4 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (1 Aug - Results & Review)

Friday's episode of SmackDown put last minute garnish on SummerSlam bouts like John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes, Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu, and the celeb-infused madness of Randy Orton and Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul. It's the WWE Title 'Street Fight' setup that'll steal most of the headlines, because Cena just turned babyface.

Or so it seems.

Mind games could be at the forefront of the champ's mind heading into a heavily hyped weekend in New Jersey. Did the opening segment work as planned though? Like, did it achieve its goal and make people desperate to see John and Cody lock horns in-ring for the first time since WrestleMania 41, or was it a nightmare? Those are the questions tackled here.

Cheerfully, there was a nice mix of functional-to-excellent match action to report on too. An unexpected treat for the Women's United States Title actually even takes the top 'Up' spot this week, because it was really well worked and had the live crowd standing towards the end. Both Giulia and Zelina Vega should be proud of that one.

Talla Tonga worked his first televised match for the company, the AAA Tag-Team Titles were on the line (Triple H gave the popular Mr. Iguana a chance to shine), and there was a punchy fight between rivals Damian Priest and Aleister Black on offer too. On the whole, most of it worked, but a few workers might look back on SmackDown as a missed opportunity.

Here's all the good and bad from the final TV stop before SummerSlam goes 2 nights for the first time ever.

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