On a Friday night in late July, WWE's SmackDown stepped out from the shadow of its Saturday spectacle to tidy up what had been left behind and to point toward the next big gathering, SummerSlam. A contract signing between Gunther and Nick Aldis ended, as such things often do, in violence, and the night's matches quietly sorted out who would stand in line for the next opportunities. The broadcast tried to hold two tasks at once, looking back at what had happened and looking ahead to what was coming, and a critic found that the effort was shaped as much by commercial demands as by wrestling itse
WWE SmackDown Grades: Gunther-Aldis Contract Signing Ends in Brawl as SummerSlam Build Takes Shape
Less than an hour of in-ring action in a two-hour show
Mark
Why did the contract signing matter beyond setting up a match?
Mimi
It put Aldis' authority at stake. Signing means handing the GM job to Pearce, and Gunther then wrecked him anyway.
Luke
Worth noting the match is only set up; how Aldis fares after years away from wrestling is unknown.
Mark
The Jax storyline seems to be the one with momentum.
Mimi
Twice she's lost a qualifying chance to interference, and she wrecked the announce table. She isn't qualified, but she's clearly in the story.
Luke
The reviewer says she'll likely affect SummerSlam. That's a prediction, not something announced.
Mark
And the C-?
Mimi
It's about structure: under an hour of wrestling in two hours, and two breaks in the main event within about ten minutes.
Luke
Those figures are the reviewer's own count, and the grade is one writer's opinion. Still, the no-breaks Green-James match supports his point about time.
El Pulso
- Gunther ends the Aldis contract signing by powerbombing him through a table after a low blow, leaving the SummerSlam rivalry raw and personal.
- Nikki Bella's surprise return to save Brie Bella from Fatal Influence sets up a six-woman tag at SummerSlam while the women's Ladder qualifiers grind forward.
- Nia Jax tears apart the announce table after Jade Cargill's interference hands Charlotte Flair a disqualification win, leaving her two qualifying chances gone.
- Finn Balor wins the Fatal 4-Way and earns Sami Zayn's No. 1 contender match, while Solo Sikoa's attack on Royce Keys is met by The Usos and LA Knight.
- The show lands with a C- grade because under an hour of its two hours was in-ring action, and the critic warns fans may drift elsewhere.
On a Friday night in late July, WWE's SmackDown stepped out from the shadow of its Saturday spectacle to tidy up what had been left behind and to point toward the next big gathering, SummerSlam. A contract signing between Gunther and Nick Aldis ended, as such things often do, in violence, and the night's matches quietly sorted out who would stand in line for the next opportunities. The broadcast tried to hold two tasks at once, looking back at what had happened and looking ahead to what was coming, and a critic found that the effort was shaped as much by commercial demands as by wrestling itself.
SmackDown opened on Friday with a table, a contract and two men who were never going to sign quietly. Nick Aldis and Gunther sat down to make their SummerSlam match official, and the segment ended with Aldis driven through the table. Adam Pearce set the terms: the moment Aldis signs, he surrenders his general manager duties and releases WWE from responsibility for whatever happens. Gunther called it the greatest moment of Aldis' career and also beneath him, then spent minutes trying to rattle him before landing a low blow and the powerbomb.
The show had to clean up Saturday Night's Main Event and sell SummerSlam at once. Brie Bella beat Lainey Reid, and Fatal Influence attacked her until Nikki Bella returned to make the save, promising a six-woman tag. Pearce informed Sami Zayn of his No. 1 contender match, and Zayn was not happy about it. Chelsea Green beat Kiana James in a quick, competitive bout, and in the second qualifier Nia Jax went after Charlotte Flair at the bell, only for Jade Cargill, B-Fab and Michin to arrive. Cargill's attack gave Flair the win by disqualification, and Jax, once again denied, tore apart the announce table.
