 Naomi, Bayley and WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair def. Candice LeRae, Tiffany Stratton and WWE Women's Champion Nia JaxThis was basically the women's WarGames match without the Raw Superstars, and better. Okay, kidding aside (not really), this was a quality six-woman tag team match. Jax accusing Belair of attacking Jade Cargill automatically means it wasn't her, and the latest tease of Stratton cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase was lame because they're all the same at this point. By the way, how was Naomi pinning LeRae for the win enough to earn her another opportunity at the WWE Women's Championship next week when Belair pinned Jax on Raw last month and nothing came of it? Braun Strowman def. Austin TheoryThis stemmed from Strowman appearing on The Grayson Waller Effect hosted by A-Town Down Under last week. This went a little longer than it needed to, but it's not as if Theory was made to look credible in defeat. Those days are long gone, unfortunately. More tension was teased between A-Town Down Under at the end with Waller moving out of the way so Strowman could run down Theory, but it's impossible to care because they've been teasing tension all year. Michin Crashed Chelsea Green's Women's United States Championship Celebration and Attacked Piper NivenGreen is a very entertaining character and I was happy when she won the Women's U.S. title, but this wasn't one of her better segments. Most of her material sounded scripted and the crowd didn't really react, including when Michin came out. I have minimal interest in them resuming their rivalry after Green already beat her to become champ. I didn't have an issue with the segment personally, but it definitely didn't go over well. The Street Profits def. Los GarzaPretty Deadly told the Profits that it was Los Garza who ambushed them backstage three weeks ago, which is why this match was made. Stupidly, they believed it. The match itself was enjoyable and action-packed. It also served as a reminder of what Los Garza are capable of. Apollo Crews later told the Profits that he saw #DIY attack them backstage, but why wouldn't he have told them that sooner? Sami Zayn vs. Carmelo Hayes Ended in a No ContestZayn told Nick Aldis earlier in the episode that he wanted to come to SmackDown for the night after Drew McIntyre appeared on the show two weeks in a row. I wouldn't be surprised to see Zayn move to the blue brand as part of the transfer portal, if only so he can feud with Kevin Owens eventually. Although this was a fairly meaningless match, it was a fun one and Hayes had a strong showing. Strowman and Hayes brawled to the back before The Bloodline attacked Zayn, hence the non-finish. Kevin Owens Attacked Undisputed WWE Champion Cody RhodesI was looking forward to seeing how Owens was going to respond to Nick Aldis' ultimatum about giving up the Winged Eagle title belt or getting fired, but Rhodes returned before anything could happen. I realize Randy Orton has a history of neck issues and that's why he's been out for almost two months from a basic piledriver, but Rhodes coming back less than two weeks after that injury angle at Saturday Night's Main Event is completely ridiculous. At least they confirmed that Rhodes and Owens will fight for both belts in a Ladder match at the Royal Rumble, which is an excellent idea. Overall ShowThe closing segment was easily the best and most eventful part of this otherwise dull show. I didn't have high hopes considering nothing was advertised in advance, so I can't say I was too disappointed. However, I am worried about the brand expanding to three hours starting next week. All eyes are on Raw moving to Netflix and rightfully so, but I doubt the same effort will be put into making SmackDown equally important. If we keep getting filler like we did this week, then SmackDown will be in serious trouble.
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