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Hello people, it’s time for another WWE Smackdown episode. Smackdown has been a little rough the last several weeks, but that can always turn around. The big deal tonight is the WWE title match when champion Cody Rhodes defends against Gunther with human tire fire Sami Zayn as the special referee. So don’t expect anything to be straightforward as far as this goes. Cody and Sami seem like their relationship is about to fully blow up, so even if Cody wins expect Sami to start making his move towards the main event scene. It’s highly likely he’s set to finally win the big one at Mania in Saudi Arabia next year so they’ll be working to get Sami into prime position until then. We’ve also got two Ring Royalty matches, Charlotte Flair vs. Liv Morgan with the winner taking on Iyo Sky, and Jey Uso vs. Je’Von Evans with the winner getting to likely squeak out a win over Oba Femi when Brock Lesnar shows back up. It’s a little hard to pick a favorite in those matches, but Charlotte is likely due another trip to the main title scene while on the men’s side it feels like we’re just committed to doing this whole Jey Uso thing again. Elsewhere we’ve got a tag team title match when Damian Priest and R-Truth defend against. . . sigh, everyone’s favorite Midcard Forever Team. I can’t tell you how much I’m sick of Solo Sikoa’s discount Bloodline BS. There’s also no reason for Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga to get another tag title shot, except that WWE has completely GUTTED their tag team divisions so this is what we’re stuck with. Also Ricky Saints will take on Carmelo Hayes with the winner getting a shot at Trick Williams and his US title at Night of Champions. Expect shenanigans leading to a triple threat scenario, though Trick has pretty notably lost some steam since winning that belt. Giulia and Kiana James are still going at it, Fatal Influence are still angling for a tag team title shot despite losing to Paige and Brie Bella last week, Jade Cargill might be setting her sights on Tiffany Stratton’s women’s US title as well. Danhausen should be about ready to reveal the body under his sheet now that the NBA finals are over, Blake Monroe has to show up eventually again right? Still nothing for Shinsuke Nakamura, we’re unsure about Rhea Ripley’s immediate future after her knee injury, we also still haven’t seen Ilja Draguov since just before Mania 42. I’m not calling for Ilja to beat Cody or anything, but come on. You’re willing to devote a ton of time to Talla Tonga, which isn’t working by the way, but can’t find anything for someone as talented as Ilja to do? Well the return to 2 hours is coming up soon, and the WWWE title match will be commercial free, so the show still has some potential. Now let’s just hope the action is good.

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett welcome us to Kansas City, which hosted the first ever Smackdown episode. After that we get the generic walking wrestlers shots.

After that a recap of the Cody, Gunther, and Sami stuff.

Sami Zayn heads to the ring in a ref shirt. We’re opening with the WWE title match, how novel to start a wrestling show with a wrestling match.

Match #1 – WWE Title Match, Special Guest Referee Sami Zayn: (c) Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Circling to start then they tie up. Gunther is able to corner Cody, they jockey around the ropes then Gunther breaks and lands a chop. Arm wringer from Gunther, Cody counters into one of his own then tries to punch on a break but Sami stops him. Boot from Gunther, Cody with the drop down right hand but Gunther chops him down. Corner work from Gunther, Cody fights back with punches across the ring, Sami forces a break after not doing so for Gunther then Gunther lands a boot. Uppercut from Gunther as he gets to regain control. Hard downward chop from Gunther gets a 2 count. Cody flips out of a back suplex and hits a Cody Cutter. Now Cody fires up with punches, then a snap powerslam. Gunther corners Cody and ties up his leg then kicks it. Leg kick from Gunther then a Figure 4 leg lock. Cody tries to turn, Gunther grabs the ropes to stop it. It takes Sami a bit but he sees that and forces the break.

Gunther and Sami yell at each other, Cody with a school boy for 2 then Gunther lands a boot. Lariat from Gunther but only a 2 count. Gunther starts yelling at Sami again about his count. Cody avoids a powerbomb, hits a Cross Rhodes but they’re in the ropes and Sami sees Gunther’s foot under the ropes to stop the count. Sami and Cody bicker, not sure why Cody is complaining as Sami was in the right there. They shove, then Sami shoves Cody into a Sleeper from Gunther. Gunther locks in the Sleeper and Sami has to check Cody’s hand. Cody struggles and gets to the ropes to break the hold. Gunther wont let go, and Sami yanks him off but really should have just DQ’d him. Now it’s Sami and Gunther trading shoves, Sami slaps Gunther so Gunther kills him with a Powerbomb. Gunther misses a lariat, Cody with jabs into a Bionic Elbow then a super Cody Cutter and a Cross Rhodes but there’s still no ref. A new ref runs down but the delay means Cody only gets a near fall out of all that.

