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A loaded episode of WWE SmackDown kicked off this week. Liv Morgan competed against Natalya on the show after becoming the SmackDown Women’s Champion at Money in the Bank 2022.
The Street Profits were also looking to go one-up against the Usos before their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships rematch at SummerSlam. Fans waited to see who would be announced as the special guest referee for the match.
The New Day came out dressed as The Viking Raiders and finally got the better of the heels alongside Jinder Mahal and Shanky. It looks like the segment also turned Mahal into a babyface following a lengthy heel run.
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Sheamus and Drew McIntyre were booked for a match after the former backed out of it last week. Plus, Paul Heyman was looking to make a deal with some young superstars backstage.
The show had some pleasant surprises in store for the fans. Look at the five things WWE SmackDown got right on this week’s road.
#5. Pat McAfee cut another good promo to hype his match for WWE SummerSlam
Pat McAfee kicked off WWE SmackDown this week. He ran back footage of Happy Corbin attacking him on the show two weeks ago. McAfee spoke about the time the two stars were roommates and played together.
Pat said that Corbin was a decent guy before he joined WWE. Now all he does is run after money and at SummerSlam, he will change his attitude for good.
Corbin showed up on the big screen instead of joining him in the ring. He warned McAfee to stay out of his business before claiming that he would teach him a lesson at SummerSlam.
The segment wasn’t too great, but it did help build a feud between the two stars. McAfee has proven himself in the ring more than once, and it would be great to see how he works against a much larger opponent.
Corbin is great at putting his opponents over big time. He could do enough to make McAfee a full-time in-ring performer.
#4. Liv Morgan pinned Natalya on WWE SmackDown
SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan took on Natalya in one of the biggest matches of the night. The Queen of Harts came out strong and took down Liv early.
The heel dropped her on the ropes and targeted her neck before being caught in the apron by the champion. Natalya continued to stay on top as she tossed Liv into the ring post and sent her outside the ring.
Liv fought back, but her challenger hit a powerbomb and nearly put her away. She locked in the Ankle Lock to punish the SmackDown Women’s Champion who broke out and sent Nattie into the ring post.
She hit The Queen of Harts with the Oblivion to pick up a big win on the show. It was good to see Liv working against one of the biggest stars on the show. The victory will help her come across as a deserving champion.
After the match, Liv Morgan was ready to come face-to-face with Ronda Rousey next week. The two women will likely get into a brawl to build towards their match at SummerSlam.
#3. Drew McIntyre defeated Ridge Holland after Sheamus backed out once again on WWE SmackDown
Last week, Sheamus backed out of his match against Drew McIntyre. Instead, the Scottish Warrior handed a beating to Butch.
This week, the Celtic Warrior also refused to fight McIntyre in the Undisputed WWE Universal Title contender’s match. Ridge Holland took his place this week on WWE SmackDown.
The former WWE Champion unloaded on Holland and nailed him with a big kick. Butch and Sheamus interfered, allowing Holland to hit a powerslam and take control for some time.
McIntyre countered a move from Holland and hit him with the Glasgow Kiss. He stared a hole through Sheamus while hitting his opponent with the White Noise. A Claymore followed, allowing McIntyre to pick up a comfortable win.
The victory helped build up Drew McIntyre even more. He looks set to face Roman Reigns at Clash at the Castle after he ultimately wins his match against Sheamus. The creative team seems to be delaying the inevitable to keep fans interested in the match between Reigns and Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
It makes no sense why WWE would even give Sheamus another chance to compete in the #1 contender’s match when he has tried to run away from his opponent twice.
#2. Madcap Moss and The Bloodline got the better of Theory
Backstage on SmackDown, Paul Heyman offered Theory a chance to get a match against Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Instead, the youngster wanted to cash in on his briefcase at any time.
Heyman offered Madcap Moss a match against Reigns if he took care of The Tribal Chief’s future problem, Theory. Moss agreed and took on Theory in a match later on WWE SmackDown.
Moss was dominant early on as he took Theory off his feet with some big moves. The match spilled to the floor where the heel sent him into the ring steps before hitting a dropkick.
Back inside, Moss took control of the match and continued to stay on top. Theory countered a powerbomb and nearly pinned his opponent. Moss tossed Theory outside, and The Unproven One blasted him with the Money in the Bank briefcase for the disqualification.
After the match, the 24-year-old thrashed the Bloodline before Sami Zayn came out to defend his Tribal Chief. Sami had one arm in a sling, and Theory took a shot at him before The Usos came out to scare the young superstar away.
Moss caught him and sent him shoulder first into the ring post as the segment came to an end. It was a fun segment that helped Madcap Moss get a push. Zayn was phenomenal, while Theory did what he does best on-screen. It was arguably the best segment of the show.
#1. Jeff Jarret found a place on WWE SummerSlam after Angelo Dawkins defeated Jimmy Uso
The Usos were already out as the Street Profits made their entrance for the main event on WWE SmackDown. Angelo Dawkins took on Jimmy Uso in a one-on-one contest.
Jimmy dominated the match early and had Dawkins on the ropes. A dive outside the ring proved to be costly as Dawkins caught him with a big right hand. Jimmy stayed on top and tackled Dawkins over the barricades.
The official was knocked down after which Uso hit a Superkick and almost picked up the win. Dawkins recovered and hit Jimmy with a Sky High for the win. Replays showed that Jimmy’s shoulder was off the mat when the referee counted the pin.
Post-match, Adam Pearce came out and announced that to avoid any such situation, a Special Guest referee is needed for SummerSlam. He revealed the name of WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett as a special referee for the tag team championship match.
It makes no sense how a special guest referee would do a better job than a professional one. However, Jeff Jarrett will be at SummerSlam and that is what matters now. He will likely help add a lot more to the match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships.
Recommended: What did Dutch Mantell think about this week's Friday Night SmackDown? Watch Smack Talk to find out!
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