SmackDown ended with Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa standing tall over Jey Uso with a week to go until SummerSlam.
The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion will defend the gold and his status as Tribal Chief when he , as The Bloodline saga continues.
On Friday night’s episode, the family drama bookended a decent show with some genuinely brilliant moments as Jey and Roman edge closer to their high stake showdown in Detroit.
The show started with Main Event Jey in the ring only to be immediately interrupted by the Head of the Table, who tries to take credit for his cousin’s success but doesn’t like being blamed for The Bloodline’s downfall, nor being reminded of .
Afterwards, Jey had a backstage clash with Grayson Waller, leading to a match in the main event – and another feather in the cap of the rising Aussie star.
The match itself was great as Waller proves he can hang with the company’s biggest stars – but this was definitely more about what was to come after the bell.
Roman and Solo came down and while Jey put up a fight, he soon fell to two Samoa Spike and Spear combinations which left him lying on the mat.
Rey Mysterio suffers injury, LA Knight delights the fans and more
The first match of the night was the final of the United States Title Invitational, with champion Austin Theory watching from a skybox as Rey Mysterio faced Santos Escobar.
The two LWO teammates put on a great show but the match was overshadowed by an unfortunate and scary ending as after a Suicide Dive.
The decision was made to stop the bout and award the win to Santos, who will go onto face Theory for the gold.
LA Knight delighted the live crowd by interrupting Hit Row and tearing them down before making easy work if Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis to keep some momentum amid a groundswell of support from the fans.
We later found out that there will be an inter-brand Battle Royal at SummerSlam, with Knight and Sheamus being added to the field.
Backstage, Bobby Lashley told the Street Profits they need to start looking like stars, giving them a rack of stylish suits as they continue to tease the new alliance.
After a row earlier in the night, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair beat the Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville in a bout the champs really shouldn’t be losing so soon into their run with the titles.
Backstage again, Bayley and Iyo Sky teased their issues before WWE Women’s Champion Asuka jumped out and scared them both.
Karl Anderson wanted to fly solo against Karrion Kross, which was a mistake as the sinister star was able to put him away before locking in the Kross Jacket after the bell.
The O.C. ran down to make the save as the rivalry continues to rumble on.
WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on TNT Sports 1.
WWE SmackDown results and grades - July 28, 2023
- US Title Invitational: Santos Escobar beat Rey Mysterio via referee stoppage (B)
- LA Knight destroyed Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis (C+)
- Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair defeated Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville (C+)
- Karrion Kross pinned Karl Anderson (C+)
- Jey Uso beat Grayson Waller (B+)
