WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 28
Karrion Kross continued his battle with AJ Styles and The O.C. Friday night on SmackDown when the former NXT champion battled Karl Anderson in one-on-one competition at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Elsewhere, Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar of the Latino World Order put friendship aside as they battled in the United States Championship Invitational Finals for the right to challenge Austin Theory.
Those matches headlined a broadcast that wrote the latest chapter in the feud between Jey Uso and Roman Reigns ahead of their "Tribal Combat" for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
Find out what went down, who went over and how each of the night's matches, promos and angles graded out with this recap of the July 28 show.
Match Card
1 of 8Announced in advance for Friday's show were:
- United States Championship Invitational Finals: Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar
- Karl Anderson vs. Karrion Kross
- Jey Uso and Roman Reigns prepare for Tribal Combat at SummerSlam
Jey Uso Kicked Off SmackDown and Roman Reigns Interrupted
2 of 8
Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns continued his attempts to get inside the head of Jey Uso ahead of their Tribal Combat at SummerSlam on August 5, claiming his role as Right Hand Man only came about because his brother, Jimmy, was hurt.
Uso answered his cousin's verbal mind games with his own, reminding him that he pinned Reigns at Money in the Bank and will do so again at SummerSlam.
This was great television, a promo segment that saw the champion do what he has done so often over the course of his three-year run by trying to manipulate and gaslight Jey, only to have his unfazed cousin turn the tables.
Reigns was visibly affected by Uso's threat and the fact that Jey felt powerful enough to grab The Tribal Chief by the neck was proof of a man now longer needing to be anyone's right-hand man but, rather, a lone entity ready and able to end the 1000+ day run of wrestling's top star.
Grade
A
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The crowd is red-hot for Uso. They are ready for this guy to dethrone Reigns at SummerSlam. Whether that happens is an entirely different question.
- Wade Barrett noted that Reigns interrupting Uso's promo moments after the babyface got the "Main Event Jey Uso" introduction was masterful mind games and he is right. The master manipulator still manages to get in his cousin's head, even when his role as Tribal Chief and champion is in great danger.
- Uso admitted he believed in Reigns but instead of leading the family, he broke it.
- "The only reason you became the Right Hand Man is because Jimmy was hurt. If he wasn't hurt, you didn't have a chance. You took that from him," Reigns diminished Jey's accomplishments.
- "You screwed your twin brother. Your younger brother loves me more than he loves you," The Head of the Table said, continuing to toy with Jey mentally.
- "I beat you. I pinned you. I'm the only one to do it and at SummerSlam, I'mma beat you again," Uso warned, placing his hand on the neck of The Tribal Chief in a sign of power and lack of intimidation.
United States Championship Invitational Final: Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar
3 of 8
The United States Championship Invitational which had produced two very fun four-way matches came to a sudden, unexpected, and disappointing conclusion Friday night when Rey Mysterio suffered an apparent injury that forced a referee stoppage and awarded the victory to his LWO teammate, Santos Escobar.
The disappointment was apparent on the face of Escobar, who will now challenge Austin Theory for his title. What should have been a monumental moment in his career ended before it could really get started.
The Escobar vs. Theory match should be good and the former will be the undisputed babyface in that match. Whether he has a chance of beating one of the hand-picked projects of Vince McMahon himself, though, is remains to be seen.
Result
Escobar defeated Mysterio via referee stoppage
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Theory sitting alone in a skybox, surrounded by no one and without distraction, hovering over the proceedings like a pregnant cloud, made for a powerful image.
- Following the commercial break, Michael Cole informed the audience that Mysterio suffered an injury that left him unable to compete. Referee Jessika Carr ended the match and declared Escobar the winner.
- Legitimate injury or not, Theory eating popcorn with a smirk on his face while Escobar stared him down was a great bit of heel work.
LA Knight vs. Ashante Thee Adonis
4 of 8
LA Knight interrupted another Hit Row promo and proceeded to score a victory over Ashante Thee Adonis in a quick, sprint of a match.
The match capitalized on the ungodly popularity of Knight at this point, keeping him on the show and visible so that his current momentum does not dissipate.
Is his apparent directionlessness ideal? Absolutely not but with SummerSlam right around the corner, the fact that the creative team found a spot for him on SmackDown when television is at a premium is indicative of its understanding of how hot of a commodity he is right now.
