WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 7

Every week on Bleacher Report, I take an in-depth look at WWE SmackDown to recap the results, offer analysis and grade the matches, segments and anything else that takes place on the show, as well as make a few predictions for future events.

This week's show didn't have a single weak segment. Every match was enjoyable on some level, and the backstage interactions between various Superstars were funny and entertaining.

We finally found out Randy Orton would be returning to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, fulfilling a wish many have had since Lesnar returned to the company a few years ago.

The most surprising thing about this week's episode was how little the upcoming brand extension was mentioned. You would think WWE would be plugging the live debut of SmackDown on Tuesdays every chance it got, but most of the attention was rightfully on the action in the ring.

Let's take a look at everything that happened on Thursday's show.

Jey Uso vs. Seth Rollins

Dean Ambrose came to the ring and asked JoJo if he could be the ring announcer for the first contest so he could give Seth Rollins a less-than-flattering introduction.

It's always fun to see one of the Usos have a singles match. They are both good wrestlers, and having these opportunities every so often lets them show off their potential as singles stars in case their team is ever broken up, which may happen during the draft.

Rollins and Uso had good chemistry. The pace was quick, the strikes were stiff and they both used plenty of exciting offense to make the crowd happy.

We all knew Rollins would win going into this bout, but the predictability didn't take away from how entertaining it was.

Grade: B+

Notes and Highlights

• WWE had several quick segments with Superstars before the SmackDown opening video played. It helped set up three different matches in the span of two minutes. It was entertaining and effective.
• JoJo did a good job looking surprised and a little scared when Dean Ambrose's music interrupted her in the middle of an introduction.
• Ambrose made some funny announcements throughout the match to distract Rollins. How could anyone say he doesn't deserve to be champion when he is always one of the most entertaining people on any show?
• Uso had his shirt on backward for some reason.

Zack Ryder vs. Sheamus

Zack Ryder came into this match looking to build more momentum following his big win on Raw in the 16-man main event, but he would have to overcome Sheamus to do it.

The Celtic Warrior was the one Ryder pinned on Monday, so he was aggressive right out of the gate. He wanted to embarrass Ryder because he was ashamed someone he thought was beneath him managed to beat him.

It seems like every time Ryder gets an important win, he ends up going right back to losing the next day. So it was reasonable to assume the same thing would happen here.

That's why it was so shocking (and satisfying) to see him pick up the win with his patented Elbro Drop. Hopefully this is actually the start of a renewed push for the Broski, but we shouldn't get our hopes up.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• What do you think of Ryder's new entrance music? I'm not sure how I feel about it.
• This win would have meant more had Ryder and Sheamus been given more time.
• Ryder challenged Rusev to a U.S. title match while Tom Phillips was interviewing him.

Ambushing Becky Lynch

Natalya attacked Becky Lynch as she was heading to the ring for a match, and the Hart Dungeon graduate absolutely destroyed the Lass Kicker at ringside.

WWE is doing a good job transitioning Natalya into a heel role after so many years as a bland babyface. For the first time in years, she is interesting.

It's also nice to see a fully developed feud in the women's division that has nothing to do with the Women's Championship.

The attack was quick, but it left the right impression. If these two have a match at Battleground, they should have some kind of stipulation to make it more interesting.

Grade: B

Enzo Amore vs. AJ Styles

This was the first time we were given a chance to see Enzo Amore have a singles match in quite some time, and it gave him a chance to be more than a punching bag for once.

The pre-match confrontation was entertaining, but the actual bout between Amore and AJ Styles was even better.

There was one scary moment where Amore took a bad bump outside the ring, but other than that, this match allowed him to show off his quickness and creativity in the ring.

Styles got the win after a fight outside the ring with Big Cass, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows distracted Amore. Just like the opening bout, the predictable ending didn't take away from how good the match was.

Grade: B

Notes and Highlights

• Does anyone know what the Japanese letters on The Club's jackets say? I would disappointed if it just said "The Club."
• Amore has an insane amount of nicknames for himself. This week he called himself Eskimo Enzo and Sugar Ray Amore.
• Amore took a dangerous fall when he tried to jump over the top rope onto The Club. Thankfully he wasn't hurt. His biggest rival is the ring ropes.
• I didn't notice Jerry Lawler was back on commentary until halfway through this match. The announcers should never outshine the wrestlers in the ring, so it might not be a bad thing for The King to fade into the background.

The Miz vs. Kalisto

There was a funny backstage segment where The Miz and Maryse yelled at a group of Superstars for throwing food at his wife on Raw, and it led to a match between him and Kalisto.

Kalisto used his quickness to get the upper hand early on, but Maryse helped her man take control by blocking Kalisto from diving over the top rope.

The Miz got the win after a decent match, so it doesn't look like this is the start of a new singles feud for Kalisto.

Grade: C+

Notes and Highlights

• Dolph Ziggler saying women weren't allowed in the men's locker room, only to reveal he was talking about The Miz, was pretty funny.
• It was a little surprising to see The Vaudevillains hanging out with a group of babyfaces backstage during the pre-match segment.
• Did Sin Cara have the week off? Why wasn't he at ringside for his partner?

Sami Zayn vs. Chris Jericho

The main event saw two Canadians do battle as Sami Zayn went up against Chris "Don't touch my stuff" Jericho. When you have a match with two guys like them, it's almost impossible for them not to steal the show.

They kept the pace on the slow side during the first half of the bout, but they ramped up the intensity after the commercial break.

This is the kind of match WWE could have put on any pay-per-view in a prime spot, which is why it's so great to see it for free on an episode of SmackDown.

Kevin Owens threw a bottle of water at Zayn, which led to Zayn throwing Jericho into KO at the commentary table. Zayn picked up the win after knocking Owens off the apron with a Helluva Kick and countering the Walls of Jericho with a roll up for the pin.

Between Owens being awesome on commentary and the match in the ring, this was a great way to end what turned out to be an above average show.

Grade: A-

Notes and Highlights

• Jericho and Owens had a hilarious backstage segment where Y2J yelled at KO for stealing his scarf. They play off each other so well. Hopefully they have a real feud at some point, because they could create magic in the ring. Watch their encounter here.
• WWE should make an alternate commentary track for every show where it's just Owens making fun of the wrestlers in the ring.
• Jericho hit Zayn with a Codebreaker after the match was over, making it easy for Owens to come in and attack his former friend.
• Jericho stole a sign from someone at ringside after the match was over.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown?

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter: @BR_Doctor.