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Hello everyone, as a reminder this episode of WWE Smackdown was taped last week so if you want spoilers you can find them HERE. We’re hurtling towards SummerSlam and tonight seems dedicated more towards the B side of things on the blue brand. We’ll get a tag team gauntlet to determine the next title challengers, and you shouldn’t need spoilers to figure out the most likely winner out of the OC, Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews, Pretty Deadly, Humberto and Angel, the Street Profits, and the new Bloodline. We’ll also get women’s action as Nia Jax and Bayley continue to build heat towards their encounter, LA Knight will take on Santos Escobar and we know Knight will challenge Logan Paul for the US title at SummerSlam so expect Logan to show up at some point. We’ll doubtless get videos and backstage stuff for Cody and Solo Sikoa, especially since Cody has been left isolated now that Randy Orton and Kevin Owens have both been taken out. There’s a non-trivial chance Jacob Fatu continues to show up Solo Sikoa as well, but we’ll have to wait and see if that’s just a talent difference or a story beat. Second half of double shots usually have a lot of filler, but Triple H also likes to make sure a few guys have time to work so I expect we’ll get at least one good match. But that’s the preamble, let’s get to the action.

We open with a recap of Kevin Owens teaming with Cody Rhodes last week and the resultant destruction of both men by the Bloodline.

Nick Aldis meets with Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa. Loa has an eye injury and Aldis tries to remove them from the tag team gauntlet. Tama gets lippy but Solo calms things, and Solo says they’re not forfeiting anything. Jacob Fatu walks into frame and Solo says tonight Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu will represent the Bloodline, and Aldis is actually cool with this. Anything to avoid watching Tonga Loa work, especially if I do get to see more Jacob Fatu.

We find LA Knight walking, he talks to us as he walks. Santos Escobar can’t get out of his own way, and Knight will teach Escobar tonight then go onto teach Logan Paul all about getting your butt kicked. Knight then heads to the ring to a pretty good reaction even from a crowd that’s already had a long show. Santos Escobar follows with Elektra Lopez in tow.

Match #1: LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar w/ Elektra Lopez

Knight right away with punches then Escobar hits a shoulder block. Hip toss from Knight then an arm drag and Knight starts working the arm. Knight with a leg drop to the arm and continues working the arm of Escobar before landing a back elbow. Escobar fights out of a 10 punch in the corner and starts stomping on Knight. Some chops from Escobar then a snap suplex and a Sharpshooter but Knight is right into the ropes before it can do any damage. Knight fires back with punches and a clothesline but Escobar slings him into the middle rope to set up a cheap shot from Lopez then a 619 from Escobar to send us to break.

Double knees in the corner from Escobar as we come back. Knight fights out of a headlock and hits a swinging neckbreaker but Escobar hits a tilt a whirl backbreaker to retain control. Some trash talk from Escobar but Knight fires up and starts stomping Escobar out in the corner then follows with a running knee strike. DDT from Knight gets a 2 count. Lopez breaks up a torture rack position with a distraction and Escobar lands an elbow but runs into a tilt a whirl powerslam. Lopez distracts the ref, here’s Logan Paul but he misses a right hand and Knight clotheslines him down. Escobar with a superkick, then tries a Phantom Driver but Knight counters into Blunt Force Trauma to get the win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: LA Knight won in 9:40

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Solid match but I was expecting a little more from these two. They’ve done better work than this together in the past.

Logan attacks right after the match and starts brawling with Knight but Escobar cuts off Knight with a high knee strike. Escobar and Logan both stomp on Knight for a bit then Logan hits a Frog Splash to stand tall.

We get a recap of Naomi pinning Blair Davenport last week, then Blair attacking her in the back.

In the back Byron is talking with Naomi, Naomi doesn’t know what Blair’s issue is and promises that she’s got something in store for Blair. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair show up and all three women talk a bit then Belair and Jade head towards the ring as we head to break.

Post break we get a sell job for SummerSlam and some other WWE branded events, then we see Logan Paul walking in the back. Byron finds him and asks about what just happened, Logan says it was a taste of what’s coming to LA Knight in Cleveland. There will be a surprise homecoming deal for Logan in Cleveland, and Logan warns that Knight isn’t ready for what will happen there.

To the ring and here come Jade and Belair. They make it to the ring and both women get mics, Belair would love to stay here all night but she wants to cut to the chase. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn have been ghosting them ever since winning the belts, including claiming to be here tonight. They make them wait a bit but the women’s tag team champions are here to attack from behind. The brawl is on with Fyre and Dawn winning early but Belair fights free and launches Dawn to the floor then Jade military presses Fyre and tosses her onto Dawn on the floor.

Next a recap and hype job for the Japan tour going on right now. Cody’s over there right now but will give a sit down video interview at some point tonight.

In the back B-Fab hypes up the Street Profits and then Terence “Bud” Crawford shows up to wish them well and we head to break.

Post break we get a recap of Tiffany Stratton vs. Michin from last week including all the Bayley and Nia Jax related shenanigans.

In the back Tiffany has her briefcase all taped up, and Nia Jax comes over to promise her a new one. They both want revenge on Bayley tonight.

