WWE SmackDown presented the June 13th edition of the show from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The show saw the fallout from the Money in the Bank PLE and continued the road to the next one, Night of Champions, with more King and Queen of the Ring tournament opening round matches.
Moreover, the night was a star-studded event featuring stars such as Randy Orton, John Cena, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and more. It ended on a high note with a thrilling main event that saw The American Nightmare take a big win home.
Quick Results
- Randy Orton defeated Aleister Black, Carmelo Hayes, and LA Knight in the King of the Ring tournament Fatal 4-Way opening round match.
- Jade Cargill defeated Nia Jax, Michin, and Piper Niven in the Queen of the Ring tournament Fatal 4-Way opening round match.
- The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy) defeated The Motor City Machine Guns in a tag team match.
- Alexa Bliss defeated Charlotte Flair, Candice LeRae, and Alba Fyre in the Queen of the Ring tournament Fatal 4-Way opening round match.
- Cody Rhodes defeated Damian Priest, Andrade El Idolo, and Shinsuke Nakamura in the King of the Ring tournament Fatal 4-Way opening round match.
Best Match
The best match of the night was the main event showdown. It was the opening round of the King of the Ring tournament, pitting Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest, Andrade El Idolo, and Shinsuke Nakamura against each other in a Fatal 4-Way match.
The action spilled all across the ringside area as all four competitors battled it out for the high-stakes opportunity. It came to a close with Rhodes delivering his finisher to both Andrade and Nakamura and pinning the King of Strong Style to seize the win and move further in the tournament.
Worst Match
Out of the five matches on the card on WWE SmackDown this week, the least captivating one was the tag team match between Wyatt Sicks members, Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis, against Motor City Machine Guns. It drew less than significant attention, although it saw Wyatt Sicks’ first victory after months.
Noteworthy Moments
The first noteworthy moment of WWE SmackDown this week came in the opening segment. It was a sight of major star power as the returning Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and John Cena stood in the ring at the same time. LA Knight also joined them as everyone called their shot at Cena’s title, who R-Truth attacked as he was leaving.
Another prime highlight was Cena returning to the ring to get revenge on Truth. Instead, he found himself confronted by CM Punk, who berated him for copying his style from years ago. In the end, Truth took him down from behind again, as Punk watched his Night of Champions opponent locked in the STF.
Other highlights saw Jade Cargill and Alexa Bliss winning their respective Queen of the Ring tournament opening rounds following stellar Fatal 4-Way matches. With their victories, they now advance to the semi-final matches, with Cargill facing Roxanne Perez, and Bliss’ opponent to be decided.
The last major highlight from WWE SmackDown was the return of Randy Orton, who won his King of the Ring tournament’s Fatal 4-Way opening round match. Following an attack on LA Knight by Seth Rollins’ henchmen, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes tried to take advantage but instead landed into an RKO on top of LA Knight as he tried to execute a top rope move.
Holy Sh!@ Moments
The two major Holy Sh!@ Moments came during the first Queen of the Ring tournament Fatal 4-Way opening round match. On the outside of the ringside, Piper Niven and Nia Jax sent Jade Cargill flying into the announcer’s desk, who landed right on the commentator, Wade Barrett.
The second jaw-dripping moment from the match saw the imposing Piper Niven spearing the equally strong Nia Jax through the ring barricade in an epic fashion.
Lowlights
Tiffany Stratton was confronted by Miss Money in the Bank Naomi, who was dared by the WWE Women’s Champion to cash in her contract right there. She refused and began to walk away when Nia Jax attacked Stratton and delivered an Annihilator on her. Naomi tried to cash in, but Jax stopped her.
Another lowlight was Chelsea Green video calling Nick Aldis from inside a swimming pool to inform him that she would not be able to make it to WWE SmackDown this week. He rejected her plea to reschedule her Queen of the Ring tournament match and instead let Alba Fyre take her place.
One more lowlight saw Jacob Fatu explaining his betrayal of Solo Sikoa at WWE Money in the Bank PLE. Sikoa appeared on the titantron and informed him that he would confront Fatu on SmackDown next week.
What’s in store for WWE SmackDown next week
The next week’s edition of WWE SmackDown will feature three huge bouts. In the King and Queen of the Ring tournament semi-finals, Randy Orton will face Sami Zayn, while Alexa Bliss will take on the winner of the next opening round set to take place on the upcoming edition of RAW. Lastly, following repeated attacks on John Cena, R-Truth will get a one-on-one match against him on SmackDown next week.
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