WWE SmackDown Live: Results, Analysis, and Grades for Aug. 22

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The United States Champion Re-institutes the Open Challenge

AJ Styles opens the show up by reminding everyone in the arena that SmackDown is the house that AJ Styles built. And, as the reigning United States Champion, he reinstitutes the open challenge. And who is to answer the call? Why, it’s none other than a visual distraught Kevin Owens.

Owens says that history repeated itself, and that a McMahon once again screwed over a Canadian superstar. Of course, referring to the Montreal Screwjob. He then challenges AJ Styles to another match, but Shane McMahon interrupts.

Shane says the match was called down the middle and that he wasn’t going to let Owens answer the challenge. KO replayed footage of Shane hitting the 3 count, even though AJ’s foot was on the ropes, and wondered why that decision didn’t stand. Week’s earlier, he reminded us, the ref’s decision stood despite the fact his shoulder was “10 feet off the ground.”

AJ Styles calls KO a whiny little “b****”, and grants him the match. Shane adds the stipulation that if KO loses, he can’t challenge for the US title so long as Styles holds it. KO makes a stipulation of his own, and gets to name the ref. And the main event is set.

What an incredible way to open the show. These 3 guys are excellent on the mic, and all have a legitimate motivation for their actions. It was a tone setter for the night’s episode.

Daniel Bryan Requests to Meet with Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers

Jinder Mahal presumptuously enters Bryan’s expecting to be praised. After all he made the WWE Championship an international story! He claims he’s a hero to his people.

Daniel Bryan doesn’t see it that way. He thinks that heroes don’t need to take short cuts and believes that Shinsuke Nakamura deserves retribution for SummerSlam…against the Singh Brothers.

KO Seeks Out Sami Zayn in the Back

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens’s history is well documented. And despite the fact that they have been fighting against each other, Zayn is the only one Owens can trust. KO asks Zayn to consider being the ref for that night.

This segment hit me right in the feels. I love Sami Zayn and KO and their ride together to the WWE. It felt like they were teasing a reunion of sorts when, KO said we need to stop fighting one another. While Zayn for his part began reminiscing on all of their history.

Not only that, Zayn has been woefully underutilized to see him anywhere near the action is exciting.