3 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (17 July - Results & Review)
1. Leg Work Made That Main Event Worthwhile
Gunther went after Cody and hurt his leg early in the aforementioned headliner. That brought out a concerned CM Punk, who only really cares because of the stip for his tag match at SNME. Wade Barrett brought that up on commentary - basically, CM knows he and Rhodes must win or SummerSlam’s title bout becomes a Fatal-4-Way. It's a rock solid story, if nothing else.
All of the leg stuff gave Gunther and Cody a focal point for their TV headliner, which helped it stand out from their other recent showdowns as well. Also, it’d be a shock if Rhodes didn’t do some serious selling come MSG on Saturday. He's old school in that sense, so look out for some hobbling/limping and the heels going after his injured wheel throughout the match.
Here, the DQ finish made sense, and the brawl at the end put over how feisty the tag outing at SNME should be. There was a lot to like about all of the little character moments from Gunther, Punk and Zayn in particular. Gunther used his in-ring IQ to try and win Friday's bout whilst forcing Cody into Saturday ravaged with pain, Punk showed his selfish side by only trying to help Rhodes because it affects him, and Zayn is just a ball of rage generally after his 9-day WWE Title reign. That came to the fore when he attacked Punk then stared down Cody.
Great work from all 4 guys then, and the SNME tag outing should be a hoot in the main event slot at MSG.
What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: TNA (Part 3) and 101 Shocking Wrestling Plans You Won't Believe Almost Happened!