5 Takeaways from this week's WWE SmackDown Live (17 July 2018)

Five matches took place as WWE SmackDown Live emanated from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania this week.

The first match of the night saw Andrade “Cien” Almas produce his most impressive main-roster performance to date against AJ Styles. However, after failing to get the win with double knees into the corner, he was forced to tap out to the WWE champion following a Calf Crusher.

In the women’s division, Becky Lynch made Mandy Rose submit to win her seventh SmackDown Live match in a row. Following her victory, SmackDown GM Paige revealed that “The Irish Lass Kicker” will face Carmella next week in a non-title match which could have SummerSlam consequences.

Elsewhere on the show, Samoa Joe made Tye Dillinger tap in a singles match, SAnitY member Eric Young defeated New Day member Kofi Kingston, and The Miz held a ‘funeral’ for Team Hell No following their defeat against The Bludgeon Brothers at Extreme Rules.

In the main event, Shinsuke Nakamura looked in trouble in his United States Championship match against Jeff Hardy, only for Randy Orton to pull Hardy out of the ring to cause a disqualification before viciously attacking him at ringside.

Let’s take a look at five things that stood out to us from this week’s episode.

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#5 Andrade “Cien” Almas was the star of the show

The former NXT champion looked close to defeating AJ Styles

After defeating Sin Cara in a surprisingly entertaining match on SmackDown Live last week, Andrade “Cien” Almas showed exactly why he is the future of the blue brand again this week during his non-title defeat against WWE champion AJ Styles.

The youngest member of the men’s roster on Tuesday nights, Almas took “The Phenomenal One” to his limits during their opening match of the night, and the former NXT champion came across like a credible future challenger for the WWE Championship.

WWE fans are often critical of how NXT Superstars are positioned on the card when they make the step up to the main roster, but nobody can have any complaints about Almas’ gradual rise up the ranks over the last month.

#4 What next for Asuka?

Asuka didn't appear on SmackDown Live this week

At the start of April, Asuka had been on the main roster for six months and, up until that point, she had been booked almost to perfection as the undefeated former NXT Women’s champion who was all set to dominate the women’s division for as long as she wanted.

However, ever since losing to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34, “The Empress of Tomorrow” has been involved in an underwhelming rivalry with Carmella which culminated in inexplicable circumstances at Extreme Rules after interference from James Ellsworth.

Given the shenanigans involved in both of her recent SmackDown Women’s Championship defeats, there was an outside chance that the Japanese star would get a rematch against Carmella at SummerSlam, but that now looks impossible after Becky Lynch’s latest victory this week.

Three months ago, Asuka was one of the most impressive Superstars that the women’s division had ever seen, but now she has become just another person on the roster, which is a massive shame.

#3 The Rivalry of the Year just got real

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan is shaping up nicely

When The Miz and Daniel Bryan were kept apart in different storylines after the Superstar Shake-Up, it looked like WWE could try to build the feud over the next year before having the two long-term rivals finally collide at WrestleMania 35.

But, if it wasn’t obvious already following Miz’s recent involvement with The Bludgeon Brothers, it was made crystal clear on this week’s SmackDown Live that the match is almost certain to happen at SummerSlam.

The eight-time Intercontinental champion produced some typically critical comments about Bryan during the 'Funeral of Team Hell No' segment, labelling his return from injury “a complete bust” while also claiming that his days of headlining WrestleMania are well and truly over.

The segment, which ended with D-Bry on top, was just what was needed to kick-start this rivalry on the road to SummerSlam.

#2 This is the Randy Orton we need!

Randy Orton's assault on Jeff Hardy was genuinely unpleasant to watch

Aside from a short stint as a borderline heel with the Wyatt Family, Randy Orton has been a good guy ever since he returned from injury in early 2015 ahead of his WrestleMania 31 match against Seth Rollins.

Then, almost a year after he said during an out-of-character appearance on Edge & Christian’s ‘Podcast of Awesomeness’ that he was “sick of this babyface thing”, Orton finally turned heel on Sunday when he made his return at Extreme Rules and instantly targeted one of the biggest good guys on SmackDown Live, Jeff Hardy.

This week’s SmackDown Live ended with “The Viper” dismantling Hardy (and his ear!) at ringside, leaving him in a heap on the ground after repeatedly smashing his head against the steel steps before hitting him with a DDT off the announce desk.

After over three years of watching Orton as an unwanted babyface, it’s a refreshing change to see the 13-time world champion back to his sadistic best!

#1 WWE Championship uncertainty

Who will AJ Styles face next?

It was revealed during this week’s episode of SmackDown Live that Paige will make an announcement next Tuesday about AJ Styles’ WWE Championship challenger at SummerSlam, with the commentary team suggesting that she already has a specific opponent in mind for “The Phenomenal One”.

Several high-profile Superstars are already involved in other storylines at the moment, including Daniel Bryan, The Miz and Jeff Hardy, which only really leaves Samoa Joe, Andrade “Cien” Almas and Randy Orton as realistic contenders to challenge for SmackDown Live’s top prize.

Joe defeated Tye Dillinger on this week’s episode, but is that enough to warrant a title opportunity? Almas was impressive in a non-title match against Styles, but does that mean he now deserves a shot at the gold? And with Jeff Hardy rumoured to be taking time off, will Orton target Styles next?

Whatever happens, credit to WWE for keeping us guessing!