SmackDown In A Nutshell: Blue Brand Fireworks Come Early

It’s a long holiday weekend version of SmackDown In A Nutshell, and the blue brand fireworks come early this time around.

Americans (most of us, anyways) will celebrate the 4th of July this weekend, but rather than wait, let’s see the blue brand fireworks come on Friday night.

I mean, that’s when we get SmackDown, and with it this Nutshell. It only makes sense, right?

Of course, the main focus of this Nutshell isn’t fireworks or the holiday. Instead, it should be on the upcoming Money In The Bank PPV.

Prep for that really heated up on last week’s SmackDown In A Nutshell, as Edge made a surprise June return.

In case you somehow missed that, he is of course going after Roman Reigns. He and the Tribal Chief have some unfinished business from earlier in the year, after all.

So, the blue brand fireworks will come early, just a couple nights before the actual holiday.

So let’s see what happens…it’s time for…

SmackDown In A Nutshell: Blue Brand Fireworks Come Early

Let’s crack open this Nutshell and enjoy the show!

Best Match of the night:

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Not even close here.

If there was a single complaint about it, it would be that it closed the first hour of the show.

But, they saved the main event slot for Edge, which is fine.

Worst match of the night:

One is a match, one is not.

The Bianca/ Bayley segment. Bayley was fine, but it’s feeling like Belair is losing, or has lost, steam.

With some bigger names reportedly close to returning, I have a feeling Belair is a former champion before September.

The match? Liv Morgan and Zelina Vega.

It’s Vega’s first match since returning, and she loses? I mean, it wasn’t a clean L, but why should a supposed face (Morgan) be cheating to win?

Star of the Night

Flip a coin, I could give it to Kevin Owens or Edge here.

source: custom, WWE Twitter screenshot

Spot of the Night:

I could go with Edge using the chair as part of the submission….but that’s covered next.

For me, it’s sort of the Otis use of the Vader Bomb. I liked it, and honestly I liked him destroying Dawkins.

source: custom, WWE Twitter screenshot

Lately, Otis is giving off, to me at least, a “one half of a new Natural Disasters” vibe. It felt like something we’d see from Earthquake back in the day.

And I can’t help but see that in NXT, there is a Colossal Bronson Reed…put him and Otis in a stable with Gable…it’s fun to dream.

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

For me, this one is all about Edge.

source: custom, WWE Twitter screenshot

Last week, his return was big news.

Tonight, he took out his anger on Uso, and used just a piece of the chair to help him brutally assault one of Roman’s cousins.

“LOOK @WWERomanReigns! I’M COMING FOR YOU ROMAN.” – @EdgeRatedR #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/KDQNkZNDOs

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) July 3, 2021

We’ve still got a couple weeks before Money In The Bank, but this rivalry that no one was expecting to see again this soon? It’s rapidly heating up.

LOL Moment of the night:

Boog kicking Corbin when he’s down.

source: custom, WWE Twitter screenshot

You kind of love to see it, Corbin having to put up with exactly what he’d have done.

Noteworthy Moment:

For those of you keeping track: there is but one more ThunderDome SmackDown scheduled. That’s right, barring something popping up, we have next week and then…live fans.

Interesting to see where they take Baron Corbin now. I get the idea that, if a king was no longer a king, he’d lose everything.

So showing him talking about losing it all, having his car repossessed (hey, there used to be a Superstar for that!), I guess that all fits.

Yet somehow, and I am sure I was not the only one, this feels like they should tie in one of The Million Dollar Man, Cameron Grimes or LA Knight to it.

I’d personally be intrigued if they saw a way to bring up Grimes and have him team up with Corbin. Or, if in the upcoming draft, NXT could make a pick or two and Corbin went to work on Tuesdays.

Overall lowlights:

I have to hope (not really?) that Sonya Deville will be a Superstar in the ring again soon. Or, that there is some all women’s stable she is cooking up from her authority post.

What other explanation can there be for gifting two women’s MITB spots two weeks in a row? Carmella last week, and now the returning Zelina Vega.

source: custom, WWE Twitter screenshot

I don’t object to either one…but it’s a bit hard to swallow when others are actively qualifying for the men’s and women’s matches, and some are not.

Overall highlights:

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn might be tired of their feud. Or maybe they aren’t.

The friends do tend to deliver strong matches, and tonight was no different.

Loved the intensity from Edge. Not sure what is different this time around, but at least thus far, I am a little more interested in watching Edge and Reigns.

After the final bell:

Well, we got some fireworks, didn’t we? Told you they’d come early for the blue brand.

Not the worst show, but also not the best. Seems some folks got a head start on the long holiday weekend, which is fine.

Rest up now. Less than two weeks from now, we will have a live WWE show in front of a live crowd in an arena…something we’ve not seen since the early part of 2020!