Result
Knight defeated Ashante Thee Adonis
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- That Knight pop is becoming a staple of WWE programming as fans make their support of him more and more apparent.
Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville
5 of 8
The idea of a wacky, mismatched team defeating the reigning tag team champions is fair far-fetched, but that has never stopped WWE from beating that creative trope into the ground.
Such was the case here as Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair, despite never once trusting each other, knocked off Women's Tag Team champions Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville. Sure it, propped them up ahead of their Triple Threat Match against Asuka for the WWE Women's Championship, but it also delegitimizes the titles and champions.
Deville and Green have no credibility because they lost to two women teaming for the first time, with no intent of continuing past this show. It is a trope of WWE programming dating back to the Attitude Era and one that really must go away.
Result
Belair and Flair defeated Green and Deville
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Belair and Flair's mismatched partner story trope should not come at the expense of the Women's Tag Team champions. Creative decisions like this not only hamper the credibility of the titles, but it lends credibility to those who constantly argue that WWE has failed to enhance and elevate their significance in the last handful of years.
- Flair really impressed with her hot tag. She was intense, energetic and had the fans on her side as a result.
- The finish saw Belair hoist Green up in the Kiss of Death, only for Flair to tag herself in and deliver a big boot for the win.
- Backstage, Bayley found a warning from Shotzi in her bag and Asuka confronted Iyo Sky about potentially cashing in Money in the Bank.
Karl Anderson vs. Killer Kross
6 of 8
The rivalry between Karrion Kross and AJ Styles continued Friday with the former's one-on-one showdown with "Machine Gun" Karl Anderson of The OC.
Kross stunted the offensive arsenal of Anderson and put him away in a fairly short and decisive fashion.
The match served as another message to Styles in a feud that still lacks the sizzle you would hope for out of the guys involved. That is an indictment on the creative team, which has yet to figure out what about the Kross character once made him one of the more intriguing characters in all of WWE.
Until that changes, he will continue to struggle to find consistent meaning on WWE television.
Result
Kross defeated Anderson
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, Adam Pearce announced a SummerSlam Battle Royal and LA Knight wasted little time throwing his hat into the ring for a spot in the match. Sheamus interrupted, a
- Anderson told Styles, Michin and Luke Gallows that he wanted to go it alone in this match. It puts him over as a man's man but it does beg the question: how much more effective would this be for Anderson if the WWE fans had any reason whatsoever to care about him?
- Kross always shows great intensity in his performance and this was no different. Anderson, conversely, turned in a fiery babyface showing but was overwhelmed by the fury of his opponent.
Jey Uso vs. Grayson Waller
7 of 8
Jey Uso may have gotten a laugh in the form of a victory over Grayson Waller in a competitive, fun main event but it was the post-match beatdown by Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa that served as a message to the No. 1 contender that there may not be a level of momentum that will ultimately take him where he wants to go at SummerSlam.
The heels laid The Real Chief out on a night that started so promising for Jey.
How next week's show ends could determine who goes over in Detroit.
Big props to Waller, who continues to hang with his more experienced opposition and is one of the more interesting and entertaining young stars in the company. Booking him against the veterans and letting him learn on the fly is hardly a bad idea.
Result
Uso pinned Waller
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Reigns interrupted the proceedings, wanting to get a closer look at the rolling Uso, allowing Waller to attack from being and seize control of the match.
- Uso countered Waller's rolling stunner with a superkick and followed with a spear in what was a loud, clear taunt to Reigns at ringside. An Uso finish ended it as The Real Chief earned the victory.
- Uso delivered a spear to Reigns, drawing a monster reaction from the audience. Sikoa cut it off, though, and remained instrumental in the story. He helped lay Uso out and stood over him while The Tribal Chief stood tall to close out the show.
Overall Grade
8 of 8The show was bookended by the latest in the Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns feud and that almost always results in a quality program.
Beyond that, this was one of the more uneven SmackDown shows in recent memory.
The good was good, including the in-ring portion of the Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair segments, even if the logic behind their win was enough to make you want to bang your head into a wall.
There is room for improvement elsewhere and the hype for the SummerSlam card was next to nothing, which is surprising given the magnitude of that show. That should change next week with a special Friday night broadcast, just 24 hours from The Biggest Party of the Summer.
Overall Grade: C+
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