WWE SmackDown Live Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for August 15

Becky Lynch vs. Natalya

Result: Natalya defeated Becky Lynch via submission

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Joining the commentary team at ringside is SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi. She claims she’s just scouting Natalya ahead of their championship match this Sunday.

One thing I love about SmackDown Live that I wish would get carried over to Raw is the picture in picture during certain commercial breaks. With both shows on the same network in basically the same time slot it’s a no-brainer. When you lose a bunch of the match during an ad break, it screws up the flow of the contest. In an opening match like this, it helps with the continuity right off the bat.

The match was perfectly fine, if unspectacular. The closing sequence in particular was pretty good. When things follow basic logic, I’m always excited. Here, both competitors attempt their signature submission moves, but neither is worn down enough to get locked into the moves. Becky goes high risk to try and gain an edge, but high risk has a tendency to fail. Missing the leg drop from the top rope causes damage to the hamstring/back area, and Natalya immediately follows with a Sharpshooter.

Of course, the extra damage from the missed aerial move prevents Becky from escaping, and she’s forced to tap. Because Team Blue’s writing team believes in keeping things fairly equitable, no one is screaming that “Becky is getting buried,” or that “Natalya has to look strong going into a championship match.” It makes sense, and sometimes good wrestlers lose matches without being “buried.”

After the match, Naomi saves Becky from a Natalya beat down, bringing out Carmella and James Ellsworth to gloat about the Money in the Bank briefcase. They’re really telegraphing a cash-in at SummerSlam, so my guess is it’s teased but doesn’t actually happen.