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The SmackDown after SummerSlam kicked off with The Bloodline showing up to the arena. After a recap of Saturday's events, we headed into the night's opening match.
SmackDown Results (August 5, 2022): Ricochet vs. Happy Corbin
Ricochet started off strong and dodged an early End of Days before kicking Corbin out of the ring and hitting a massive dive on him.
Back in the ring, Corbin got in control and took Ricochet down with a counter before sending him into the ring post.
Back on SmackDown after a break, Ricochet failed to get a top rope powerbomb before being tossed off the ropes. Corbin was about to hit a dive, but a distraction from Pat McAfee allowed Ricochet to connect Recoil and then hit the standing shooting star press for an easy win.
Result: Ricochet def. Happy Corbin
Grade: B
We learned that Ronda Rousey had been suspended for attacking a referee. Then we saw Sami Zayn make his way to the Bloodline's locker room. The Usos came out and told him that it wasn't the best time to talk to the tribal chief as SmackDown continued.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ludwig Kaiser
Kaiser kicked Shinsuke into the corner early on before Nakamura returned with an elbow and a few knee strikes before getting a near fall. The latter took a big slam before we headed for a break.
Back in the match, Kaiser came in with a big uppercut before taking Nakamura out with a big slam. Nakamura caught Kaiser with a back heel kick and hit the Kinshasa before picking up the win.
Result: Shinsuke Nakamura def. Ludwig Kaiser
After the match, Nakamura stared Gunther down in the ring before SmackDown moved on. With this win, The King of Strong Style secured a shot at the Intercontinental Title.
Grade: B
Kofi Kingston was backstage and said that Woods was still recovering from his injuries from last week. Meanwhile, The Bloodline told Sami Zayn to prepare the production crew for Roman's entrance. Paul Heyman usually oversees it, but he was absent this week.
Liv Morgan was out next and said that her affinity for her championship allowed her to survive the devastating arm bars of Ronda Rousey. Sonya Deville came out and said that she would win tonight's Gauntlet, securing her title match at Clash at the Castle as we headed for the match.
Gauntlet Match to decide the No.1 Contender for the SmackDown Women's Championship
Deville took control of the match early on and hit a spinebuster before getting her new finisher on Aliyah for the pin. Raquel Rodriguez was next and punished Sonya immediately before being caught in a headlock.
Rodriguez hit the Texana Bomb and eliminated Sonya before Shotzi joined the match. After a break on SmackDown, Raquel broke out of a hold and hit a spinning elbow drop before eliminating Shotzi.
Xia Lee was next and unloaded on Rodriguez with kicks before locking in a single-legged crab hold. Raquel hit a Fallaway slam off a counter, a spinning elbow drop, and the Texana Bomb for one more elimination!
Natalya came in next and went after Raquel's knees before locking in a modified leglock. The latter punched Nattie in the face and got a vertical suplex before breaking out of a sharpshooter.
Raquel got a big slam off the top rope counter before getting the pin. Shayna Baszler was the last to join the match and locked in a submission move after a break on SmackDown.
Raquel returned with a fallaway slam before trying for the spinning elbow drop, but Baszler caught her in the Kirifuda Clutch. Raquel returned to her feet, but Baszler took her down and picked up the win.
Result: Shayna Baszler won the Gauntlet match to become the #1 Contender for SmackDown Women's Championship
Grade: A
Backstage, Sami demanded an audience with the Tribal Chief, but Usos told him that the Bloodline had leveled up at SummerSlam while Sami stayed the same.
Jimmy and Jey asked Zayn to start pulling his weight, or he would be kicked out of the group.
The Viking Raiders vs. local competitors
The Viking Raiders took on a local tag team and started tossing them around the ring. Erik dropped Ivar on top of one of the competitors before doing the same again, but from the middle rope. The Vikings got the easy pin and picked up a swift victory.
Result: The Viking Raiders def. local competitors
After the match, Kofi Kingston came out with a kendo stick and beat the Vikings out of the ring as SmackDown continued.
Grade: C
Kofi Kingston vs. Erik
We returned after a break to see that the match was underway. Kofi got some big strikes early before taking a big kick and a lariat from Erik. The former WWE Champion came in with a diving crossbody before getting a near fall.
Erik took Kofi down with a big slam and got some knees to the back of the head before the latter got a big kick and hit the Trust Fall from the top. Ivar came in with a kendo stick, but Kingston dodged it and used the distraction to roll Ivar up for the win.
Result: Kofi Kingston def. Erik
Grade: C
We learned from the announcers that a Women's Tag Team Championship tournament is set to begin next week.
Roman Reigns was out next and said he was unsure when Paul Heyman would be back after taking an F5 through the announce desk at SummerSlam. Drew McIntyre was out next and said that he had heard enough.
Drew hyped the crowd and the fans wanted him to beat up the Bloodline, but we saw the arrival of Karrion Kross, who drove McIntyre's head into the steel steps.
Scarlett also showed up at ringside and set up the hourglass for Roman Reigns before retreating.
Episode rating: B
The SmackDown after SummerSlam saw Shayna Baszler earn a title match against Liv Morgan while Roman Reigns addressed his upcoming title defense. WWE announced a tag team championship tournament for next week while Shinsuke secured an Intercontinental Title match on SmackDown.
