SmackDown In A Nutshell: SummerSlam Just 2 Weeks Away!

It’s time for this week’s SmackDown In A Nutshell, and it should be exciting considering that SummerSlam is just 2 weeks away!

Sure, this isn’t the go-home show, but it’s getting closer.

With SummerSlam just 2 weeks away, we should see some matches come into focus.

Part of that is the ongoing hype, and part of that is matches finally being made, or clarified.

Like, will we find out who the mystery guest ref is for the tag title match?

We know there won’t be a women’s tag title match, and the former champs might both be gone from WWE.

Which is sad, seeing as SmackDown hits Sasha Banks’ hometown of Boston next week.

But, that is neither here nor there.

For now, the reality is, SummerSlam is just 2 weeks away, and we have a lot to look forward to.

Also, a lot to get into between now and Nashville.

And with that said, it is time for…

SmackDown In A Nutshell: SummerSlam Just 2 Weeks Away!

Let’s crack open this Nutshell and get into things!

Best Match of the night:

I am torn, but I think I liked Liv Morgan taking on Natalya the most.

Now, this was a good match. But, it also did not go against a lot.

The rest of the show, the matches were not terrible…but they also were not superb either.

Worst match of the night:

I guess Drew McIntyre versus Ridge Holland, if only because it was short, and we are still waiting for Drew versus Sheamus.

Now, I am beginning to think that we might get that match in Nashville.

Or, perhaps Sheamus somehow gets himself added to the European event?

As much as I like those two brawling against one another…I cannot help but wonder if Drew might be worth adding to the trio for a bit?

Star of the Night

Sami Zayn, love him or hate him, is strong on the mic. He was good in his role tonight.

Theory and Heyman too…

I think there was a lot to like.

Spot of the Night:

Nothing I feel deserves the highlight here.

Jobber of the Night:

I guess Ridge?

Upset of the Night:

Zayn was upset at Adam Pearce’s guest ref selection…more on that next…

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

Knowing we were getting a special guest ref, I honestly didn’t expect it to be Jeff Jarrett.

But, it is, and given that we will have SummerSlam in 2 weeks in Nashville? I suppose it fits perfectly.

I also found it interesting to hear Pat McAfee call him out as Senior VP of Live Events. Like, we knew he came back and was a big executive now…but we don’t often hear the titles talked about on television.

It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out, to be honest. Is this a pathway for Double J to be used as an on-air personality for a bit now?

Or is this going to be a one-off?

Could see this going either way.

LOL Moment of the night:

Just going to leave this here…

Also, nice of Pat McAfee to kind of basically comment about RAW going TV-14 again.

Noteworthy Moment:

No major surprise, but as we continue to hype things with SummerSlam just 2 weeks away…

Brock Lesnar is going to be in Boston next week.

It wasn’t super clear and obvious, but there was perhaps a slight teaser of an eventual Theory face turn.

While losing via DQ against Madcap Moss,  Theory mouthed off about the Bloodline.

That drew the ire of Sami Zayn, which got Theory picking on him. Which…is a clear face thing to do.

Not to worry though…as Theory ran back to the ring to escape the Bloodline, and got dispatched by Madcap. So…still a heel for now.

Plus…Maximum Male Models apparently will add a female to the mix next week.

Why do I feel like this will be Lash Legend or Nikita Lyons, even though neither of them should be getting re-branded to Maxxine, as indicated by the graphic.

Overall lowlights:

Not a whole lot to complain about…so I don’t think I am going to.

Well…one small hit. I don’t hate Double J as the ref.

But…the reveal was a little weird, wasn’t it?

Like…have him there, and make there be some suspense before the music hits and he struts out.

The video package for the reveal was a bit odd.

Overall highlights:

Theory is earning his stripes, so I dig it.

McAfee proves each and every week why he got the big deal to stick with WWE.

Making his feud with Corbin super personal by going back to their days as NFL rookies is a nice touch for that program.

Liv is growing into her title run nicely, I think.

After the final bell:

With SummerSlam just 2 weeks away, I think the show hit things pretty well.

You can see the top of the card, with this week’s focus on the tag titles. Next week we get Lesnar, and who knows if Reigns will be there or not.

The undercard is shaping up too, and the matches we have not seen confirmed yet are getting easier to guess.

All in all…a good show to wrap up the wrestling week.