Best and Worst of SmackDown before Night of Champions

Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton kicked off WWE SmackDown ahead of Night of Champions. Each claimed to need to win the crown more than the other, since each man had unfinished business with John Cena.

JC Mateo defeated Jimmy Uso again, and after Solo Sikoa attempted to recruit him, Jimmy declined. Jacob Fatu saved him from an attack. Wade Barrett interviewed Jade Cargill and Asuka ahead of their Queen of the Ring finals.

Both said they'd win, until Naomi interrupted them. The Empress of Tomorrow stood tall after Cargill pushed her down to go after Naomi.

Aleister Black made R-Truth pay for interrupting him twice, hitting him with a Black Mass. With hours before the next big PLE, here's the best and worst of SmackDown ahead of Night of Champions.

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#3. Best - Moving on, hopefully

Nia Jax had three shots against Tiffany Stratton after Stratton cashed in Money in the Bank on the Annihilator in January. Between those shots, she challenged Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship.

It felt like bookers didn't have any other ideas for Jax, and it felt extremely repetitive between the two. After their Last Woman Standing match on SmackDown, the feud and Jax's title pursuits are hopefully over for the foreseeable future.

The Center of the Universe proved her toughness several times, enduring two Banzai Drops, including one with a chair on her chest. She also went through a table, as did her rival.

Stratton can now move on to different challenges, as long as Naomi allows her to. Miss Money in the Bank teased cashing in earlier in the night and almost did, but was thwarted by both competitors.

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#2. Best - Another addition to the SmackDown Tag Team division?

After DIY tried to hype the rest of the tag division up, Nick Aldis booked them in a match against Andrade and a mystery partner. The partner was Rey Fenix. It looked like Johnny Gargano injured his knee midway through the match.

DIY hit the Shatter Machine finisher on El Idolo, but he kicked out. Andrade had a nice counter off a moonsault, transitioning into Meteora after Gargano moved. The makeshift team withstood DIY's best shots.

Ultimately, Fenix and Andrade hit a nice combo finish featuring a power bomb variant and Andrade's spinning DDT to pick up the win. The SmackDown tag team division might be getting even better than it already is.

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#1. Worst - The match doesn't matter

After scaring the SmackDown tag division for a few weeks, the Wyatt Sicks received a title shot at the Street Profits ahead of Night of Champions.

It didn't take long for things to break down as nearly every other team arrived to watch the match in person. The title contest predictably ended due to outside interference when Los Garza attacked the champions.

What followed was a showcase of moonsaults, superkicks, and suicide dives. The post-match action made the actual bout feel somewhat useless despite making it seem like a big deal. It also didn't help that most of the matches in the tag division have ended due to outside interference.

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#1. Best/Worst - Zelina Vega cannot overcome Giulia on SmackDown

Zelina Vega's reign as the Women's United States Champion came to an end at the hands of Giulia. The Beautiful Madness set her sights on Vega ever since joining SmackDown.

The two had a decent match with Vega hitting a series of Meteoras before missing a moonsault. Giulia has an aura that should significantly elevate the title.

Zelina is a hard worker who delivers every time she steps into the ring. However, for some reason, her reign wasn't connecting with the fans.

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#1. Best - Basic Punkanomics

Usually, too much talking in a feud can be tiresome, especially when the opponents repeat the same points. CM Punk and John Cena have bucked that trend in the lead-up to Night of Champions.

A week after Cena gave his version of The Best in the World's infamous pipe bomb, Punk returned the favor by mocking the Basic Thuganomics era of Cena.

He rapped his entire promo, referencing the Undertaker and Cena's "burials," Hulk Hogan, and even Cena's acting skills compared to Batista. The Champ was bothered by getting a taste of his own medicine.

Sometimes, drawing a little outside the lines can produce better results than sticking to the same plan each week.