done the exact same thing. Zayn agreed, then said he’d much rather see Owens as WWE Champion than CM Punk, and offered to help Owens in any way he could. To that, Owens basically said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Before walking off, an obviously agitated Zayn warned Kevin that he wasn’t going to stop chasing what he wants, just because Owens wants the same thing.
Part 4: Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes
Later, Randy Orton made his return to SmackDown, and after listening to the Philly faithful singing his theme song, was about to address the crowd until Cody Rhodes reemerged and interrupted. Cody stormed the ring looking for a fight but Randy slithered out. Both men eventually ended up with microphones, though!
Cody asked Orton for an explanation. In a classic “don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to” situation, Randy told Cody that it was Rhodes who gave him permission to be this version of The Viper. When Rhodes beat him at WrestleMania, something snapped inside of him, which is why he punted Rhodes and why he came back and cost him the WWE Title at Summerslam. Orton vowed to become WWE Champion again, but he’s not going to have to beat Cody for it because he is going to make sure that Rhodes never wins the WWE Title again. Cody returned fire, saying the gloves are off because he doesn’t have to turn the other cheek and be the good guy anymore. Cody then had a mic-drop moment, saying Randy is the last legend left in WWE, and asking Orton who is going to kill him? Damn again!
Part 5: Sami Zayn & CM Punk
After venting to Candice LeRae and a despondent and still-planking Johnny Gargano about all of his struggles, Sami Zayn admitted that he’s jealous of Kevin Owens for being able to look CM Punk in the eyes and tell him what a fraud he is. Of course, this was where Punker arrived on the scene and pointed out that at least KO has the decency to say it to his face. Zayn then repeated his claim that Punk is a fraud and said that if he didn’t have a broken bone in his hand, he would break Punk’s face right now. Punk laughed it off, telling Sami that he blew his chance and has to head to the back of the line before saying he’d give both Gargano and LeRae title shots before he gave Zayn another one.
Reaction: It’s been quite a while since there was this much star power on one brand in WWE. Each of these interactions happened in the orbit of the WWE Championship, and the tension among all these guys is really hot right now. I’ve grown to like Elimination Chamber as a pre-WrestleMania pitstop, but man, now would be a really good time for them to use that gimmick. It feels like Randy and Cody are probably going to veer off and do their own thing for a while, but the dynamic between Punk and Owens, with Sami on the periphery, is really intriguing right now. I’m also curious to see where Gunther and Finn Balor potentially fit into this puzzle. This sort of reminds me of the old Smackdown Six from the early 2000’s. There is a great opportunity here to make Friday nights must-see TV in the coming months!
Tatum Paxley debuts, helps Charlotte beat Jade
Jade Cargill and Charlotte Flair got the main event spot on a show that was dominated by story development tonight. In a backstage segment with Cathy Kelley, Charlotte put her opponent over, but said she was fighting tonight to avenge Alexa’s injury from a few weeks ago. She then appealed to Jade’s ego by challenging Cargill to leave B-Fab and Michin behind and head down to the ring tonight by herself!
When it came time for the match, Jade’s baddies came out into the arena with her, but Cargill sent them to the back for the match. Jade and Charlotte put on a perfectly cromulent match, with Jade in control for most of the proceedings. Charlotte went on a babyface run later on, but Jade took the air out of Flair’s sails, countering Charlotte’s walkover clothesline with a pump kick. The back-and-forth continued with multiple nearfalls, highlighted by Jade reversing a Stratusphere into an avalanche sit-down power bomb. When Jade missed another pump kick and got hung up on the top rope, Flair took out the other leg and parlayed it into a Figure 8.
Just when it looked like Flair had the match won, B-Fab and Michin arrived on the scene. As the ref tried to restore order, Alexa Bliss’ music hit in the arena and Charlotte’s bestie strolled down the ramp. Sporting a bionic elbow brace, Alexa pulled Lilly out from behind her back, showed the word “Play” written on her hand, which cued the lights to go out.
When they came back on, Tatum Paxley was standing on the top rope!
Tatum flew through the Philadelphia night and took out B-Fab and Michin on the outside of the ring! Back inside, Charlotte slipped out of a powerbomb, hit a poorly timed Sister Abigail on Jade, then followed it up with a top-rope Natural Selection that barely seemed to even make contact with her opponent. It was enough, though, for Charlotte to pick up the 3-count and the big win over her long-time rival.
Reaction: I’ve always felt like Charlotte can be a little robotic with her moves and movements at times, and it was clear her timing with Jade was off at the end of this match. For Jade’s part, she’s fine most of the time, but she has a few hiccups like this once in a while that probably shouldn’t be happening so far into her career. But on a happier note…
TATUM!
While teaming up with Looney Lyra on Raw seemed like an obvious way to bring Tatum Paxley to the main roster, aligning her with Charlotte and Alexa Bliss, with 19 Women’s Championships between them, could be a great spot for her. This was a really cool moment that softened the blow of the sloppy end to the match.
Corbin tricks Trick to win SummerSlam rematch
One of the more surprising moments at SummerSlam last weekend was the recently returned Baron Corbin knocking off Trick Williams to become the United States Champion. After Lil’ Yachty was bumped off the ring apron and through a table on the outside, The Nomad took advantage of the distraction and laid Trick out with his own furry championship belt en route to winning his first televised WWE match in almost two years.
The rematch for the US Title was scheduled for tonight’s show, and the former champ cut an impassioned promo in gorilla before heading down to the ring Yachty-less. Trick basked in the adoration of the Philly crowd, as his “Whoop That” motion started to look more and more like Norman Smiley’s Big Wiggle in late-stage WCW. Corbin, for his entrance, came out on a motorcycle with the United States Championship that hadn’t been un-muppetted yet. Okay.
