Will the King of Strong Style still reign?

There’s gold on the line even before Extreme Rules! SmackDown sees Apollo Crews going back after the Intercontinental Champion and Shinsuke Nakamura!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• WWE Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Rick Boogs VS Apollo Crews w/ Commander Azeez; Nakamura wins and retains the title.
• Liv Morgan VS Zelina Vega w/ Carmella; Vega wins.
• Nikki A.S.H. w/ Rhea Ripley VS Natalya w/ Tamina; Nikki wins.
• Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman VS Montez Ford; Reigns wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Becky Lynch is in Philadelphia!

Fans fire up to see the SmackDown Women’s Champion this close to her title defense at Extreme Rules! #BigTimeBecks rained on Bianca Belair’s big moment last week, but she’s feeling the brotherly love from Philly. Were they expecting a Becky party tonight? What a party for Bianca in her hometown, though. Becky isn’t sure why, but maybe it was for making it out of Knoxville and making something of herself. Becky did that in her own right, she’s back after less than a year after having a child and won the title in record time. No one threw a party but that’s okay. Becky likes cake but it’s fine. As the better superstar, she congratulated Bianca.

But then here’s where it gets interesting. Bianca was unprovoked in trying to show how big and strong she was. So what choice did Becky have? “Real greatness isn’t made in the body, it is made in the mind. And this is the law of the jungle, baby, it’s hit or be hit! So what choice did I have?!” Fans are still torn but Becky defends that she didn’t want to embarrass Bianca in front of her family, friends, hometown and high school teachers, but what choice did she have? As The Better Man, she was giving Bianca time to recalibrate after her humiliating loss at SummerSlam. But no, Bianca wants to come after Becky again, so what choice will Becky have at Extreme Rules? Remember that-

Bianca interrupts! The EST is back from the WWE European tour to shine in Philly and fans are happy to see her! Bianca gets a mic as fans chant for “E S T! E S T!” Bianca tells Becky, “First of all, keep my mama and my daddy’s name out your mouth.” And real talk, Becky did get Bianca at SummerSlam and did embarrass her in her hometown. But if you think that’s happening on Sunday, #GirlUhUh. SummerSlam was a surprise. But she knew she was having a match! Just didn’t know it would be against the greatest woman to ever hold this title! Bianca is the EST, but doesn’t she already be ready? Or is it a cute little catchphrase for Bianca?

Bianca asks how many different ways must she say it and show it? She showed how strong she was when she lifted Becky easily, “even in heels.” And Bianca is the fastEST because while Becky was away, she surely watched Bianca match every accomplishment of Becky’s, from winning the Royal Rumble to main eventing WrestleMania, just in a quarter of the time. Oh, oh and! Bianca won an ESPY so put some respect on the name! Fans are fired up but Becky gets mad. “Esther” only got to be good because Becky taught the world how to be great! Wow, Becky’s really holding onto SummerSlam in a match that wasn’t even supposed to happen.

But we know what’s happening Sunday and it won’t end in 26 seconds. It’ll be the EST VS “the greatest woman to ever hold that title,” but the winner will be the strongEST, the fastEST, the roughEST, the toughEST, the greatEST and the newEST SmackDown Women’s Champion! Fans are fired up again as Bianca offers a handshake. Becky smirks and takes the chance to SLAP Bianca instead! Fans are going nuts as Bianca keeps her cool. Becky talks more trash, so Bianca ROCKS her with forearms! Bianca stomps Becky into a corner, hammers away, then brings her out, only for Becky to throw her into buckles! Becky reels Bianca in, but she fights free to torture rack! KISS OF DEATH!!

Fans are fired up as Bianca takes off her jacket but leaves it at this. Will Becky learn that Bianca is the strongEST, the fastEST, the roughEST, the toughEST, and the greatEST challenger she’s ever faced?

Toni Storm rocks out with Nakamura and Boogs!

They’re having a great time with air guitars and air drums, but will they be rocking in an after party after Nakamura’s title defense?

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Rick Boogs VS Apollo Crews w/ Commander Azeez!

The rockin’ bard gives the King of Strong Style his introduction, and then Apollo has his with the virtual lions roaring. Will Nakamura be dethroned as the Pride of Nigeria is after his pride and joy, the Intercontinental Championship?

