 LA Knight Confronted Paul HeymanRoman Reigns was absent from this episode (surprise, surprise), so we got the obligatory exchange from Heyman and Knight instead and I thought they did an excellent job. Heyman acted confident before Knight showed up but treated Knight like a threat when he did show up. There's virtually no chance Knight wins the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Crown Jewel, but I'm hoping he can come out of that match looking strong. He and Reigns will have their contract signing on next week's show. Montez Ford def. Santos EscobarI'm all for Ford getting more singles spotlight while part of Bobby Lashley's new group. This was a fairly basic television match from him and Escobar, but it was good stuff while it lasted. Both guys need wins, but I was fine Ford went over because he cheated to get it done and his trio lost at Fastlane (in fact, he was the one pinned if I remember correctly). Carlito made the save for The LWO afterward, and next week, it will be Rey Mysterio and Escobar against The Street Profits. John Cena and Jey Uso Attacked Solo Sikoa and Jimmy UsoCena acknowledged how he hasn't won a singles match in over 2,000 days, which is a legitimate stat. His last televised singles victory came against Triple H at The Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018. Surely that means he's winning his next singles match, right? He's obviously overdue, but I don't like the idea of him beating Sikoa, assuming that's where this is headed (especially with Cena being advertised for Crown Jewel). This was a solid segment and the crowd was hot for Cena and Jey, but the Brand Split loses more and more meaning every time someone appears on the opposing brand. Rey Mysterio Agreed to Defend the United States Championship Against Logan Paul at Crown JewelFollowing one lengthy talking segment with another wasn't ideal, but this was effective in setting up a big United States Championship match between these two for Crown Jewel. It was cool that Paul brought up how he's already beaten Mysterio, which I totally forgot about because it was a tag team match at WrestleMania 38. Paul is a terrific fit for the United States title, but he needs to appear more regularly if he's going to win it. The last thing SmackDown needs is a second part-time champion. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller def. Cameron Grimes and Dragon LeeGrimes helped Lee beat Theory two weeks ago, so that's why they teamed together here. Theory and Waller are more of an actual team than the babyfaces and fell short of becoming Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions last week, so it was more necessary for them to go over. This was a fun outing and Lee not eating the pinfall loss was the right call. I want Grimes to be pushed properly, too, but Lee has more momentum at the moment and should be protected being the fresher face of the two. Cathy Kelley Interviewed Kevin OwensThis was a pre-taped segment that took place in the arena earlier in the day and it was well done. Owens basically gave his "mission statement" now that he's on SmackDown, said that it was "bittersweet" to to be leaving Sami Zayn behind on Raw, and established some of the opponents he wants to mix it up with (including Mysterio and Sheamus, neither of whom he has ever faced one-on-one apparently). This was short, sweet and straight to the point. WWE Women's Champion IYO SKY def. Charlotte FlairThis was much better than their original encounter on NXT back in 2020. Granted, Damage CTRL was present at ringside here and SKY didn't win clean, but the match itself was above-average and they received plenty of time. The finish was clever with Flair attempting to spear SKY by actually hitting the belt head first. Post-match, Bianca Belair returned and helped Flair fend off Damage CTRL. I'm curious to see where this goes because it feels like the title picture hasn't changed much since SummerSlam. Overall ShowThe biggest knock against this episode is bound to be the lack of in-ring action and that's understandable, but that didn't bother me, personally. It was a promo-heavy show and all of it delivered. We got more setup for Crown Jewel with Reigns vs. Knight and Mysterio vs. Paul officially announced and the women getting the main event spotlight was a pleasant surprise. We even got a vignette for The Unholy Union (which have been airing on and off for weeks) and tension teased between Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce backstage. Another thumbs-up effort from the blue brand this week.
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