WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 7
It was a bad night to be Roman Reigns on WWE SmackDown.
The Tribal Chief stood trial Friday night in New York's historic Madison Square Garden, the result of his defeat at last Saturday's Money in the Bank premium live event.
What did The Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman have to say to the man who has dominated pro wrestling for the last three years, oftentimes while imposing his will on and manipulating those closest to him?
Find out with this recap of a show that also featured the return of Edge and a grudge match pitting AJ Styles against Karrion Kross.
Match Card
1 of 9Announced in advance of Friday's show were:
- The Trial of The Tribal Chief
- Edge joins The Grayson Waller Effect
- United States Championship Match: Sheamus vs. Austin Theory (c)
- AJ Styles vs. Karrion Kross
The Trial of the Tribal Chief
2 of 9
One-quarter of Friday's show was dedicated to a Tribal Court segment featuring The Usos, Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman and Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns that featured some of the best work of the latter's career and the latest developments in one of the greatest storylines in WWE history.
Reigns was at his manipulative, gaslighting best. Just when the world thought he had turned a new leaf and was ready to hand over control of The Bloodline to Jey Uso, he delivered a low blow that gave way to a wild and chaotic brawl that teased Sikoa taking over the mantle as Tribal Chief before standing tall alongside his cousin after obliterating Jimmy Uso.
The injury angle that occurred after the break, in which Jimmy was stretchered out of the arena and left in an ambulance, would seemingly take him out of the picture and set up a scenario in which Jey will have to go it alone if he is to challenge Reigns for his title, presumably as early as SummerSlam.
In the World's Most Famous Arena, with the eyes of the wrestling world on them as everyone wondered what the next chapter in the program would hold, this hit the proverbial ball out of the park.
Grade
A+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The crowd is now singing along to the entrance theme of The Usos, continuing something that started Saturday in London.
- "None of you will ever tell Paul Heyman to stop talking," the special counsel said, just seconds before Sikoa stopped him from talking by taking the mic away.
- Reigns is so in-touch with his character at this point. He does everything, from the tone of his voice to the facial expressions and the body language, to perfection. Even trying to prop himself up by wearing the ceremonial lei of The Tribal Chief despite coming off a loss.ย
- "Who has the authority to call me out here and put me on trial?" Reigns demanded answers as to why he was called to New York City.
- "You think I wanted to do that? I did it for you!" Reigns said at his gaslighting best.ย
- "I'm done with all of it. I don't want it anymore. You want it, it's yours," Reigns said before tossing the mic down and handing over the aforementioned lei.
- Reigns tossed down the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship knelt before Jey and...delivered a low blow, proving once again that his manipulation tactics are better than anyone's.ย
- A brawl ensued, the heels got the upper hand and tied Jey up in the ropes, forcing him to watch as they battered Jimmy. Siko drove Jimmy through a table to close out the segment.
United States Championship Match: Sheamus vs. Austin Theory
3 of 9
The rivalry between United States champion Austin Theory and Sheamus continued Friday as the two clashed in a high-stakes title bout.
The match was solid enough, from what we got to see of it, but was hampered by excessive commercial breaks. It was likely to make up for the length of the Bloodline segment, but it really hurt the home viewers' ability to invest in what they were seeing because of the two poorly times interruptions.
The finish was a bit predictable, especially with The Brawling Brutes and Pretty Deadly involving themselves, which means the program will likely continue long enough to conclude at SummerSlam.
Still, the effort was there and the competitors have solid enough chemistry to overcome the negative and still deliver quality in-ring content.
Result
Theory defeated Sheamus to retain
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Pretty Deadly hit the ring, right on schedule, distracting The Celtic Warrior and breaking up a cloverleaf submission attempt.
- Butch and Ridge Holland arrived to fend off Kit Wilson and Elton Prince, accidentally providing just enough of a distraction of their own to allow Theory to score the cheap win over Sheamus.
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The Grayson Waller Effect with Edge
4 of 9
Grayson Waller thought Edge had chosen his show to announce his retirement from professional wrestling.
Instead, after a brief walk down memory lane, Edge revealed that he will battle Waller one-on-one in the night's main event.
Waller was great here, doing everything he could to force a retirement announcement out of Edge in hopes of building clout for himself and his talk show segment. It backfired and now, we have an unexpected main event at the top of the show.
Good, short and to the point, this was a quality TV segment.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Edge reliving his first appearance in MSG at SummerSlam 1998 was a cool moment. He even name-dropped Sable, someone who is not mentioned enough on WWE television.