The introductions are made, the title is raised, and we see who holds onto the gold and who feels the steel!

Nakamura and Crews approach, Crews keeps up his guard from the strikes to then knee low and CLUB Nakamura. Crews runs to run Nakamura over and things speed up. Nakamura hurdles to WHEEL KICK Crews down! Crews gets to a corner, Nakamura digs his boot in for Good Vibrations! Nakamura puts Crews on the top rope, runs in but misses the knee! Crews hotshots Nakamura, runs in and LARIATS Nakamura inside-out! Crews then trophy lifts and TOSSES Nakamura out of the ring and to the floor! Crews soaks up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Crews has Nakamura in a chinlock but Boogs shreds to get fans rallying. Nakamura fights up, throws body shots but Crews CLUBS and whips. Nakamura comes back with a DYNAMIC DROPKICK! Fans fire up as Nakamura kicks away on Crews, then KICKS him again. Crews blocks one but the ENZIGURI hits! Crews is in a corner, Nakamura runs in but blocks boots to spin Crews sideways. Kick and SLIDING GERMAN! Cover, TWO! Nakamura goes to a corner and hops up to leap, into Crews’ dropkick! Both men are down and fans rally up. Nakamura and Crews rise, Crews kicks and punches but Nakamura blocks to forearm!

Nakamura wraps on a sleeper but Crews elbows free. Crews runs in at the corner but into a knee! AX KICK, then Nakamura hops up to FLYING KNEE! Cover, TWO! Nakamura keeps his focus and he fires up from a corner. Crews stands, Nakamura runs in, but into an ENZIGURI! Crews scoops Nakamura for the POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO!! Nakamura survives and Crews is furious! Crews drags Nakamura up, reels him in, POWREBOMB! Then a dead lift but Nakamura slips out! Crews ducks the roundhouse but not the HEEL KICK! Nakamura aims from a corner again, “YAO~!” But Crews bails out to avoid disaster.

Azeez checks on Crews but Nakamura runs over to BOOT Azeez from the apron! Azeez stays up and is furious, but Boogs sneaks up to get him for an EXPLODER! Nakamura gets back in, Crews KNEES Nakamura and reels him in, OLYMPIC- ARM-DRAG! Nakamura tilt-o-whirls to a takedown, deep cover! Nakamura wins!!

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by pinfall (still WWE Intercontinental Champion)

Crews is stunned but Philly is rocking with Nakamura and Boogs! But now the question is, with the WWE Draft returning, will Nakamura be moved over to Raw? Or will he still reign over SmackDown?

Backstage interview with Montez Ford.

One half of the Street Profits is here and Kayla Braxton brings up the Usos joining Roman Reigns for a special appearance on Raw. The Bloodline dominated there, but is Ford worried the Usos will be able to do that the Profits on Sunday? Ford says he has a lot of feelings about Extreme Rules: excitement, anticipation and hunger! But concern? No, no. Sunday, he and Dawkins will regain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships! Speaking of, Dawks was called upon to witness the nuptials of a near and dear friend, bless his heart.

But make no mistake, Dawkins will be there at Extreme Rules to help with the takeback season! They’ve beaten the Usos twice, and big daddy cousin Roman Reigns, the Tribal Chief, “acknowledge me,” has been running those boys ragged. “Beat up this guy, do this, pick up my dry cleaning, rub my ashy feet. He ain’t been treatin’ ’em like no bloodline or cousins. He’s been treating ’em more like his bloodline bitches.” Ford gets serious as he says that on Sunday, they take the titles from the Usos, because the Profits are up, and #WeWantTheSmoke! But will Ford’s fire be extinguished when he and Dawkins enter lockdown?

Roman Reigns sits with Paul Heyman.

Roman asks what Ford just said. Heyman says Ford had the guts to call “the greatest tag team of all time,” Roman’s cousins, bitches. Then Roman wants a match with Ford tonight. But in 48 hours, Roman defends his WWE Universal Championship against an undefeated Demon in an Extreme Rules match. Roman glares at Heyman, and Heyman understands to make the match, Reigns VS Ford live from Philly. What a main event for SmackDown! Heyman promises to make it happen, but Roman wants him to get going already. Heyman hurries out, will the Head of the Table be the one to put out that fire in Ford’s eyes?

Heyman finds Sonya Deville and Paul Heyman backstage.

They all say hi and other pleasantries, and Heyman welcomes them to Philly. But Pearce already tells Heyman that no, they don’t know where Brock Lesnar is going through the WWE Draft. Are they in on this, too? Stop with Lesnar. Heyman has a main event for them tonight, live here on SmackDown: Roman Reigns, the Tribal Chief VS The Street Profits’ Montez Ford, 1v1 tonight! They can do that. “I bet you can. And then… After the match… Then, we’ll talk about The Draft.” Heyman leaves, but do he and Roman really hold all the cards this close to the PPV?

Seth Rollins speaks.

“I am a patient man, Edge, I really am. But it has been seven days since I laid an ultimatum at your feet, and I have gotten no response. I’ve heard nothing. Not a peep.” But that’s okay, because Edge’s silence is deafening. And it reveals the truth! The truth is, Edge is hurt. He is hurt bad. He is afraid and ashamed to admit that Rollins is why Edge will never compete in a ring ever again. While that’s mildly amusing to Rollins, it’s also not good enough. Rollins wants an answer, and he doesn’t want to wait any more. So this is how it’ll be: Edge will show up next week, crawl his way to the ring, look Rollins in the eyes and tell the entire world the TRUTH! Rollins is NOT Edge Lite, he is superior in every single way, and that Rollins is the man who ended Edge’s wrestling career.

Edge could not do that, if he wants, but Rollins will not be made a liar. Rollins will find Edge where he sleeps and beat those words out of him in front of Edge’s wife and children. Rollins laughs as he says the choice is Edge’s, and Rollins is sure Edge will make the right one. Is Rollins’ unraveling going to cost Edge his career one way or another?

Liv Morgan VS Zelina Vega w/ Carmella!

One way or another, Liv gets her 1v1 fight with Carmella at Extreme Rules! But as payback for what almost happened to the face of the Most Beautiful Woman in the WWE, La Muneca wants to make Liv’s life harder. Will Liv have smooth sailing or choppy seas ahead of this Sunday?

SmackDown returns as Vega makes her entrance, then Carmella enters. Liv figured the Princess of Staten Island would find a way to make this about herself. The bell rings, Liv SHOTGUNS Vega into the corner! Then back body blocks! Liv keeps going, and she dropkicks Vega against ropes! Liv whips Vega into the corner, runs in but Vega boots her. Vega swings, Liv goes Matrix and Liv rolls her up! TWO, Mella lounges on the announce desk but Vega arm-drags Liv to a corner. Vega runs in to DOUBLE KNEE, then she snapmares to a cover, TWO! Mella thanks all the fans who reached out to her with concern while Vega has a seated dragon sleeper.

Liv endures being bent back, Mella talks trash to “mouth breather” fans who support Liv. Fans rally, Liv fights up but Vega shifts to a sleeper hold backpack. Liv RAMS Vega into buckles and gets free, but then Vega comes back with a BULLDOG! Vega bumps Liv off buckles, stomps a mudhole in, and then backs off as the ref counts. Vega runs in, Liv wrenches and WING SNAPPER to BUCKLE BUMP! Mella gets mad and shouts at Liv about the same move that almost broke her nose. Liv fakes Mella out with a dropkick to grab at Mella’s hair! But Vega BOOTS Liv down, then hops on for a CODE RED! Cover, Vega wins!

Winner: Zelina Vega, by pinfall

Mella is so happy that her new friend won and especially that Liv lost! Liv is seething, will she make things ugly for Mella at the PPV?

“Happy” Corbin is showing off his new threads.

Custom suits, luxurious fabrics, water resistant! But wait until tonight when he debuts his WWE talk show, Happy Talk. Speaking of…

Baron Corbin heads to the ring!

The newly re-wealthy Lone Wolf is now the host of a new talk show! But will #HappyTalk be the happiest or the crappiest talk show in WWE history? We find out, after the break.

SmackDown returns and we see the set of Happy Talk: red carpet and velvet ropes; hat racks with various fedoras; plush leather armchairs; and of course, a table for drinks. Corbin welcomes us to the premiere of Happy Talk! Even the name makes Corbin happy! Even being in Philly makes Corbin happy! Life is so good for Corbin right now, he feels like he could whistle a little tune. He does his best to whistle his own theme song as he sits down. Yes, beautiful, he knows. But he wants us all to understand. This show is not like any other talk show, and especially not The Kevin Owens Show, where Kevin just invites someone out, breaks them down and makes them sad.

This show is about happiness and joy! About putting smiles on people’s faces! So Corbin thought long and hard about his very first guest. Someone who could light up a room as the embodiment of happiness. So everyone, please welcome Corbin’s very first guest… HIMSELF! Happy Corbin is of course his own guest as the happiest person in the world. He is rich, handsome and flew here on a private chef. Corbin got a full tasting menu from pork belly to Wagyu to these ravioli stuffed with goat cheese and truffles. OMG the truffles. Then there’s his limited edition Rolex, his custom $9,000 suit, with an amazing interior.

Fans chant “WE DON’T CARE!” but Corbin gets happier watching footage from last week. That is to say, Corbin attack Kevin before their match ever happened, and making sure the match never happened with an apron choke slam. Fans boo but Corbin says that was incredible! That was KEVIN OWENS! A former Universal Champion! One of the toughest guys on the WWE roster, and Corbin did it with ease. It is such a great feeling to be that physically powerful! And another thing that’s been making Corbin very happy lately is- Here comes Kevin! Kevin snarls and goes right to the ring, only to be BLINDSIDED, by Riddick Moss!?

Moss returns from the pro-wrestling wilderness but Kevin fights back! Moss throws hands, stomps Kevin down, then Corbin helps out. They double whip Kevin into the steel steps! Moss is fired up and he pulls steps apart to put the base right in front of Corbin. Corbin fetches Kevin, he and Moss DOUBLE CHOKE SLAM Kevin onto the steps!! Corbin and Moss are laughing all the way to the bank as they leave Kevin writhing outside the ring. Does this mean Corbin has a new best buddy in bullying Kevin and the rest of SmackDown?

Backstage interview with Montez Ford.

Kayla wants to check back in with him and asks if he regrets the comments he had about The Usos. Ford even sings “Bloodline bitches~!” now, so no, he doesn’t regret it! The truth shall set you free! This is one of the times Ford’s mouth has landed him a world of opportunity! Ford is sick of the roster being afraid to do or say around The Bloodline and Roman. Tonight, Ford does what he does best and be Ford. He just wishes Dawks was here to see this, cuz the Profits are up, and Ford wants THAT smoke. Will Ford get himself a chance at the Universal Championship taking on the champion tonight?

Edge tweets out his response.

“I’ll see you at SmackDown next week.” The Rated R Superstar has spoken, but will he give Rollins the answer he wants? Or will he give The Architect what he deserves?

Nikki A.S.H. w/ Rhea Ripley VS Natalya w/ Tamina!

The NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions are here on SmackDown, ready to rock in Philly! But will the Almost Super Hero keep things rolling from Raw as she takes on the Queen of Harts 1v1?

SmackDown returns and the former tag champs make their entrance. The bell rings and the two tie up. Natty hits a headlock takeover, Nikki headscissors but Natty kips free to kick low. Natty whips Nikki to a corner, Nikki goes up and over and speeds things up. Nikki rolls, eggs Natty on, then wrenches. Natty whips, hurdles, but Nikki dropkicks a leg out! Nikki adds a basement dropkick, covers, ONE! Natty goes to ropes for defense and Nikki stays back. But Natty kicks low, throws Nikki by her hair, then bumps Nikki off buckles. Natty bumps Nikki off more buckles, and more buckles, then stomps a mudhole in! Natty soaks up the heat and runs back in, into an elbow!

Natty kicks Nikki again, snap suplexes her out of the corner, then covers, TWO! Rhea coaches Nikki up, but Natty tells Nikki she is NOT a superhero! Nikki throws body shots but Natty bumps her off buckles and throws hands. The ref counts, Natty lets off but Nikki elbows her away! Nikki reels Natty in but Tamina gets on the apron. The ref is busy with Tamina but Rhea walks over to trip Tamina up! Nikki makes Natty’s cradle into her cradle, Nikki wins!

Winner: Nikki A.S.H., by pinfall

Natty is furious but wait! Here come the other contenders for those tag titles! Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox ride in on the TCB Tank MK. III! Shotzi and Tegan are happy for their fellow NXT alumni, but then it’s SHOTS FIRED! The Nerf missile narrowly misses Rhea’s head, but when and where will Shotzi & Tegan get their title shot?