Cody heads up top, Gunther chops the leg though then climbs up with him. They fight on the top rope, Cody punches Gunther down but misses a flying nothing then Gunther with a shotgun dropkick and folding Powerbomb but Sami yanks out the second ref to stop the pin. This is just silly. Gunther blocks a Sunset Flip, but Sami kicks his grip on the ropes and then delivers an absurdly fast count to give Cody the retention.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Cody Rhodes retained the title in 11:20

Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts: Way too overbooked and over stuffed for my taste. The actual work wasn’t bad but everything had this weird pall over it because we knew shenanigans were afoot. Nothing really felt like it was building, it was just a connection of spots to get us to the finish. This likely sets up a triple threat for Night of Champions.

Post match Nick Aldis comes out to yell at Sami, Gunther comes up the ramp as well to complain as we head to break.

We come back to a recap of what just happened. That leads to chaos at gorilla. Aldis yells at Gunther for doing this to himself for choosing that ref. Cody storms back to the ring while Sami comes to argue with Aldis and Gunther. In the ring Cody gets a mic and says they owe the fans more than that and wants the match restarted. Sami doesn’t know why that should happen, then Gunther assaults Sami and we do restart the match without Sami.

Match #2 – WWE Title Match: (c) Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Both men get right to brawling then they trade Sleeper holds, Gunther gets the best of that though. Cody fades but he’s upright and punches his way free then they trade Sleepers again. Again Gunther gets the longer Sleeper but they back into the corner. Sami shows up and hits Gunther with a Helluva kick for the DQ. Then Sami attacks the ref.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Gunther won via Disqualification in 1:10

Rating: Angle
Thoughts: Not really a match.

Post match Sami accidentally hits Cody with the title belt and has a mild meltdown then heads back up the ramp as Cody and Gunther are down in the ring. Cody sits up and slowly recovers.

After that a recap of the women’s midcard stuff from last week.

In the back Cathy talks with Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin. Jade says they do what they want and they’re all going to take aim at Tiffany Stratton. Jade did injure Rhea Ripley and calls for a title shot with Tiffany at Night of Champions.

Commentary remind us of the upcoming matches before we head back to break.

Post break yet another recap of the WWE title stuff, you know in case you missed it. In the back Gunther finds Aldis and they yell at each other. Gunther blames Aldis for not being champion, Aldis brings up that Gunther wanted Sami as the ref. Gunther then demands a title shot at Night of Champions.

Next a recap of Jey Uso winning last week to move on in the King of the Ring Tournament.

In the back Solo Sikoa is sitting around, and here’s Jacob Fatu to no pop. Fatu isn’t here for Solo, he’s here to make sure no one gets involved in Jey’s match tonight. He does warn Solo that he’s running out of time to make the right choice. Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga show up after Fatu leaves, they want to know what that was about. Solo hypes them up, but Tama tells him to stay back for their match because Solo’s old family business is messing with their family business. Talla says the Bloodline isn’t their problem, the tag titles are. It’s taken entirely too long to get to this point, but something is FINALLY happening with Solo’s goof troupe.

To the ring, here’s Damian Priest and R-Truth. They’ll defend their titles after this break.

We come back to Blake Monroe giving another video, this time focusing on Giulia. She’ll be here at some point, allegedly.

Back to the ring and here come Tama and Talla Tonga. At least they’re not using Solo’s music, but Talla’s theme sounds like what you’d get if you asked AI to do a generic kaiju theme.

Match #3 – WWE Tag Team Title Match: (c) Damian Priest and R-Truth vs. Talla Tonga and Tama Tonga

Priest and Talla start us off, they tie up and Talla shoves Priest off. Corner punches from Priest then a right hand as he’s the better striker. Priest into the ropes and hits a leaping hammer fist. Talla cares not for selling then hits a shoulder block. In the back the War Raiders watch TV at an odd angle. Talla gets Priest in the heel corner and then tags Tama. Some strikes from Tama but Priest hits his leaping back elbow. Priest puts Tama in the face corner and unloads punches then tags Truth to a big pop. Truth with a corner splash then hits the ropes for the Cena Moves of Doom. The 5 Knuckle Shuffle connects but Talla distracts to break up an Attitude Adjustment and Tama is able to attack from behind. Truth is sent to the floor where Tama lands a big boot. Priest runs over but Talla just chokeslams him on the apron to send us to break as Tama begs for a reaction, which is tepid.

