WWE SmackDown Live Updates, Results and Highlights From Aug. 21

Instead of making a grand entrance or waiting for the bell to ring, Blake Monroe attacked Giulia during her entrance, beating her down at ringside and sending The Beautiful Madness into the ring steps.

Back inside the squared circle, Monroe rocked her opponent with a headbutt.

From there, The Glamour delivered a Neutralizer and left Giulia lying to close out the segment.

This was certainly a choice.

WWE booked itself into a corner by booking these two against each other, despite neither really being able to afford a loss. Instead of letting them have the match, they booked an angle that didn't land with fans because neither has been used consistently or in a way that makes the audience care about them.

It gave Monroe an edge, but beyond that, it was disappointing.

Backstage, Charlotte Flair questioned the friendship (?) between Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley until Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin approached. A verbal exchange ended with the challenge for a Six-Woman Tag Team Match.

Randy Orton interrupted CM Punk as he discussed his main event match with Kevin Owens.

A back-and-forth ended with a teased match between the two, if Punk is still champion by the end of the night.

Elsewhere, Fatal Influence did their best Mean Girls impression as they interrupted WWE Women's Champion Chelsea Green, Women's United States Champion Tiffany Stratton, and Paige.

Finally, Jackie Redmon walked in on Blake Monroe as she prepared for her SmackDown in-ring debut against Giulia.

Back from the timeout, Priest tagged into the match and unloaded on the competition, sparking a much-needed babyface comeback for the challengers.

The size and strength of Talla, though, cut him off as he leveled the former world heavyweight champion with a big clothesline.

A charge into the corner, though, was met with a big boot from Priest, who inched toward his corner. Tama cut him off by grabbing hold of his foot. Priest kicked him off, created separation, and tagged Truth in.

Channeling his inner "Ron Cena," the veteran competitor exploded into the match, leveling his competition with the Unseen 17's trademark offense.

It was all for naught, though, as Talla broke up his pinfall following an Attitude Adjustment, then joined Tama for the Red Cross, which put Truth down and earned the heels a successful title defense.

WINNERS: THE MFTs

After the match, Priest teased mounting frustration with Truth but did not pull the proverbial trigger on a heel turn.

A good, energetic match that proved the chemistry between Priest and Truth and properly highlighted the new champions, this was a quality way to kick off the in-ring portion of tonight's broadcast.

In their first defense of the WWE Tag Team Championships, Tama and Talla Tonga defended their gold against the former champions, Damian Priest and R-Truth.

The babyfaces isolated the opposition, sending the seven-foot-tall Talla to the floor, then disposing of Tama on the other side of the arena.

Truth launched himself through the ropes and onto his opponent, laying out Tama as The Archer of Infamy teed off on the big man. The show went to the break with the heels seizing control of the match, teeing off on Truth and cutting him off from his partner.

Commercial break.

Backstage Sami Zayn pled his case to SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis for a championship opportunity, even taking a shot at Randy Orton. The Viper appeared behind him, but before he could say anything of substance, Cody Rhodes called him out to the ring.

"I'm whooping your ass in front of your family as they undoubtedly sit in the front row," Orton said as he stepped through the curtain and made his way to the ring.

Aldis expressed his frustration with the disrespect shown to him by two of his top stars and said neither could have an Undisputed WWE Championship Match if they touch each other before Sunday Night's Main Event in two weeks.

Orton and Rhodes engaged in a verbal back-and-forth, with The Legend Killer calling his rival a "good guy" and the American Nightmare responding by warning his former mentor to be careful what he wishes for.

The segment ended with an exclamation point of a line from Rhodes, in which he promised to beat Orton, "and that's not a prediction. That's a spoiler."

And there is your first tease of an impending heel turn and a clear hint that Rhodes may be aligning himself with Paul Heyman in the near future.

CM Punk and Kevin Owens arrived at the arena ahead of their marquee match-up later in the night.

A stunning aerial shot highlighted a massive audience inside the Scotiabank Arena for the show.

At ringside, Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore discussed the Undisputed WWE Championship Match, then threw to a video package recapping the recent chapters in the Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton rivalry.