It’s Friday, so it’s another SmackDown In A Nutshell. This week, get excited, because we are getting Boss Time for the blue brand once again.
Yes, major spoiler alert: if you have not caught up to this week’s SmackDown and want to see it before reading…stop now.
Still with us?
You’ve been warned…
Sasha Banks made a massive return on this week’s show, and how happy were we to get Boss Time for the blue brand once again?
Pretty happy.
Eyes are all on SummerSlam, including Sasha’s. But it’s not all about Boss Time for the blue brand, right?
We still have to lock in the Universal Championship match, right? This week promises a contract signing between Roman Reigns and Finn Balor…and we know those always go swimmingly…
So, no sense in delaying things any longer, right? Let’s dive right into it…
SmackDown In A Nutshell: Boss Time For The Blue Brand Once Again
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and enjoy!
Best Match of the night:
Now, this is a tough one.
I think I will take the main event though. The tag match itself was OK.
The overall package, specifically the end of the show? That is what sold it.
.@SashaBanksWWE had other plans… @BiancaBelairWWE #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/AhwKfNDgtT
— WWE (@WWE) July 31, 2021
Worst match of the night:
There are a few choices tonight. I think the winner for me was six man tag.
Sure, I could have said the 24/7 match (I mean, seriously, how or why does that need a scheduled match, given what it’s all about).
But that six man was just a train wreck.
Star of the Night
This one was generally pretty easy. Sasha Banks returned, and was very excellent.
Spot of the Night:
It’s just so nice to see Sasha Banks back, is it not?
Easy choice, but missed seeing her moves.
Jobber of the Night:
Finn Balor or Baron Corbin?
Could go either way on this one…probably a few other ways too.
Upset of the Night:
No upsets tonight.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
I suppose this would be the Banks turn at the end of the show.
However, honestly…with no challenger to Belair, the turn had to be pretty obvious.
Like…when she showed up on the show, I was pretty sure one way or another she was going for the belt.
Botch of the night:
Only one that I really saw was Cena fumbling with the Sharpie at the contract signing.
Noteworthy Moment:
Two for the show.
One, Sasha Banks is back…and barring something unexpected, she’s challenging Bianca Belair at SummerSlam.
Two, we got the expected swerve. Balor went to sign the contract for the Universal Championship bout…
Then cut off by Corbin, who was intending to sign. Except he was then taken out by John Cena, who did sign.
I’m not saying it was never done in WWE before…only that I can’t recall it. And it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
Like, does Balor take it and move on? Or is this seeds for something else down the road, or even turning SummerSlam’s title match into a triple threat?
Overall lowlights:
Some wasted spots…but all in all, strong show and I don’t feel like complaining much.
Overall highlights:
Cena with another excellent promo.
Sasha Banks is back, and the expected turn happened. Even though it was so obvious, it worked out OK.
I am curious what happens with both Corbin and Balor. On one hand, it’s possibly good they are both at least partially involved in the main event program.
On the other…you hope this doesn’t bury them. But I think this involvement, especially for Corbin, is his ticket to redemption.
After the final bell:
While RAW continues to baffle me, SmackDown is much stronger, week after week. Or at least that is how it comes off to me.
So, that is another SmackDown In A Nutshell in the books.
Big stories? Looks like SmackDown’s top of the SummerSlam card is set.
Banks versus Belair and Cena versus Reigns? Both should work, and I am going to bet at least one of those matches results in a new champ.
Glossing over some other programs, but not intentionally. Mysterios-Usos is working, even with some quirks.
Rollins and Edge? Might be working it’s way to the best feud going now.
Right now, SmackDown is the top show for WWE, and for the 3rd straight week, the live audience has been lucky.
Maybe in a few days, we will see RAW figure things out too…but that’s a story for another Nutshell.