- "In London, you stood face-to-face with John Cena and six days later, you are standing in this ring with The Rated R Superstar, so someone clearly sees something in you," Edge pointed out to Waller.
- The Hall of Famer revealed he is not retiring but, instead, would have a match on tonight's show. Against Waller.
AJ Styles vs. Karrion Kross
5 of 9
Is there a more half-assed feud in WWE than AJ Styles vs. Karrion Kross?
In case you were not sure, they wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry with a minutes-long match that saw The Phenomenal One defeat the former NXT champion with a Phenomenal Forearm.
There was no time for anything to develop or any story to be told. It was a series of moves, a scuffle between Michin and Scarlett, and a finish that did nothing to help either guy in any measurable way.
It simply was, and on a show already rushing through segment due to timing issues, was wholly unnecessary.
Result
Styles defeated Kross
Grade
C-
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Scarlett attempted to interfere but Michin attacked, slamming her into the guardrail.
- Styles delivered a Phenomenal Forearm to score the win.
Women's Division Chaos
6 of 9Before WWE Women's champion Asuka could address the fans in MSG, she was interrupted by Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Iyo Sky and Bayley as a chaotic brawl ensued.
Sky attempted to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase but failed as Belair broke it up and the segment ended with The Empress of Tomorrow escaping further damage.
The timing issues facing the show hurt this as it was little more than a rushed mess that managed to interject Sky and Bayley into the title picture but did not play on their mounting tension.
Like the previous segment, it existed simply to get the feud in front of the audience, even if that meant sacrificing quality.
Grade
D
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The timing of this show, probably due to the Tribal Court segment, is all over the place.
- Iyo Sky attempted to cash in but had her opportunity interrupted by Belair and Flair.
Edge vs. Grayson Waller
7 of 9
Edge silenced Grayson Waller in the main event of the in-ring portion of Friday's show, but not without showing his young opponent a modicum of respect afterward.
The Rated R Superstar gave the Aussie loudmouth props for swimming instead of sinking in his first real opportunity to do so.
The match was good, too, with Waller never really looking out of place against his Hall of Fame opponent. He went toe-to-toe with a guy who has done everything there is to do in wrestling and shined, earning the respect of the veteran.
He is still unequivocally a heel, but a performance like this and the little sign of respect will go a long way in helping fans accept Waller as a player on the main roster.
Result
Edge pinned Waller
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "I've got it, too!" Waller said in response to the "you've still got it" chants. The Aussie is the ultimate trash-talking troll.ย
- Waller delivered a somersault variation of the Unprettier, which Cole really put over as a potentially insulting way to defeat The Rated R Superstar.
- Waller's ability to talk during matches will only help him continue to get over with fans while his in-ring work catches up to his main roster peers.
- Edge countered Wallers' rolling stunner finisher with a spear for the win.
- "Hey, Waller...you swam," Edge said, giving the heel props in a nice show of respect.
Jey Uso Lays Down the Challenge
8 of 9Jey Uso returned to MSG and took a show's worth of frustration out on Roman Reigns and Solo Siko before laying down the challenge to the Tribal Chief for one last battle between them.
An angry yet hesitant Reigns appeared dismayed as the show ended on a cliffhanger, leaving fans to wonder if The Head of the Table would accept the challenge or find a way to weasel out of a war with his cousin that has been three years in the making.
It was a good, high-intensity segment that perfectly bookended a show that was largely about the Bloodline drama.
Jey is the perfect opponent and an argument can certainly be made that he should be the one to dethrone Reigns. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen but the fans certainly appear to be behind the idea of it, if nothing else.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- "You better accept my challenge so I can beat your ass!" Uso exclaimed to close out the show, moments after laying the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the apron, essentially daring his cousin to come get it.
Overall Grade
9 of 9WWE's return to Madison Square Garden was a story of two shows.
The stuff with The Bloodline was extraordinary. Everything hit and by this time next week, we will likely have a SummerSlam main event between Jey and Reigns made official.
Even the stuff with Edge and Waller was solid and did a lot to help elevate the Aussie in the eyes of the audience.
Then there was everything else.
The show's timing was abysmal, with way too many segments and matches feeling rushed or inconsequential due to the lack of time afforded them. The women's division segment and the Styles-Kross match, in particular, were curious additions to the show if only because there was barely any time to give them anything meaningful to accomplish.
They happened because they involve top stars, but neither of the segments had anything to say because there was no time to do so. They just happened and that should never be the case when television time is such a hot commodity in WWE.
The big stuff ultimately earns the show a strong grade, but Triple H and Co. have to be more aware of timing before jam-packing a card with overly rushed segments that are inconsequential.
Overall Grade: B
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