wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 6.07.24
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Well it’s Friday so here’s another episode of WWE Smackdown. Last week AJ Styles pulled a Mark Henry and had a fake retirement then attacked Cody Rhodes to get that feud back up and running. AJ’s been talking openly lately about wanting to be an old school evil heel and it looks like his cronies Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are on board with that. Bayley is set to defend her title against Piper Niven at Clash at the Castle so that’ll keep up here while Nia Jax casts a large shadow over everything. Tonga Loa will be officially put into the Bloodline and we can be pretty sure Kevin Owens and Randy Orton will be around to make their lives more difficult. LA Knight and Carmelo Hayes are both making noise about challenging Logan Paul for the US title, Shinsuke Nakamura still has yet to appear on Smackdown TV as well. As for matches, Johnny Gargano will take on Grayson Waller and there have been a lot of teases about tension between tag team champions Waller and Austin Theory so we’ll keep an eye on that. Jade Cargill will be squashing Indi Hartwell, Apollo Crews takes on Angel Garza since Angel got involved his match with Andrade last week, and Nia Jax will make things worse when she takes on Michin. That’s it for the preamble, so let’s get to the action.
First is a recap of AJ’s fake retirement and attack on Cody Rhodes from last week.
We see Cody in the back pacing and clearly agitated, he’s not in a suit so you know he means business.
To the ring and here comes Solo Sikoa. Solo’s got the Tongan’s and Paul Heyman in tow. They head to the ring and Heyman gets a couple of mics, one he hands to Solo and he keeps the other. Heyman introduces himself then as the wise man to the Bloodline and he has to set the record straight. Until Roman Reigns comes back Solo is at the head of the table. “We want Roman” chant, and when that man does come back and Head of the Table hits the pop is going to be legendary. Tonight Solo is upping the ante and declares this a double proclamation, Heyman puts over Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa but Tonga will also be known as Tama Tonga the Right Hand Man. OK then. Heyman focuses on Tonga Loa now, we get another “We want Roman” chant and I can’t help but agree as Solo lacks presence right now, but Heyman gets back on track to introduce the infamous Tonga Loa. I saw enough of him in New Japan to agree on infamy, especially his punches. Solo wants to continue this as Heyman tries to end the segment, Solo asks if Heyman is forgetting anything. Heyman doesn’t think he is, but Solo asks him to thank Tonga and Loa for saving him from Kevin Owens last week, and Heyman does so. Tonga says they could have let Owens kill Heyman, but they saved him on tribal chief orders. Heyman then says he arrived early today and did wise man things, and he’s heard that Kevin Owens is looking for a fight with anyone in the Bloodline. That does bring out Kevin Owens, he’s out taping his hands and then runs to the ring. Owens tries to fight all three men, he does OK for a bit but the numbers catch up to him eventually. The Street Profits show up though to even the odds and now we’ve got a brawl, Owens ultimately gets a chair and cleans some house leading to the good guys standing tall.
In the back Cody is taping up his right fist and still stalking in the garage, he’s waiting for AJ to show up.
Elsewhere in the back Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair walk, they’ll be in action after this break.
Post break Solo finds Heyman in the back and asks where he’s going, then tells Heyman to get a match made for them tonight. Solo threatens Heyman and Heyman heads off as we get our other bit of signal interruption for Wyatt 6 stuff or whatever they wind up calling that group.
To the ring here comes Jade and Belair. Candice and Hartwell do get an entrance as well.
Match #1 – Tag Team Match: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell
Belair and Indi start us off but we’ve got Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn moving through the crowd to hang out at commentary while Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark head down the ramp. Everyone’s just watching as Belair works over Candice now. Handspring moonsault from Belair gets a 2 count. Candice avoids a scoop slam and tags in Hartwell who lands a clothesline. Hartwell slams Candice on Belair but no cover and we head to break.
Candice eats a backbreaker as we come back and then tags out leading to Hartwell stopping a tag from Belair. Belair fights out of the heel corner and makes the tag to Jade. Jade proceeds to run over both Hartwell and Candice for a bit then picks up Candice and throws her into Hartwell. Superkick to Hartwell but Candice breaks up the pin. Things break down for a bit but Belair tosses Candice out of the ring then Hartwell takes their tag team finisher to end things.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair won in 6:29
Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts: The commercial break hurt this one, but Jade and Belair have become a decent little team.
Post match the other two teams attack Belair and Jade and we’ve got a big fight on. Stark and Baszler toss Jade into the ring steps while Fyre and Dawn toss Belair into the barricade. But everyone wants the gold and the two teams bicker over that then start brawling as well. Jade and Belair show back up to clean house now though and hit their finishes on Fyre and Dawn to stand tall with their belts.
Cody is still stewing in the back but here’s Nick Aldis. Aldis knows how Cody feels but it’s not in the company’s best interest for them fight in the loading dock. Cody agrees someone could get hurt, and says this is just between him and AJ. Aldis walks off, apparently swayed by Cody’s passion.
To the ring here comes Johnny Gargano, he’ll take on Grayson Waller after this break.
Post break we get confirmation of Owens and the Profits against the Bloodline 2.0.
In the back Sarah talks with Apollo Crews, he starts to talk but Angel and Humberto jump him and beat him down then Santos Escobar comes in to talk trash before officials break this up. Aldis isn’t pleased but LA Knight shows up and asks where Logan Paul is. Logan’s not here, Knight isn’t happy but here’s Carmelo Hayes to bring the mood down. Hayes chuckles with a severe lack of self awareness and Knight says he can solve the problem of Aldis losing a match and Aldis makes Knight and Hayes.
Back to the ring and here comes Grayson Waller, man that is a tepid reaction for him. I kind of thought he’d been making some headway but that seems to be incorrect.
Match #2: Johnny Gargano w/ Tommaso Ciampa vs. Grayson Waller w/ Austin Theory
Johnny with some strikes early but Waller lands a punch of his own to take over. Cravat knees from Waller but he misses a side kick and Johnny lands a kick to the head then starts in with chops. Some rope running and Waller hits a tilt a whirl backbreaker to take over. Johnny hits a hurricanrana but Waller then snaps him over the top rope only for a rolling move to be countered by a back suplex. More evasion from Johnny then he hits a Shiranui off the apron on the floor and that sends us to break.
Waller is working a Half Crab as we come back but Johnny kicks free of the hold then avoids an elbow drop. Johnny fires up with a flurry of strikes then a slingshot spear for a 2 count. Waller avoids a suplex then gets Johnny into an Electric Chair and transitions that into a back suplex then hits a Fireman’s Spinebuster for a 2 count. They start trading strikes for a bit, Waller landing a jumping knee but he misses a corner splash. Modified swinging Canadian Destroyer from Johnny but Waller rolls out of the ring to avoid being pinned. Johnny sets to dive and hits Theory, Waller then shoves Johnny into the apron then into the ring post. Back in the ring Waller with the flipping Unprettier to win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Grayson Waller won in 8:15
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Another match hurt by the commercial break, but these two have worked well enough together in the past and this was no different. The Theory and Waller friction continues to build and that’s the real story going on here.
Post match Waller celebrates and Theory pouts.
In the back Cody is still seething but here’s a bunch of security goons with Nick Aldis. Aldis says AJ is about to arrive and these guys are here to make sure nothing gets out of hand as we head to break.
Aldis is trying to talk down Cody as we come back, AJ shows up poking his head out the top of an SUV and he sends Gallows and Anderson to run interference. Cody stalks off and heads to the ring, no music and he gets into the ring to get a mic. Cody tells AJ to get to the ring, they don’t need security they can just handle this. AJ’s music hits and he shows up with Anderson and Gallows. Security runs down to get between them and Cody. AJ doesn’t care what Cody wants, and says he wants a rematch and the only way Cody gets to fight him is if he gets that title shot. Cody mocks him for not wanting to fight now, but will give him the title shot at Clash at the Castle. Then he warns AJ this wont be a regular match, he’s going to make him say what he should have said last week, “I quit”. Aldis agrees with this and gives the thumbs up. AJ and Cody now get into brawling with the security, Cody wipes out goons for a bit then charges AJ but AJ and goons retreat as enough security finally do restrain Cody. Naturally that allows AJ to hit a cheap shot then they retreat again. That scene sends us to break.
Post break we get a recap of what just happened, and confirmation of the I Quit match for Clash.
In the back Belair and Jade exit the office of Aldis and find Byron, they talked about the tag team situation and agreed that there will be a tag team triple threat at Clash at the Castle, they’ll defend against Baszler and Stark plus the Unholy Union. They seem very confident in their chances.
LA Knight heads to the ring for our next match. Carmelo Hayes follows and let’s see if he can start finding his stride on the main roster.
Match #3: LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes
They jaw jack for a bit then Hayes lays in some strikes. Knight fires up with punches of his own then Hayes lands a leg kick. Lariat from Knight then he launches Hayes out of the ring. They start brawling on the floor, Knight bounces Hayes off the announce desk repeatedly only for Hayes to ram him into the apron. Hayes then gets back dropped onto the table and Knight shoves him to the floor and poses to send us to break.
Knight is laying in punches as we come back, then Hayes hits a springboard clothesline to take over. Hayes heads up top, but Knight crotches him. Some rights from Knight the he climbs up with Hayes, they fight over a superplex and Hayes shoves Knight down, Hayes then heads to the apron and avoids a few moves but runs into a clothesline. Stomps from Knight then a knee in the corner. Hayes avoids a tilt a whirl slam then hits a kick and hits a Mistica Facebuster for a 2 count. Kicks now from Hayes but Knight fires back with a chop then a scoop slam but Hayes avoids the jumping elbow. Hayes with a Small Package for 2 then they trade punches again. Pop up powerslam from Knight then then elbow drop connects. Knight sets for Blunt Force Trauma, but Hayes grabs a School Boy with tights then Knight rolls through into his own pin for the 3 count.
OFFICIAL RESULT: LA Knight won in 8:30
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Solid effort from both men, it didn’t quite hit 3 star territory but I think that possibility is there between them. Hayes continues to drop some matches but at the moment I don’t think it’s hurting him too badly.
Post match Knight gets a headset from Wade Barrett and says if Logan Paul wont come to Smackdown he’s bringing Smackdown to Logan.
In the back Tiffany Stratton walks around and finds Nia Jax, she tells Jax that she has her back and they could be unstoppable. Tiffany heads out. Michin faces down Jax and throws a drink in her face. Jax tosses Michin over a table but Jax slips on the spilled liquid to give Maffew some Botchamania content.
We get a recap of Piper Niven taking out Bayley and earning a title shot.
Bayley heads to the ring, she’ll talk after this break.
Pots break Bayley is still here. She reminds us again that next week she’ll take on Piper Niven for the title. This is immediately interrupted by Niven and Chelsea Green. Green has a mic and calls Bayley a big loser, and runs down all of Bayley’s recent losses. And she’ll lose again at Clash. Bayley remembers beating Green in Saudi then says Piper doesn’t need Green, and she respects Piper. She’s watched Piper for a long time and puts her over, she knows she’s in for a fight when they’re in Piper’s home town and knows just how much that means. Bayley also has been in that position, working in front of friends, family, and everyone you love, but she’s lost that match. Well next week she’s going to give Piper that same experience. Piper gets the mic and says she’s not going to beat down Bayley right now, she gets in the ring and says she might care about Bayley’s words if Bayley knew anything about her journey. The Mae Young classic was in 2017, and she’s been trying to claw out of the trenches since 2008, and Bayley walked into a ready made scene in the performance center Piper was fighting through the UK, Europe, and Japan. Piper was a world champion before she ever got here, and if Bayley knew how dangerous Piper is she wouldn’t stand this close to her. Respect doesn’t matter all that much, Piper will still nail her head to the mat and walk out as champion.
We get a Logan Paul video, he runs down LA Knight and says he needed a real challenge like the world Tetris championship. He competes with real champions and LA Knight has done nothing to warrant his attention and insults Knight a few times.
To the ring and here comes Kevin Owens. Owens is raring for a fight as the Street Profits head out to join him as we head to break.
Post break Piper and Green walk in the back and find Aldis talking with Naomi. Naomi warns Green to keep her name out of her mouth. They bicker for a bit and Aldis has to settle things. Aldis has had a rough day and asks if they’d like to settle this next week, and both seem amenable.
Apparently that Nia Jax and Michin match will take place next week and a Grayson Waller Effect talking with DIY.
Back to the ring and here come the slightly more anemic Bloodline.
Match #4 – Six Man Tag Match: Kevin Owens and the Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) vs. Solo Sikoa, Tonga Loa, and Tama Tonga w/ Paul Heyman
Dawkins and Tonga start, Dawkins gets the better of things and unloads on Tonga for a bit. Ford tags in and shoulder blocks Tonga down then mocks him. Punches from Ford then some corner work. Tonga fights back and the battle over the corner then Tonga tags in Loa. Loa with some corner punches, his punches still aren’t good. Tonga tags back in for a hilo. Ford avoids a corner charge and wipes out Tonga with a clothesline. Solo with a blind tag as Tonga gets sent out of the ring and he pulls Ford out of the ring and rams him into the ring post to send us to break.
Solo is still working over Ford as we come back and he hits a Samoan Drop for a 2 count. Solo then hits a hip attack and tags in Tonga. Tonga lays in strikes then hits a scoop slam followed by a sliding clothesline. Another sliding clothesline from Tonga while Owens works to get the crowd invested in all of this. Ford avoids a sliding clothesline and Tonga spills to the outside, then Tonga cheap shots Dawkins but Ford hits him with an enziguri and both men are down. Both men tag out and we’ve got Solo vs. Owens and Owens runs wild on Solo. Owens with a cannonball senton in the corner then a Swanton Bomb for a 2 count. Solo avoids a Stunner and they trade superkicks before Solo lands a clothesline. Owens avoids a Samoan Spike and hits a Stunner but Tonga and Loa pull him out of the ring on the cover. Dawkins Pounces Loa into the barricade, then Ford leaps over the corner post to the floor then Solo cracks Ford with a chair for the DQ.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Kevin Owens and the Street Profits won via disqualification in 9:39
Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: They sold this like a bunch of guys who want to hurt each other and I appreciate that, and honestly it’s that interaction and the spark that pushed this fairly high. Solo’s new Bloodline is still kind of gaining traction but this is the kind of stuff that will help them.
The fight continues and Dawkins winds up isolated in the ring to take a Samoan Spike. The crowd want Randy Orton, we’ve got 4 minutes so it’s not unfair. Ford crawls into the ring but gets a Spear from Solo. Owens now looks to continue the fight on the floor but the numbers are against him. They set to powerbomb Owens through the announce table, and he gets a version of the Shield Bomb through it. The Bloodline stand tall to end the episode.
