wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 7.05.24
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Well it’s the go home show for Money in the Bank everyone, so tonight should be chock full of trying to sell us on the event tomorrow. To that end I fully expect the ladder match participants to be here including LA Knight, Andrade, and Carmelo Hayes. Cody Rhodes knows he’ll team with Randy Orton and Kevin Owens against some combination of the new Bloodline so that heated rivalry will probably take up some time tonight. Speaking the the new Bloodline, Jacob Fatu powerbombed Paul Heyman through the announce desk last week when Heyman refused to acknowledge Solo Sikoa as the new Tribal Chief so that crew has some serious heat going now. Fatu has been presented as kind of a big deal so far and I fully expect him to continue doing so, in fact Solo might want to watch his back down the line because Jacob Fatu might well surpass him sooner rather than later. But that’s for later. Tonight we’ve also got tag team title action as A Town Down Under defend against DIY and there has been some budding friction between Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, Theory desperately needs to find some kind of momentum and Waller turning on him might be what propels him forward finally. We’ve also got Pretty Deadly returning for the first time in months to take on the somewhat floundering Street Profits, and Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill will either squash Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae or else turn on each other in some capacity. Still no sign of Shinsuke Nakamura or Giovanni Vinci. Well that’s the preamble, let’s get to the action.
First here comes Jey Uso, he’s a RAW guy but we’re in the venue for MITB tomorrow so some RAW guys showing up isn’t out of line. Jey definitely wakes the crowd up then gets a mic and reminds us he’s in Toronto and jokes about finally being let into Canada. He hypes up the PPV tomorrow, the crowd seem to like his chances to win but here comes LA Knight. Interesting to go face on face here but both men have a fair amount of crowd support in general. Knight gets a mic and wants to talk to us. He likes how Jey played with the crowd and he thinks Jey might even be the favorite but Knight was the favorite to win this same match last year. He respects Jey, formerly part of the goofy Bloodline and now he’s his own man. Tomorrow Knight shows Jey respect by showing him none in the match. Tomorrow you’ll hear the crowd going “Yeah”. This leads to a battle of “yeet” vs. “yeah” for a bit before Carmelo Hayes interrupts things. Hayes talks on his way to the ring, Toronto doesn’t want to hear their silly banter. He runs down Knight and Jey but then Chad Gable thankfully comes out to save us from Hayes rambling. Gable says unlike everyone else in this match he’s been living in personal hell for 3 weeks, and man does he have some heat. His family left him, he got left for dead by the Wyatt Sicks and they’re still after him for some reason. Now, predictably Andrade continues the revolving door promo segment. Andrade says everyone can talk about dreams and hope, but dreams and hope don’t win ladder matches. Drew McIntyre closes out the field now, and Drew expected better from Canada since they’re part of the commonwealth. Nice line. Punk isn’t here, but Drew’s still got that bracelet so his family is always with Drew. Drew warns everyone that the violence he did to Punk is what he’ll do to all of them tomorrow. Next he insults his competition as follows, “El idiot” for Andrade, he just feels bad for Gable, says Hayes is just looking up at “him”, Knight won’t need “yeah” tomorrow he’ll just need “no”, and Jey well how the hell did Jey get across the border anyway? That’s enough to start off the brawl but ultimately Drew stands tall for a moment before Knight and Jye ping pong him then send him out of the ring. Knight and Jey circle and stare each other down but don’t quite throw hands with each other.
Jackie Redmond talks with Bayley in the back, Bayley talks about the MITB match and how to best cash in before Chelsea Green interrupts. Green says Bayley’s advice is about as irrelevant as she is, and Bayley wouldn’t even be champion right now if she hadn’t been unfairly ejected from Piper’s title shot. Piper shows up and attacks Bayley, and Green warns Bayley that the next time Piper leaves Bayley laying that Green will be cashing in.
To the ring where the Street Profits make their entrance, they’ll take on Pretty Deadly after this break.
Post break Naomi finds Bayley and Bayley has secured a match with Piper tonight, Naomi has Bayley’s back but gives her a bit of a look when Bayley is leaving.
To the ring and Pretty Deadly are making their way to the ring.
Match #1 – Tag Team Match: Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) w/ B-Fab vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson)
Ford and Prince start us off, Ford then somewhat easily out wrestles Prince with a series of mat returns. Wilson tags in and runs over Ford but then Ford knocks him over and hits a hip toss. Dawkins tags in and Wilson takes a double hip toss for a 2 count. Elbow from Wilson then Prince tags back in. Prince with some corner strikes but then misses a charge and Dawkins with a series of jabs then hits the ropes for a running elbow. Corner flurry from Dawkins gets a 2 count. Wilson cheap shots Dawkins to set up a boot from Prince adn that sends us to break again.
We come back to Prince working over Dawkins. Dawkins tries a Sunset Flip for 2 then runs into a clothesline. Dawkins avoids a corner splash then Wilson tags in but he and Dawkins trade punches then just kind of run into each other and both men are down. Both men tag out and now Ford gets to run wild including a hard clothesline to Prince and a flapjack for Wilson. Ford with kicks to Prince then a back suplex and a standing moonsault for a 2 count. Ford goes up top, but Prince hits him with an uppercut to strand Ford on the top rope. Wilson tags in, Dawkins with a blind tag as Pretty Deadly hit a Doomsday superplex but Dawkins flies with a Swanton Bomb onto Wilson and Prince has to break up the pin. Wilson with a School Boy for 2, then Dawkins Pounce’s him into Prince and Ford with a high dive onto both on the floor. Sky High from Dawkins, Ford tags in and From the Heavens Ford connects and gets the pin.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Street Profits won in 9:44
Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Enough better than average to hit good territory. Both teams are kind of treading water but this was a fine enough reintroduction to Pretty Deadly and a solid enough win for the Profits while we try and figure out what everyone’s going to do going forward.
In the back Grayson Waller warms up and Austin Theory walks up to make sure they’re on the same page. Waller says Theory shouldn’t let the flop Gargano get into his head. Theory and Gargano never won titles, Theory only became successful after leaving Gargano behind. Theory seems to be convinced and the two warm up together.
We’ll get a recap of the Bloodline killing that poor penguin Paul Heyman last week, and that promise sends us to break.
Post break we get some schilling for merch and pop-up shopping venues for MITB in Toronto. Then we get confirmation of Bayley vs. Piper Niven tonight.
To the ring and here come Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae. Nice of them to get an entrance, oh wait they cut away to the recap of the closing segment from last week. Seriously, Heyman’s acting since Roman has been gone has carried the Bloodline stuff and without him this would have died a while back.
Back to the ring and Jade gets her entrance followed by Bianca Belair. That tag team match will be up after this break.
Match #2 – Tag Team Match: Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
Joined in progress as Jade is working over Indi. Candice tags in and Jade takes some double team offense but can’t be put down. Indi tags back in and assists Candice in splashing Jade for another 2 count. Jade looks to fight back but gets cut off with an elbow. Some elbows from Jade but Indi blocks the tag and we get simultaneous boots to put both women down. Both women tag out and Belair runs over Candice a few times then hits a suplex. Belair goes for a 10 punch, she gets 9 then Indi gets involved by Belair crushes her with a spinebuster. Candice climbs up top but gets caught by Belair and Belair then Alley Oop’s Candice onto Indi. Handspring moonsault from Belair gets a 2 count on Candice. Jade tags back in but Indi breaks up their tag team finisher and Candice rolls up Jade for 2. Pump kick from Jade to Candice, then Belair with the Kiss of Death on Indi while Jade with Jaded on Candice to win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair won in about 4:00 shown
Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts: Not quite a squash in execution, but not a whole lot there beyond that.
Post match Cathy talks with Belair and Jade in the ring, they want to regain the tag team titles and Jade thanks Fyre and Dawn for keeping those belts warm for them but they’re coming for those titles. See you soon.
Next a recap of the feud between Waller and Theory and their challengers tonight, DIY.
We see Cody Rhodes walk in the back, he finds Randy Orton and Kevin Owens and they all walk towards the ring as we head to break.
Post break Kevin Owens heads to the ring, he’s naturally followed by Randy Orton and Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes. All three men have mics, Cody starts us off by asking what Toronto wants to talk about. They could talk about a lot of things, especially since it seems like WWE and Toronto are just a good fit, but Cody has heard enough from the Anemic version of the Bloodline if you will. Well they’ve asked for a fight and everyone here is ready to deliver it. Randy is ready to deliver the RKO to end that fight. Owens could talk about the last four years of his life fighting the Bloodline off and on, but instead the last four days are first in his mind. He got a call from his Dad on Monday and his mother was rushed to the hospital, he’s been in Quebec for the last several days in the same hospital where she gave birth to him and they’ve been watching his mother fight like hell. The Quebec shows have been special for his family, and his mother is still in the hospital so his family wont be there tomorrow. He could have stayed home and everyone would have understood, everyone except his mom. He’s been chasing this since he was 11 years old, and his mom always told him to fight like hell and leave everything in the ring. If his mom heard that he missed a fight because of her she’d be pissed. Oh, and Bloodline, win lose or draw tomorrow he’s doing what his mom has wanted from him for the last 4 years, and that’s to beat the Bloodline worse than ever before. Well that seals him taking the fall I guess.
Commentary then hype up the WWE tag team titles and we get a hype video for those belts. Well if you’re going to try and rehab them this is an important step. That sends us to break.
Post break Bayley heads to the ring with Naomi at her side. We see Iyo Sky in the crowd watching things as Piper Niven makes her entrance.
Match #3: Bayley w/ Naomi vs. Piper Niven w/ Chelsea Green
They start trading right away with Bayley landing some kicks in the corner. Piper fights back with a choke then Into the Abyss connects but she doesn’t cover. Bayley with a slap, Piper returns it then hits a senton for a 2 count. Green and Naomi keep moving a little closer to each other. Bayley with a jawbreaker then a bulldog but Piper rolls out of the ring. Bayley charges at her but Piper avoids her then slams her head into the ring post as we head to break.
Bayley hits a diving snap attack to Piper as we come back, and see that everyone in MITB is in the crowd watching things. Tiffany Stratton then walks down the aisle to complicate things. Back in the ring Piper avoids a Rose Plant then Bayley grabs at a sleeper hold. Piper fights free with a side slam then they trade punches for a bit. Eventually Bayley hits a Regal Cutter and both women are down. Naomi and Green get into it now and start brawling which Naomi wins. Iyo jumps the barricade and takes out Naomi, Lyra Valkyria and Zoey Stark join the party as does Tiffany who moonsaults onto the pile of bodies on the floor. She made that look great, unlike a certain Poochie figure who does the same thing frequently. Bayley avoids a Vader Bomb and hits a Rose Plant to win.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Bayley won in 7:37
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Not a bad match, Bayley and Piper work well together so that was fine. This was ultimately about being a sneak peek at MITB which is fine.
Post match Nia Jax runs over Bayley then hits a headbutt and a running leg drop then follows with an Annihilator attempt but Michin has a kendo stick and whacks away at Nia to send her away.
Commentary runs down the MITB card then we see Perth, you know it’s a town down under, walking in the back as we head to break.
Next week we’ve got Michin vs. Nia Jax and Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin vs. Angel and Humberto.
In the back DIY walk, Ciampa talks about them winning the belts in NXT in this building. Johnny chose to return to WWE in this building for the same reason, then we follow them as they walk out through gorilla and to the ring. They still badly need theme music that doesn’t suck though. The champs follow.
Match #4 – WWE Tag Team Title Match: (c) A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano)
Waller cheap shots Johnny but Ciampa then takes him down. Everyone winds up squaring off and brawling with Ciampa and Johnny sending the champs out of the ring then hitting stereo planchas to the outside and sending us to break.
Ciampa avoids a jumping elbow drop from Theory as we come back. Johnny tags in and Theory takes a corner kick then neckbreaker from Ciampa and Johnny follows with a slingshot splash for a 1 count. Corner 10 punch from Johnny and he gets to 6 before Waller distracts him allowing Theory to land a back elbow. Waller tags in and hits an elbow drop to get control over Johnny. Theory tags back in and they work to keep Johnny isolated and in trouble. Johnny with a chop but Theory knocks him back down then unloads mounted punches before tagging in Waller. They send Johnny out of the ring but then Theory misses a charge on the floor and Johnny hits his tornado Canadian Destroyer on the floor. Theory with a clothesline to Johnny then sends him back into the ring where Johnny grabs a Small Package for 2. More covers from Johnny as he tries to tag out, eventually he has to hit an enziguri but Waller pulls Ciampa away from the tag. Theory then hits a cross legged neckbreaker but only a 2 count. That sends us to break.
Ciampa hits a Willow’s Bell then Johnny follows with a superkick but only a 2 count on Waller. Waller intercepts a jumping Johnny with a knee strike. Johnny fights out of the heel corner but Waller cheap shots Ciampa but Waller then accidentally hits Theory. Ciamapa tags in, they hit a Shatter Machine on Waller but only a near fall. DIY set for Meet You in the Middle but Theory pulls Johnny out of the ring. Ciamapa tries an O’Connor Roll but Theory hits a rolling dropkick to set up Waller for the flipping Unprettier only for Johnny to save the match. Johnny and Theory start trading punches, Waller then punches Johnny only to pull Theory in front of a Johnny superkick. Ciampa ultimately hits a Project Ciampa on Waller then tags in Johnny. Meet Me in the Middle but Theory pulls Waller’s foot under the ropes to break the pin. Ciampa gets punched by Theory, Johnny the dives onto him but Waller grabs a School Boy for 2. La Mistica into Gargano Escape from Johnny but Theory is here to break the tap only for Ciampa to grab Theory with a Sicilian Stretch and Theory has to tap out.
OFFICIAL RESULT: DIY won the titles in 14:10
Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: The commercial breaks gutted this, the finishing stretch was great and without those breaks I imagine it would have been even better. Waller and Theory breaking up is due and DIY are solid enough choices to be the new champs.
DIY celebrate with the belts.
We get a Solo Sikoa video, he holds the Ulafala, and it makes him the tribal chief. He didn’t want this, but this is what his family needs. Roman wasn’t man enough to defend their title at Mania, to defend their legacy against Cody and his legacy. Roman is no longer Tribal Chief, Solo is and he’s taking back the Undisputed WWE title from Cody, and if Roman wants any of this back he can try and take it from Solo. Cody, Solo is coming for him and Cody will acknowledge him. Solo’s still in danger of being passed by Jacob Fatu, but Solo does pretty well in these pre-recorded settings. The bloodline put of their one’s as the episode ends.
