It is Friday, which means time for another SmackDown in a Nutshell. This week, let’s be honest, we are still recovering from SummerSlam!
The biggest party of the WWE summer schedule was last Saturday, and it was better than ever.
For all the chatter before the show of maybe it was a bad card, maybe it was a good card? That didn’t matter much.
From the opening bell to the final sendoff, the show left us buzzing.
And, I am still recovering from SummerSlam. Sort of.
Work with me here, people.
Of course, the roster probably is.
Ronda Rousey? She’s suspended as a result of her actions at SummerSlam.
Paul Heyman ate an F5 through a table, so he’s surely still recovering from SummerSlam.
Plenty of action, plenty of bumps and bruises…plenty of recovering. You get the idea.
So, let’s get back to blue brand fun. It is time for…
SmackDown In A Nutshell: Still Recovering From SummerSlam!
Let’s crack open this Nutshell and start the recovery process!
Best Match of the night:
I am going to go with the Gauntlet Match.
Honestly, Ricochet and Corbin wasn’t bad, either.
It all was second-fiddle to the final segment, however…
Worst match of the night:
Viking Raiders versus Local Jobbers.
This match basically existed so that Kofi could then come down with a kendo stick and thrash on the Raiders.
Question…is Woods back that soon, or will Kofi have someone else join his side?
Crowd Chants of the Night:
Not a chant, but an interesting crowd for sure…
The crowd already turn on Liv ??#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/2955eF0YdR
— ʀᴜʟɪᴠ ? (@Ruliv_) August 6, 2022
Star of the Night
Shayna Baszler, for winning and earning the #1 contender spot.
Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, for being their usual selves.
Spot of the Night:
Doomsday has arrived.@realKILLERkross sends a message to @WWERomanReigns! @Lady_Scarlett13 #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/2CS3x0GZS8
— WWE (@WWE) August 6, 2022
Jobber of the Night:
Gibson and Mulkey. If I even got the names right.
The pair got fed to the Raiders. According to McAfee, they won a scratch-off to be there.
Upset of the Night:
Kofi over Erik.
Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:
BREAKING NEWS: A tournament to crown new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions will begin Monday on #WWERaw!
Who would you like to see enter the tournament? #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/pH6kKH7Bun
— WWE (@WWE) August 6, 2022
Now, we’ve already heard that Sasha and Naomi are back. Nothing official, but where there’s smoke, there seems to be fire.
Could this be when?
Or, will we get through the tournament, and once the new champs are crowned…the duo returns to lay claim to the titles they never lost?
And, being that RAW is in Cleveland…I am not holding out hope for a team where half is Mrs. Johnny Wrestling.
Either way, I have to think that Vince had no clue what to do with the women’s belts, and now Hunter has a clue, and has the champs coming back.
We hope.
That, however…was topped by the return of KARRION KROSS.
Not a misprint. No typo.
We had heard rumblings of this, but man this came together fast.
Not only that…BUT…he’s back and he’s apparently going big.
Like, main event, took out Drew, and just put Roman Reigns on notice.
Botch of the night:
Minor one for me tonight, but there was an awkward spot with Nakmura and Ludwig Kaiser. Shinsuke went for a body kick, while going into the ropes, and it just didn’t look like Kaiser was on the same page.
Not sure which one goofed, but it seemed like a missed spot.
Either way, Shinsuke got the win, and has a shot at Gunther next week.
Commentary of the night:
We can’t see McAfee taunting a Superstar each and every week…but that was a fun opening of the show.
LOL Moment of the night:
Without a doubt, the multiple replays, complete with commentary and Telestrator doodles, of McAfee booting Corbin’s wedding tackle into the great beyond.
Pat’s telestrator need to remain a thing going forward. #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/tNVqEuXKcO
— Tim Jarrell of PWUnlimited (@TimmyBuddy) August 6, 2022
Noteworthy Moment:
We’ve heard Hunter would change things up, and we saw a lot of the SmackDown women get a chance at Liv via the Gauntlet Match.
It could have gone to Raquel, who is just so close…but instead, Shayna Baszler got the win.
She faces Liv at Clash at the Castle, and you have to wonder how that will go.
Baszler is friends with Rousey…is there an alliance there?
Plus, Shayna should have gotten a strap a few years back when she destroyed all in the Elimination Chamber…could this be her redemption?
Overall lowlights:
Not a lot, but some.
Raiders had a meh match against jobbers. Why not skip that and just go to the Kofi-Erik one?
Liv got booed, and some of her points on the mic weren’t well executed.
Kofi, back to him…too cheery. You are down two team members, maybe be a little grim and ticked off?
Overall highlights:
Waiting for the Bloodline to destroy Sami, but it’s a fun ride.
Love seeing the women get a good chunk of time, and someone new chase the belt.
And…KARRION KROSS!
Not sure I like the revamped look for Scarlett…but maybe it’s because I have not seen her in a much longer time.
After the final bell:
The show felt good. Then the show sort of bogged down, maybe a little?
But then…wow. The last segment was not long at all…but wow.
More questions than answers, but that one was a huge return.
I miss the shows, back in the day, when you would get these massive returns with little to no spoiler.
Sure, we heard rumors…but it wasn’t like I saw something two hours prior to air that said “Kross is in the back”.
Can’t do this for every show, twice a week…but it is fun to get back to shows where you just don’t want to turn away.
Now, I can’t say I am still recovering from SummerSlam. That party is over, but with the return of Kross…the hits keep coming!
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