 Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka Ended in a No ContestFlair and Asuka always work well together and this was another quality contest from them, a noticeable improvement over their television match from late June. My issue with it was, why did it exist? The bad blood wasn't between them specifically going into SummerSlam and we should've gotten a segment with the new WWE Women's Champion IYO SKY instead. Granted, she did end up appearing and interfering in this match by attacking both Flair and Asuka, but again, why? It was a lame finish, but the match itself was solid. It was cool to see Dakota Kai with Damage CTRL again, but I know she's still a ways off from being cleared to compete. AJ Styles def. Karrion KrossEverything done with Kross on this episode encapsulated his entire run so far. He'll get an awesome vignette and then lose when it actually matters. Can anyone honestly take him seriously at this point? Save for that terrible botch in the middle (I have no idea what the hell went wrong there), this easily the best match of the three they've had. Styles winning clean again, though, was disappointing. Nothing against Styles, who should be built up and protected more, but Kross has now lost to him three times. Why? I don't see how WWE doesn't press the reset button with Kross after this. Edge and Sheamus Agreed to Face Each Other Next WeekEdge was advertised to appear on next week's episode in Toronto, but I believe this was a surprise appearance. He announced Sheamus as his opponent for next week and explained his history with him, even showing the video from Celtic Warrior Workouts in 2019 where Edge took a nasty fall and realized he could probably wrestle again. This was awesome stuff and I loved how organic it all felt. The timing is funny because Sheamus just vented in an interview about how he's been used this past year and only The Bloodline getting significant television time on SmackDown, so I was happy this went a while. I'm really looking forward to their first singles match next week. Maybe it turns into a full-fledged feud? LA Knight def. Top DollaKnight vs. Hit Row for Feud of the Year? Okay, I kid, but seriously, I'm glad WWE is finally giving Knight consistent television time as well as mic time. He won the SummerSlam Battle Royal last Saturday and had that great verbal exchange with The Miz on Monday's Raw, but this crowd wanted to see him as well and went wild when his music hit. Knight continues to be super over. This was short, sweet and exactly what it needed to be, complete with Knight cutting a quick promo afterward. Rey Mysterio def. Austin Theory to Win the United States ChampionshipSantos Escobar was scheduled to challenge Theory for the title on this show after winning the United States Championship Invitational two weeks ago, but Theory "injuring" Escobar twice caused Mysterio to get the shot instead. Mysterio's had a great year, but I would have much rather seen Escobar take the title from Theory. Hopefully this is leading to a heel turn for Escobar. The important thing is that Theory is no longer United States Champion considering the abysmal run he's had in recent months. This was an enjoyable outing and the crowd popped big for the title change. Jey Uso Quit WWE After Attacking The Bloodline and Jimmy UsoThe advertising teased Jimmy would "acknowledge" Roman Reigns and essentially fall back in line, but you had to know that was a swerve because that would have made no sense. Jimmy playing the "jealousy" card as far as why he cost Jey the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam also would have been predictable, but him saying that he did it because he didn't want Jey to become an "asshole" like Reigns felt like faulty logic. Still, this was a strong segment, and Jey "quitting" the company was quite the twist. I assume this is their way of prolonging the program to get to Jimmy vs. Jey at WrestleMania 40 and possibly a Bloodline Fatal 4-Way before then. I'd be shocked if SmackDown put the entire storyline on the back-burner for the foreseeable future given how the Bloodline stuff has dominated the blue brand over the last three years. Overall ShowAll in all, this was an excellent edition of SmackDown. Jey "quitting," Mysterio becoming champ, and Edge returning one week early made it a newsworthy night. The crowd was hot, Knight was featured, a big match was set up for next week, the women got some time in the opener, and Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits showed up in a backstage segment. I don't have many complaints other than wondering what the hell the point was of the Styles vs. Kross program. If Reigns is going away again for a few months, fingers crossed WWE can find other storylines to keep SmackDown interesting.
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