Rey Mysterio grills Dominik on last week’s loss.

Rey says Dom took too long climbing up but Dom knows all this. But that’s why Rey is trying to help. Dom knows that, too, but this is him suffocating Dom more than anything. Rey says Dom is to fly on his own but then doesn’t give him the chance. Week after week, match after match, Rey has nitpick after nitpick. If Rey wasn’t ringside, Dom could’ve won! Rey says he’ll give Dom some space since he’s not thinking straight. Dom feels bad for upsetting his dad, but then Sami Zayn walks. Sami doesn’t want to fight, he just overheard things. Dom’s confidence is shaky after losing to Sami but there’s no shame in losing to one of the very best.

Now, Sami’s also been in the ring with others who are the very best, and he sees the potential in Dom. Every single time they’ve been in the ring, Dom got better and better! Dom is growing so fast! If there’s one piece of advice Sami could give, not that Dom has to take it, well… Rey is a good dad and means well, but listen to him less and trust your own instincts more. That’s all Sami will say. Sami leaves, but does he have a point? Will Dom accept the words of the master strategist?

Naomi heads to the ring!

SmackDown finally gets to #FeelTheGlow again! Naomi may have had to pay a fine for getting in Sonya’s face, but she looks ready to do something about that, too! Is she going to ask for a match? Or demand one?

SmackDown returns and Naomi has a mic to speak. “I cam here to SmackDown to compete. But Sonya Deville refused to put me in a match.” Naomi has been fined, disrespected, insulted and ignored. But no longer! Naomi wants a match! And she isn’t talking about tomorrow, next week, but right here TONIGHT! Fans like the sound of that and Naomi calls out the roster. Who wants to #FeelTheGlow? Sonya walks out and says no, this is not happening this way. “Sorry, honey, it’s just not gonna happen. Because I make the matches around here, not you.” Then make a match! Naomi VS Sonya! No, Sonya would smack the glow right off Naomi’s face.

But Sonya wouldn’t, she’s a WWE official. Not a good one if she can’t make a match! Fans chant “MAKE A MATCH! MAKE A MATCH!” in support but Sony has the Naomi’s mic cut. It doesn’t matter, she and Philly are loud enough to be heard without it! Sonya mockingly says, “Sorry, we can’t hear you.” Then she calls out security!? Security storms the ring and Sonya says this is all to help Naomi. “We all know that when your elaborate entrance is over, it’s all downhill from there.” A power trip and the insults Naomi talks about, but Sonya says it is Naomi’s own fault for dropping the ball when she’s been given chances. So Naomi can go TikTok in the back while Sonya creates the future of SmackDown.

Fans still rally behind Naomi but Sonya demands Naomi leave. Fans boo Sonya but she shrugs it off. Will Naomi find another way to get what she wants?

The Bloodline heads out.

The Usos hype up Roman about this “light work” but then they spot Chad Gable & Otis Dozovic. The Alpha Academy eye the titles but the Usos stare them down. If the Profits don’t get it done at Extreme Rules, will Gable & Otis go for the gold?

Becky Lynch speaks.

“I gave you the opportunity to back down and back out, but you kept pushing me and pushing me and pushing me. The EST may be the strongEST but she’s also the dumbEST. I have been champion every active day I’ve been in the WWE since WrestleMania 35! Everything in my life may changed, but the facts remain the same.” Becky isn’t scared of someone she beat in 26 seconds. But this time, she’ll make Bianca suffer. There is no terrible way to win, there is only winning. At Extreme Rules, Becky will BREAK Bianca.

Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman VS Montez Ford!

The Head of the Table has a Demon waiting for him on Sunday but there’s a Profit coming for him tonight! Will the sinful pride of the Reigns-ing, Defending, Undisputed, and highly controverted Universal Champion finally cost him this close to the PPV?

