5 Things WWE SmackDown got right this week (July 17, 2020)

#1 Matt Riddle gets into his next rivalry on WWE SmackDown

IDENTITY THEFT IS NOT A JOKE, MATT! #SmackDown #ICTitle @AJStylesOrg @SuperKingofBros pic.twitter.com/n57zsRtirl

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) July 18, 2020

Matt Riddle impressed the entire WWE Universe with his debut performance on WWE SmackDown against AJ Styles and was up against the Intercontinental Champion once again this week. However, the stakes were much higher as the match was for the Intercontinental Championship itself.

The two men engaged in a technical battle early on in the match before Styles used a few strikes to take control over the match. However, Riddle’s power allowed him to impress once again as he hit two great gutwrench suplexes to The Phenomenal One.

Styles worked on Riddle’s leg from there on to set up towards the Calf Crusher for later on in the match. A Phenomenal Forearm attempt was countered by The Original Bro but he failed to take advantage of the situation.

Styles locked Riddle in the Calf Crusher but The Bro managed to reverse it. However, The Phenomenal One rolled Riddle up for the three count and picked up the victory on SmackDown.

After the match Styles showed some respect to the challenger and offered a handshake, but SmackDown's King Corbin arrived to attack The Bro from behind and then hit the End of Days before both the heels left.

Respect? Apparently, not yet.#SmackDown #ICTitle @AJStylesOrg @BaronCorbinWWE @SuperKingofBros pic.twitter.com/GxIEo7aU2X

— WWE (@WWE) July 18, 2020

This was a good match that set up towards Riddle’s next challenge while not completely getting him out of the Intercontinental Championship picture. It will be interesting to see how long Riddle fights Corbin before going back after the Intercontinental Champion.