Friday Night SmackDown Review - July 7, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Bloodline Attacked The Usos

This was billed as The Trial of The Tribal Chief, mirroring The Trial of Sami Zayn from Raw 30 back in January. The entire segment took up the first 35, 40 minutes of the show and it breezed by. Some are bound to disagree, but this was tremendous television and I was hooked for all of it. I could have done without The Usos being made to look like fools (again) for buying into Roman Reign's disingenuous act, but everything else was exception and everyone played their roles remarkably well. This attack on The Usos was exactly what I wanted to see from Reigns coming off his first pinfall loss in three and a half years, and it gave Jey Uso something to avenge (leading to what we got at the end of the night).

United States Champion Austin Theory def. Sheamus

This was a rematch from several weeks ago where Pretty Deadly interfered to help Theory retain. I thought they would avoid that here, but it actually happened again in almost the exact same way (Ridge Holland and Butch attempted to thwart their interference this time but to no avail), which was lazy. The match itself was very good, especially down the stretch, but the abysmal booking of Theory continues. I'm glad Sheamus wasn't the one to take the title from him because I believe LA Knight is a better fit for that spot.

Grayson Waller Hosted The Grayson Waller Effect with Edge​

Waller has had a lot of big guests on his show since arriving on SmackDown, but he hasn't been the focal point as much as he was in NXT. That changed here because the purpose of the segment was to set up their impromptu match later in the show. Waller held his own against Edge on the mic and they had an entertaining exchange. Edge saying his in-ring retirement wasn't imminent wasn't much of a surprise, but him saying he'd wrestle on this show certainly was. Between this segment and his encounter with John Cena at Money in the Bank, Waller has gotten to show more personality this past week than at any other point during his SmackDown run and it should get him over with the audience in the long run.

AJ Styles def. Karrion Kross

I thought there was a chance Kross might avenge his loss to Styles from May to extend this feud, but apparently not. Instead, his entrance wasn't televised and he lost decisively in a matter of minutes. His injury may have had something to do with that, and they were likely short on time because of the opening segment going on for so long, but this didn't do either guy any favors. Styles hardly gains anything and Kross feels dead in the water. If WWE doesn't hit the reset button with him soon, it's going to be very difficult for him to recover.

WWE Women's Champion Asuka, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Damage CTRL Brawled

This was another segment that suffered from time constraints based on how rushed it was. Asuka didn't speak for long before Belair and Flair ran down to the ring to brawl with her. IYO SKY attempted a Money in the Bank cash-in with Bayley's help, but Belair prevented it before the bell could ring. This was complete chaos, but it accomplished what it needed to. Belair will challenge Asuka for the title next week, but aTriple Threat with them and Flair feels like a lock for SummerSlam.

Edge def. Grayson Waller

Needless to say, this was Waller's biggest opportunity yet and I thought he did really well. They had an entertaining outing and were given plenty of time. Waller winning wasn't imperative, even with it being his main roster in-ring debut, but being in there with Edge was enough and he was made to look credible in defeat. The finish in particular looked cool. Edge's post-match endorsement to Waller by telling him he swam was a nice touch. Does WWE run this back at SummerSlam or does Edge have another opponent at the event, assuming he's on the card at all?

Jey Uso Attacked The Bloodline

I was curious what would close the show, but it became evident that it would be something involving Jey and The Bloodline. They kept it short and sweet with Jey storming toward the ring and fending off both Reigns and Sikoa on his own. He showed excellent intensity after his brother had to be stretchered out and him holding the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt high above his head got a great reaction. It wasn't made official, but Reigns vs. Jey is obviously the direction they're going in for SummerSlam and I'm looking forward to it.

Overall Show

WWE striking gold with the Bloodline storyline is both a gift and a curse. On one hand, almost every one of their segments must-see and that automatically makes SmackDown WWE's A-show, but nothing else on the brand right now is nearly as compelling. They're getting something going in the women's division, but that's about it. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and loved being there live for the electric atmosphere at Madison Square Garden, but the blue brand does need stronger storylines outside of The Bloodline. All in all, this felt like a special show and it delivered, but time constraints were clearly an issue with the opening segment running long. No LA Knight was also an issue, and no, the fact he was involved in a dark segment beforehand isn't enough.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews