3 Mistakes WWE made on SmackDown Live this week (25 June 2019)

Stomping Grounds was certainly an action-packed show and it exceeded the expectations of the fans. The anticipation was high for the SmackDown Live after Stomping Grounds this week. We saw a good episode of the blue brand with some impressive matches.

Two new matches got confirmed for Extreme Rules on SmackDown Live this week. The WWE Champion Kofi Kingston will defend his title against Samoa Joe, while Alexa Bliss and Bayley will have a rematch for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Dolph Ziggler squared off with Kofi Kingston as the latter was victorious. Nikki Cross defeated Bayley and Ember Moon got pinned by Sonya Deville. Heavy Machinery and New Day teamed up to defeat the team of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan, and Erick Rowan. Moreover, Elias overpowered the Miz with the help of Shane McMahon.

Though it was a fantastic episode, it could have been better. Here we discuss three mistakes WWE made on SmackDown Live this week.

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#3 Bayley's loss

Bayley had a remarkable night at Stomping Grounds where she pinned Alexa Bliss. The Hugger secured her maiden victory against the Goddess on a pay-per-view. While the presence of Nikki Cross seemed like an advantage for Bliss, it backfired as Cross became a primary reason for Bliss' loss at Tacoma Dome. However, Cross made it up this week by securing a rematch for Alexa at Extreme Rules.

Since grabbing the most coveted women's prize of the blue brand, Bayley has been a fighting champion. Apart from pinning Charlotte Flair twice, she also pinned Lacey Evans and Alexa Bliss, however, the shocking loss on SmackDown Live this week could derail her momentum. If WWE wanted a rematch between Bliss and Bayley, Cross could have won by disqualification or count out. A clean loss against Nikki Cross is certainly not good news for the champion.

See WWE Smackdown Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Smackdown Results page

#2 Samoa Joe was announced the opponent of Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules

It's official

A brand new match was made official on SmackDown Live this week as Samoa Joe will challenge Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules. WWE already gave us a hint on RAW where Joe viciously attacked Kingston. After losing US Championship at Stomping Grounds, Joe will be chasing the WWE Championship.

While Joe might seem to be a great opponent of Kingston, it will make the brand split irrelevant. Kofi Kingston is the holder of the most prestigious belt of the blue brand. Joe, on the other hand, is a member of RAW. Despite having several talented Superstars on SmackDown Live, a RAW Superstar is challenging the WWE Champion.

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#1 No appearance of Roman Reigns

The Big Dog was missing

Roman Reigns, who is a Superstar of SmackDown Live, didn't appear on the blue brand this week. As a matter of fact, the Big Dog also skipped SmackDown Live last week. Surprisingly, the former Universal Champion has been an integral part of RAW, where he is a Wild Card entrant. Reigns skipped his own show but he has been a regular presence on the red brand.

Reigns is currently having a feud with Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. After the Big Dog defeated the Scottish Psychopath at Stomping Grounds, he was put in a two-on-one Handicap Match on RAW before the Undertaker came to rescue Reigns.

Reigns' current rival Shane McMahon was present on SmackDown Live, where the latter decimated the Miz. Considering Reigns is the biggest draw of SmackDown Live, his regular absence is certainly a big blow for the blue brand.