Smackdown – July 26, 2024: Taped For Success

Smackdown
Date: July 26, 2024
Location: CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re taped with one of the last shows before heading to Cleveland for Summerslam weekend. In this case we have a pretty big match with a gauntlet match to crown new #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles. In addition, we are probably going to be finding out which one of Cody Rhodes’ friends is massacred by the Bloodline. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We look back at the Bloodline wrecking Kevin Owens last week, just as they had done to Randy Orton the previous week.

Nick Aldis talks to the Bloodline, saying that since Tonga Loa suffered an eye injury last week, the Bloodline is out of the gauntlet match. That doesn’t work for Solo Sikoa, so the Bloodline will be represented with Jacob Fatu in Loa’s place. Works for Aldis, who should have figured that out in the first place.

LA Knight is walking through the back and is ready to drop Santos Escobar on his head before going to Summerslam to win the US Title.

LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Elektra Lopez is here with Escobar. Knight gets shouldered down to start but pops back up with a hiptoss. Back up and Escobar stomps away in the corner before grabbing something like a Sharpshooter to send Knight to the ropes. A 619 drops Knight again and we take a break. Back with Escobar grabbing a chinlock but Knight fights up and grabs a running neckbreaker.

A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Knight right back down but Escobar gets stomped into the corner. Knight’s running knee has Escobar down again, only to have Lopez’s distraction break up a torture rack. Cue Logan Paul for a distraction, allowing Escobar to load up the Phantom Driver. That’s broken up and Knight grabs the BFT for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C+. Nice use of Escobar to boost Knight up towards the title match next weekend. That’s all this needed to be, with Paul’s interference tying things in to Summerslam. Knight getting a nice win is a good way to get him up the ladder a bit, but he’s going to need to win the title already. He’s had too many big losses and needs to actually win something.

Post match Paul jumps Knight but gets beaten up, only for Escobar to jump Knight from behind. Paul hits his frog splash.

We look at Blair Davenport attacking Naomi last week.

Naomi isn’t sure why that happened but wishes Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair luck.

Logan Paul calls that the first taste of a five course meal. LA Knight better be ready.

Here are Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair to all out Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre. Belair accuses them of ducking herself and Cargill so here are Dawn and Fyre to jump them. Cargill and Belair clear the ring with no trouble.

We look at the Japan tour.

Terence Crawford meets B Fab and the Street Profits.

Nia Jax gives Tiffany Stratton a new Money In The Bank briefcase, knowing Stratton would never cash it in on her.

Tag Team Gauntlet Match

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Apollo Crews/Baron Corbin are in at #1 and Legado del Fantasma are in at #2. Legado jumps them to start but Corbin plants Angel for a fast two. Berto comes in and hits a big suicide dive as we take a break. Back with Berto kicking Corbin in the head but getting tossed into the corner for his efforts. Crews comes in for the rolling German suplexes until Angel knees him out of the air. The Wing Clipper is loaded up but Corbin comes in with the End Of Days for the pin at 5:55.

The Street Profits are in at #3 with Ford flipping away from Crews. Ford slips out of a vertical suplex and drops Crews on the back of his head for two. It’s off to Corbin, who punches Ford’s springboard away. Crews throws Corbin over the top and onto the Profits for the crash as we take a break. Back with Corbin hitting a middle rope clothesline into a powerbomb but Ford pops back to his feet. An enziguri staggers Corbin and it’s off to Dawkins as everything breaks down. Crews and Ford both hit stereo dives, only for Dawkins to come back in with the Revelation to finish Crews at 14:44 total.

Pretty Deadly is in at #4 and Ford wastes no time in taking Prince down for a standing moonsault. Ford gets taken into the corner to start in on the beating, including a half crab that lasts all of three seconds before Ford makes the rope. Ford kicks Prince away and dives over to Dawkins for the big tag so house can be cleaned. Pretty Deadly is back up with the running elbows in the corner, setting up a gutbuster to give Prince two. Dawkins is right back up though and a Doomsday Blockbuster finishes 20:32 total.

