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WWE SmackDown kicked off with Michael Cole in the ring who was interviewing the newcomer from NXT, Matt Riddle. Riddle said that after his win over AJ Styles last week, he thought that 'he could get used to this'. About wrestling bare feet, he said that he got frostbite in his foot as a kid and due to that it hurts when he wears shoes.
King Corbin interrupted the interview and kicked Cole out of 'his ring' before saying that Riddle disrespected him last week. Corbin said that someone needed to 'put him in his place' and Riddle said 'let's go, bro'. Corbin said that wasn't how it worked on SmackDown before he called in John Morrison to fight in his stead.
Matt Riddle vs. John Morrison
Corbin was on commentary while the Miz joined us at ringside as the match began. Riddle and Morrison countered each other's holds early on before Riddle was tossed aside but came back with a gut wrench suplex. Morrison was caught in an ankle lock before he hit a big kick off the ropes for a near fall.
Morrison hit a corkscrew plancha and almost got the three count before hitting running knees to the face. Riddle was outside and hit Corbin with his flipflop before we headed for a break. We returned to SmackDown to see Morrison hit a huge top rope move followed by a standing Spanish Fly for another near fall.
Riddle got the upper hand with a knee strike and then a powerbomb before hitting the Final Flash Knee Strike. Miz and Corbin tried to distract Riddle but he managed to roll up the veteran for the big win on SmackDown.
Result: Matt Riddle def. John Morrison
Match rating: A
As the match ended on SmackDown, AJ Styles rushed the stage and attacked Riddle while Drew Gulak chased after him.
We returned to SmackDown to see that John Morrison was furious after his loss and Corbin said he was going to sabotage Riddle's budding career.
AJ Styles (c) vs. Drew Gulak - Intercontinental Championship match
In the SmackDown ring, AJ and Gulak couldn't wait to start the match and we cut back to them already locked in combat while Daniel Bryan joined us via a zoom call. AJ was focusing on Gulak's knees and Drew went for a submission of his own before AJ fled the ring for a breather.
We returned to SmackDown to see that Gulak was in trouble while AJ went for his eyes behind the ref's back. Gulak dropped Styles on the buckles before taking a Styles Clash. AJ hung Gulak on the ropes and hit the Phenomenal Forearm to get the win.
Result: AJ Styles def. Drew Gulak to retain the Intercontinental Championship
Match rating: A
Bayley and Sasha Banks were set to give a tribute to...themselves, up next on SmackDown.
Sasha Banks and Bayley were out and made fun of the Undertaker on SmackDown, who according to Bayley, had called her to tell her that the two of them deserved a tribute more than himself. They cut to a showreel of their recent title reigns, complete with interviews from themselves about themselves. The narcissism is off the charts!
They ended with chanting 'Thank you Bayley' and 'Thank you Sasha' before Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross came out to mock them. They listed some fake accomplishments to prove a point before calling Banks and Bayley out in the ring.
Nikki Cross said she'll take the SmackDown title off Bayley before the champ laughed in her face and Alexa punched her before the two set up for a match.
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley
Bayley was punched in the nose as we returned to SmackDown and went for Alexa's shoulders early on before getting a couple of near falls. The champ hit an elbow in the corner before both women went down off a botched move.
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley (contd...)
Bayley used the apron to hurt Alexa's shoulder and then hit a running bulldog in the ring. Cross was cheering Alexa at ringside before getting into it with Banks. Bayley yelled at her before getting clocked in the face on SmackDown and causing the ref to hand a DQ win to Bayley.
Cross went into the ring and took out Bayley, making her and Banks retreat, having already caused a DQ finish on SmackDown.
Result: Bayley def. Alexa Bliss via DQ
Match rating: B
We got a short recap of the rivalry between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman on SmackDown ahead of Extreme Rules.
Kofi Kingston vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Kofi came out of the gate with big kicks, forcing Nakamura to run out of the ring. When Kofi followed him outside, he was being sent into the barricades but managed to send Nakamura crashing into them instead. The SmackDown match continued as Big E and Cesaro were sent off by the referee.
Kofi missed the Trouble in Paradise as we returned to SmackDown and dodged the Kinshasa before getting the SOS for a near fall.
Kofi Kingston vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (contd...)
Kofi got one more near fall before getting hit with the sudden running knee, letting Nakamura pick up the win on SmackDown.
Result: Shinsuke Nakamura def. Kofi Kingston
After the match, Cesaro brought a table out but Big E was there to take out the heels and sent them on their way.
Match rating: B
We learnt that The New Day will face Nakamura and Cesaro next week with the SmackDown Tag Titles on the line.
Jeff Hardy was out next on SmackDown and was met with a cart full of alcohol and drinks of all kinds. Sheamus showed up on the Titantron and started telling Jeff how he had a problem with facing reality.
Sheamus said that the answer to Jeff's problems were in the bottles as he proposed a toast. Jeff asked if it was funny to Sheamus to cause him and his family pain by doing this and Sheamus said he was helping him.
Jeff pretended to drink but stopped at the last second and poured his drink on the bartender before smashing the glass on his head and then hitting a swanton bomb on him as the show ended.
Episode rating: B
A decent episode of SmackDown with a great ending.We saw Riddle pick up another impressive win while AJ retained his title and Hardy stayed true to his promises.
