Heading into Friday’s SmackDown, word had leaked that WWE was going to continue the questionable storyline surrounding Jeff Hardy’s past substance abuse. It turned out the reports were accurate and the segment was among the biggest losers of the night.
The biggest winner was easily the Intercontinental Championship match. It should be a candidate for Match of the Year and Randy Orton and Edge are in trouble if this is the standard. They may not even end up having the match of the week.
Here are your winners and losers for SmackDown, June 12, 2020:
Loser: Opening Contract Signing
What was supposed to be a simple contract signing became anything but. Sheamus made his way to the ring first but was accompanied by a lab technician and security. The Celtic Warrior said he wouldn’t sign the contract until Hardy took a urine test. If Hardy failed, Hardy wasn’t going to get his Backlash match.
Hardy said “My name is Jeff Hardy and I’m an alcoholic.” He then said he was sick and tired of being sick and tired, having to put up with this kind of scrutiny for years. While he thought it was ridiculous, he’d prefer to be a beacon of light for everyone who struggles and would go along with Sheamus’ antics if it meant he could get his hands on Sheamus this Sunday.
I will admit, this segment wasn’t as bad as I had expected it to be. That said, there were still elements of it that made it an overall stinker.
First, Hardy doesn’t play angry very well. He’s not believable when he’s supposed to be livid, so to ask him to portray a person that was flabbergasted didn’t come off well. Second, Sheamus provided a service announcement while Hardy was filling what looked like an insane amount of urine in a massive jar that wouldn’t look anything like a typical lab cup for a urine test. Did Hardy not pee for a week? Third, the whole thing was done to throw urine in Sheamus’ face and for the fans to chant, “You got pissed on.” Hardly worth the payoff.
These types of angles used to work with names like Steve Austin and DX. They don’t work as well without the right players.
Winner: Cesaro and Nakamura
In the second segment of the night, SmackDown delivered a good ol’ fashioned tag match and used it to put over a couple of strong challengers. Nakamura picked up a surprise pin on Kofi Kingston as the tag champs lost clean and will likely be forced to put their titles on the line in a future contest.
Cesaro and Nakamura deserve better. Hopefully this is the start of something good for them.
Winner: AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan
WWE really played up the importance of the Intercontinental Championship before they put the match on in the first hour. It was surprising not to see this highly-anticipated match not be the main event. That said, it was an incredible match.
The match was about as back-and-forth as any match could be. Both men appeared to be ready and able to go for the remainder of the show (they almost did), with both competitors picking a body part and focusing on it. Four separate commercial breaks and the match was still captivating, making one wish picture-in-picture was still a thing in WWE.
Trying to provide a move-by-move recap of the bout wouldn't do it justice. In the end, Styles nailed a Phenomenal Forearm and captured his first Intercontinental Championship. As Michael Cole said, an absolute instant classic. Styles said after the match, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm the best WWE champion the WWE has ever seen. I am phenomenal."
WWE better come up with something good to end the show. Otherwise, this not going on last won't make much sense.
Winner: Banks and Bayley Celebration
After winning the Women's Tag Team Championships last week, Sasha Banks and Bayley came out to celebrate their big win. The crowd didn't welcome the new champs, to which Bayley condemned them. As Bayley tried to read a poem she wrote for her best friend, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross came out to interrupt. The Iiconics quickly showed up on the screen from backstage, saying they'd become the newest tag champs this Sunday.
There wasn't much to this segment, but it did the job it was supposed to, which was feature all the member of the upcoming Triple Threat Tag Team bout. Simple, yet effective.
Loser: Six-Man Tag Match Close
Technically, there was nothing wrong with the final segment of the night, other than to say it was disappointing considering how good the IC Title match was. As the action got going, King Corbin grabbed a cameraman backstage and told him to follow as Corbin went to talk to Mandy Rose. That drove Otis backstage and essentially left Tucker and Braun Strowman to fight in a handicap match versus Dolph Ziggler, Miz, and Morrison.
Tucker got beat on and Otis made his way back out, this time with Mandy in tow. Otis got the hot tag and cleaned house, allowing the Strowman Express to steamroll everyone outside the ring. A caterpillar allowed Otis to get the pin on Ziggler.
The show ended asking if Miz and Morrison could overcome Strowman and considering the outcome of that match seems obvious, that SmackDown ended on this note is a little surprising.