SmackDown Quick Takes 7/23/21

C Nation

Cena challenges Roman for the Universal title and awaits his answer. Riveting stuff from Mr. Hustle Loyalty Respect himself but Paul Heyman chimed in with some great stuff of his own. So glad Heyman didn’t pass up the chance to battle Cena on the mic.

Finn Balor vs Sami Zayn

In action for the time in 2 years, the Prince puts on a show against the veteran Zayn. Easy work for Balor on his way to something new, something better.

IC title picture

Apollo interrupts Big E, I love the virtual spears that pop up during Apollo’s entrance. The dirty dogs Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode want a piece of the midcard action as well. Shinsuke Nakamura wants a moment too, not to be outdone, Cesaro comes out last and a brawl breaks out. This was a really clunky segment that was way too short to get anything done in.

Rolling Loud

Dawkins vs Chad Gable

Wale addresses the crowd at Rolling Loud, they are not really into it but not really against it, they could have booed the match but they didn’t, that’s a win. I wish Ford was up against Gable so the crowd could see his impressive leaping ability. I wouldn’t have Gable lose to Dawkins either.

Carmella vs Bianca Belair[c]

The crowd didn’t really react to Bianca like I thought they would. The match was good though, very good stuff from Carmella, she has become an asset that adds to the success of SmackDown. Carmella is a mainstay of the women’s division so she deserves the spotlight she gets.

Will wrestle for food

Baron Corbin has a ketchup stain on his shirt in his interview and it’s hilarious. Corbin asks KO for forgiveness. Baron Corbin then asks Kevin Owens for money hahahaha. Shotzi and Nox are fixing their tank and fire the rocket and Corbin, the dirty dogs then come by and steal the money Owens just gave him but Owens saves Corbin and gets the money back for him. Baron and KO are going to feud or KO is going to turn Corbin face

You think you know me

The feud between Edge and Seth is heating up, just in time for Summerslam. Love the ministry of darkness and the Brood references from Edge. Seth is his normal obnoxious self and the segment is easy money. Can’t wait to see what they do in the weeks leading up to Summerslam.

Another debut

Toni Storm vs Zelina Vega

Great match but not smart to have this match so soon. That finisher is nasty, I love it. The crowd liked what they got however, I would have preferred Storm beat someone else. Vega hasn’t won anything since comeback to the company.

Jimmy Uso vs Dominick

Dominick is gonna be great, he needs to stay consistent. I wasn’t blown away by the match but it wasn’t bad. If Dom is gonna be a big time star he is gonna have to give us a little something every single time he steps out there.

Acknowledge him

Roman tells all to acknowledge him. I for one have acknowledged him, he is doing phenomenal work right now. For instance, Roman bodied John Cena on the mic, something I never thought possible. The tribal chief denies John Cena a match at Summerslam.

So…Finna Balor steps up and makes a challenge of his own! After a short deliberation, the challenge is accepted. The crowd still loves Balor and pop whenever he is on screen, this is gonna be a CLASSIC.

Honorable mentions

1. Rolling Loud was a great gamble for WWE.

Final take

SmackDown continues to flow well and be the gold standard for wrestling shows everywhere. I thought that fans might derail the success with weird chants and overall shittiness but they’ve actually been a great addition to the show.

#FinnBalor #JohnCena #Edgereturns #RomanReigns #BiancaBelair #SethRollins #edge