The match went down in a pretty similar fashion to the one last Sunday at SummerSlam. Trick hit a Book End and then a Trick Shot, but was too close to the ropes on the cover, allowing Baron to grab the bottom one before the ref’s count could hit three. Corbin then rolled out of the ring, and the referee got turned around, allowing Baron to nail Trick with the US Title again, and STILL!
Walking backstage after the match, Cathy Kelley stopped Corbin, looking to get his thoughts on upsetting Trick twice in the last week. Baron was offended that Cathy would call his two wins upsets, and proceeded to say that, after all he’s been through, there’s nobody in the locker room who is good enough to take the title off of him. Someone caught Corbin’s eye off-screen, and it was Carmelo Hayes. Carmelo jumped in and launched a quick attack on Baron before letting him know that Hayes will get the next US Title shot, next week in his hometown of Boston!
Reaction: Rumors have been circulating this week that Trick was moving out of the US Title picture and onto bigger and better things, with Money in the Bank in October as a possible destination. This match felt like a feud-ending one, and Corbin moving on to Carmelo so quickly seemed to lend a lot of credence to those Trick rumors. While I’m not a huge fan of Trick losing two matches the way he did in the span of 6 days, if it leads to him sliding up the card, I’m all for it. Hayes being next up makes a ton of sense, too, but already booking that title match for next week screams shenanigans to me.
Chelsea & Tiffany’s double title quest falls short
With the red carpet rolled out and balloons adorning the ring, interim WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green came down to the ring to the delight of the Philly crowd. After thanking the fans for their support and herself for being awesome, Chelsea thanked her blonde bombshell bestie, Tiffany Stratton, prompting the Women’s United States Champion to head down to the ring.
After apologizing for pushing Tiffany off the ladder on Sunday, Chelsea proposed a toast. Stratton was about to get something off her chest when Fatal Influence interrupted. Jacy Jayne blamed Tiffany for her not being WWE Women’s Champion when she beat her in their recent qualifying match and Fallon Henley added a barb about Chelsea not deserving it. Jacy then set her sights on the United States Championship, saying she’d love to make Stratton “Tiffy No Titles”. Tiffany agreed to give Jacy a shot at her championship, if Fatal Influence gave her and Chelsea a tag team title shot right now! Fatal Influence agreed, and the match was on!
The contest was fairly evenly matched until Jacy Jayne got involved, pulling Tiffany off the apron when Chelsea was in need of a tag. With the ref preoccupied with Henley and Reid, Jacy went for a Rolling Encore on Tiffany, but Chelsea shoved Stratton out of the way and took the shot herself. Tiffy threw Jayne into the guardrail but was decked by a baseball slide dropkick from Fallon, leaving Chelsea to a 2-on-1 attack in the ring. Fallon and Lainey hit the Fatal Flaw and covered the interim Women’s Champ to retain their titles.
After the match, as Fatal Influence celebrated on the ramp, Nia Jax and Lash Legend slid in the back door and attacked Stratton and Green, sending Tiffany to the outside. The Irresistible Forces then stood over the interim Women’s Champion, with Nia posing with the title.
Reaction: Chelsea eating a pin here, less than a week after that huge win at SummerSlam, is a bit discouraging when it comes to how long she’s going to hold the gold. My bet is that Jacy wins next week and frees Tiffany up to help Chelsea’s cause with Nia and Lash. The women’s division on SmackDown is heating up just like the men’s, and the Irresistible Forces make a decent first foil for Chelsea to (hopefully!) get through.
Quick Hits
- Damian Priest cut a fiery promo backstage and addressed the attack by Tama and Talla Tonga last week, until the War Raiders barged in, pissed that they lost out on their chance to be double champs. R-Truth then appeared and did R-Truth things, calling Erik and Ivar luchadors and comparing them to the Road Warriors, the Legion of Doom, and Hawk and Animal. Eventually, Truth announced that he and Priest will defend the WWE Tag Team Titles in a triple threat match against both the War Raiders and the Tongans next week on SmackDown.
- Guys, I think Brock Lesnar might actually be retired.
- We got a pre-taped segment with Nikki Bella, who said she tried really hard to be supportive of Paige during her tag title run with Nikki’s sister, Brie. But when Paige lost the tag titles and then lost the 6-women tag at SummerSlam, Nikki couldn’t take it anymore. To hear Nikki tell it, it’s Paige’s fault that Brie is hurt, and the healthy Bella vows to make sure that Paige feels all the same pain that Brie is right now.
- Shinsuke Nakamura made an appearance in another pre-taped segment, addressing Tama and Talla. Shin says the Tongans need to remember who he is, because he’s back! The King of Strong Style sent a warning to the Tongans, saying that he’s back and he’s not alone! He’s starting a war and is no longer a one-man army.
Final Thoughts
This was one of the best showings from the blue brand in quite some time. The main event scene on both the men’s and women’s sides got most of the attention here, but the mid-card and tag-team divisions saw some storyline development here, too. Tatum Paxley’s debut was my personal highlight of the night, and I’m intrigued to see who Shinsuke brings with him to face the Tongans. All in all, this was a great show, only dragged down slightly by a lack of in-ring action. Three-hour SmackDowns got to feel like such a slog for a while, but this show could’ve fit that timeframe pretty nicely and added another match or two.
Star of the Night: Tatum Paxley
Grade: A-
Match Results
- Baron Corbin def. Trick Williams to retain the United States Championship
- Fatal Influence def. Chelsea Green & Tiffany Stratton to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
- Charlotte Flair def. Jade Cargill
Now it’s your turn, Cagesiders! Who ya got winning the WWE Title in Toronto in two weeks? Who is Shinsuke going to team up with? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
