Friday night episode of WWE Smackdown that aired on July 8 had plenty of drama as the Universal champion Roman Reigns made his first appearance since beating Riddle to defend his championship. The episode kicked off with highlights from the Money in the bank pay-per-view event. In an interesting match card, the Irish Warrior Sheamus took on Drew McIntyre for the shot to contend for WWE universal champion at the Clash at the Castle event. Elsewhere, SmackDown Women’s champion Liv Morgan made her grand appearance since being crowned as the undisputed queen.
Catch all this and more in the recap of the WWE SmackDown episode from July 8:
Bloodline along with Paul Heyman kicks off the proceedings
Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns returned to SmackDown on Friday night to a standing ovation from fans, surrounded by the WWE Tag Team champions The Usos. The trio was accompanied by a name that is not new to WWE fans, Paul Heyman.
Heyman went on a red-faced diatribe about the threat Brock Lesnar brings when he confronts The Tribal Chief in a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam. He also revealed that his concern isn’t so much about the damage Lesnar can do in the match as it is about Reigns having to “go savage" to hold the challenger down for a 10 count.
The theory arrived at the entranceway before the night’s first break, looking down Reigns as he basked in the enthusiasm of the WWE Universe. Mr Money in the Bank took to the ring to warn the champion about the possibility that he may cash in his briefcase on Reigns at any time.
Tag Team match: Shanky and Jinder Mahal vs The New and Vicious Viking Raiders
The New and Vicious Viking Raiders, possibly trademarked by Michael Cole, faced Shanky and Jinder Mahal in their first in-ring appearance since their reappearance two weeks ago. The bell rang and the action began straight away. It went roughly as expected, with the dancing big guy leaving his partner high and dry as Erik and Ivar dominated Jindal and cruised to a squash match victory.
Following the bout, New Day entered the ring, and Xavier Woods offered the dominating heels ass-kicking tickets. They suffered as well, as the Raiders ended the part by leaving him and Kofi Kingston in a heap.
Ludwig Kaiser took on Shinsuke Nakamura after Gunther’s open challenge
Gunther offered an open challenge for his championship before adding that any potential opponent must first earn such an opportunity. This drew Shinsuke Nakamura out, who accepted the offer, and a match against the Austrian’s right-hand man, Ludwig Kaiser stemmed from it.
After an intense back-and-forth match, Nakamura defeated Kaiser after nailing him with the Kinshasa knee, paving the way for a dream match between two of the greatest NXT talents in the company’s history.
Ronda Rousey and Natalya Interrupt new WWE women’s champion Liv Morgan’s celebrations
Liv Morgan was crowned as the new SmackDown Women’s champion after winning the Money in the Bank event. She addressed the WWE Universe in an in-ring promo presented by Michael Cole. The celebrations were cut short by Natalya, who did not seem happy with the babyface’s triumph.
Former champion Ronda Rousey has entered the game, challenging The Queen of Harts for a rematch. Rousey wasted little time to put Natalya away, as she dominated the entire match. After landing a vicious elbow hit Rousey trapped Natalya in an ankle lock and forced a tap-out to secure the win.
Maximum Male Models flaunt 2022 Tennis Collection
Max Dupri returned to the show on Friday night to unveil his Maximum Male Models’ 2022 Tennis Collection. While Dupri spoke, Mace and Mansoor modeled the sports clothing in what someone backstage presumably thought was the most hilarious sequence in professional wrestling history.
Frustrated Lacey Evans punched teammate Aliyah
Lacey Evans finally let loose after weeks of frustration, unleashing into a nasty, angry tirade on Fort Worth supporters. She took issue with the booing that greeted her entry and asked the supporters to “go to hell".
The bout, in which she was supposed to partner with Aliyah to take on Shayna Bazler and Shotzi, never happened since the Marine veteran flattened the babyface with a vicious ‘Women’s Right’. The sudden change of the babyface to a heel seems surprising as it will be interesting to see how her long-term teammate Aliyah reacts to the situation.
Tag Team Action: The Usos took on Los Lotharios
Los Lotharios were defeated by Jimmy and Jey Uso in a quick, action-packed match that began during the commercial break, demonstrating how genuinely WWE Creative wanted fans to take Angel and Humberto.
Kayla Braxton stirred the fire after the match, alleging that some feel The Usos got away with one at Money in the Bank by beating the aforementioned Profits despite Montez Ford’s shoulder being raised during the pin-fall. She also stated that the contest will have a special guest referee.
Main Event: Drew McIntyre vs Irish warrior Sheamus
Despite promoting Sheamus vs Drew McIntyre as the match to establish who will contest for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle, SmackDown squeezed the old bait-and-switch, booking a ridiculous angle at the end of the show to prevent the bout from taking place.
Sheamus, who was suffering from a “tickle" in the throat, claimed to have COVID-19 and demanded to be tested. As a result, Butch was announced as his replacement for the main event.
McIntyre smashed the artist once known as Pete Dunne, ending him with the Claymore before cutting the top rope with his sword, Angela, in a moment that would have meant more if it hadn’t been done as recently at WrestleMania XXXVIII.
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