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Add FightsATW on GoogleIt was the final WWE SmackDown before the ‘go-home’ episode next week that launches us into the two-night SummerSlam event in Minnesota. The match card has filled out, and all that is left are the final few touches and tweaks to bring these feuds to their peak. In fact, Nic Aldis’ return to the ring will be highlighted in a contract signing with Gunther to make their match official and give depth to the two-night card.
Tonight’s show in Oakland will also feature Punk and Cody following their successful tag match in what was a winning effort. However, the ‘big story’ coming out of that match is what transpired afterward, as Punk catching Cody ‘accidentally’ with the WWE World Title, of all things, should make their segment interesting.
CM PUNK AND CODY RHODES… NO MORE ‘ACCIDENTS’
Rhodes came out first tonight with Punk to follow in a ‘let’s see who can get the biggest pop’ contest. The entire segment revolved around the ‘accident seen around the world’ when Punk flipped his title on his shoulder only to clip Cody’s lip. Accident or not, the theme certainly sets the stage for this program with just one more week of promo.
Punk admitted that it was Rhodes’s path that he was on, following the ‘QB1’ after he illustrated to the ‘Second City Saint that there was a way back to WWE after a brutal exit from the company. That ‘alternative’ route is why this match was so anticipated, though we have seen it teased so much in the interim that it almost feels like they’re running back the rematch following a recent bout.
Cody admitted that he and Punk are to tag with one another at upcoming house shows next week, claiming that after Thursday they are no longer partners or ‘paired on the sheet’ together. This felt a bit underwhelming even if we did get a couple of potential teases at a heel turn. We’ll have to hope the go-home show provides a clearer story between the two because Punk calling Cody “Dusty’s kid” does not hit as hard as it used to.
GUNTHER VS NIC ALDIS CONTRACT SIGNING… ALDIS GM NO MORE
The three men in the ring, Gunther, Nic Aldis, and GM Adam Pearce, kicked off the show with a contract signing that lifted this program to a new height. Pearce told Aldis that if he signed on the dotted line, he would lose his station as the General Manager of SD, a job that now leaves Pearce as the ultimate power GM running both the blue and red brands.
Aldis quickly signed the contract, instantly making him a ‘former GM,’ but Gunther could not help but poke at Aldis being ‘terrible’ at his job. Aldis called Gunther’s bluff, claiming that he never thought it would come to them facing off at SS. They argued back and forth before things got physical, but Gunther was left standing tall after hitting Aldis with a ‘low-blow’ before power bombing him on the table inside the ring.
FINN BALOR VS ROYCE KEYS VS TRICK WILLIAMS VS DAMIEN PRIEST—FATAL FOURWAY
#1 Contender Qualifier: Winner Faces Sami Zayn
Pearce was busy pulling double duty tonight, something he’ll be doing for the immediate future, after dealing with the contract signing, so when we returned from break to find Sami Zayn had cornered him, you knew he was going to snap. The man who seems to need a vacation lost it on Zayn after the former champ came griping that the title match at SummerSlam between Cody and Punk was strictly singles action.
So, after Pearce ‘crashed out on him,’ he informed Zayn that a fatal four-way in the evening’s main event would produce an opponent for Sami at SummerSlam, with the winner being named “number one contender” to the champion after the two-night affair. That news settled Sami for the night, but it also created a huge opportunity for the competitors Royce Keys, Priest, Finn Balor, and Trick Williams.
The match allowed the complexing program between LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys to continue, furthering its convoluted story following a backstage segment earlier in the program. Trick Williams looked ‘big league’ in the match, but it was not his night considering he was a mere pawn in the storyline that crosses multiple narratives involving The Bloodline.
Fatu came out to prevent Royce from winning the match, taking him out on the outside while Jey and Jimmy USO were made to look like chumps courtesy of LA Knight. That allowed Finn Balor to hit his finisher combo that ended with a coup de grais on Priest—his former faction mate during their Judgment DAY days.
Balor will now face Sami Zayn in a potential show stealer to determine the next foe for the WWE world champion.
NIKKI BELLA RETURNS
The Bellas, a little over a week removed from Brie losing the title with Paige against Fatal Influence. With Brie in singles action, Paige was out there to watch her back, even with the number advantage being on the side of the heels. When the crowd saw Nikki come out for the save, there was a genuine pop from the crowd.
Brie challenged Fatal Influence to a six-woman tag match at SummerSlam, and you could put FightsATWÂ down for the heel turn prediction from The Bellas, who always wanted to return as heels. Paige could find a “frienemy” of hers that returned not so long ago herself, reuniting her with AJ Lee in what would be a very emotional moment.
WOMEN’S INTERIM TITLE MATCH QUALIFITERS
Chelsea Green qualified for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship Ladder Match taking place at SummerSlam when she beat her opponent Kianna James. It was a decent match as Green continues to lift herself up the roster’s rankings, far removed from her strictly comedy act.
With Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill already advanced, that left Charlotte Flair to try and qualify in her match against Nia Jax. Cargill made her presence felt in the match, as did her goons, but Flair stood tall over them as Jia attempted to take advantage.
As it stands, the match ended in a DQ after Cargill blatantly interfered by beating up Flair. The DQ decision allowed Flair to advance, an unfair set of circumstances for Nia Jax that continues her narrative as she threw an earned fit in front of the commentary desk.
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