5 things WWE SmackDown got right this week: Roman Reigns faces an unexpected threat; Drew McIntyre gets attacked
Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match at WWE SummerSlam. He arrived on SmackDown with The Usos by his side to celebrate the win on the show.
Shinsuke Nakamura was looking to get a shot at the Intercontinental Champion, Gunther. He was ready to go up against Ludwig Kaiser to earn the opportunity this week.
Liv Morgan also talked about her win over Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam. SmackDown was ready to crown her next challenger for Clash at the Castle on this week’s show.
Triple H booked a loaded episode of SmackDown that had some entertaining matches and segments. Look at the five things WWE SmackDown got right on this week’s show.
#5. Ricochet picked up a win over Happy Corbin
Happy Corbin was not pleased with Ricochet’s reaction over Pat McAfee’s win at SummerSlam backstage. This led to a match between Corbin and The One and Only on this week’s WWE SmackDown.
Corbin went for the End of Days early, but Ricochet quickly fought out of it. He sent the big man outside the ring and hit a dive on him to retain control. The former Golden Gloves boxer sent Ricochet into the ring post before hitting a big right hand.
The One and Only failed to hit a top rope powerbomb and was sent crashing off the ropes. Pat McAfee provided a distraction Ricochet needed, allowing him to hit Recoil before scoring the win with the 630-splash.
The match was good in many ways. Ricochet got a chance to prove himself against one of the best workers on the show. Meanwhile, McAfee remained active in his rivalry against Corbin.
Ricochet is one of the Triple H guys who can benefit from the change up top. He could get some major matches that could lead to big victories down the road.
#4. Shinsuke Nakamura put down Ludwig Kaiser after a good fight
Shinsuke Nakamura was looking for a shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship. This week, he took on Gunther’s associate Ludwig Kaiser in another singles match.
Kaiser went on the attack early and stomped Nakamura into the corner. The Artist answered with an elbow and a few knee strikes to break out and hit a slam. He hit some signature moves to keep Kaiser off his feet for some time.
Kaiser tried his best to keep control of the contest for some time. He hit an uppercut before slamming Nakamura onto the mat. The Ring General’s associate could not survive much longer as Nakamura hit a heel kick and finished his opponent with the Kinshasa.
The Artist stared Gunther down in the ring as the segment ended. The match between these two superstars would be great, to say the least. WWE SmackDown will look to keep the title on Gunther for a little longer before he can move into the top title spot.
Meanwhile, the real story here is the relationship between Kaiser and Gunther. It looks like the former will soon split from The Ring General and go after his title.
#3. Raquel Rodriguez fought to prove herself in the Gauntlet Match
Can @RaquelWWE pull this off?! #SmackDown https://t.co/pk5jb3Klj0
Liv Morgan came to WWE SmackDown ahead of the No. 1 contender’s Gauntlet Match. She spoke about how she proved how much the title meant to her by surviving Ronda Rousey’s armbar. The crowd chanted, “You tapped out,” and Liv acknowledged that she couldn’t hold on for much longer.
Sonya Deville walked out and said she would win the Gauntlet Match to take on Morgan for the title at Clash at the Castle. The match got underway as Aliyah came out to take on Deville.
The two women traded some moves before Sonya hit a new finisher on Aliyah and pinned her. Raquel Rodriguez walked out next and punished Deville right away. He locked in a headlock and wore down the former WWE official.
She eliminated Deville with a Texana Bomb before Shotzi came out next. The two women went hard at each other and kept the action ticking with some good moves. Shotzi was a good challenge for Raquel, who found it difficult to keep her down for long.
In the end, Raquel hit Shotzi with a spinning elbow drop and her finisher to eliminate the star from the match. Xia Lee quickly made her way out and unloaded on Rodriquez. She worked on the former NXT Women’s Champion’s knee and locked her in a single-leg crab hold.
Raquel hit some power moves before hitting the Texana Bomb for another elimination. Natalya ran out next and immediately went after Raquel’s injured knee. She used her experience and locked herself in a leglock to punish her larger competitor.
Big Mami Cool continued to showcase her strength and hit a vertical suplex before breaking out of a sharpshooter. She hit a big slam off the top rope and put Natalya away for another elimination.
SmackDown did incredibly well to showcase Raquel’s talent on the show. She eliminated some of the top women on the roster while being injured. It was a good way to build her without having her go all the way so soon.
#2. Shayna Baszler earned herself a title shot against the SmackDown Women’s Champion
Shayna Baszler was the last entrant in the Gauntlet Match. She targeted Raquel Rodriguez early and locked in a submission move to punish the injured superstar.
Raquel still tried to hold on and fought back with some good moves. She hit a fallaway slam before attempting a spinning elbow drop. Shayna countered her and locked in the Kirifuda Clutch.
Big Mami Cool got to her feet and showed she was not ready to give up easily. However, The Queen of Spades scored the win off a pinfall counter.
It was a good contest between the two women, and WWE did well to keep Rodriguez away from Liv Morgan for now. Shayna has been a non-factor in the SmackDown women’s division for some time, and she will benefit from the match at Clash of Champions.
While she may not win the title at the event, it looks like she will help Liv become a much tougher superstar.
#1. Karrion Kross attacked drew McIntyre on WWE SmackDown
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns came in with The Bloodline by his side. He was unsure when Paul Heyman would be back after receiving the F5 through the announce desk at SummerSlam.
The WWE SmackDown leader demanded to be acknowledged before talking about his monumental win over Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Drew McIntyre came out next and said that he had heard enough.
The Scottish Warrior was ready to put down The Tribal Chief at Clash at the Castle and become the second-ever Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Just then, he was attacked by the returning Karrion Kross.
Kross ripped apart the Scottish Superstar and bashed his head into the steel steps. The latter's valet Scarlett placed an hourglass in the ring as the show ended.
Triple H has made WWE very unpredictable in just one week. It was great to see Kross back on the show. He is ready to erase his previous run on the main roster and become a top threat again. It’s good to see multiple superstars aim for the company's top title to keep things interesting.