Later tonight we’ll get Bayley and Michin vs. Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton to determine if surnames are better than single names.

To the ring for our gauntlet match.

Match #2: Tag Team Gauntlet Match

We’re starting with Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin vs. Berto and Angel representing Legado del Fantasma.

Quick attack from Angel and Berto to start, we were a little over 20 minutes between matches if you keep track of that kind of stuff. Corbin turns things around on Angel and hits an Ore Ga Taue for a 2 count. Berto with the blind tag and kicks Corbin to set up some double team moves on the big bald man, including Berto hitting a suicide dive to send us to break.

Berto hauls up Corbin as we come back but Corbin avoids a corner charge and both men are down. In the back DIY watch TV at a slightly odd angle. Both men tag out and Apollo runs wild for a bit on Angel including a trio of German suplexes. Corner splash from Apollo then he’s up top but Angel counters his flying nothing with a knee strike. Angel with a double underhook backbreaker and Corbin has to break up the pin. Corbin then sends Berto into the ring steps and in the ring Apollo avoids a Wing Clipper and hits a pump kick then Corbin with End of Days after a tag to eliminate LDF at 6:00.

Out next come the Street Profits of Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins with B-Fab in tow.

Apollo and Ford start, Ford with some flips then Apollo with a few as well as they do some rope running before Apollo hits a dropkick. Ford avoids a suplex, hits a back suplex then tags in Dawkins. That was a fairly high angle back suplex. Dawkins and Apollo then engage in rope running before a double down. Corbin tags in as does Ford, Ford with some punches but Corbin cuts him off. Right hand from Corbin drops Ford and Corbin then gets an assist on a dive from Apollo and he lands on both Ford and Dawkins to send us back to break.

We come back to Ford fighting off a superplex from Corbin, Corbin then lands a boot and hits a diving clothesline. Powerbomb from Corbin but Ford rolls through the impact and hits an enziguri to put both men down. Dawkins and Apollo both tag in but it’s Apollo who gets the better of things at first, then they trade enziguri’s before Dawkins hits a modified exploder suplex. Corbin posts himself chasing after Ford, then Ford and Apollo hit stereo dives to opposite sides of the ring to handle their opponents. Back in the ring Apollo heads up top, Frog Splash misses and Dawkins lands a right hand then tags in Ford. Revelation connects and Apollo’s done at 14:38.

Next out come Pretty Deadly of Kit Wilson and Elton Prince.

Wilson rolls up Dawkins a few times but can’t find a 3 count before running into a Flapjack. Ford tags in and Wilson takes some offense then they drop Prince onto Wilson. Prince with a blind tag and chop blocks Ford leading to Ford unintentionally hitting a Brainbuster on Wilson. That looked a little gnarly but Wilson seems OK. They start working the leg of Ford in the corner with some quick tags. Wilson tags back in but Ford fights out of the corner only to get cut off at the leg again. Half crab from Wilson but Ford is already in the ropes. Cheap shot to Dawkins then Wilson resumes working over Ford’s leg. Ford kicks free but Prince tags in only for Ford to tag in Dawkins and Dawkins starts unloading on Prince. Corner splash then an enziguri from Dawkins but only a 2 count. Wilson tags back in and hits Dawkins with a DDT for a 2 count. Prince back in and they keep working over Dawkins in the corner including a double team gutbuster but Ford breaks up the resulting pin. Ford and Wilson get tossed out of the ring then Dawkins clobbers Prince and tags in Ford. Doomsday Blockbuster to Prince gets a 3 count at 20:37.

The OC of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows head out to the ring as we head to break.

Gallows and Anderson are working over Ford as we come back. Anderson starts working a side headlock, Ford works to fight free but gets elbowed back down. Gallows tags in and starts laying into Ford with strikes including a clothesline. Scoop slam to Ford then a tag and Anderson is back in. Anderson with a scoop slam then he begins cranking the neck of Ford. Gallows tags back in and hits a suplex then grabs a chinlock. Ford fights free and hits a DDT to put both men down. Anderson tags back in but Ford sends him over the ropes to the floor then low bridges Gallows and tags in Dawkins. Dawkins dives onto both men on the floor then back in the ring he runs into an Anderson spinebuster for a 2 count. Gallows tags back in but Ford trips up Anderson and Dawkins with a School Boy on Gallows to get the pin at 28:28.

Only one team left, here come Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu, using Fatu’s ring music. The whole Bloodline is walking down with Fatu and Tama, and we head to break.

When we come back Tama is working over Dawkins. Fatu tags in and headbutts Dawkins down. Corner attacks from Fatu then Tama tags in and Fatu throws him into Dawkins. Some cheap shots from Solo on the floor because why not. Fatu tags back in and stomps away at Dawkins. Headbutt from Fatu then he misses a corner splash. Both men tag out and Ford fires up to level Tama with clotheslines then a spinebuster. Ford flips out of a back suplex and lands strikes but Tama avoids an enziguri but can’t capitalize and Ford hits a top rope crossbody for a 2 count. Now Ford heads up top but Tama cuts him off and climbs up there with him to hit a superplex and Dawkins has to break up the pin. Fatu, Tama, and Dawkins fight on the floor then Ford with a ridiculous dive over the ring post to wipe out everyone. Back in the ring Ford up top but Tama avoids From the Heavens and tags in Fatu. Fatu then lays out Ford, dives onto Dawkins, but back in the ring Ford hits a DDT that just pisses off Fatu. Superkick from Fatu then a pop up Samoan Drop and the double jump moonsault to get the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu won in 38:35

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Most gauntlet matches have consistency issues, this wasn’t much of an exception but a lot of credit to the Street Profits who worked far and away the majority of this match. If Fatu and Tama don’t win the belts it’s only because they want to hold off until Tonga Loa is cleared to work and not wanting to tie up Fatu with those belts.

After this break we’ll get a Cody Rhodes interview.

Post break Austin Theory and Grayson Waller show up to whine. They would have won last week if not for Terence Crawford getting involved then they call out Crawford to come down and apologize. Crawford does make his way to the ring to a good reaction from his hometown of Omaha. Waller says Crawford disrespected them by handing Cody a chair last week, and they want an apology. Crawford declines, then Waller also says he can’t hang in the ring with them. Waller says Theory will knockout Crawford, so Crawford KO’s Theory with one punch and Waller hightails it out of there. That’s the kind of segment that’s good for a house show, but not so much for TV.

Cody video time, he’s in Japan right now doing what he promised in bringing the title around the world. He’s reflecting, winning the Rumble, nearly losing even having the Mania match, then finally overcoming Roman Reigns to become champion surrounded by friends, family, and fans. The Bloodline should have been no more, now we’ve got a doppelganger version running around. Chaos reigns when there’s no real leader to control it. Now Cody has no friends or allies, he’s got everything stacked against him at SummerSlam, but he’s also the champion. He owes it to the people to keep this title out of the hands of the Bloodline. He puts over Solo for a bit and admits that Solo might be ready. Before the match at SummerSlam he wants a one on one meeting with Solo next week, he needs to see if Solo is ready because Cody knows that he is.

We head to break and we’ll get the women’s tag team match after this one.

Next week we’ll get the tag team title match, plus Logan Paul will be on hand.

Byron talks with Andrade in the back, Andrade is aiming at the US title but Carmelo Hayes shows up to say this isn’t over until he wins. They bicker for a bit and Andrade calls Hayes Bronny Junior. Hayes tells Andrade to step aside and Andrade says if he wants another match then fine, he’s got it.

Back to the ring and here comes Michin, but she’s jumped by Jax and Tiffany on the ramp. They beat down Michin for a bit before Bayley shows up with a kendo stick to even the odds. Michin is down but Bayley wants to start the match.

Match #3 – Tag Team Match: Bayley and Michin vs. Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton

Again 22 minutes or so between matches. Bayley and Tiffany start and Tiffany lands a shoulder block. Some gymnastics from Tiffany but Bayley eventually sweeps her down and lands punches then a sliding clothesline. Tiffany shoves Bayley into a corner and stomps on her to a pretty good reaction. Bayley attacks Jax then hits Tiffany and hangs her up between the ropes. Michin is on the apron and wants in but Jax comes over to pull her away from a tag and hit a Samoan Drop on the floor. Tiffany with a hip attack then a double stomp to Bayley and we head to break.

Tiffany hits Bayley with a bit of a Stink Face as we come back. Bayley gets whipped into the corner then Jax tags in. Jax with a corner avalanche then Tiffany with a handspring back elbow to follow up. Bayley tries to fight back but Jax cuts her off and slams her into a corner. Tiffany tags back in and grounds Bayley with a chinlock. Bayley works to fight free but runs into a spinebuster for a 2 count. Jax tags back in and hits a scoop slam then an elbow drop. Bayley fights out of a Cobra Clutch but Tiffany tags back in and goes for another handspring back elbow but Bayley catches her and hits what I think was supposed to be a German suplex to put both women down. Michin crawls onto the apron and wants a tag but Jax tags in and prevents the tag. Bayley avoids a corner attack and Jax posts herself then Bayley makes the tag. Michin attacks Tiffany for a bit including a tornado DDT for a 2 count. Next Michin hits a suicide dive onto Jax then she tries a dropkick on Tiffany but Tiffany avoids that and Michin eats canvas. Jax misses a charge, Bayley tags in and hits a running knee strike. Bayley up top for an elbow drop which connects but only a 2 count. Tiffany gets ejected, then Bayley runs into a briefcase shot from Tiffany as the ref was dealing with Michin. Annihilator follows and that’ll do it.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Team Last Name (Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton) won in 12:47

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: The length and layout held this back a bit, 12 minutes just felt like a stretch for this kind of story. But Jax and Bayley are trying to get people to care about their match and I think it’s starting to work a little bit.

We get another Bloodline video, Solo says he’ll see Cody face to face next week. Next week the Bloodline gets the tag team titles back, then at SummerSlam he brings back the WWE title. And if Roman has a problem with that he knows where to find everyone. That ends the episode.