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The July 3 edition of WWE SmackDown was crucial regarding the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view and added a lot to that show.
Last night’s WWE SmackDown saw key storyline developments regarding Extreme Rules and even saw another title match added to the show with the United States Championship now at stake.
The momentum continues to build around the blue brand and there are more angles and storylines building at the same time. With that being said, let’s take a look at a few grades from the July 3 edition of WWE SmackDown.
5. Opening Segment
There are very few surprises within the world of pro wrestling today thanks to the social media era. However, the general consensus is that next to nobody saw the reunion of Team Hell No coming last week, but what a sight it was.
Daniel Bryan and Kane hadn’t been together as a team for over five years, but they are back in the saddle again and will challenge for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Extreme Rules. And last night’s show kicked off with the two in the ring with Renee Young conducting an interview of sorts that would be very reminiscent of the old days of Team Hell No.
The humorous elements were back with Bryan saying all of the past things Kane has done to him, but Kane saying how he’s always had Bryan’s back. The argumentative sides of both superstars were out as well at times, much like it was in Team Hell No’s heyday. Their arguing came to a halt when The Usos came out and addressed Team Hell No.
Jimmy and Jey basically said how they didn’t deserve a tag team title opportunity and that they are the ones who have carried the division. GM Paige then came out and made a match between Team Hell No and The Usos official for later in the night and if The Usos would win, they would join the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match at Extreme Rules. Overall, this was a very enjoyable segment that saw Bryan and Kane back in the element that got them over five-plus years ago.
With Team Hell No and The Usos on the mic in the same segment, it’s bound to be good and last night was no exception.
Final Grade: B+
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4. Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
There are some that refuse to credit John Cena with anything, but one thing that everybody should give him credit for is the United States Championship open challenges he started back in 2015. Those open challenges have carried over with that title and even the Intercontinental Championship since then.
The same can be said for current U.S. Champion Jeff Hardy, who has been a fighting champion so far. That trend continued last night when Hardy issued another open challenge with his title on the line and who would answer it? The A-Lister of the WWE. The Miz took on Hardy for the title and the two would put on a stellar match.
It got a very respectable amount of time and both superstars made the most out of it. It seemed like a possibility that Hardy could lose his title, but The Charismatic Enigma wouldn’t allow a slip-up and after a big swanton bomb, Hardy pinned Miz to retain his U.S. Championship. But another U.S. Championship match would be made later in the night for Extreme Rules.
Hardy will defend his title at the pay-per-view against Shinsuke Nakamura in what should be a very good battle. These two are in the beginning stages of a feud and a pay-per-view match for the title should help the development of it. But as far as Hardy vs. Miz goes, it was a very solid match between two of the best WWE superstars in recent memory.
The A-Lister tried to get his hands on the U.S. Championship again, but The Charismatic Enigma was having none of it last night.
Final Grade: B+
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3. The New Day And SAnitY Segment
Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods are all about fun and entertainment, oh and pancakes too. They would try to incorporate all of those elements into one segment last night when The New Day was set to take place in its spin on an Independence Day tradition.
The hot dog eating contest shines on every 4th of July, but just one day before the big event, The New Day was set to take place in a pancake eating contest last night. But as soon as the trio was set to start eating red, white, and blue colored pancakes, another trio had other ideas and made its presence felt in a big way.
SAnitY’s music hit and the lights went out, immediately grabbing The New Day’s attention. However, Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dain jumped Kingston, Big E, and Woods from behind. SAnitY would go all out on The New Day and absolutely laid the trio out, making a big statement in the process and setting the groundwork for a potential marquee feud.
The New Day was part of the best tag team feud of the year in the WWE last year with The Usos, but it could be headed for another top feud with SAnitY if last night was any indicator. These are the two best trios in the WWE today and two elite tag teams as well, so seeing what they could do together is an enticing thought for a wrestling fan.
Has The New Day met its match with SAnitY? Only time will tell, but last night’s segment planted the seed for what the feud could become.
Final Grade: B
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2. AJ Styles vs. Aiden English
The WWE Championship will be at stake at Extreme Rules when an unlikely challenger will battle for AJ Styles’ title. Rusev will get his first-ever WWE Championship opportunity after a long wait that saw him rise among the ranks in the WWE with his Rusev Day gimmick.
Another key contributor to the Rusev Day gimmick has been Aiden English, Rusev’s sidekick throughout the gimmick’s entire run. English had the task of trying to soften up Styles last night in a match with Extreme Rules less than two weeks away. The Phenomenal One cut a promo before the match that would be followed by a promo by Rusev.
English started the match by taking advantage of a brief distraction caused by Rusev and it was off and running. However, the match didn’t go very long and really didn’t do much in the grand scheme of things. The WWE didn’t put a whole lot of effort into it and Styles made English tap out to the calf-crusher. However, the WWE Champion’s night wasn’t quite done yet.
The Bulgarian Brute attacked Styles after the match and laid him out, staking his claim that he will take the WWE Championship from him at Extreme Rules. That match should be very interesting, to say the least, but in terms of just Styles vs. English last night, it was more of a so-so match that only had the purpose of further building the pending Styles vs. Rusev match.
Styles remained phenomenal last night, but Rusev had the last laugh thanks to the services of his ever-trusting sidekick.
Final Grade: B-
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1. Team Hell No vs. The Usos
It had been over five years since Team Hell No competed in a tag team match together, but thanks to the turn of events from last week’s show, Daniel Bryan and Kane would soon have that opportunity again. They will challenge The Bludgeon Brothers for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Extreme Rules, but last night was all about another standout team.
Last night’s opening segment saw a brief interaction between Team Hell No and The Usos and that interaction ultimately led to a tag team match in the main event of last night’s show pitting the two teams against each other. But the caveat was if Jimmy and Jey were to be victorious, they would join the tag team title match at Extreme Rules.
And as expected, Team Hell No’s first match in over five years was a stellar one. Any time The Usos are thrown in a tag team match, it will turn out positively and the same can be said for last night. The teams went back and forth with The Usos cutting Bryan off from tagging in Kane during the middle of the match. But after Kane got the tag in, things got going.
Jimmy and Jey weathered the storm, however, and appeared to have Team Hell No on the ropes. However, Bryan and Kane turned the tide back in their favor and after a chokeslam, Kane got the pin for his team. Another brief, entertaining argument by Team Hell No followed before The Bludgeon Brothers walked out to the stage and stared off with their challengers at Extreme Rules.
Overall, Team Hell No vs. The Usos was a stellar match that saw Kane and Bryan look like they haven’t missed a beat together in over five years.
Next: WWE SmackDown Review For July 3 Show
Final Grade: B+