WWE SmackDown Grades: The Queen Returns With Flare

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The July 31 edition of WWE SmackDown was a widely successful night for the blue brand with memorable moment after memorable moment that furthered many storylines in the process.

Last night’s WWE SmackDown was easily one of the best episodes of the year for the blue brand with some memorable in-ring action and several memorable promos as well with SummerSlam less than three weeks away.

The blue brand is carrying the main roster at the moment and it will be intriguing to see how the brand fairs at SummerSlam.  With that being said, let’s take a look at a few grades from the July 31 edition of WWE SmackDown.

5. Opening Segment

It’s been a long, slow road for Becky Lynch getting back to championship contention again after becoming the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion in 2016.  But finally, after nearly a year and a half of waiting, she is finally getting a championship opportunity in less than three weeks.

The Irish Lass Kicker earned the right to challenge Carmella at SummerSlam for the SmackDown Women’s Championship by knocking off Carmella last week.  Last night’s opening segment was all about Lynch, who was being interviewed in the ring about her road to getting back to championship contention.

It was a very good segment that shined a light on how great Lynch is a babyface that had to work hard for the opportunities she got.  Carmella made an appearance soon after and she came out appearing to give a heartfelt promo of her own.  She mentioned a lot of deep stuff of her own and it came across as a pure babyface promo in her own right.

However, once James Ellsworth’s music hit, that distraction was all Carmella needed to jump Lynch from behind even though Ellsworth is still fired.  This led to the return of Charlotte Flair, who saved her friend and took it to Carmella at the same time.  It was then announced that Charlotte would battle Carmella later in the night and if she beat her, she would join the championship match at SummerSlam.

Overall, this was a very good segment that saw two stellar promos, even if one of them wasn’t truly heartfelt, and the return of The Queen.

Final Grade: A-