It’s a unique SmackDown In A Nutshell, and we come in with a big goal : setting the rules of engagement for Roman Reigns and Jey Uso.
Simple enough, right?
Of course.
But, this is a unique show, given that we are on FS1 tonight due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Perhaps that is why Reigns has “returned” for the evening, to draw eyeballs when the show is otherwise displaced.
Regardless, he and Jey meet up this week to set their rules of engagement ahead of their SummerSlam clash.
We also have the remaining qualifier for the United States Championship Open…and plenty of other things too.
So, no more delays. It is time for…
Setting The Rules Of Engagement : SmackDown In A Nutshell
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and get into things!
Best Match of the night:
The United States Open fatal four way.
Was a really good match, as good if not better than the prior qualifier.
Even with the surprise of a non-LA Knight win.
Worst match of the night:
This was one of those evenings that didn’t have a ton of matches, and what we did have, nothing was bad.
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Tribal Combat
Uso
Star of the Night
Going to give this one mostly to…Santos Escobar.
Spot of the Night:
Speaking of Santos…how about that top rope Huricanrana?
Jobber of the Night:
Solo Sikoa.
Someone had to take a shot tonight. Roman wasn’t going to do it, and with two weeks to go, it makes sense to protect Jey too.
So…it’s time for Solo…to take some hits.
Upset of the Night:
Bayley was very upset at what she found in her stuff in the locker room.
Side note, considering what was circulating earlier in the week, glad to see her walking to the ring.
Now, perhaps she did tweak her knee and had it braced under her baggy pants, but she was not showing any obvious signs of issues.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
I did NOT see this coming…but we have an all LWO final to determine the #1 contender to face Austin Theory.
At this point, it sure feels like we all want LA Knight…and the more WWE tells us no, the hotter the crowds get.
Whenever they finally pull that trigger…it’s going to be a huge pop.
Botch of the night:
Would have been a great night to give us Pete Dunne, no?
Commentary of the night:
The latest in the NXT crossover action saw the announce team hype up a lot of the guests in the crowd.
Tiffany Stratton, Carmelo Hayes et al.
LOL Moment of the night:
Bayley’s reaction to Shotzi’s shenanigans was fun.
Dom’s reaction to HBK showing up was fun too.
Noteworthy Moment:
Jey ripping up the contract immediately made this signing stand on its own.
Then declaring it Tribal Combat, with Roman knowing precisely what he meant.
Asking if Jey had cleared it with the Elders.
I cannot help but think that this might have a few of the family getting involved with things in Detroit, if only for window dressing.
Overall lowlights:
Knowing how things are going to percolate, I cannot completely hate it, but I surely was not alone in thinking LA Knight was going to win this one.
That he didn’t was a minor bummer.
That’s probably my big lowlight here, and as I said…if I think it through, I do believe it will work out OK.
Overall highlights:
Nice match with Charlotte, IYO SKY and, afterwards, Asuka.
The United States Championship #1 contender matches have been really, really good.
Before they kicked off, I would not have expected LWO versus LWO, but here we are.
So…will we see someone turn? Or a hard-fought friendly?
Perhaps some outside interference by a dirty son? Not that he needs more heat…but could you imagine?
After the final bell:
With two weeks to go until SummerSlam, things are certainly shaping up.
How things shape up over the next couple shows will certainly be interesting, but a lot of the heaviest lifting has been done.
As things sit, the card looks quite nice, and I am sure there will be wrinkles yet to come.
