Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes opened SmackDown by verbally sparring with Paul Heyman. Rhodes wanted to know what version of Heyman he’d get since he rekindled his alliance with Brock Lesnar.
He then had to worry about Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. The two sides threw hands, with Randy Orton coming to Rhodes’ aid.
Aleister Black set the stage for a potential Last Man Standing Match by dropping Damian Priest backstage with a Black Mass kick. Zaria and Sol Ruca laid out a challenge to Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair.
They were told that they hadn’t earned a shot. However, another NXT star received a title opportunity during the same show. WWE made the next four mistakes on the SmackDown after Wrestlepalooza.
#4. Bad match placement
The latest episode of SmackDown had only four matches. The Street Profits earned a rematch with the Wyatt Sicks by beating Melo Don’t Miz. That was followed by Giulia and Kiana James facing Michin and B-Fab.
Sami Zayn’s Open Challenge was third, followed by the triple threat WWE Women’s Championship match. If the card only consists of four matches in two hours, they should place them in different spots.
The tag team contests were back-to-back, as were the title bouts. Switching things around gives the show more variety, especially on a night of limited in-ring offerings.
#3. Making Drew McIntyre a cowardly heel
Drew McIntyre was the man who beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. He’s the same size as Randy Orton and John Cena, two names who are often considered the prototypical WWE Superstar.
The Scottish Warrior lost to Cody Rhodes at Wrestlepalooza and came out in a walking boot after kicking the bottom of the announce table at the PLE.
SmackDown GM Nick Aldis told him to stop complaining. He was also mad that the boot didn’t come from a WWE doctor. Jacob Fatu then came out and said the same thing.
The two exchanged blows, but Fatu left McIntyre lying in the ring. The former Champ shouldn’t be relegated to a whiny heel like the Miz. He deserves better than that. Getting laid out after losing a high-profile title match feels like piling on.
#2. Not having a SmackDown star answer the Open Challenge
Je’Von Evans is heavily featured on NXT as one of its top faces. He’s received shots at the NXT and North American titles and was Sami Zayn’s opponent in his latest Open Challenge on SmackDown.
The match was great with Evans displaying that he’ll be a player for WWE, but in the future. Evans already has a match with Josh Briggs at this weekend’s No Mercy. The choice was likely to give Evans a spot ahead of his PLE match.
However, all of his booking involves getting blindsided by a heel, which happened yet again when Briggs then decked him after the match. Why couldn’t someone like Lexis King, Tony D’Angelo, Shawn Spears, or Wes Lee get the shot?
What about SmackDown stars like Santos Escobar, one of the MFTs, Johnny Gargano, or Tommaso Ciampa? Again, the match was good, but many SmackDown stars struggle for TV time.
#1. Multiple issues mar SmackDown’s main event
What was supposed to be a great main event match was badly hindered by multiple issues. The triple threat between champion Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, and Nia Jax was fun and impressive in spots.
Cargill and Strattion superplexing Jax off the top buckle was a good spot. It was still hard to make up for the lingering issues. Half of the title contest took place during the commercial break or inside picture-in-picture.
If the match is so important, they should limit the commercials or pace it out better. The closing sequence was a mess as Nia Jax either forgot to kick out or the ref missed the three-count.
The moment confused the participants and fans at the most important point of the match. Stratton eventually recovered and hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on Jax for the win. Cargill got busted open toward the end of the match as well.
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