The July 16th episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. It was the first episode of SmackDown following WWE Extreme Rules 2019. Here are 6 takeaways from the show:
Kevin Owens Attacked Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon barred Kevin Owens from the building earlier tonight and held the first-ever SmackDown town hall meeting. Shane stood alone in the ring as the SmackDown locker room was on the entrance ramp. Shane asked to be introduced as the best in the world and posed on the turnbuckle.
The crowd chanted “you suck!” as Shane started to speak. McMahon stated that he will be happy to listen to the superstars as long as they are respectful. Roman Reigns approached the microphone first and claimed that nobody in this respects Shane. Reigns then told McMahon to kiss his ass before walking backstage.
Shane stated that wasn’t respectful and said he was going to fine Roman. Charlotte Flair thanked Shane and the McMahon family. Liv Morgan interrupted and called Charlotte phony and asked if anything was real about her. Flair joked that she had no idea that Liv Morgan even worked here.
Buddy Murphy stated that he doesn’t need Kevin Owens to fight his battles and added that Owens needs to keep his name out of his mouth. Apollo Crews said that he agreed with Kevin Owens. Zelina Vega and Andrade interrupted and challenged Apollo to a match.
Elias strummed his guitar but was quickly interrupted by New Day. Big E called Elias the greatest jackass in SmackDown history. Kofi Kingston said that everybody on this stage has the change to do great things but Shane isn’t giving them the opportunity. Shane cut off Kofi’s microphone and said that the first-ever town hall was concluded.
Cesaro got the microphone and challenged Aleister Black to pick a fight with him tonight. Shane told Cesaro that he has his match as Kevin Owens hopped over the barricade. Owens hit Shane with a Stunner and then danced around before leaving the ring.
It was nice to see Buddy Murphy and Liv Morgan actually get some TV time for a change. There is nothing special about this storyline between Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon.
Charlotte Quickly Tapped Out Liv Morgan
Charlotte Flair battled Liv Morgan tonight on SmackDown. Liv connected with a Dropkick that knocked Flair to the corner of the ring. Flair choked Morgan against the ropes and then hit her with a couple of chops.
Liv battled back with an Enziguri and followed it up with a Double Stomp for a two count. Flair hit a Powerbomb and locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Flair bridged into the Figure Eight for the submission victory.
After the match Liv Morgan grabbed the headset off of Corey Graves’ head and said “Charlotte was right and when I come back I am going to be real”.
Bayley Challenged Ember Moon To A Match At SummerSlam
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville squared off against Ember Moon and a mystery partner.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley was revealed to be Ember Moon’s partner. Bayley and Moon dominated and picked up the win. After the match, Bayley stated that she was happy that her chapter with Alexa Bliss has ended.
Bayley added that she wanted to get back to what she wanted to do all along and that was elevate the women’s division. Bayley hinted that she wanted to defend her title against Ember Moon at SummerSlam. Ember accepted the challenge and the crowd cheered to end the promo.
Natalya took a shot at Alexa Bliss last night and Bayley did the same tonight. Bayley versus Ember Moon could be an excellent match at SummerSlam. I’m glad Ember Moon is finally getting a shot after being overlooked for so long. I’m expecting Charlotte Flair to somehow find her way into this match as well.
Randy Orton Pinned The WWE Champion
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and SmackDown Tag Team Champions Xavier Woods and Big E came down to the ring. New Day boasted about their victories at SmackDown before Daniel Bryan and Rowan interrupted.
Big E suggested a rematch for the tag titles but Bryan and Rowan simply walked backstage instead. Bryan and Rowan came back down to the entrance ramp and Bryan shook his head before walking backstage again.
Daniel Bryan and Rowan came down to the ramp for a third time as the crowd chanted “New Day rocks!”. Bryan stared at the crowd before dropping the microphone and walking backstage again.
Samoa Joe interrupted and challenged Kofi Kingston to a WWE Championship match tonight. Elias joined the party and told Joe that he had his chance at Extreme Rules but it didn’t work out. Randy Orton stated that he was going to be the one to take the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston.
Elias suggested a 6-man tag match but Orton wasn’t interested. Kingston said that he figured that the viper would be ready to strike but it seems like he has gone a little limp. Orton got pissed off and marched to the ring with Joe and Elias. Orton picked up the win for his team after planting Kofi with the RKO. It sure looks like we are heading towards Kofi versus Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
The IIconics Are Still The Women’s Tag Team Champions
The Iconic finally defended their Women’s Tag Team Championships against the Kabuki Warriors (Kairi Sane and Asuka). The Kabuki Warriors got the jobber entrance as a R-Truth backstage segment aired.
The IIconics opted to get themselves counted out to lose the match but retain the titles. Asuka and Kairi Sane then beat down Peyton Royce and Billie Kay after the match.
Well, I’m not sure it is possible for the Women’s Tag Team Championships to be more irrelevant than they are right now. I didn’t care about this match before it started and I won’t care about the eventual rematch. Technically, this was a smart move by The IIconics, but it didn’t make for an entertaining segment.
Owens Hit Shane McMahon With Another Stunner
Shane McMahon lured Kevin Owens back to the arena by giving him a main event match against Dolph Ziggler. Owens looked over his shoulder as he walked down the entrance ramp but Shane McMahon did not attack him.
Owens went for a Stunner early but Ziggler blocked it and rolled out of the ring. Kevin flipped onto Ziggler and then brought him back into the ring. Owens went for a Senton but Dolph got his knees up and connected with a Fameasser for a near fall.
Kevin battled back with a Superkick and then a Senton off the top rope for a near fall. Shane McMahon, Elias, Drew McIntyre, AOP, Andrade, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, and The B-Team surrounded the ring and Ziggler capitalized with a Zig Zag for a near fall.
Ziggler sent Owens into the ring post a couple times and went for another Superkick but Kevin countered into the Stunner. Shane McMahon pulled Owens out of the ring and got another Stunner from Owens. Kevin then sprinted backstage and the heel superstars chased him to close the show.
The heel superstars just watched this unfold and waited until Owens ran away to do anything. It is silly that Kevin Owens complained about Shane McMahon getting too much TV time, only to wind up in a feud with him. I’m bored with the authority figure storylines and want to see something different. Owens and Shane will likely put on a very entertaining match at SummerSlam, but I’m not looking forward to the next three weeks of WWE television.