Check out this review of the July 14 show, which was broadcast live from Raleigh, North Carolina's PNC Arena.
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Asuka retained the WWE Women’s Championship over Bianca Belair on Friday night on Fox as the fight for dominance in the SmackDown women’s division continued. Given recent developments, Charlotte Flair and Damage CTRL’s Bayley and Iyo Sky were certain to be lurking, but did any make their presence known before a winner could be chosen? What reaction did Roman Reigns have for his cousin Jey Uso on another segment of the programme following a titanic challenge from The Right Hand Man at the conclusion of the last episode? Check out this review of the July 14 show, which was broadcast live from Raleigh, North Carolina’s PNC Arena.
Bianca Belair opened the broadcast prior to her WWE Women’s Championship battle against Asuka later in the programme, but Charlotte Flair, the second leading challenger for the belt, interrupted her shortly after. With an agreement for a confrontation at SummerSlam, an ongoing dispute teasing a championship bout between the two—if Belair prevails later in the event, of course—came to an end.
Although this was a good approach to set the stage for future events on the show, it did not add much to the continuing conflict between The EST and The Queen. They practically take Asuka for granted as they both think they are the best in their division. That will probably backfire, and if it doesn’t, there’s a good chance that Money in the Bank winner Iyo Sky will as The Goddess of the Sky waits for the right moment to use her assured championship shot.
Sheamus and partner Ridge Holland sought retribution over Elton Prince and Kit Wilson in tag team action after having his chance at the United States Championship ruined by Pretty Deadly the previous week in Madison Square Garden. The heels prevailed in a tough, brutal tag battle to seal the outcome, further aggravating The Celtic Warrior and guaranteeing the conflict goes on.
It was a little odd that Austin Theory, who was the victim of the heels’ interference a week before, was nowhere to be found, but not as much if he competes in the four-way battle later in the programme. It will be interesting to watch how this feud ends, but Sheamus is invincible at this point in his career, and Holland has not yet been harmed by these defeats. Pretty Deadly kept gaining momentum in the meanwhile. The combination of that and a strong match makes this part excellent.
Zelina Vega and Bayley’s match was a sideshow to the promo that came before it, and it felt like it. The Role Model won the bout thanks to a brief interruption from Iyo Sky in a hurried, lackluster match that also offered Damage CTRL and Vega little to do in front of the crowd.
Even if nothing else, Shotzi’s post-match promo, in which she responded to Bayley insulting her by chopping her hair by shaving her own head, was a noteworthy step. Fans should be wary until it is clear that WWE is truly committed to presenting Shotzi as a power in the division, even though it is wonderful to see The Ballsy Badass doing anything other than serving as a tackling dummy for a more renowned star.
Jey Uso did not receive the response he was hoping for to his difficulties for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match, but he did exact some form of retribution on Paul Heyman by dropping the special counsel with a superkick in response to his venomous tirade accusing him of being responsible for Jimmy Uso’s injuries from a week ago. The audience was enthused during the section, especially once they stopped chanting “what” nonstop, and Jey was obviously fueled off of them.
Heyman, the master puppeteer, kept trying to sway the family, but Uso was having none of it. He squared off against his other sibling, Solo Sikoa, while taking the center of the ring as his own. SummerSlam will definitely see him take on Roman Reigns for the company’s highest honor, but the real question is whether or not WWE will actually pull the trigger and designate The Right Hand Man as the opponent to eventually depose Reigns.
In the United States Championship Invitational, AJ Styles, Santos Escobar, Butch, and Grayson Waller competed for the chance to progress, each aiming to get one step closer to confronting Austin Theory for his championship. Escobar capitalized on a distraction made by Karrion Kross and won what might be the most important victory of his main roster career up to this moment. He will now play in the invitational finals in two weeks. 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.
The main event portion of this week’s programme served as further proof that the SmackDown women’s division is thriving heading into SummerSlam. Due to time constraints and the need to fit all of the elements of the finish into the segment, the match between Bianca Belair and Asuka for the WWE Women’s Championship was hurried, but it was still entertaining and showed off the chemistry between The EST and The Empress of Tomorrow. Additionally, the extracurricular activities involving Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and Iyo Sky adds a sense of drama and ambiguity.
All of this seems to point towards an encounter between Asuka, Belair, and Flair at SummerSlam, with Damage CTRL’s participation hanging over them like a dark cloud. Where does Shotzi fit into all of this after sending a menacing message to the heels? Given the previous year’s one-dimensional creative, the fact that there is this much activity in the segment is definitely a gain for the blue brand.
This show was excellent. A truly exceptional show. With the United States title and the women’s division taking the stage, it truly seems like there’s going to be action in the midcard. The Jey Uso material was outstanding and complemented the prior week’s show-dominating approach.
Although the programme could use more LA Knight, the debut of a more aggressive Shotzi and the hint of a revived Hurt Business should be enough to get viewers excited about the near- and long-term prospects of wrestling’s hottest programme.
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