3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (July 21)

2. All A Bit Messy

Worse, Dominik's first title defence vs. Butch never really got going and was totally overshadowed by some extracurricular activity outside the ring. There was just too much going on generally with everyone else, which meant Dom and his Brawling Brutes opponent got lost in the shuffle.

What was the point in booking this then?!

Pretty Deadly's wheelchair spot with Ridge Holland didn't need to be here, basically. Did Vince Russo (over)book this, or something? It smacked of latter-day WCW Nitro fare. You know the kind. Those matches-come-skits dizzied fans with too much all at once, and that meant nothing got over.

If this was a result of those aforementioned backstage illness concerns, then fair enough, but Rhea Ripley helping her "Dom Dom" score a win and keep the title would've been enough of a story without everything else. Linking in other stories only works if they don't take away from the match itself.