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SmackDown did a much better job than Raw this week of setting up SummerSlam. "Wild card" nonsense was thankfully kept to a minimum and most of the rivalries moved forward on the road to SummerSlam, unlike on Raw.
Perhaps the blue brand is now finally moving in the right direction again, albeit things are so inconsistent week to week that we can't be sure.
Who got the most and least out of this week's episode of SmackDown?
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Winner: Kevin Owens
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As cringeworthy as Kevin Owens' "hellraiser" line was (sorry KO, you aren't Stone Cold Steve Austin - WWE should tone down the tribute gimmick, and are we suddenly supposed to forget Owens' wining about Kofi Kingston two months ago?), this act is getting him over as a babyface and giving him momentum he hasn't seen in years.
The match between him and Shane McMahon was made official. It's an opportunity, but it will only work if Owens wins and finally sends Shane McMahon off TV. If Shane McMahon wins, it's a waste.
And the last thing we need is a do-over of the Owens vs. McMahon rivalry that stretched far too long in 2017-18.
This needs to be short, sweet, and decisive to work, but we can't be sure of that. All we can say is the direction is right so far.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Imagine that, a champion actually winning on TV!
For someone who was non-existent a few weeks ago, that's a major step up. Being a strong Intercontinental Champion that actually shows up on television and wins is about as good as it will ever get for Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE.
It's unclear if Apollo Crews will be his opponent for SummerSlam. The post-match angle left room for that possibility, but either way, Nakamura is currently headed in the right direction.
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Winner: Ember Moon
We'll score this as a mild up for now. Ember Moon getting a pinfall victory over Charlotte Flair is a major step up for her career no matter what angle you view it from.
Unfortunately, the distraction provided by Bayley left room for Charlotte Flair to get herself involved in this rivalry and make it a triple threat match, inserting herself into the title picture yet again.
Hopefully that won't happen and Ember Moon will get her title shot uninterrupted, but don't be surprised if that changes next week.
For now though, it's a minor up.
Winners: Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton
And just like that, we have ourselves a strong WWE Championship match for SummerSlam. Taking advantage of intense issues between them a decade ago, we'll now see the rivalry come full circle with Kingston entering Toronto as the champion, despite Orton proclaiming that even now, he still wasn't ready.
Randy Orton further rubbed salt in the wound by reminding Kingston that if it wasn't for Ali's injury in the winter, he wouldn't be where he is today.
Orton looked closer to the ruthless heel from last summer, and that's a good spot for him to be in.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
And with that, we have another exciting match for SummerSlam. It's a repeat of 2017, but this is not the same Bray Wyatt as two years ago. The fact that WWE has waited so long for Wyatt to return to the ring, and that he'll do so at one of their biggest shows, suggests that they're high on this new "fiend" act. Let's hope so. It's been one of the best things about the company this year.
This feels like a waste if it's not the Demon going up against Wyatt, though. Let's hope that changes in the next few weeks. If there's anyone that could use the rub of being the first to beat the Demon, it's this version of Wyatt.
Loser: Roman Reigns
Oddly enough, Roman Reigns is the odd man out when it comes to SummerSlam. With the entry of Kevin Owens into the role of the antagonist to Shane McMahon, Reigns suddenly has no obvious opponent for the summer extravaganza.
It makes his loss to Shane McMahon in Saudi Arabia in June even more bizarre and puzzling.
Perhaps things will pick up for him soon. It's hard to imagine he won't have a match at SummerSlam, but he appears aimless right now.
