Hometown disappointment; where's the champ? 4 mistakes WWE made on the final SmackDown before SummerSlam
The final episode of SmackDown before SummerSlam was memorable for a few big reasons. As the last show before the event, whatever happened in certain feuds would provide fans with a lasting image before the massive encounters over the weekend.
LA Knight ruined Logan Paul's homecoming by destroying his banner. He also left the arena in the gaudy blue Prime Truck. Cody Rhodes stood tall and avoided a beating on the eve of SummerSlam.
Andrade and Carmelo Hayes stole the show in their match, but there were a few missed opportunities. WWE made the following four mistakes on the final SmackDown before SummerSlam.
#4. A disappointing end to the Women's Tag Team Championship match
![Blair Davenport interfered to keep the Women's Tag Team Titles with The Unholy Union. [Image Credit: WWE.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/42804-17226560500238-1920.jpg?w=500)
WWE billed the final episode of SmackDown before SummerSlam as a "Gold Rush" since two sets of tag team belts were on the line. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair confidently walked into their match with Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn.
Instead of a definitive win or loss, WWE protected the Super Face team when Blair Davenport interfered, causing a disqualification. It's good to see Davenport advance in a storyline. However, she could have interfered behind the ref's back, leading to a win for The Unholy Union.
It's evident that WWE wants Belair and Cargill to be champions but keeps booking the tag team division unevenly. If Katana Chance and Kayden Carter have a reign almost matching two women booked as unstoppable forces, what does that say about the division?
#3. Every champion appears on SmackDown except Bayley
The Bloodline opened and closed SmackDown. They appeared in the ring for a segment with Cody Rhodes and then won the WWE Tag Team Championship in the main event.
Logan Paul had an in-ring segment with LA Knight, highlighted by The Megastar stealing Paul's Prime Truck. The Women's Tag Team Titles were also defended on the final SmackDown before SummerSlam.
Since Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax had a backstage segment, why didn't Bayley appear? She could have cut a backstage promo easily. The opening Bloodline segment could have been cut for time for the women's champion.
#2. Where in the world is Naomi?
Naomi has been featured as a steadfast ally for Bayley, Cargill, and Belair. The trio defeated Damage CTRL at WrestleMania 40 but has randomly crossed paths a few times since that win.
The former women's champion spoke to her allies last week after Belair and Cargill officially got their rematch. If she was so friendly with The EST and The Storm, why didn't she come out to even the odds?
The finish was likely to prolong the feud another week for a six-woman tag team match or the actual title swap. Naomi also failed to back up Bayley recently when Stratton and Jax attacked her in the ring.
#1. A swift title swap
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa won the WWE Tag Team Championship from A-Town Down Under in Toronto. WWE highlighted the history of DIY in Toronto as the duo won the NXT Tag Titles in the city.
Austin Theory and Grayson Waller lost the belts after 90 days as champions. Gargano is from Cleveland, and since he was not booked for SummerSlam, competing on SmackDown from his hometown was the next best thing.
Instead of valiantly defending their titles in his hometown, it feels like DIY was sacrificed to the Bloodline after a 28-day reign. It undoes the storytelling between A-Town Down Under and DIY to prop up Solo Sikoa's faction.
Booking a talent to lose in their hometown also feels more like a Vince McMahon-esque decision than Triple H. If a title swap was in the cards, Kevin Owens could have interfered to help DIY retain. The titles could have changed hands in a rematch next week instead of in Gargano's hometown.