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Well it’s Friday and time for another episode of WWE Smackdown. Tonight Logan Paul is making a rare appearance, so the question is will he sign the contract to defend the US title against LA Knight without much fuss or are we in for amusing shenanigans to get ink to paper for that bout? We know we’ve got Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes, which could be pretty solid. The women’s title scene is pretty well settled for now, Nia Jax harasses Bayley while Tiffany Stratton thinks about cashing in until Nia looks sideways at her. Chelsea Green will probably be making some noise after she couldn’t find Nick Aldis last week, somewhat ditto Blair Davenport and Naomi who tussled but their issue seems far from over. DIY defended the tag team belts last week, then got crushed by Jacob Fatu so we’ll see if anything comes of that or if DIY is ready to just move on from that demolition. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory failed to win the tag belts, then Waller high tailed it away from things when Jacob Fatu took out Theory and the split between those two has to be imminent at this point. Kevin Owens wasn’t here last week when Randy Orton got powerbombed through the announce table trying to help Cody Rhodes after Cody got into things with Solo Sikoa and the new bloodline, but with his mom apparently recovering he might be on hand tonight. Cody and Solo will continue to build, and the fervor for a Roman Reigns return will likely go up right along with it. There’s been some reports that they’ll be taping the July 26th Smackdown after this one, and those double shows can be a bit rough to get through so we’ll keep an eye on that. But that’s kind of where things stand right now, so let’s get to the action.

We get a recap of the stuff with Solo and Cody from last week.

First out comes Cody Rhodes, he’s not wearing a suit but does give props to Terence “Bud” Crawford who’s ringside. Bud is arguably the best boxer in the world and an Omaha native so that’s pretty cool. Cody does get into the ring and has a mic, he wants to know what we want to talk about. He opens by telling us that Randy Orton is his friend and was a mentor, a man who saw something in him years ago and without Randy he wouldn’t be here today. So you can imagine the guilt Cody feels since Randy and his family suffered recently. Randy is family to Cody, and if he were here he wouldn’t want things to wax poetic, so instead of all that Cody is going to talk directly to the man responsible for this. Solo, Cody looked him in the eye before Mania 39 and told him he wasn’t ready. Well Solo paid him back by costing him the title at that selfsame WrestleMania, the same title Cody holds now. Now Solo is trying to erase his time as the enforcer and be the tribal chief, well Cody is still on top, still the champion, and Solo is still not. This is interrupted by Austin Theory and Grayson Waller of all people, and man they got almost no reaction. Theory says he got attacked by Fatu last week because of Cody. Cody says Theory also got kneed in the face by Grayson Waller. Waller deflects and says again that Cody is the one responsible for all of this. They get in the ring and Cody just starts swinging, the numbers catch up pretty quickly though. Cody gets tossed out of the ring but here’s Bud to hand him a chair, good guy Bud. Cody then uses the chair to take out Waller and Theory to stand tall.

We get a Carmelo Hayes video, he says there’s no gimmick BS tonight, it’s just him and Andrade going hard in the paint. That match will be up after this break.

Post break Cody has Nick Aldis and wants a match with Theory and Waller, Aldis says fine as long as he finds a tag team partner by the end of the night.

To the ring and here comes Carmelo Hayes. He’s followed by Andrade, who is apparently the Speed champion.

Match #1: Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade

Some circling to start then a tie up, Andrade with a side headlock then a shoulder block. Rope running now from both men and we get some acrobatics ultimately resulting in a stand off with Andrade maybe holding a slight edge. Andrade and Hayes trade pinning situations then start trading elbows. Boot from Andrade then Hayes with a dropkick. Hayes hangs up Andrade in the middle rope then hits a fade away leg drop to send us to break.

Hayes is working a Fujiwara Armbar as we come back, Andrade fights up and hits a jawbreaker. Hard lariat from the left side by Andrade and both men are down. They fight up and Andrade calls on Hayes for strikes then Andrade hits a Dragon Screw leg whip, then another one followed by a leaping elbow strike. Andrade rallies the crowd, sort of, then Andrade with the double knees in the corner for a 2 count. Hayes avoids a suplex, La Mistica facebuster connects and he gets a 2 count. They head up top, Andrade elbows Hayes down to the mat then tries a moonsault, lands on his feet as Hayes rolls away then hits a standing one for a 2 count. Hayes flips out of a back suplex then they trade strikes and Hayes lands a knee but then runs into a spinning back elbow from Andrade which gets a near fall. Andrade heads up top, but flies into a the First 48 from Hayes but only a near fall. Hayes heads up top for Nothing But Net, but he misses then Andrade hits The Message to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Andrade won in 9:43

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Solid showcase for both men here, it took a while to get the crowd really connected but they were with them by the end.

We get a little recap of the women’s stuff from last week including Tiffany Stratton nearly cashing in before Nia Jax dissuaded her.

After this break we’ll get the double remote location interview with Bayley and Jax.

We do come back to that split screen interview. Jax ignores questions and says we should feel sorry for Bayley because Jax is beating her at SummerSlam and putting her down like an old sick dog. Bayley says Jax hasn’t changed in 10 years, they then bicker a bit before Bayley settles into her being unsafe, Jax hurt Bayley because she’s big and clumsy. Jax fails to be intimidating then Bayley says she has bad news, Bayley will walk out with the belt and nothing Jax does is going to change that. Jax then storms off. This hasn’t exactly been a compelling program between these two and I’m not sure this helped too much.

In the back Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill find Chelsea Green and Piper Niven and all of them argue about who talks with Nick Aldis first. Jade is about to blow them off but Belair has a better idea, Green vs. Belair now to figure out who gets to be in the front of the line. Both women did the worlds fastest wardrobe change because we go back to the ring and Belair heads out in her ring gear, she was not wearing that in the back. That match will be up after this break.

Post break here comes Chelsea Green.

Match #2: Bianca Belair w/ Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Green w/ Piper Niven

Green slaps Belair, that goes poorly as Belair wallops her back. Enziguri from Green then she tries Unpretty Her but Belair counters and drills her with a German suplex. Handspring moonsault from Belair misses though and Green misses a kick then gets picked up for a Kiss of Death but Green counters into an O’Connor Roll for 2 but Belair then rolls through into her own which gets the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Bianca Belair won in :56

Rating: Dud
Thoughts: Well that happened, but felt like a waste of time.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn have a video, they have all the power but will grant Belair and Jade the chance to see them next week and we’ll see about a rematch.

In the back LA Knight walks, he and Logan Paul will allegedly sign a contract after this break.

Post break we find Nick Aldis in the ring. He reminds us that SummerSlam is coming up and it’s his job to make the best matches he can for that event. With that in mind he’s got the contract for the US title match, it’s only missing the signature of Logan Paul. First though here’s LA Knight to a good pop. After that out comes Logan Paul. Logan gets the mic from Aldis and apparently has something to say. He asks Omaha why he’d give Knight any kind of shot. Knight gets a mic as well, gets the edgelord’s attention and says maybe Logan should walk away and think about later. But Logan might want to reconsider since Knight has cooked him every time they’ve been here, one year ago Knight gave Logan directions about what to do with Prime. Since then Logan won the US title and good on him, Knight gives Logan his props for holding the belt. Well Knight asked for a shot and got declined, then he went to Logan’s house and made himself at home but that got him a match with Logan where he pinned him to qualify for MITB. Now Knight has been chasing Logan, and Logan cuts him off and says he needs this while Logan doesn’t. Everything about Knight is tied up in this ring, Logan is still a big deal doing other stuff when he walks out of this ring. Knight might be good in the ring, but Knight is trying to become everything that Logan already is. For as good as Knight is, he’s never had a defining moment in 20 years of wrestling, he’s just a gym bro with a spray tan trying to be The Rock. Knight has never heard that one before, and calls Logan “low T” but he’s just a fraud. Logan already brought up Jake earlier and Knight mentions that Jake at least has the balls to get in there while Logan doesn’t. That gets to Logan and Logan says Knight has nothing to offer to make this valuable to him, but he does sign. They get a little chippy with Aldis playing peacemaker. Logan leaves then circles around to attack Knight from behind. They brawl for a bit but neither man gets the upper hand and Logan heads out to avoid Blunt Force Trauma.

We get a Tiffany Stratton hype video. After that Tiffany heads to the ring, Na Jax in tow. After this break she’ll take on Michin.

LA Knight walks in the back and is interrupted by Santos Escobar and Elektra Lopez. Knight wants to know what’s up, Santos says he’ll beat Knight. Knight says if Santos wants to get in touch just ask Escobar’s mom for his number. Escobar says he’ll be happy to help Knight squander his title shot in a match next week.

Back to the ring and here comes Michin.

Match #3: Tiffany Stratton w/ Nia Jax vs. Michin

We went 27 minutes from the end of the prior match to the start of this one. Tiffany shoves Michin down but gets caught in a roll up for 2, then Michin with some corner strikes. Cannonball senton from Michin gets a 1 count, then Tiffany avoids a kick and takes a powder. Michin follows her then chases her until Tiffany hides behind Jax and lands a cheap shot then the cartwheel Alabama Slam on the floor which sends us to break.

Tiffany is still in control as we come back and hits a handspring back elbow in the corner then a spinebuster for a 2 count. Michin counters the cartwheel Alabama Slam into a series of pinning situations then she fires up with strikes and a neckbreaker. Tornado DDT from Michin only gets 2. Tiffany avoids Eat Defeat then hits a hip attack in the ropes and follows with a single foot stomp, seemed like a minor spacing issue there but nothing major. They head up top, Michin then knocks Tiffany down and hits a dropkick to send Tiffany out of the ring. Michin sets to dive but Jax trips her up which allows Tiffany land a right hand then hit the Finlay Roll into a Prettiest Moonsault Ever but Bayley has showed up and distracts her. Jax charges at Bayley but gets sent into the time keepers area then she and Bayley brawl. Bayley uses the briefcase to hit Jax then bends it and ultimately upends it then breaks it and Michin grabs a School Boy to get the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Michin won in 8:03

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Acceptable if unremarkable match. More about Bayley reminding us that she’s involved in this.

We get another Bloodline video, Solo says life is good as the Tribal Chief. He wants to know who’s going to disrespect him by teaming with Cody tonight. Look at what they did to Randy Orton last week, and if you’re on Cody’s side you’re against Solo. Tonight better be a handicap match or someone’s going to pay. They’re using a lot of camera and production tricks to get Solo to come across like a big deal, which is better than if they just sent him out there to die on the vine.

We’ll get the answer to who’s teaming with Cody after this break. After that promo, I’ve got a hunch about Jey Uso maybe showing up.

Post break we get a recap of the tag team title match from last week and Jacob Fatu’s rampage. Fatu is pretty darn close to eclipsing Solo in presentation, he’s already a better promo if you’ve heard him talk before.

Next week we’ll get a tag team contender gauntlet for a shot at the belts, plus LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar and the predictable tag team match of Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax vs. Bayley and Michin.

We see Cody walking in the back, and he finds Kevin Owens. Owens is ready to fight and says he’ll see Cody out there, then we follow him as he heads to the ring. Cody follows and we head to break.

Post break here come Waller and Theory.

Match #4 – Tag Team Match: Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens vs. A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller and Austin Theory)

Cody and Theory start, Theory grabs a side headlock then hits the ropes but runs into a kitchen sink knee lift. Owens tags in and they double team Theory for a bit. Theory eats a back elbow and runs out of the ring, Owens just follows him and abuses him around the ringside area before they head back into the ring. Cody tags back in and knocks Waller off the apron but Theory then hits a cross chop to take over. Waller tags in and looks to keep control on Cody with knees then Cody flips out of a back suplex and tags in Owens. Owens runs wild for a bit and stomps out Waller until he leaves the ring. Of course that doesn’t save his as Owens runs after him and lands clotheslines to him and Theory. Back in the ring Owens with a Manhattan Drop then a cannonball senton in the corner. Owens up top but Theory gets involved long enough to allow Waller to get knees up to block a Swanton Bomb. Theory tags in, rolling dropkick then a cheap shot to Cody. Waller tags back in for a second rope elbow drop. That sends us to break.

Theory tags out as we come back. Waller hits a few elbow drops then grabs a cravat and lands some knees. Owens slips out of the ring but when Waller follows Owens slams him into the ring steps then knocks over the Prime display which allows Waller to recover and block his tag when they’re back in the ring. Some corner work from Waller then he puts Owens up top but you can’t superplex Owens, and true to form Owens fights Waller off after a bit then hits a Swanton Bomb to put both men down. Both men tag out and Cody gets to run wild on Theory for a while. Waller is able to get a blind tag before Cody DDTs Theory and Waller comes in with a Flatliner for a 2 count. Theory tags back in, they want a double team move but Cody avoids that then Waller almost knees Theory again and Cody hits Theory with a Cody Cutter. Owens shows back up to Stun Waller out of the ring as Cody drills Theory with a Cross Rhodes to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens won in 11:54

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Fun enough as a bit of a house show style match.

Post match Solo Sikoa comes out with Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa right away, Cody just dives onto them on the floor. Owens is tasked with brawling with Loa, which takes effort as Loa isn’t very good. Owens does get the better of things and they take apart the announce table. They want to take out Solo but here’s the real star of the Bloodline 2.0, Jacob Fatu. Fatu saves Solo and takes out Cody and Owens with superkicks. Owens rolls into the ring where Fatu continues abusing him including a hip attack. Another hip attack from Fatu, then a third because he’s a maniac, and a fourth while Cody is being forced to watch. Fatu goes up top, diving headbutt to Owens. Now they set to powerbomb Cody through the announce table, and they do. Tama gets a chair and wraps it around Owens’s neck then rams him into the ring post. The Bloodline stand tall to end the episode.