Talla rams Priest into the barricade as Tama stomps on Truth against the announce desk. Back in the ring Tama keeps control and hits a sliding clothesline. Now it’s Tama begging for boos, he does better than Talla did in that respect. Talla tags in to crickets and chops Truth. Hard corner whip from Talla. Tama tags in and grabs a half Boston Crab for a bit then just gives up on it. Truth tries to fight back with punches but Tama cuts him off with a headbutt. Tama grabs a chin lock and points at the hard cam. Truth tries to rally the crowd, he’s moderately successful as we come back to broadcast with Tama cheap shotting Priest. Truth with a side kick to drop Tama and both men are down. Truth makes the tag and Priest comes in to run wild on Tama. Tornado kick to Tama, then Priest knocks Talla off the apron. Priest with corner attacks to Tama, he asks for a reaction which he gets, then hits a lifting Flatliner for a 2 count. Talla shows up again but Priest boxes his ears then punches away before clotheslining Talla out of the ring. Tama avoids the rebound lariat and hits a twisting neckbreaker to put both men down again. Solo has showed up ringside now and Talla yells at him. Truth has tagged in, but Priest runs over and accidentally hits Solo. Priest avoids a chokeslam and avoids Talla who posts himself. Truth then grabs a School Boy on Tama to get the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Damian Priest and R-Truth retained the titles in 10:12

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Talla still can’t buy a crowd reaction but this was largely about Solo’s group still falling apart around him instead of anything to do with the tag champs. The tag division badly needs help, I don’t hate Truth and Priest carrying the gold but there’s just nothing there to support them.

Post match Tama and Talla are pissed, Solo tries to talk to them but they just walk away from him. Solo’s going to wind up back with the Bloodline isn’t he? The whole Bloodline thing has turned into a flat circle, we’re just going around and around while getting pretty much no where new.

In the back Sami whines to depressed Johnny Gargano while Candice LeRae is annoyed by all of this. Sami runs through his catchphrases then Nick Aldis shows up to complain about Sami’s count. Sami says he didn’t ask for any of this and claims he called that match down the middle and complains more. He reiterates he didn’t ask for this, but he’s here now and wont go away now that he’s here.

After this break we’ll get Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints.

In the back Jey Uso mocks the strut of Oba Femi while cutting a promo on everyone. Je’Von Evans shows up to say he’s been a fan of Jey forever and wish him good luck “unc”. It annoys Jey to be reminded of his age so they trade a few verbal barbs before Jey walks off yeet-ing.

Back to the ring and here’s Carmelo Hayes followed by Ricky Saints. Still not much of a reaction for Ricky.

Match #4: Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints

Ricky makes a big deal out of slowly taking off his ring vest, then Hayes starts landing rights. Springboard clothesline from Hayes, then he hits a corner enziguri but Rick avoids the springboard fadeaway leg drop then attacks. Ricky to the ropes but Hayes pulls him off the ropes into a Manhattan Drop. Ricky avoids a superkick and powders but Hayes immediately follows with a dive. Back in the ring Hayes goes up top, misses a flying nothing then Ricky with a corner attack and running Bulldog into some headlock punches. Some body work from Ricky then a chop. Uppercut from Ricky, he winds up on the apron where Hayes hits a leaping DDT to the apron to send us picture in picture.

Back in the ring Hayes keeps control and goes for a 10 punch in the corner, he only gets to 7 before Ricky collapses so Hayes with some stomps to his shoulders. Hayes with a suplex. Ricky is able to Stun Gun Hayes and take over. Delayed vertical suplex from Ricky gets a 2 count. Next Ricky goes for Old School and hits it then follows with a scoop slam and knee drop, then he poses and he’s finally getting heat. We come back to Ricky grabbing a chin lock. Hayes fights upright but Ricky hits a back suplex to keep control. Hayes starts fighting back with chops and elbows, then counters a Bulldog with a back suplex and both men are down. Ricky runs into a boot but avoids a flying nothing, then after a few counters Hayes hits a springboard no look DDT for a near fall. Punches from Hayes, then Ricky avoids Dirty Diana and we get pin attempts being traded until Ricky hits his Fierman’s Flapjack for a 2 count. Hayes avoids a Roshambo and hits a superkick, but then we get a double clothesline spot and both men are down. Ricky with a kick to the knee, but Hayes off the ropes hits a Dirty Diana then a Black Crush but only a near fall out of that. Hayes heads up top, but misses a flying nothing, Ricky then tries a Revolution DDT, both men trade counters for pins but can’t find one though a turnbuckle pad has come off. Ricky blocks First 48 and puts Hayes on the top rope with the exposed buckle. They head up top, avalanche Gordbuster from Hayes but Ricky then crotches him onto the exposed metal. Hayes still avoids a Roshambo and hits First 48 but no cover, when he tries the cover Ricky kicks him backwards into the exposed buckle, Hayes hits the back of his head and is out leading to an easy pin for Ricky.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Ricky Saints won in 14:25

