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From Sasha Banks and Bayley mentioning The Undertaker to a solid opening match between John Morrison and Matt Riddle, this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown featured many contrasting moments.
The in-ring action was particularly impressive in this episode, but a lot of WWE fans certainly had a problem with the main event segment. On top of that, Otis and Mandy Rose were missing in action as well, and their absence could be felt throughout last night's edition of WWE SmackDown.
Which show did you like better this week, RAW or SmackDown? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's episode of WWE SmackDown (July 3, 2020).
#5: Shinsuke Nakamura picked up an unexpected victory against Kofi Kingston
It's no secret that Shinsuke Nakamura's WWE run hasn't panned out the way fans thought it would when The King of Strong Style debuted on WWE's main roster several years ago.
Currently, Nakamura and Cesaro team up together in standard in-ring bouts on the Blue brand, and their feud against The New Day hasn't exactly set the world on fire.
So it was surprising to see that Nakamura didn't just pick up a victory against a recent WWE Champion, but he also accomplished that through an arguably clean outcome.
Surely, this win was necessary to establish Cesaro & Nakamura as a stronger unit ahead of their SmackDown Tag Team titles match against New Day, but Nakamura vs. Kofi was a good match on its own.
I do not know if there is a must-see future arc for New Day's title reign, but if WWE has no idea about this as well, then Cesaro & Nakamura could be good candidates as the next SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
#4: Bayley & Sasha Banks mocked The Undertaker in a self-celebration segment
With major female WWE stars like Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch being inactive at the moment, Bayley & Sasha Banks have stepped up their game on all three major WWE brands.
The Role Models have made their presence felt everywhere, but WWE SmackDown remains Bayley and Sasha Banks' main brand. On the heels of The Undertaker's tribute episode last week, Bayley and Sasha mocked The Deadman and aired their own self-celebratory video in this episode.
Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss interrupted The Role Models, and before you know it, Sasha passively coerced her own best friend into facing Alexa Bliss.
Bayley dominated the action and won via disqualification when Nikki Cross couldn't control her own rage near ringside. Cross vs. Bayley doesn't sound like the most intriguing title match at Extreme Rules, but The Role Models continue to be one of WWE's most consistently entertaining acts at the moment.
Sasha Banks and Bayley's lively presence was necessary on a show that didn't feature big stars like Mandy Rose, Otis, and Bray Wyatt.
#3: King Corbin initiated a hard-hitting match between Matt Riddle and John Morrison
This week's WWE SmackDown opened with an in-ring interview with Matt Riddle, which led to King Corbin interrupting the Super King of Bros right away.
However, Corbin pitted Riddle against John Morrison, which was certainly the best match of the night that saw both men fighting it out in an unorthodox, yet engaging manner.
Riddle picked up the win through a quick roll-up, but his arc didn't end there. The Original Bro embarrassed AJ Styles by defeating him on the June 19th edition of WWE SmackDown, and that came to bite back Riddle as Styles attacked him after the opening match of this week's show.
Drew Gulak made the save, but from a broader perspective, it looks like Matt Riddle's first big feud is going to be against King Corbin.
Not only is Corbin the most unlikeable heel on any WWE brand, but this whole process is a great way to build up Riddle as one of SmackDown's top babyfaces. Also, Morrison vs. Riddle felt like a fresh breath of air last night, since it slightly broke away from WWE's traditional TV-style of wrestling.
#2: AJ Styles and Drew Gulak's Intercontinental title match was another good contest after the opening bout
I didn't just randomly say that the in-ring content was quite engaging on this week's WWE SmackDown, as AJ Styles and Drew Gulak's bout was another good example of the same.
After the opening bout, SmackDown enforced a rule of continuity in terms of story and wrestling as well. As mentioned previously, Styles attacked Riddle after the first match of the night, and Gulak made the save by attacking Styles in return.
This led to a solid in-ring match between Styles and Gulak just after WWE fans witnessed a stellar opening bout between Riddle and Morrison.
Even if Riddle and Morrison's contest was something different than usual, Styles vs. Gulak had a better, definitive ending.
The Phenomenal One put his opponent down for good with a Styles Clash followed by a Phenomenal forearm. Styles also successfully retained his Intercontinental title in the process.
Also, Daniel Bryan kept popping up with some expert insight through a Zoom call, which was a nice touch to an already good WWE match.
#1: Sheamus hosted a "toast" to Jeff Hardy and encouraged him to drink in yet another controversial segment between the two
Honestly, Sheamus and Jeff Hardy's feud needs to end at some point sooner than later. What started off as an intriguing, yet controversial WWE angle that exploited Hardy's real-life demons has now turned into a mockery of its own premise.
Yes, we get that Hardy is trying to live a clean life and Sheamus keeps pinching The Charismatic Enigma's nerves when it comes to substance abuse and the topic of their recent segment, alcohol.
As expected, Hardy refused to drink again and instead smashed a bottle on a waiter who was most certainly paid to serve Hardy a drink.
So, we could have had another ambiguous ending between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, but instead, their angle was reduced to a video package on this week's WWE SmackDown.
With Wyatt, it is understandable that the character has more intrigue if he makes periodic appearances on WWE's Blue rand, and that is also true for Otis and Mandy's shenanigans that have become an integral part of the show. But in hindsight, Sheamus and Hardy's main event segment may have been controversial and newsworthy for all the wrong reasons.
