Friday Night SmackDown Review - July 16, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Universal Champion Roman Reigns and The Usos def. Edge and SmackDown Tag Team Champons Dominik and Rey Mysterio

Mr. McMahon coming out and saying all of six words to the crowd before leaving was probably the perfect way to kick off the show. He already gave his spiel about the return of fans back at WrestleMania 37, so there was no need for him to do it again here. I love that this was the match that kicked off the night because the audience was into absolutely everything they did. Hell, the entrances alone were epic! That Reigns entrance in front of fans is just something else, and the crowd went wild for Edge. This was a super fun six-man tag team affair with the heels picking up some last-minute momentum ahead of Money in the Bank and the babyfaces standing tall afterward. Needless to say, this was a strong start to the show.

Finn Balor Attacked Sami Zayn

I've been wondering for weeks where we'd see Balor pop up next and I'm happy he's back on the blue brand. He accomplished all he could in NXT and left on a high note by putting over current NXT Champion Karrion Kross on his way out. He'd have some fresh feuds on Raw, but I'd fear for his future there, so SmackDown was the best landing spot for him. This was an excellent way to reintroduce him after almost two years away from the main roster. Zayn would be a fine first feud for him, but I could also see him challenging Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. As long as he doesn't go back to being the happy-go-lucky babyface he was when he left (as opposed to the aggressive badass he became in NXT), I'm content.

Shotzi and Nox def. WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina (Non-Title)

Michael Cole was referring to Nox by Tegan last week, but I believe her name has officially been shortened to just Nox, which is stupid. Shotzi is fine, but Nox (why not just Tegan?) sounds silly. At any rate, this was a perfectly fine match, but it was hard to pay attention to what was going on in the ring due to Liv Morgan and Zelina Vega bickering at ringside. At least there was a payoff with the two of them getting physical and Morgan getting the better of her. Shotzi and Nox picked up a second straight win over the tag champs, but why weren't they automatically granted a title shot after beating them last week?

SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair def. Carmella

Carmella has been all over the place since returning to SmackDown late last year, from being featured in the title picture for a few months to then completely disappearing from programming. This had zero build other than being advertised a week out, so while the outcome was never in doubt, I enjoyed their encounter. Carmella has been doing her best in-ring work with this character and both women gave it a great effort. The biggest takeaway from this for me was that Belair is super over with the audience. She's been built up really well and is being received as the star she is.

Cesaro def. Otis by Disqualification

This was easily the most random match on the show and it definitely felt like filler, but it wasn't bad filler. They set it up quickly in the back and I'd like to think there's more to come from Cesaro and Alpha Academy with Cesaro vs. Otis ending in a disqualification. It was only a minute long, but Cesaro facing either one of those guys in full-length singles matches could be fun. Maybe Cesaro will recruit a tag team partner, but I'm not sure who that would be. On the bright side, the crowd was really into Cesaro, which means that his singles push this year has definitely paid off.

​Kevin Owens Attacked Baron Corbin; Seth Rollins def. Big E, King Nakamura and Owens in a Fatal 4-Way Match

I continue to dig what they're doing with Corbin. The fact they set up an actual website where you can learn more about Corbin's situation and how you can donate (though you can't actually donate money yet) is hilarious and the crowd ate it up. Granted, he was loudly booed by the crowd, but there's a chance this gets him over as a babyface in the long-run. The Fatal 4-Way that followed was a blast even if it was shorter than I would've liked. It was all action, the crowd was invested, and it was perfectly paced. Rollins picking up the victory hopefully means he won't be winning on Sunday, but he remains a heavy favorite to win. Big E is my pick personally as he's a fresh face and could benefit from it, whereas Rollins can go for the title without having to be Mr. Money in the Bank again.

Overall Show

If you're expecting Raw and SmackDown to be infinitely better with crowds, you're probably going to be disappointed. You're bound to hear piped-in noises every now and again, but even if there was some of that on this show, it didn't bother me, because at least we have fans back. If you were expecting more surprises from this show, I don't know what to tell you. The hot crowd alone made it a special occasion, not to mention that it'd be dumb for WWE to give away every surprise they may have in one night. Balor's return and the rare in-ring appearances from Edge and Reigns were noteworthy, and the rest of the show flew by (for me, anyway). I assume fans being back will become the norm again very quickly for most people, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts. Anything is better than the ThunderDome.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews