11 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (July 30)

by Andy H Murray

1. Owens & McIntyre Slug It Out

Kevin owens Drew McIntyre
WWE.com

SmackDown's strongest match was also its first, with Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens engaging in a competitive slugfest to kick things off.

McIntyre looked to have taken an early advantage after throwing KO over the announce table in the opening segment. This led to him controlling the early stages, prevailing in the post-bell brawl before downing Owens with a suplex for a one-count. A more grounded assault followed. Kevin fought up but was cut off, and things continued down a similar path before Owens nailed the first act's biggest move: his cannonball for a two.

The chops kept getting harder, and the pace kept getting faster. One particularly awesome moment saw KO nailing a Swanton for a near-fall before Drew countered out of the Stunner and hit a Side Effect for his own two. A Pop-Up Powerbomb kickout and one from an Air Raid Crash generated similar drama, before KO finally seized the match-ending momentum, hitting a Stunner on the announce table before taking it back inside and nailing another for the 1-2-3.

Any exciting, bruising clash between two heavy hitters, and vanquishing one of Shane's goons before taking down the big man himself makes sense from Owens' booking standpoint.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.