WWE SmackDown Live Results And Grades For July 24, 2018

Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live will give the fans an indication of who AJ Styles will defend the WWE Championship against at SummerSlam. Paige is set to make this announcement, and I have a feeling several members of the roster will have to fight for the opportunity.

There’s little doubt that WWE SmackDown Live has built up some momentum after a fantastic outing last week, which kicked off with AJ Styles defeating Andrade “Cien” Almas and ended with Randy Orton making all of us squirm uncomfortably.

Orton has thrown a major curveball in the United States Championship scene, as he costed Jeff Hardy from winning his title back against a menacing Shinsuke Nakamura. However, Nakamura isn’t safe either, because Orton may be out for his blood, too, seeing how Nakamura defeated him last summer in a singles match on SmackDown Live.

Paige is set to announce Styles’s challenger for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, with the vast majority of fans expecting Samoa Joe to be his opponent. But there’s no such thing as a foregone conclusion in WWE, and while Joe has the most compelling case, he may have to prove himself to the General Manager by winning a multi-man match.

One wrestler who doesn’t need to prove themselves is Becky Lynch, because she’s already on the hottest winning streak in WWE’s Women’s Division. Lynch must defeat Carmella tonight for a chance to face ‘Mella at SummerSlam for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Here’s to hoping Becky can do just that.

The Bludgeon Brothers have tossed aside the competition week after week, as they’ve already bested The Usos, The New Day, and the now deceased Team Hell No. Paige announced a SmackDown Tag Team Tournament featuring The Usos, The New Day, Sanity, and The Bar, with the winner getting an opportunity at the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam.

Tonight, The New Day and Sanity, two familiar foes, will clash in the first round of the tournament. Sanity have gotten the better of The New Day at Extreme Rules in a Tables Match and last week on SmackDown Live in singles competition, so The New Day could get the win back with bigger stakes involved.

Although there are several interesting storylines on the Blue Brand right now, no potential feud has piqued the fans’ interest more than Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz. Last week, The Miz had some harsh words for Bryan during his funeral for Team Hell No, and he paid for his insults dearly. Will Miz be better prepared for an attack from Bryan this week?

WWE SmackDown airs at 8 p.m. ET every Tuesday night on the USA Network. You can check back here for live highlights, grades, and analysis during the show.