Friday Night SmackDown Review - July 24, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Nikki Cross def. Alexa Bliss in a SmackDown Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

Bayley said that the only way for Cross to earn another shot at the SmackDown Women's Championship was by beating Bliss. I'd say that Bayley and Sasha Banks were trying to drive a wedge between them here, but they've already doing that on their own for weeks now. With Bliss' latest loss, I fully expect her to cost Cross the title next week. This was a solid match that benefited from having something at stake.

Matt Riddle def. Tony Nese

This could have been a kickass match with more time, but I understand wanting to give Riddle a quick and straightforward showcase coming off his loss to AJ Styles last week. It served its purpose. Riddle's post-match promo was fine, but as I've said time and time again, the King Corbin character has long worn out its welcome. He's a perfectly logical first foe for Riddle on SmackDown, but the king crap makes me infinitely less invested in whatever he's involved in.

Lacey Evans Interrupted Naomi on Miz TV Hosted by The Miz and John Morrison

I'm happy WWE actually acknowledged that Naomi trended worldwide on Twitter after SmackDown last week instead of ignoring it as they're known to do. Whether it will lead to a much-needed push for Naomi remains to be seen, but it's a start. The segment itself was nothing special and Miz and Morrison continue to come off like clowns, but the set-up for the rematch between Naomi and Evans next week was well done. Evans' heel turn was about as abrupt as her face turn late last year.

Gran Metalik def. Shorty G, Drew Gulak and Lince Dorado in an Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match

Shorty G was my pick to win because it looked like he was in the process of being pushed as of a few weeks ago, so Metalik stealing the victory was a pleasant surprise. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to get AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable at some point, but Metalik is a great interim challenger for Styles. Sure, he has no chance in hell of winning, but he's an incredible athlete and this could be his opportunity to show the world what he can do. It's the perfect attraction for television and Styles has not disappointed as Intercontinental Champion so far.

Jeff Hardy def. Sheamus in a Bar Fight

WWE's latest cinematic match wasn't as over-the-top as some of the others they've done. Okay, so Hardy having his face paint on out of nowhere (and possibly going into Brother Nero mode?) was a bit hokey, but I honestly didn't mind the rest of this. They brawled around the bar, beat the crap out of each other, and didn't drag this thing on longer than it needed to. I enjoyed it on the whole. The best part was Hardy winning as he should have, as that hopefully means the feud is over and we can finally move on from it.

Overall Show

The latest episode of Firefly Fun House all but confirmed that we're getting Braun Strowman vs. The Fiend for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Plus, I love that a singles run was hinted for Big E, which has a ton of potential. The rest of this show was largely entertaining with the main event not being a train wreck, three matches being set up for next week, and Riddle and Corbin furthering their feud. There will be weeks where SmackDown is a total dud and others where it's pretty passable. Thankfully, this show fell in the latter category.