WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades and Reaction Before Saturday Night's Main Event

Tomorrow brings another episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, but before WWE took the show to Madison Square Garden, it still had this week's SmackDown to get through.

Last week saw Gunther dish out a brutal attack against Nick Aldis, which is likely to have repercussions The Ring General did not expect.

We also saw the return of Baron Corbin, who attacked Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes to insert himself into the United States Championship picture.

Let's take a look at how WWE followed up on these events during Friday's show.

The Ring General is Angry 🤬

Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images

After a quick video recap, Gunther came out to the ring to start the show. He immediately addressed attacking Nick Aldis last week, and he blamed being mistreated since coming to SmackDown as the reason.

He also complained about having to team with Sami Zayn tomorrow night before Adam Pearce came out and told him he had heard enough. He informed him that if he and Zayn win tomorrow, they will be added to the WWE title bout at SummerSlam.

Cody Rhodes came out, but he wasn't looking to talk. He rushed the ring and attacked Gunther. He challenged The Ring General to a match for tonight, which Pearce was more than happy to book.

This was a solid segment. It didn't overstay its welcome, it had some action, it hyped a big match this weekend, and it added a new match to tonight's show. It was simple, but it worked.

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Before the show started, it was announced that Rhea Ripley had vacated the WWE title due to an injury, so a Ladder match at SummerSlam would crown an interim champion.

Finn Bálor vs. Talla Tonga

Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Finn Balor defeated Tama Tonga (SD, July 10), The MFTs lost to Damian Priest and R-Truth (SD, June 19)

The first match of the night pitted Finn Balor against Talla Tonga. Balor defeated Tama Tonga last week, so he was hoping to go two for two and end this feud.

The big man wasted no time using his size and power to his advantage. He had control from the moment the bell rang through the commercial break, but Finn started to make a comeback when the show returned.

This was a typical David vs. Goliath kind of bout, but that doesn't always lead to an exciting performance. If anything, it makes the result too predictable.

Balor got the win with the Coup de Grace, which will help him continue building momentum as he establishes himself on the blue brand. It just wasn't very exciting. The match wasn't bad, but it's hard to say it was better than fine.

Result: Balor defeated Tonga

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• When did it become popular to stylize something by removing all of the vowels? "BLR CLB" seems to be the new way to refer to the Balor Club in WWE.
• For some reason, Talla doesn't feel like a giant the same way guys like Big Show and Great Khali did. It might be because he is a little shorter than they are, but he is also missing that aura giants usually have.
• Joe Tessitore made a joke about fried onions that will likely confuse a lot of people.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Jacy Jayne

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Fanatics

Last time in action: Tiffany Stratton lost a six-woman tag match (SD, July 3), Jacy Jayne lost to Paige (SD, June 23)

The first qualifier for the SummerSlam Ladder match saw Tiffany Stratton take on Jacy Jayne from Fatal Influence.

Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley were hoping to help Jayne get an early advantage by attacking Stratton before the bell, but Brie Bella and Paige showed up to even the odds.

When the show returned from a break, the other women had been cleared from the area and the match was in progress. Jayne had control, but not for long.

Tiffy ended up scoring the win to advance to the WWE title bout at SummerSlam. The match was too short to be memorable, and it had a couple of noticeable mistakes.

Result: Stratton defeated Jayne

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

• Tiffy's gear was...let's call it interesting.
• Highly choreographed entrances for groups get old so fast. It helps with presentation, but it ends up making most entrances feel less special.
• The colliding crossbody spot looked good.
• Stratton was unable to do the cartwheel to set up her Alabama slam, so the spot looked a bit awkward.
• We got a video promo from Baron Corbin after this match.

Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax

Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Jade Cargill defeated Alexa Bliss (SD, July 10), Nia Jax lost to Chelsea Green (SD, May 29)

Jade Cargill and Nia Jax fought for one of the spots in the SummerSlam Ladder match. They only got a couple of minutes into the fight before Charlotte Flair showed up and caused a disqualification by attacking Cargill.

She tried to get revenge for Bliss after the attack she suffered last week, but B-Fab and Michin saved her from having her arm stomped in a chair.

Jax was furious that Flair cost her the win, so she smashed her in the corner before leaving, which left her open to an attack from Cargill.

The match lasted about a minute before the DQ. It didn't make the feud between Cargill and Flair more interesting, and it didn't provide a satisfying conclusion to anything.

Result: Cargill won by DQ

Grade: F

Notable Moments and Observations

• Jax and Cargill are both heels, but that is a powerhouse vs. powerhouse feud WWE should revisit at some point.
• Blake Monroe attacked Candice LeRae backstage. A comatose Johnny Gargano did nothing to stop it.

The War Raiders vs. Fraxiom

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: War Raiders defeated Los Garzas (Main Event, June 5), Fraxiom defeated OTM (Main Event, May 8)

Erik and Ivar, the current AAA tag champs, had a match against Axiom and Nathan Frazer this week.

WWE is trying to rebuild the War Raiders, so it was nice to see them back on one of the main shows instead of being relegated to Main Event and AAA.

Neither of these teams have been featured much in recent months, so it was nice to see them get a chance to show off a bit in this match.

They were given enough time so that both teams were able to have moments in control. Fraxiom used their signature high-flying offense to produce some fun moments, and the War Raiders used their immense size and power to dominate the rest of the action.

This was a big improvement over everything else we had seen up to this point in the show. Both teams brought a lot of energy to the ring, so even though the outcome was pretty obvious ahead of time, it was still an enjoyable journey.

Erik and Ivar picked up a win, giving them momentum on their path back to the WWE tag titles held by Priest and Truth.

Result: War Raiders defeated Fraxiom

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• It's mindboggling how WWE hasn't found more for Erik and Ivar to do.
• Axiom took a knee to the face during the break that looked brutal.
• Watching Ivar do a moonsault will never get old.

Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Rhodes defeated Jey Uso (SD, July 3), Gunther lost to Sami Zayn (Night of Champions)

Rhodes didn't even let Gunther get halfway to the ring before attacking him from behind. They fought in the aisle and at ringside for a couple of minutes before they got into the ring to officially start the match.

We returned from a break to see The Ring General controlling the pace, but The American Nightmare started to fight back and build a little momentum.

CM Punk arrived to cheer on his tag team partner for the weekend. When Sami Zayn showed up, all hell broke loose.

These two men know each other well, so they had no trouble making most of this match look good. Unfortunately, the match didn't have a conclusive ending thanks to Zayn and Punk getting involved.

Result: No Contest

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Danhausen has a cat now, which makes him at least 15% cooler.
• Rhodes' ring jacket looks heavy, so fighting in it does not sound fun.
• The springboard cutter is a move most people shouldn't do. There is a good chance it's not going to connect the way you want.

The Final Word

Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images

This week's SmackDown only had one match that is worth taking the time to sit down and watch. Everything else can be viewed in highlights without missing much.

The match between Jax and Cargill was a complete throwaway, and most of the other bouts failed to deliver anything exciting.

The only bout that helped keep this from being a completely skippable episode was Fraxiom vs. The War Raiders.

Erik and Ivar have been underused for far too long, so it was great to see them get a chance to remind everyone they are one of the best powerhouse teams in the game.

SNME hasn't been built up into a must-see show, but most of the matches set for tomorrow night have the potential to be good if booked right.

Grade: C-