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: These two work well together which shouldn’t surprise anyone, Hayes was protected in the loss here which is nice. They had to work pretty hard to get the crowd around but they did manage it by the end. Ricky and Trick will be somewhat interesting, both men lean heel though Trick tends to get the more positive reactions.

In the back Aldis talks on the phone then talks with Cody. Cody knows Gunther has put Aldis in a bad position, but there’s only one solution. A triple threat match at Night of Champions. Aldis agrees to that.

Elsewhere Cathy talks with Charlotte Flair, Charlotte is still hungry and wants another world title. She wants this crown and then a shot to get her 15th title at SummerSlam. She’ll show Liv why Charlotte is the queen then, now, and forever. That sends us to break.

We see some highlights from Danhausen and his being attached to the Knicks and their title win.

In the back Danhausen has Miz and Kit Wilson in tinfoil hats and makes them do catchphrases. Angel and Berto show up to complain about Danhausen owing them money. Matt Cardona shows up to defend Danhausen and shoo off Berto and Angel. Cardona touches the electric stuff and might be reverting to Zach Ryder sooner rather than later.

Elsewhere in the back Truth polishes his title but Finn Balor shows up. Truth and Balor talk, Truth is the master of gaslighting about what happened last week. Balor doesn’t want Truth’s help later but Truth says if you’re Judgement Day it’s 4 Life. Priest shows up and still has tension with Balor and doesn’t trust him. Moderately successful comedy, but we’re angling to reunite another faction just like the Bloodline has and that just reeks of lazy or uncreative booking.

Jey Uso heads to the ring through the crowd and we head to break.

Post break we get confirmation of Cody vs. Gunther vs. Sami for Night of Champions next week. That announcement is accompanied by yet another recap of the WWE title stuff from the first two hours of tonight. You know, in case you missed it or the other recaps.

Back to the ring and here comes Je’Von Evans.

Match #5 – King of the Ring Semifinal Match: Jey Uso vs. Je’Von Evans

They just circle for a bit, then eventually tie up. Jey grabs a side headlock then hits the ropes but Evans bounces around then rolls him up for 2. Dropkick from Evans, his vertical leap is pretty nuts, and Jey powders. Evans is still favoring his ribs after the Spear from Bron Breakker. Jey runs into a another gorgeous dropkick and powders, then Evans with a lovely dive over the top rope to send us to break.

Evans returns to the ring, Jey gets back in the ring and begs off then offers a handshake. Evans thinks, but eventually does, Jey tries the cheap shot but Evans was ready and lands a hard right hand. 10 punch from Evans only gets 9 before Jey trips him and does his own 10 punch which gets to 9 but when he tries the big standing punch Evans hits a lovely dropkick to get a 2 count. Both men head to the apron, Evans lands an uppercut and Jey slumps back into the ring. Evans bounces up top for a crossbody which gets a 2 count. That seems to have aggravated the ribs of Evans, he’s doing a good job of selling those without being over the top with it. Chops from Evans as we come back to broadcast. Jey turned the tables when we were blacked out, not sure what he did. Evans back flips off the bottom rope to avoid Jey then hits a suplex and bounces up with ease. Another chop from Evans then he hits the ropes but runs into a high elevation pop up Samoan Drop. That gets to the ribs of Evans and he’s down and hurt. Jey rips the shirt off of Evans which reveals his taped up ribs so Jey goes after them. Evans tries to fight back with punches Jey hits a right hand then a backbreaker to keep Evans down. Jey runs into a back elbow, Evans up top but Jey shoves him all the way to the barricade, that sends us picture in picture.

OFFICIAL RESULT:

Rating:
Thoughts: