The July 10th edition of SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. New Day defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro during tonight’s show. It was also announced that AJ Styles will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Matt Riddle next week.
WWE SmackDown Results (7/10)
- Jeff Hardy def. The Miz
- Bayley & Sasha Banks def. Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss
- Lacey Evans vs. Naomi ended in a No Contest
- New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro ended in a No Contest
Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s show:
Jeff Hardy Will Face Sheamus In A Bar Fight
Miz and John Morrison cracked a couple substance abuse jokes before welcoming Jeff Hardy for an episode of Miz TV. The Miz said that they had to show a clip for the show and rolled footage of interviews of Jeff Hardy & Sheamus. They spliced in Hardy’s previous mugshots before recapping Sheamus’ toast last week.
Jeff Hardy told Miz and Morrison that if they keep this up he is going to break something. Miz told Jeff that he doesn’t want his daughter to put faith in someone that is going to self destruct again. Hardy stated that he wants to put his demons behind him and Sheamus hasn’t gotten into his head. The Miz suggested that he face Sheamus in a Bar Fight and Hardy accepted. Hardy then challenged one of them to a match right now and a brawl broke out before a commercial break. Miz then battled Jeff Hardy when SmackDown returned.
Match Recap: The Miz rolled out of the ring right when the bell rang and chatted with Morrison. Back in the ring, Miz hit a shoulder tackle but Hardy shrugged it off and hit an Arm Drag. The Miz battled back and applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. The Miz took control and beat Jeff down for the next few minutes of the match. Jeff finally regained momentum with a Dropkick and a Splash for a two count. Morrison hopped on the ring apron but Jeff immediately knocked him to the floor. Sheamus showed up on the titantron and was enjoying a beer. The Miz tried to capitalize with a roll-up but Hardy reversed it for the pinfall victory. Sheamus raised his glass and smiled at Jeff on the entrance ramp to end the segment.
Opinion: I just want the Sheamus and Jeff Hardy feud to be over at this point. I don’t care if it a Bar Fight or a Pillow Fight, just end this horrible storyline at Extreme Rules so everyone can move on.
Bayley & Sasha Picked Up A Win
Sasha Banks and Bayley came to the entrance ramp but Nikki Cross attacked the SmackDown Women’s Champion from behind as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Bliss and Cross battled Bayley and Banks in a tag team match.
Match Recap: Sasha and Nikki started the match off and Banks beat Cross down in the corner of the ring. Bayley tagged in and Cross trapped her in the ring skirt and unloaded a flurry of punches. Bayley retreated back in the ring and went for a tag but Cross dragged her back to the corner. Alexa tagged in and Bayley greeted her with a knee to the ribs. Bayley carried Alexa to the corner and tagged Sasha in.
Bliss slammed Banks to the canvas and tagged Cross back in. Cross hit a Dropkick before tagging Alexa back in. Bayley and Banks rolled out of the ring and Nikki grabbed the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Nikki danced around before hitting Bayley with a Crossbody off the announce table as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Banks and Bayley were back in control and Alexa isolated in the ring. Sasha slapped Alexa in the face before applying a Headlock. Bayley and Cross tagged in as Sasha launched Bliss into the barricade. Bayley then rolled up Cross and used the ropes for leverage for the victory.
Naomi Won The Karaoke Showdown
Lacey Evans, Tamina, Dana Brooke, and Naomi competed in a a Karaoke Showdown tonight on SmackDown. Jey Uso introduced the competitors and Lacey Evans was up first.
Evans sang Jeff Jarretts theme and Dana Brooke sang Honky Tonk’s theme while dancing around the ring. Tamina shouted Triple H’s theme ridiculously and Jey quickly put a stop to it. Naomi sang Dusty Rhodes’ theme and crushed it. Naomi then got the most applause from the crowd to win the Karaoke Showdown. Lacey got pissed off and tried to attack Naomi with her heel as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Evans and Naomi battled in a match with Tamina and Dana ringside. The match was quickly thrown out as it turned into a brawl between the four superstars.
The SmackDown Tag Team Title Match Ended In A No Contest
New Day defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Cesaro & Nakamura in the main event of this week’s show.
Match Recap: Shinsuke Nakamura and Kofi Kingston started off the match. Nakamura beat Kofi down and brought him to the corner. Cesaro tagged in and hit Kofi with a couple uppercuts. Cesaro draped Kofi across the top rope and Nakamura hit him with a knee to the ribs. Shinsuke went for the cover but Kingston was able to kick out at two.
Kofi battled back and stomped on Cesaro in the corner of the ring. Big E tagged in and continued to stomp the hell out of Cesaro against the turnbuckle. When SmackDown returned from a break, Big E leveled Cesaro and followed it up with a Splash for a near fall. Nakamura and Kofi tagged in and traded punches.
Everyone started brawling and the match ended in a DQ. Cesaro and Nakamura set up a table in the ring and put Big E on top of it. Cesaro then hopped on the second rope and Powerbombed Kingston on top of Big E and through the table to end the show.
Opinion: I’m assuming this is going to lead to a Tables Match at Extreme Rules for the tag titles. This week’s episode didn’t have much effort put into it and it resulted in a completely forgettable show. I can only hope that RAW and SmackDown are much better next week heading into Extreme Rules.