Cody Rhodes and CM Punk traded barbs over their Saturday win and the accidental title shot to the face, with Rhodes saying he respects Punk but doesn't like him, and Punk turning his back to see whether Rhodes would strike. The main event, a Fatal 4-Way for Zayn's opponent, went to Finn Balor over Damian Priest, Royce Keys and Trick Williams. Solo Sikoa's interference was answered by The Usos and LA Knight. The reviewer praised it as the night's best match, though it was short and interrupted by breaks.
The final verdict was harsh: under an hour of in-ring action in two hours, and the blame fell on the booking rather than the performers. With Gunther-Aldis, Balor-Zayn and the Ladder field still unsettled, SummerSlam now has to deliver what this episode mostly did not.
SmackDown opened on Friday with a table, a contract, and two men who were never going to sign it quietly. Nick Aldis and Gunther sat down to make their SummerSlam match official, and the segment ended with Aldis put through the table.
The show had a double assignment: deal with the fallout from Saturday Night's Main Event and sell next week's SummerSlam. Cody Rhodes and CM Punk were advertised, Gunther was on the card after Triple H booked his match with Aldis, and a tournament to crown a new women's world champion continued with two first-round matches.
Adam Pearce laid out the terms for Aldis. The moment he signs, he gives up all general manager duties to Pearce, and he agrees that WWE bears no responsibility for whatever happens in the match. Gunther called it the greatest moment of Aldis' career, but said it was beneath him, a waste of time when he should be chasing the world title, and he spent several minutes trying to get in Aldis' head. Then he hit a low blow and powerbombed Aldis through the table. Bleacher Report gave the segment a C+, noting that contract signings are rarely memorable but that the two sold the tension well. It also liked that the broadcast acknowledged Aldis as a former NWA world champion, given that WWE has no working relationship with the NWA.
In the first match, Brie Bella beat Lainey Reid, one half of the new tag team champions. Fatal Influence attacked Bella afterward, and Nikki Bella made a surprise return to make the save, setting up a six-woman tag at SummerSlam. Backstage, Pearce told Sami Zayn he has a No. 1 contender's match at SummerSlam, and Zayn was unhappy about it.
The first qualifier for the SummerSlam women's world title Ladder match went to Chelsea Green, who beat Kiana James in a bout that never reached a commercial break. The reviewer thought both women, often overlooked, were competitive and aggressive but short on time. Later, Green's opponent in the second qualifier was Nia Jax, who had been cost her own qualifier the previous week by Charlotte Flair. Jax went after Flair at the bell, but Jade Cargill, B-Fab and Michin arrived mid-match. Flair fought off Michin and B-Fab, but Cargill attacked her and caused a disqualification, so Flair won. Jax has now lost two chances to qualify to interference, and she tore apart the announce table in anger. She did not look pleased to see Cargill's group, and she is expected to affect the SummerSlam outcome either way.
Punk and Rhodes appeared after a recap of their Saturday Night's Main Event win and a Fanatics Fest incident. Punk showed distrust over Rhodes saying he owed him for accidentally hitting him in the face with the title. Rhodes said he respects Punk but doesn't like him. Punk turned his back to see whether Rhodes would attack, and Rhodes cast himself as the man who dropped a nuke on the business, compared with Punk's pipe bomb. The reviewer gave it a B, noting that being unable to name AEW forced subtle references.
The main event was a Fatal 4-Way among Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Royce Keys and Trick Williams to pick Zayn's opponent for the WWE title No. 1 contender's match. Keys dominated early until the break. Balor won, and Solo Sikoa then came out to help Keys, only for The Usos and LA Knight to fight him off. It was the night's best match, graded B-, though it ran under 15 minutes with two breaks of several minutes each.
The reviewer's final grade was C-. Less than an hour of a two-hour show was in-ring action, and the booking, not the performers, was blamed. The warning was blunt: if wrestling doesn't become the highlight again, fans may look elsewhere. Next comes SummerSlam, with Gunther-Aldis, Balor-Zayn and the Ladder match field still being filled.
Citas Notables
Rhodes said he respects Punk but doesn't like him.— Cody Rhodes, per Bleacher Report
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