 Bobby Lashley def. CarlitoEverything about the first 30 minutes of SmackDown was stellar. Interestingly enough, Lashley vs. Carlito was actually an afterthought compared to what came before and after it. It was a solid match, but the drama with The LWO captured more of my attention because it was excellently executed and it's been long overdue. Carlito pointed out how Santos Escobar left the brass knuckles on the ring apron for Logan Paul to use at Crown Jewel and Escobar refused to help him while he was getting attacked by Lashley and The Street Profits. That led to Escobar cementing his heel turn by attacking Rey Mysterio. It was a strong start to the show that left me looking forward to what's next in the storyline. Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Asuka Interrupted Damage CTRL and Kairi SaneI haven't been a fan of a lot of what Damage CTRL has been involved in for the past year because of their booking, but this was really well done with Bayley showing hesitation to embrace the returning Sane because of their history (which was recapped in a video package and I appreciated that). Belair introducing herself, Flair and Asuka as the biggest adversaries of Damage CTRL perfectly set up the six-woman tag team main event. This was necessary to explain Sane's role in all of this and tease tension with Bayley and the others. Dragon Lee def. Cedric AlexanderThis was a rematch from a few weeks ago. Lee won decisively the first time, so although there was no reason for them to run it back, I'm not complaining because this was another blast from them. It was a fun sprint and both guys once again shined. I have zero faith they'll do anything of note with Alexander, but the way they've been handling Lee so far has been encouraging. Hopefully he can settle into his first feud soon. LA Knight def. Grayson Waller; Kevin Owens Attacked Waller and Austin TheoryI'm very glad Knight got some mic time to discuss coming up short at Crown Jewel and blaming Jimmy Uso (who he'll face off with next week). The crowd ate up his verbal joust with Waller and the subsequent match was also very good (they had chemistry in NXT as well). Owens, who filled in for the absent Corey Graves on commentary up until this point, attacked Waller and Theory after they poured water on him, so per the stipulation of him serving as a commentator, he'll be "suspended" indefinitely. We'll see how long that lasts. Damage CTRL (WWE Women's Champion IYO SKY and Bayley) and Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Asuka Ended in a No ContestThe match didn't get underway until closer to the conclusion of the show and it also ended early, so there wasn't much to it. It felt like it was big enough to happen on pay-per-view, until Asuka turned and it became clear where this was going. No, I don't think Asuka is joining Damage CTRL, but rather that she's willing to work with them because of her connection with Sane. Shotzi emerged to help Belair and Flair but was also laid out. I was worried the setup for a women's WarGames match would be forced, but this made sense and now we're left to wonder who the babyfaces will recruit to their squad. Jade Cargill would be compelling, but I maintain she'd be a better fit on Raw as a heel. Overall ShowI wasn't sure what the landscape of SmackDown would look like with Roman Reigns disappearing again until Royal Rumble season, John Cena heading back to Hollywood and Logan Paul returning to part-time status (despite being the United States Champion), but this was a hell of an episode that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. It opened and closed on a high note, the follow-up with Knight was solid, Owens furthered his feud with Waller and Theory, and Lee was showcased. The blue brand needed some sort of a spark and this episode provided that in spades.
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