Friday Night SmackDown Review - July 2, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Edge Addressed Universal Champion Roman Reigns

In case you forgot, Edge is still one of the strongest talkers in all of WWE. This was a great promo from him explaining how he had the Universal Championship won on multiple occasions at WrestleMania 37 and vowing to beat Reigns one-on-one at Money in the Bank. It was short, sweet and straight to the point. I wasn't sure if he'd be more of a babyface or a heel upon his return, but he came off as more of a face here which is the right route to take.

Big E and Shinsuke Nakamura def. Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin

Can we please stop these four in matches together? I guess I would have said the same thing if Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were involved (as they've also been in the Intercontinental Championship picture for the better part of the past six months), but the lesson is that we need fresh feuds in the midcard on SmackDown as well as some fresh faces. That said, this was a well-wrestled tag team match. The stuff with Corbin being depressed was the focal point and, honestly, I'm intrigued to see where it will go. I may be in the minority on this one, but it may work.

Bayley Accepted SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair's Challenge to an "I Quit" Match at Money in the Bank

As good as their matches are, I really wish this feud ended at Hell in a Cell. At the very least, they shouldn't have competed inside Hell in a Cell only to have one more match at Money in the Bank. That said, I'm glad it will have an "I Quit" stipulation, something we haven't seen from the women on the main roster since 2008. The last one was Beth Phoenix vs. Melina. The only issue is the title doesn't feel like it's in jeopardy at all. Sasha Banks is bound to return afterward to challenge Belair to a rematch at SummerSlam.

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn in a Last Man Standing Match to Qualify for the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match

This wasn't as fast-paced as their other encounters, but it probably shouldn't have been given they've already have a bunch of matches this year and its slower pace and hard-hitting nature fit the feud they've had up to this point. There were plenty of cool spots and it didn't drag like some Last Man Standing matches tend to. The final few minutes were fantastic with both men attempting to deliver "karma" to the other and Owens practically killing Zayn at the end. Owens closing it out with a pop-up powerbomb on the ring apron was perfect given that's how their rivalry started way back in NXT. Excellent stuff here, which should come as no surprise given their chemistry.

Sonya Deville Announced Zelina Vega as a Participant in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match; Liv Morgan def. Vega

Well, Vega being back is certainly a surprise. It had been rumored for a while that Vega was in talks to return to WWE after being unceremoniously released back in November, but after her husband Aleister Black was fired last month, I wasn't quite sure she'd still be interested in another run. SmackDown's women's division desperately needed new names, and although she was gone for less than a year, she's still another addition to the roster. This was basically the same segment we got last week with Morgan beating Vega but not being officially added to the women's Money in the Bank Ladder match. She'll obviously end up with a spot, but I really hope they don't run this back again next week.

Otis def. Angelo Dawkins

These two were originally scheduled to go one-on-one a week or two ago before Otis attacked Dawkins beforehand and prevented their match from happening. Although I didn't think there was anything wrong with what Otis was doing originally, he's exceeded my expectations as a heel and has shown some awesome intensity. His new look isn't the best, but I appreciate the effort he's put into separating himself from his previous persona. It was a fine match with the correct outcome.

Edge Attacked Jimmy Uso

I thought we had seen the last of Edge on this show, but apparently not. I would've saved this segment for next week, but that's what happens when you have a thin roster. Jimmy has been playing his role well as Reigns' lackey in Jey's absence in recent weeks and I'm curious to see if he'll stay by his side or he's playing the long game and he'll eventually turn on him. Either way, this was a solid segment to cap off the evening.

Overall Show

It was announced that the remaining spots in the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match will be decided next week with Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin (yes, for the umpteenth time). The women's division feels like it's on repeat at the moment, at least until Banks returns and Deville gets back in the ring, not to mention that we're getting a lot of the same matches in the midcard. It's high time we got some fresh feuds all across the card. Despite all of that, this was an enjoyable episode. Owens vs. Zayn has been done to death but was terrific on this show. The Edge and Uso angle throughout the night held my interest, whatever they're doing with Corbin also has my interest, and Alpha Academy vs. The Street Profits has featured logical storytelling. A shakeup of SmackDown is needed and soon, but they're making the most of what and who they have for now.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews