 Soli Sikoa and Sami Zayn def. Madcap Moss and RicochetThe dynamic between Sikoa and Zayn is absolutely fantastic. I love that Sikoa has seemingly taken a liking to Zayn and that storytelling was in full effect in this match. With this show emanating from Canada, Zayn being as cheered as heavily as he was came as no surprise. Even outside of Canada, the more beloved Zayn becomes, the better because it will mean more when The Bloodline inevitably turn on him. This was a well-worked tag team affair with the right team going over. Drew McIntyre def. Austin Theory by DisqualificationTheory talked trash about McIntyre backstage, leading to this impromptu match. It didn't last long before Alpha Academy got involved and caused the contest to be thrown out. I expected Braun Strowman to make the save given his recent issues with Alpha Academy, but it turned out to be Johnny Gargano and Kevin Owens instead. This was all designed to set up the night's six-man tag team main event. Hit Row (Top Dolla and Ashante "Thee" Adonis) def. Los LothariosLos Lotharios attacking Hit Row during their backstage party last week was the reasoning behind this bout. I enjoy both teams and this was perfectly fine from an in-ring standpoint, but I don't blame the crowd for not caring too much. The SmackDown tag team division still has a ways to go. On the bright side, Hit Row keep winning and building momentum. An eventual match with them challenging The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship could be fun. Ronda Rousey def. NatalyaDespite this episode emanating from Canada, Natalya still couldn't buy herself a victory. That said, she obviously shouldn't be beating the number one contender to the SmackDown Women's Championship eight days ahead of Extreme Rules. I'm sure she appreciated getting on the show in her home country and it was a nice little match while it lasted. Liv Morgan nearly killing Rousey with a baseball bat afterward was a bit extreme, but of course, that was the point. I applaud their effort to make Morgan look more like a threat to Rousey. Is it working? I suppose that's up for debate depending on who you ask. Imperium Attacked SheamusGunther spoke about his upcoming Intercontinental Championship defense against Sheamus when Sheamus interrupted and mentioned that Ridge Holland and Butch were stuck in Florida, so he was taking the fight to Imperium on his own. He was able to fight off Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, but before he and Gunther could get going, he fell victim to the numbers game. This was a well-done segment with Sheamus attempting to overcome the odds and looking like a terrific babyface in doing so. There's a strong chance he walks out of SmackDown next week the new champ. Bayley def. ShotziFirst and foremost, it was awesome seeing Shotzi with her signature tank back for her entrance. WWE forced her to ditch it when she turned heel, but now she's returned to being a full-fledged babyface as she should be. This wasn't the smoothest encounter at certain points, but it turned into a solid match. Bianca Belair made the save for Shotzi afterward and nearly hit the K.O.D. on Bayley on a ladder (shades of Hell in a Cell 2021) before Bayley escaped. Drew McIntyre, Johnny Gargano and Kevin Owens def. Austin Theory and Alpha AcademyThis felt like a total house show main event, but that's not necessarily a bad thing despite none of it mattering. Gargano reuniting with two of his partners from the independent scene was very cool and the three of them had terrific chemistry. Theory also works well with Alpha Academy, so it was an entertaining main event and the crowd was into the action. Why did Theory eat the pinfall loss when it easily could have been either member of Alpha Academy? Overall ShowI've given up complaining about the rules of the Brand Split being ignored, but I think this was an exception anyway due to the Florida hurricane (my thoughts are with all being affected), so Raw Superstars were brought in to fill the void. This felt like a filler show coming off last week's excellent episode and ahead of the "season premiere" next Friday, but the two hours were still enjoyable on the whole with a decent amount of hype for Extreme Rules.
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