WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Aug. 14

WWE returned to the historic TD Garden in Boston for the August 14 episode of SmackDown, headlined by the latest in the rivalries between Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk and Kevin Owens, and Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton.

There were also championship clashes on the lineup, making for a higher-stakes episode.

What went down, who emerged victoriously, and could one building contain the four headliners? Find out in this recap, including grades and analysis for each match and segment.

Lineup

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Announced in advance of Friday's show were:

• The latest from Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton
• CM Punk and Kevin Owens under one roof
• United States Championship Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Baron Corbin (c)
• Women's United States Championship Match: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jacy Jayne
• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Damian Priest and R-Truth (c) vs. War Raiders vs. The MFTs

Nick Aldis and Chelsea Green Kicked Off SmackDown

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Last Time in Action: Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton lost to Fatal Influence (SmackDown, August 7); Nick Aldis lost to Gunther (SummerSlam, August 1)

SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis introduced WWE Women's Champion Chelsea Green to the ring to kick off the show and wasted no time addressing her broken eye socket. Hesitantly, he asked that she relinquish the title.

Green launched into a tremendous promo in which she talked about the sacrifices she made, the laughter and ridicule she endured, and how she came to work and did her best. She insisted, correctly, that she earned the title and that until someone takes it off of her, it is hers.

In a fantastic babyface moment, Aldis ignored his GM intuition and agreed to give the champion 30 days to get cleared.

Gunther interrupted the proceedings, was his typically great heel self as he insulted both the authority figure and the injured champion, and drew out Matt Cardona to defend his wife.

The show threw to break with The Ring General, irate at ringside.

A great bit of babyface business, coupled with the excellence of The Career Killer and a little fresh face sprinkled in for good measure, made for a strong start to the show that should lead to a match-up.

Grade

A

Top Takeaways

• Green is going to be the most beloved babyface in the women's division, ala her former co-adulterer Daniel Bryan (look it up), if they continue to paint her like the underdog. She was great here, the crowd clearly loves her, and Aldis' decision has them rooting for the Hot Mess. She's one of those performers whose popularity can be traced back to her hard work and unwavering connection with the audience.
• This is a big spot for Cardona. Long overdue.

Matt Cardona vs. Gunther

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Last Time in Action: Gunther defeated Nick Aldis (SummerSlam, August 1); Matt Cardona lost to Ricky Saints (Main Event, July 16)

Back from the commercial, Gunther and Cardona battled in an impromptu match.

The Ring General dominated the action, even powerbombing the former United States and Intercontinental Champion onto the commentary table. Feeding off his wife's sense of urgency, Cardona fought back into the ring and delivered a Rough Ryder for a high-drama near fall.

Gunther put him down with consecutive powerbombs, then tapped Cardona out with a most appropriate Boston Crab.

After the match, Nia Jax and Lash Legend hit the ring, with the former announcing her desire to challenge for the WWE Women's Championship. Before the heels could do any further damage to the Hot Mess, Tiffany Stratton unsuccessfully made the save, hammering away at Irresistible Forces, only to be left lying.

An extended squash victory for Gunther, which is what it should have been given his stature compared to Cardona's, led to an angle that sets up a future title program. This worked, much like the opening segment, as SmackDown continued its hot first 30 minutes.

Result

Gunther defeated Cardona

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• Cardona and Gunther worked in jeans, a little touch that sold the idea of the match being impromptu. More of this and less of the "guy cuts promo in tights" stuff that has been a standard in WWE for the last 20 years.
• Cardona is still great at selling an ass-kicking. Without his efforts, the match does not have the same effect. He may not have had his arm raised, but this was a big win for the Always Ready competitor.
• All 25 minutes of the show to this point centered on Green. If that is not indicative of her star power, nothing is. The company believes on her, she has rewarded their trust, and the result is her being prominently featured at the top of the broadcast.

Backstage Segments

Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair reunited, only to come across Tatum Paxley, who invited them to join her in her makeshift shrine to the former tag team champions. They obliged, but did so cautiously, as if they were not yet sold on the idea of partnering with the former NXT star.

At least the unhinged, obsessed persona works for Paxley based on what has already been established in years of NXT TV.

Elsewhere, Cody Rhodes confronted Nick Aldis and expressed his desire to settle the differences with Randy Orton. The SmackDown GM suggested Sunday Night's Main Event in Atlanta on September 6.

Sami Zayn interrupted, drawing the ire of Rhodes, who pitched a match between the two for tonight. Aldis obliged and added a stipulation: if Zayn can win, the Last Real Good Guy in WWE would receive a championship match against the winner of CM Punk and Kevin Owens.

There was some great intensity and anger from Rhodes here, a dichotomy of what we typically see from The American Nightmare. As the pressure to regain the title and seek revenge against Orton sets in, it will be interesting to see if we get more of this Rhodes.

United States Championship Match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Baron Corbin

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Last Time in Action: Carmelo Hayes defeated Ricky Saints (Main Event, July 30); Baron Corbin defeated Trick Williams (SmackDown, August 7)

Hayes may have been home in Boston, but that did not mean a championship victory was predestined.

The former NXT World Champion took the fight to his larger opponent and, late in the bout, was set up for the First 48. Instead, Corbin recovered and shoved Hayes from the top rope and to the arena floor.

With his opponent stunned, Corbin slid him in the ring, delivered End of Days, and successfully retained the gold. After the match, Trick Williams appeared, allowing Lil Yachty to attack Corbin with a kendo stick to the back. The former US champion laid him out from there before joining the platinum-selling rapper in standing tall.

