Karrion Kross interrupts as Escobar capitalized the opportunity, will play in the invitational finals

AJ Styles, Butch, Grayson Waller, and Santos Escobar featured on the most recent episode of WWE SmackDown.

Santos Escobar in a file photo [Credits: Twitter@EscobarWWE]
By Niranjan Shivalkar | Jul 15, 2023 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The first Fatal-Four-Way United States Title invitational match featured AJ Styles, Butch, Grayson Waller, and Santos Escobar on the most recent episode of WWE SmackDown. To choose the top challenger for Austin Theory’s championship, the winner of the contest was supposed to square off against the victor of the second invitational match in two weeks. The championship bout hasn’t been scheduled yet, but there’s a chance it will happen at SummerSlam.

The Highlights 

This week’s fatal four-way match on WWE SmackDown featured theory on the commentary team. AJ Styles used an Ushi-Goroshi to strike Grayson Waller during the contest. Butch was struck by a hurricanrana from Santos Escobar off the top rope, but Styles caught him before trying for the cover. Later on in the contest, Santos was carrying Butch when the former WWE Champion struck him with The Phenomenal Forearm.

Read more: Pretty Deadly defeated Sheamus & Ridge Holland in a tag team match at Friday Night SmackDown

Kross Distracts 

A video on the titantron revealed what Karrion Kross had done to The Good Brothers just as AJ was ready to smash The Bruiserweight with the Styles Clash. When AJ Styles went outside the ring to assist his friends, Grayson Waller took him out at ringside. The Australian then used the Rolling Stunner to pin Butch, and Escobar then hit Waller with a Frog Splash to win the bout. The game was excellent. Escobar’s victory was a pleasant surprise, especially considering how frequently the LWO has been highlighted but rarely wins. The tempo, toughness, and tension were all excellent.

The attack by Kross intensifies the conflict between her and Styles, which still feels unresolved in light of The Phenomenal One’s swift victory over the former NXT champion a week ago in New York City. WWE Creative will have to put in extra effort to make fans care about a programme that it hasn’t made a serious attempt to promote thus far. Hopefully, this signals a shift in that. 

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