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So much has happened in wrestling this week, it might not have occurred to you heading into Friday's night's SmackDown that this is the first we've seen of the blue brand since SummerSlam. Yes, a lot of the big show's aftermath unfolded on Raw, but there were a number of Superstars we didn't see or hear from that we'd hopefully see on SmackDown. A beaten Baron Corbin, a victorious Liv Morgan, and of course, our reigning, defending, WWE Unified Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. Developments on the presents and futures of all the above and more as we rundown the latest edition of SmackDown and determine whether each match and moment was a winning or losing one.
Winner: Ricochet Adds To Baron Corbin's Woes
This one was close to being a loser based on nothing more than a lack of faith in WWE to make it mean something long term. This is a new era though, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt. It seems Corbin isn't done with Pat McAfee after losing to him at SummerSlam, and constantly checking on the man who served him that L cost him a match against someone who will hopefully be getting a lot more wins moving forward. It wasn't a terrible match either, and was brought to an end via an absolutely stunning Shooting Star Press courtesy of Ricochet. If this leads to McAfee sending Corbin back to his sad, down on his luck phase, which is what it's starting to feel like, then bring it on.
Loser: Ludwig Kaiser Continues To Disappoint Gunther
Little in WWE has suffered more in recent years than the mid-card titles. If their status is going to improve under Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, it's probably going to take a while before that happens. That's because it's hard to pinpoint what exactly has gone wrong. On SmackDown this week, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Ludwig Kaiser to earn himself a shot at Gunther's Intercontinental Title next Friday. Gunther and Nakamura in the same segment should be a hit, but for some reason, it just doesn't feel like a big deal. The match was fine, but the stakes still feel like they don't mean much. Hopefully the actual title match next week will change all that.
Loser: Liv Morgan's Promo Did Not Go To Plan
Fans seemed to enjoy almost everything that went down at SummerSlam last weekend. If there was one thing they didn't like, it was the ending of Morgan's match with Ronda Rousey. WWE booked itself into a corner with that match, and when an injured Morgan came out on SmackDown to explain herself and perhaps get a little sympathy, things backfired. Fans in-house started to boo Morgan, and you could tell the SmackDown Women's Champion was pretty thrown by the situation. Morgan tried to pivot but it didn't really work, and the segment appeared to be cut short as the first competitors in the gauntlet match to decide her next challenger were sent to the ring.
Winner: Shayna Baszler Is Going To Clash At The Castle
Gauntlet match, good. Triple H continuing to showcase a lot of women's wrestling as head of creative, great. Someone different booking their spot in a title match on a huge stadium show, outstanding. It wasn't all about the eventual winner Shayna Baszler either. Far from it, in fact. After Sonya Deville made short work of Aliyah, but before she eventually ran out of steam and got somewhat flimsily pinned by The Queen of Spades, the gauntlet match was all about Raquel Rodriguez.
The former NXT Champion has deserved the chance to give a performance like this for a while, and even though she lost, Rodriguez was the MVP of this match, and let's be honest, the entire show. Rodriguez eliminated Deville, then Shotzi, then Xia Li, and finally Natalya before Baszler proved too much. Fair enough after technically picking up four wins in a matter of minutes. Now Morgan has Baszler to worry about for the next few weeks, and her link to Ronda Rousey is probably worth noting.
Loser: The Viking Raiders Pick Up A Quick Win
Nothing needs fixing more than WWE's tag division, but that appears to be low on new management's list of priorities right now. The Usos and The Street Profits have been left to carry the division and not much else is going on. In fairness, New Day, who usually does a lot of the heavy lifting, has been reduced to one guy. That was showcased on SmackDown when Kofi Kingston attacked The Viking Raiders with a kendo stick after their squash win in what was a very forgettable segment, even though it led to a singles match, and Kingston win, after the attack.
Winner: Karrion Kross Returns And Attacks Drew McIntyre
Just when we were prepared for a brawl between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre to close out this week's SmackDown, Karrion Kross threw a spanner in the works. That's right, the rumors were true. Kross is back and this time, it seems Triple H is keen to do right by him. Kross jumped McIntyre before the Scot could make it to the ring, and then his other half Scarlett issued a warning. Not to McIntyre, but to Reigns. Scarlett placed a sand timer in the ring and turned it upside down, indicating that time is running out for Reigns as the WWE Unified Universal Champion.
Results
- Ricochet def. Baron Corbin
- Shinsuke Nakamura def. Ludwig Kaiser
- Shayna Baszler wins a Gauntlet Match and a SmackDown Women's Title shot at Clash at the Castle
- The Viking Raiders def. local talent
- Kofi Kingston def. Erik
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