Karrion Kross faced off against Karl Anderson at the Smoothie King Centre in New Orleans on Friday night's episode of SmackDown.
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In advance of their “Tribal Combat” for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam, those contests served as the main event of a broadcast that penned the most recent chapter in the feud between Jey Uso and Roman Reigns. Karrion Kross faced off against Karl Anderson in a one-on-one match at the Smoothie King Centre in New Orleans on Friday night’s episode of SmackDown, carrying on his conflict with AJ Styles and The O.C.
As they competed in the United States Championship Invitational Finals for the chance to confront Austin Theory, Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar of the Latino World Order put their relationship to the side. This report of the July 28 programme details what happened, who lost, and how each of the matches, promos, and angles fared.
Prior to their Tribal Combat at SummerSlam on August 5, undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns persisted in his attempts to understand Jey Uso, asserting that his position as Right Hand Man only came about because his brother, Jimmy, was hurt. Uso responded to his cousin’s verbal games with his own, telling him that he had already pinned Reigns at Money in the Bank and will do so once more at SummerSlam.
It made for excellent entertainment to see the champion attempt to manipulate and gaslight Jey, as he has done so frequently during his three-year reign, only to have his nonchalant relative flip the script. Uso’s warning clearly had an effect on Reigns, and the fact that Jey felt strong enough to grasp The Tribal Chief by the neck demonstrated that he no longer needed to be anyone’s right-hand man and was instead a stand-alone force capable of ending the 1000+ day reign of wrestling’s top star.
A sudden, unexpected, and disappointing end to the United States Championship Invitational, which had produced two very entertaining four-way matches, came on Friday night when Rey Mysterio appeared to be injured, causing the referee to stop play and award the victory to his LWO teammate Santos Escobar. Escobar, who will now compete against Austin Theory for his title, could be seen showing displeasure in his face.
What ought to have been a turning point in his career fizzled out before it really got going. Escobar will undoubtedly be the babyface in the bout between Theory and Escobar, which should be entertaining. It remains to be seen, however, if he has a chance to defeat one of Vince McMahon’s personally chosen initiatives.
In a brief, sprint-style battle, LA Knight defeated Ashante Thee Adonis after interrupting another Hit Row promo. The match made the most of Knight’s present, obscene popularity by keeping him on the programme and in the public eye to maintain his momentum. Is his seeming lack of direction ideal? No, but given that SummerSlam is quickly approaching, the fact that the creative staff found a place for him on SmackDown during a time when television is in short supply shows that they recognise how in-demand he is right now.
Although it seems improbable, WWE has never shied away from exploiting the idea of an oddball, mismatched team winning the current tag team champs. This was demonstrated when Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair defeated the Women’s Tag Team champions Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville despite never having trusted one another. Yes, it helped them gain momentum before their Triple Threat Match with Asuka for the WWE Women’s Championship, but it also makes the champions and titles less legitimate. Because they were defeated by two ladies who were joining up for the first time and had no intention of continuing past this show, Deville and Green lack credibility. It is a WWE programming cliché that dates back to the Attitude Era, and it truly needs to disappear.
Read more: WWE Update: SummerSlam 2023 Match Card, rumors and predictions
Karrion Kross’ duel with “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson of The OC on Friday added fuel to the fire between him and AJ Styles. Anderson’s offensive potential was curtailed by Kross, who finished him off quickly and effectively. The encounter served as a further warning to Styles in a feud that has yet to exhibit the chemistry one might expect from the participants. That is a criticism of the creative crew, who have failed to determine what it was about the Kross character that previously made him one of the more compelling ones in the entire WWE. He will still have trouble making sense of WWE television consistently until that changes.
It was Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa’s post-match beating of Jey Uso that sent a message to the No. 1 contender that there could be a lack of an adequate amount of traction that will eventually get him where he wants to go at SummerSlam. Jey Uso may have gotten a laugh from defeating Grayson Waller in a competitive, entertaining main event. On a night when Jey thought it was going to be a great one, the heels put The Real Chief to sleep.
Who wins Detroit may depend on how next week’s episode finishes. Huge props to Waller, who is one of the more intriguing and engaging rising stars in the organization who continues to compete with his more seasoned rivals. It’s not a bad idea to book him against the veterans and let him learn as he goes.
The most recent round of the Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns feud served as the show’s bookend, and that almost always makes for a high-caliber programme. In addition, this was one of the less consistent SmackDown episodes in recent memory. Even though the reasoning behind Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair’s victory made you want to slam your head against a wall, the excellence was there, particularly the in-ring portion of their portions.
Other areas might use improvement, and despite SummerSlam’s importance, there was surprisingly little buzz surrounding the lineup. With a special Friday night airing the following week, just one day before The Biggest Party of the Summer, that ought to change.
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