Immediately moving on from Hayes to spotlight Williams was certainly a choice and does not bode well for the idea that the charismatic good guy will be factored into the title picture from here.

Result

Corbin defeated Hayes to retain

Grade

B-

Top Takeaways

• Hayes broke out a frog splash in honor of Eddie Guerrero, who the commentary team noted he watched in the same arena as a fan, square off against Rey Mysterio in a main event. Little tidbits like that are invaluable, and Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett have proven to be an underrated duo.
• Corbin looked good here, further proving that he had not missed a step despite two years out of the WWE spotlight. A great big man with quick athleticism, he is still a strong performer between the ropes.

CM Punk and Kevin Owens Promo

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Last Time in Action: Kevin Owens won the No. 1 Contender's Match (SummerSlam, August 2); CM Punk defeated Cody Rhodes (SummerSlam, August 1)

Ahead of their WWE Championship Match next week in Toronto, CM Punk cut off Kevin Owens before he could say a word, entering to a thunderous ovation to the dismay of his No. 1 contender.

A tense verbal showdown ensued, with Owens knocking Punk's history of burning bridges. It included a reference to the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in AEW, without actually naming them, and the beratement Punk dealt a young KO 20 years ago on the independent scene.

Punk claimed he had spent the last two decades evolving and getting better, while Owens never put in the work to do so.

The battle of insults concluded with The Prizefighter claiming he will beat Punk's "bitch ass" next week, while the champion vowed to put Owens' "fat ass" to sleep.

This was every bit the tense confrontation fans would hope for. It blended fiction with reality, sold the hell out of next week's title match, and highlighted to all-time-great talkers in a segment where the fans hung on every word.

Big thumbs up.

Grade

A

Top Takeaways

• There was just enough heat between the two to sell the idea that there is legitimate bad blood between them and that any given word they spoke about each other was rooted in fact. The lines were blurred, each man sold frustration and anger with the other and most importantly, they put over the championship match.

• Punk was daring Owens to mention the Young Bucks on WWE TV, ala his attempt to get Drew McIntyre to reveal the name of the man who labeled him the "Chosen One" during their rivalry. One thing is for sure: Punk is going to poke and prod on the mic and it almost always makes for a better segment.

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship

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Last Time in Action: Damian Priest and R-Truth and The War Raiders fought to a no contest (SmackDown, July 31); The MFTs lost to Truth and Priest (SmackDown, June 19)

New WWE Tag Team Champions were crowned Friday night as Tama and Talla Tonga, under the guidance of their father Haku, defeated The War Raiders and the duo of Damian Priest and R-Truth to capture the gold.

An action-packed three-way battle preceded the finish, but it was the late fury of the siblings and their Brother's Keeper double powerbomb to Truth that earned them the victory.

A solid match that crowned new champions and, hopefully, provided the tag division with a spark. The lack of babyface options to challenge for the titles, besides Fraxiom, begs the question: was putting the gold on heels at this point the best option?

Result

The MFTs defeated Truth and Priest and The War Raiders to win the titles

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• It felt like Priest was above the tag titles and a partnership with Truth, even if it was rooted in preexisting story, so losing here and refocusing on the WWE title feels like a logical next step for the Archer of Infamy.

Women's United States Championship Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Jacy Jayne

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Last Time in Action: Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green lost to Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley (SmackDown, August 7); Jacy Jayne, Reid, and Henley defeated The Bella Twins and Paige (SummerSlam, August 1)

For the second consecutive match, championship gold switched hands as Jacy Jayne of Fatal Influence defeated Tiffany Stratton to win the Women's United States Championship.

Late in the match, Stratton scaled the ropes to deliver the Prettiest Moonsault ever, only to switch her attention to Reid and Henley on the outside. She wiped them out as they threatened Chelsea Green. As a result, Jayne recovered, rocked her with the Rolling Encore, and stole the title.

Not only does the finish get the gold on a heel, which is a better option given the strength of the babyfaces on the SmackDown side of things, but it also propels Stratton and Green's tumultuous partnership forward.

Will Tiffy Time blame Green? Maybe not initially, but eventually, sure. Does that make her the favorite to dethrone Green? Perhaps.

Either way, this was a successful bit of business on a great night for the women's division.

Result

Jayne defeated Stratton to win the title

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• Jayne should have been champion long before now so this is righting a wrong that went on for about four months too long.
• Green contributed exponentially here, just through her use of facial expressions.

Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton Brawl to Close the Show

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Before the main event between Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn, Randy Orton attacked The American Nightmare, instigating a brawl that spilled into the crowd.

As they fought back to the ringside area, The Viper seized control and dropped his rival on the commentary table. He grabbed the steel stairs and set Rhodes up for a chair shot, but his former protege caught him with a low blow.

The former WWE champion teased a chair shot of his own, only to have producer Daivari grab the weapon from him. The show went off the air with officials restraining Rhodes as his anger continued to boil over.

A hot close to the show, it continued to highlight the ongoing rivalry at the top of Friday nights, while also preserving Zayn's argument for conspiracies keeping him out of the title picture.

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

• The steel stairs spot always seems so convoluted. It takes so long to set up and rarely looks good unless the camera angle is on point.
• The Orton-Rhodes program is in an infinitely better place now than it was entering the biggest show of the year.

MVP and Overall Grade

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MVP: Chelsea Green

The WWE Women's Champion was all over this show and fueled several segments on it. If there was any question about her role on the show and how serious WWE officials were about pushing her, it was answered on Friday's broadcast.

Overall Grade: A

This was a great show that set up several top feuds, highlighted Green, had meaningful title changes, and featured a strong brawl to close things out.

Arguably, the best episode the blue brand has produced in ages.