The OC is in at #5 Ford in trouble in the corner, with Anderson ripping away at his face. The chinlock goes on before it’s back to Gallows for a running clothesline. Gallows’ up and down elbows set up a chinlock but Ford fights up and DDTs his way to freedom. Dawkins comes back in and gets caught in the spinebuster, setting up the fireman’s carry. Ford cuts off the big boot though and Dawkins gets a rollup for the pin on Gallows at 28:26.

That leaves the Bloodline as the final team and this is going to hurt. We take another break and come back with Tonga hammering Dawkins down in the corner. Fatu comes in for a running splash and it’s time for the choking on the ropes. Dawkins finally slips away and gets it back to Ford to pick up the pace in a hurry. A jumping enziguri gets two on Tonga, who throws Ford off the top for two of his own. Everything breaks down and Ford hits the big flip dive over the post onto everyone else. A DDT just annoys Fatu and it’s the pop up Samoan drop into the triple jump moonsault to give Fatu the final pin at 38:23.

Rating: B-. This was better than I was expecting as gauntlet matches tend to be a big mess a lot of the time. Some of the falls were given more time here and it made things that much more interesting. The last fall was by far the best as the Bloodline beat an established team and looked like killers in the process. That’s how they should be presented and it wouldn’t shock me to see them smash DIY to win the titles.

Commentary is cut off by A-Town Down Under, who do not like Terence Crawford, either in the crowd or in the back. They call him out so here is Crawford in person. The villains demand an apology, with Waller promising that Theory will knock Crawford out. Crawford drops Theory and Waller bails.

We get a sitdown interview with Cody Rhodes, who is in Japan on tour. He won the greatest fight of his life against Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania and the Bloodline was no more. Or so he thought. Now there is this new version running around with his friends and allies having been taken out. He is going into Summerslam on his own, but also the champion. Rhodes needs to look into Solo Sikoa’s eyes so he wants to see him face to face next week.

Andrade talks about wanting the United States Title but Carmelo Hayes interrupts to say this isn’t over. Hayes compares himself to LeBron James but Andrade says he’s more like LeBron’s son. Works for Hayes, who gets a rematch.

Nia Jax/Tiffany Stratton vs. Bayley/Michin

Michin gets jumped before Bayley shows up so Bayley has to make a save, but Bayley has to start alone. Bayley jumps Stratton to officially start and the sliding lariat gets two. Back up and Stratton sends her into the corner but Bayley grabs the Stunner over the middle rope for two more. The rather damaged Michin gets up, only to get pulled back down by Jax.

We take a break and come back with Stratton hitting the handspring elbow in the corner for two on Bayley. We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by a spinebuster for two. Jax’s powerslam gets two more and another chinlock goes on. Back up and Bayley counters another handspring into a suplex and it’s off to Michin to pick up the pace.

A flapjack drops Stratton and there’s a dive to take Jax down as well. It’s back to Bayley with a running knee to Jax and the top rope elbow gets two, with Stratton making the save. Everything breaks down and a briefcase shot to the head rocks Bayley, setting up the Annihilator to give Jax the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C+. This was about telling a story of Jax and Stratton having their alliance to take out Bayley before the Summerslam title match. That went well enough, even with it being a handicap match for the most part. It wasn’t exactly a great match, but it did what it was supposed to do and moved us that much closer to Summerslam.

Solo Sikoa is fine with meeting Cody Rhodes next week, on the same night the Bloodline is getting the Tag Team Titles back. Then Sikoa will win the WWE Title back, and if Roman Reigns has a problem with that, he knows where to come, and it won’t go well. That’s a big shift from “Reigns isn’t coming back” to “this is what happens if Reigns comes back.”

Overall Rating: B-. This definitely felt like a taped show, with the gauntlet match eating up about a third of it and a fair bit of pre-taped stuff in there as well. That being said, the show didn’t feel like a waste of time at all, with stories either being advanced or new stuff being set up for later. Nice show here, but it was more about getting things ready for later.

Results
LA Knight b. Santos Escobar – BFT
The Bloodline won a tag team gauntlet match
Nia Jax/Tiffany Stratton b. Bayley/Michin – Annihilator to Bayley

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