Friday Night SmackDown Review - August 13, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Universal Champion Roman Reigns and John Cena Went Face-to-Face

This segment was very reminiscent of the promo battles these two were having during their first feud in 2017. This is what I've wanted to see from them since Cena returned at Money in the Bank, but better late than never, I suppose. I've never been a big fan of insider terms being used in promos, and that goes for Cena as well, but both guys cut great promos and there were some awesome one-liners in there as well. It definitely did its job of getting me more hyped for their SummerSlam match than I was previously.

King Nakamura def. Apollo Crews to Win the Intercontinental Championship

I was surprised we got this match so soon after Nakamura beat Crews in a Championship Contender's match last week on SmackDown. It also wasn't advertised until earlier in the day. Personally, I would have saved it for SummerSlam next weekend, but I'm fine with the occasional title change on TV to make things more unpredictable and give fans the feeling that anything can happen. This was more of a match than what we got from them last week and it was good. I didn't think Nakamura would become champion, but considering how over he is at the moment, it makes sense for WWE to capitalize on that popularity. That said, I feel bad for Crews, who didn't get a fair shake as Intercontinental Champion these past few months after doing terrific work in the first few months of 2021.

The Street Profits def. Chad Gable and Otis

I mentioned last week that I thought it was weird that Street Profits' feud with Alpha Academy was seemingly dropped out of nowhere. Well, they resumed their rivalry here and it's already over. I was actually enjoying it and thought Gable and Otis were getting over as a heel team. They can still be a threat in the tag team scene, but it was weird that this was a brief bout and Street Profits gave them their comeuppance with ease. All signs point to them challenging the winners of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match at SummerSlam, likely The Usos.

Seth Rollins Addressed Edge

I've said this several times already in recent weeks, but the build to this bout at SummerSlam has been extremely well done. The attacks have been excellently executed and the promos have been perfect. Their 2014 interaction has been the focal point of the program, but they've added other elements in there as well including how Edge believes Rollins has followed in his footsteps. The video package produced by Rollins in this segment was almost as entertaining as the one he did for Cesaro before WrestleMania 37. The crowd was definitely disappointed by the lack of Edge, but otherwise, this was strong stuff.

Rey and Dominik Mysterio def. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode

It was only a few months ago that these teams were feuding over the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. The Mysterios completely dominated them, leading to the heels being taken off TV for a bit, and I don't think they've won a single match since they've been back. This was fine while it lasted but way too short to be anything out of the ordinary. Even with a distraction assist from The Usos, Ziggler and Roode still couldn't get the job done. Yikes. Those guys probably shouldn't pick up their phones during the next round of releases.

Kevin Owens def. Baron Corbin

We've officially reached a point in WWE where Corbin is one of the most compelling characters on the show. I wasn't fond of his days as a constable or as a king, but he's struck gold (ironically enough) with this "broke" gimmick and plays the role remarkably well. He's been begging people for money for weeks, but Owens said if he beat him here, those days were done. Sure enough, Owens won, but Corbin ran out of the building with Big E's Money in the Bank briefcase in tow. Smart man. The match itself was fine and the storyline continues to hold my interest.

Sasha Banks Attacked SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair During Their SummerSlam Contract Signing

The mic work between these two has been top-notch and this was another home run from them. Belair has been the perfect babyface while Banks is absolutely in her element as a heel. Contract signings are a common wrestling trope, but this was one of the stronger ones I've seen recently. Banks stood tall after receiving help from Carmella and Zelina Vega, so Belair will have to fight from underneath come SummerSlam. I think their SummerSlam match could be even better than their WrestleMania match given this new dynamic.

Overall Show

SmackDown is almost always better than Raw, but this was an above-average episode on the whole. It's crazy how SmackDown is supposed to be the "wrestling show" compared to Raw, and we got some well-wrestled matches on this show, but the promos were the best part and I was left even more excited for SmackDown's side of the SummerSlam card than I was before. I don't know how the go-home show next week is going to be able to top this, but this was a very enjoyable two hours with a hot crowd to boot.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews