'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This week is one of those odd periods where the WWE is at a stand-still. The card for both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live were filled for Money in the Bank last week, and the go-home shows are still a week away.
Monday Night Raw suffered from this lull this week with a fairly lackluster show, but SmackDown Live avoided that lull for the most part last night with a highly entertaining show, a great contract signing, and an excellent main event.
Money in the Bank is just a little over a week away when it takes place from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The only uncertainty there is for the pay per view at this point is which member of The New Day will be in the ladder match.
As with all of the report card articles, this one will focus on the major moments from this week's edition of SmackDown Live. The best grade a segment can receive is an A+; while the worst grade is an F.
This week's edition of SmackDown Live starts out with the WWE SmackDown Women's Champion...
Carmella tries to "unmask" Asuka...
The Princess of Staten Island (and current WWE SmackDown Women's Champion) kicked off the evening in Corpus Christi, Texas with a promo to expose the real Asuka. They showed a video recap of Asuka's dominating winning streak, followed by some footage of recent misfortunes for the Empress of Tomorrow.
Carmella stated that the "Age of Asuka" is over and Mella is money. Asuka came down prepared to clash with Carmella, but they would be interrupted by Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.
Sonya wanted Asuka one-on-one, but Carmella suggested she take them both on. General Manager Paige came out and gave Asuka the option of who she wanted to face tonight, and she chose BOTH Rose and Deville.
It was a decent opening segment, but Carmella's promos are really starting to get repetitive with the same lines. Thankfully Rose and Deville came out to save the segment somewhat.
GRADE: C+
The 11-minute handicap match was very solid. It was a good showcase to show that Rose and Deville are capable of being on top of the division in the future.
I'd really love to see a one-on-one match between Asuka and Deville. My Lost In The Midcard podcast co-host saw this match at an NXT Live event and said it was amazing.
Asuka would dump Rose to the outside and as Deville was charging, she would apply the Asuka Lock and there was nowhere for Deville to go.
GRADE: B
A reminder why the Mixed Match Challenge was so good
Thanks to Lana landing a cheap shot last week on Naomi during their dance-off, a mixed tag match took place with Aiden English and Jimmy Uso getting involved. It was a great reminder of how fun the Mixed Match Challenge was.
TV Insider's Scott Fishman posted a great idea on Twitter regarding the introduction of new championships in the WWE:
Many elements that made that tournament fun were used in this match, including Naomi hitting a nice crossbody off the top rope onto Aiden English. You also can see the improvement Lana has made in the ring; which is a great asset to how popular she is with the WWE Universe.
After that crossbody, Jimmy hit English with a superkick to get the victory.
GRADE: B+
This is how you do a contract signing
Instead of having it in the ring, they decided to have the contract signing for the WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank in the back. Agents Dean Malenko and Adam Pearce were present to help keep the peace between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles.
Styles would sign the contract, but when it came to Nakamura, he would claim that his pens were out of ink (including the pen AJ just used). AJ had enough and slapped Nakamura in the face as Pearce and Malenko held him back.
It was a unique way to do a contract signing, and I think it was fantastic. Adding Pearce and Malenko to the segment was a nice touch too.
GRADE: A
Quick grades for other SmackDown Live segments
The New Day tricks The Miz again - GRADE: A
Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods were backstage in the locker room with The Miz. The New Day fooled The Miz into thinking he was going to reveal the member who is going to be in the ladder match by drawing the name out of a hat. Instead, the hat was filled with pancake batter. It was a very funny segment.
Harper v. Karl Anderson - GRADE: D+
This match could have been something amazing if given time as both men are extremely talented. Unfortunately, it only lasted two minutes, but it was great to see Gallows and Anderson one-up The Bludgeon Brothers.
Charlotte Flair v. Becky Lynch - GRADE: B+
No surprise that two of the best women in the division had a good match. Lynch going over Charlotte was a little surprising as she hasn't been in the title picture for a while, but it is also a sign that she is probably not pulling down the briefcase.
Big Cass cuts a promo on Daniel Bryan - GRADE: D+
While Big Cass has gotten much better at promos since his return from injury, he didn't really add much to what was already said in this promo. I liked the delivery, but no one believes that Cass is going to win here.
Andrade "Cien" Almas jumps Sin Cara from behind - GRADE: B
On paper, I wouldn't be too excited at a feud between Andrade "Cien" Almas and Sin Cara since Sin Cara hasn't had any sort of push in years; however, you can see a real chemistry in the promos between these two. This could be a match on the Money In The Bank Kickoff Show, and it should be one you shouldn't miss.
The New Day take on Samoa Joe, The Miz, and Rusev in the main event
The main event of SmackDown Live this week involved all members of the SmackDown men's side of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match when The New Day took on Samoa Joe, The Miz and Rusev.
The match escalated when The Miz was trying to throw a plate of pancakes on Big E only to miss and hit Rusev and Samoa Joe. Rusev and Joe would attack Miz and leave him vulnerable for The Midnight Hour and a victory for The New Day.
The match was full of tremendous action which I believe could lead to a one-on-one feud with Big E and any of the three heels after Money In The Bank if they finally decide to push one of the New Day members in the singles division.
GRADE: A-
Any highlight of this week's SmackDown Live that we missed? Did you love this week's episode? Sound off in the comments below!
Do you love to play crosswords, Wordle or other exciting games? We'd like to connect with you. Fill the form here!
