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There is no doubt that WWE has raised the bar after an excellent SummerSlam. While RAW produced a top class episode, SmackDown Live was equally good this week. Apart from some brilliant segments, we also witnessed great matches on the blue brand.
The Revival teamed up with Randy Orton to take on the New Day in a Six-Man Tag Team match. Ember Moon, who challenged Bayley at SummerSlam faced Charlotte Flair this week while Kevin Owens squared off with Samoa Joe.
Additionally, Aleister Black offered yet another promotion from his darkroom and called out for a challenger. Former Cruiserweight champion Buddy Murphy made his long-awaited SmackDown Live debut against Roman Reigns.
Also, Erick Rowan and Daniel Bryan confronted Buddy Murphy, who confessed that he wrongly accused Rowan of executing an attack on Roman Reigns.
The Blue Brand had some top moments, and yet there were some segments which needed improvements. Here is an analysis of two things WWE got right this week and two blunders they made.
#2 Blunder: Ember Moon loses again
Ember Moon locked horns with the SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley at the Biggest Party of the Summer. Even though the match was exciting, Moon failed to defeat Bayley. Following the disappointing night, Moon fought Charlotte Flair on SmackDown Live this week as the former was pinned down by the latter.
There is little doubt of the talent Ember Moon possesses and she is one of the best in-ring performers of the SmackDown Women's division. However, after making her main roster debut, Moon did not have too many big matches but was promoted to challenge Bayley for the title at SummerSlam.
When Moon managed to punch the ticket for SummerSlam, a large number of fans speculated that she could get the deserving push. However, Moon lost to Bayley and she was pinned by Charlotte this week which seems to suggest the lack of push for her.
It will be interesting to see if Moon manages to get another title shot at the Clash of Champions next month.
#2 Got right: Buddy Murphy's in-ring debut on SmackDown Live
On the back of a social media challenge from Buddy Murphy, WWE announced a match between Murphy and Roman Reigns on SmackDown Live this week. Murphy, who is a former Cruiserweight Champion, arrived on the Blue Brand after the Superstar Shake-up.
Despite being on SmackDown Live for a long time, he never competed on the main roster but the scenario altered this week as squared off against Roman Reigns.
There is no denying that Murphy is immensely talented and even though Murphy lost his first match on the Blue Brand, he certainly made a big statement this week. The Australian Superstar went toe-to-toe with the Big Dog, in a match which provided unmatched entertainment.
Judging by the match, it's safe to say that Murphy could become a big name on the blue brand anytime soon.
#1 Blunder: A bizarre ending to the Kevin Owens v Samoa Joe match
Kevin Owens managed to save his WWE career when he beat Shane McMahon at SummerSlam. The former Universal opened the show as he expressed his happiness on having pinned Shane McMahon before which McMahon walked out and fined Owens a hefty amount for his assault on guest referee Elias at SummerSlam.
Shane selected Samoa Joe to face Kevin Owens on SmackDown Live this week. Considering Both Owens and Joe are dexterous in the squared circle, we were expecting an awe-inspiring bout, but it didn't happen. Elias was appointed the special guest enforcer and the match ended in a disappointing manner on the back of a fast count which saw Owens losing the match.
#1 Got right: Randy Orton delivered the RKO to every New Day member and sent out a strong message
Randy Orton challenged the WWE Champion Kofi Kingston at the Biggest Party of the Summer and prior to SummerSlam, the match had an exciting build-up but it didn't live up to the hype.
Orton failed to stop KofiMania on Sunday as both men couldn't beat the count-out of the referee and fans were left fuming after a rather poor finish to a potentially exciting match-up.
Since the previous bout didn't have a proper outcome, Orton challenged Kofi Kingston to a re-match as the former tagged up with The Revival to take on The New Day in a Six-Man Tag Team match this week.
The Revival and Randy Orton defeated the New Day but a brawl took place after the match. The Viper showed his vicious side this week as he dismantled every member of the New Day.
While Kofi Kingston received two RKOs, Big E and Xavier Woods were dealt with one each. It was certainly a perfect way to end SmackDown Live this week and the 13-time World Champion sent a strong message to Kofi Kingston.