SmackDown returns again and Roman makes his entrance. The Usos stay in the back given their stare down with the Alpha Academy, so it is just Roman who raises his title for the pyro. Roman then takes his time going to the ring and raising the belt again for more pyro. The bell rings and Roman circles with Ford. They tie up, Ford headlocks, Roman pries his way out to get a headlock of his own. Ford powers up to power out, but Roman runs Ford over. Things speed up, Ford hurdles and hurdles to dropkick! Roman rebounds but into another dropkick! Roman tumbles out but lands on his feet and Philly is fired up as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Ford is taking it to Roman, but Roman DECKS Ford with an uppercut! Roman throws more hands then chokes Ford on the ropes! The ref counts, Roman lets off, then stalks Ford to a corner. Roman bumps Ford off buckles, turns him around and climbs up to rain down punches! The fans count all the way to 5 before Ford shoves Roman away, but Roman comes back with a clothesline! Roman raises a finger to say #WeTheOnes, and he chokes Ford against ropes again! The ref counts, Roman lets off and tells the ref to back off. Ford gets back to a corner but Roman encourages fans to cheer and jeer.

Roman gets Ford up to throw point-blank lariats. The fans count all the way to 10 for Roman, and then he pie faces Ford before he runs. Ford BOOTS back! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS, CHOPS, CHOPS! Ford kicks but Roman blocks to flip him! Ford lands on his feet to ENZIGURI, then he clotheslines Roman out! Ford hurries to RAM Roman into barriers! And then MORE barriers! Ford refreshes the count, heads back out and climbs up the announce desk, but then it falls apart on him! Oh well. Ford uses the steps to LEAP and knock Roman down with ax handles! Ford puts Roman in, runs and dodges, but runs into a FLAPJACK!

Roman snarls as he looms over Ford, then he gets him up to LEAPING LARIAT! Fans duel as Roman again raises a finger to the sky. Ford bails out and Roman sees him crawling as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Roman stalks Ford. Ford rolls to the apron but Roman drags him up, to choke him on the ropes again! The ref counts, Roman lets off but again tells the ref to shut up about that stuff. But then Ford GAMANGIRIS! And springboards to CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO!! Roman narrowly escapes, but Ford comes back to mule kick! Front kick! Roman ducks the enziguri and whips Ford to a corner, but Ford goes up and over and shows off his agility! Dropkick then a RUNNING BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ford keeps his cool as he heads for a corner and climbs up top. FROM- NO, Roman avoids the splash, and gets Ford for an URENAGE! Cover, TWO!

Roman is growing annoyed but he goes to the corner. He locks ‘n’ loads and takes aim at Ford as he stands, SUPER- NO! Ford dodges, reels Roman in, DDT! Cover, TWO!! Roman is still in this and now Ford gets frustrated. Ford drags Roman back up, but Roman ROCKS him with an uppercut! Ford falls, Roman is in the corner, Roman storms over but Ford POSTS him! Roman falls out of the ring, Ford takes aim, but Roman moves away. Ford goes out to PENALTY KICK from the apron, then RAMS Roman into the steps! Ford puts Roman in, climbs back up, FROM THE HEAVENS!! ONTO KNEES!! Roman wraps on the GUILLOTINE!! Ford flails, but he’s caught! He taps, Roman wins!

Winner: Roman Reigns, by submission

In the blink of an eye, Roman turns Ford’s fortunes around and snatches victory from the jaws of defeat! The fire was put out, there is no more smoke, and Heyman boasts, “That was NOT enough for his sins! No no no no!” Heyman wants Roman to show Ford, Balor, the Demon and even “BRRROCK! LESNARRR! What happens when Roman takes it to the extreme!!” Fans chant for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” and Heyman even has the Usos come out. Jimmy & Jey storm down to get their own pound of flesh for Ford insulting them. Roman has the Usos go looking under the ring, and they bring out chair after chair!

Roman JAMS Ford with a chair, SMACKS him with it, and now there’s a table! Roman sees the table has been set up, so as Head of the Table, he drags Ford over. “Who’s a bitch now, huh?!” URENAGE THROUGH THE TABLE!! The Bloodline says this is why you respect them, but then the lights go out!? The heartbeat is back! And DEMON BALOR is up on top of the post!! The Bloodline turns around and he CROSSBODIES them all down!! Balor gets a kendo stick and starts firing off on the Usos! Jimmy, Jey, back again! Roman ROCKS Balor with a forearm and puts him in the ring, and brings a chair, only to get a SLINGBLADE!

Balor gets the chair to SMACK away on Roman! And even SMACKS Jimmy and SMACKS Jey! Roman bails out but Roman FLIES out to wipe him out at the ramp!! Will Balor finally win back the title he never, ever lost?!

My Thoughts:

Now this was a really good episode for SmackDown, even with it being a go-home. Go-Home Syndrome didn’t feel as strong here, with only three recap packages happening in the two hours. Granted, those still felt so awkwardly placed with two of them being during a superstar’s entrance. Becky and Bianca had a very good promo segment, but per WWE math, Bianca standing tall here means Becky retains on PPV. There is a very good chance that the WWE Draft won’t change where brand name champions are, so I think Becky stays to keep the SmackDown Women’s Division going. Seth Rollins also had a good promo per his character, and Edge returning on Draft night should be to give us one last match between them, probably for Crown Jewel.

Other than Becky and Bianca, Team Vince is definitely making things hard for the rest of the SmackDown Women’s Division. Liv VS Vega was short and half of it was the camera watching Carmella lounge on the announce desk. It’s good for Vega to get a win but it was a bit weak. Liv VS Mella will probably be Kickoff Show material but they might still be able to give us something good if they let Mella wrestle like she has before. I’m thinking Liv wins either way, since she lost here. Toni Storm only got to rock out with Nakamura & Boogs, hopefully there’s more for her after Extreme Rules and the Draft.

Naomi and Sonya are having a good build, though. Sonya suddenly getting power mad over the women’s division is of course to push Naomi towards wanting The Bloodline’s backing, which goes with the story I fantasy booked with Raw. Naomi, Tamina and Nia Jax can all be on SmackDown, they can all go for gold. Nikki VS Natty was filler just to give Shotzi & Tegan reason to roll out on stage and remind everyone of the title match they’re owed. Rhea & Nikki VS Shotzi & Tegan makes for a great match, I just hope they’re allowed to give us one.

The Happy Talk show segment was alright, it was of course to set Kevin up for a trap, but what a surprise that Riddick Moss is back. Guess this isn’t going to be a celebrity match thing with Logan Paul, but if Moss is with Corbin, maybe we’re still getting a tag team match? Still hoping it’ll be Sami, personally. Contract talks out there say Kevin’s is almost up and he might go rejoin the Mount Rushmore of Wrestling in AEW, but I feel like a tag title shot with Sami could sway things. And Sami perhaps tied up his part in the Dominik story with that bit of advice. Dom can take the next step, perhaps using Ziggler, Roode or whoever moves around in the Draft as someone to experiment against and use some moves that are more Dom’s than Rey’s in hopes of winning.

The Intercontinental Championship match was a great first match of the night, but I figured Nakamura was retaining. Boogs throwing Azeez was awesome, too. The Draft might move Apollo & Azeez to Raw, maybe he goes after the US Championship because of it, or maybe the midcard titles are traded. Nakamura, with or without Boogs, gets to freshen things up over on Mondays while Priest (or whoever comes out of Extreme Rules champion so… Priest) gets to thrown hands with big names and heavy hitters like Cesaro, Rollins, and other names that head over with the Draft. Personally hoping Keith Lee gets to emerge and throw down, maybe bring some physical power to SmackDown while he’s at it.

I like that there’s more on the Usos’ plate than just one team at a time. Gable & Otis could easily look like Faces against the Usos since everyone loves Otis destroying people. Usos VS Profits could go either way, but that one moment made me think the Usos retain. Ford definitely had a lot of fire tonight in a singles showing, but I sure hope Dawkins really did have another friend’s wedding to go to and that the Profits get to stick together through the Draft. Ford and Dawkins have been champs, they could each move on to singles titles if they wanted, but much like with The New Day, teammates should be allowed to stay together and still support each other in singles pursuits.

Ford had a really good match with Roman, but Roman of course wins for momentum. But then furthermore, Demon Balor got to thrill Philly and stand tall over The Bloodline. We all get that with Crown Jewel being fully advertised as Roman VS Lesnar that Balor wasn’t winning here, but the math for tonight also says that on its own. Balor will get to shine but this is still Vince’s Beef-o-rama, with Roman and Lesnar still at the center. There could be a huge surprise within this and Vince gets some real buzz going for WWE again, but it’s more likely a portal in space-time opens up and an Infinity Stone powered Ultron-Vision hybrid leads an army of robots- Oh sorry that might be Marvel’s What If spoilers…

My Score: 8.4/10