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

3. No Problems With The DQ Result

The biggest compliment anyone could pay Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black is that it felt like a fight between guys who just flat out don’t like each other. That’s what it needed to be, and Aleister throwing a steel chair at Damian to keep those vibes going made sense come the end. Nope, no issues with the disqualification, because it’ll lead to another, longer grudge match between them.

This is what TV is for when it comes to emerging rivalries like their one.

It'd be a lie to suggest that Black’s second WWE run has completely caught fire just yet, but feuding with Priest isn’t a bad spot for him to be in. The downside is that R-Truth has all but vanished from the story though - which is strange and does show where he is on the pecking order mere months after returning. Where did all that hype go for Ron Killings, eh? Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett didn't even really mention his name during the match between Priest and Black.

Back to the good, because there was plenty of it. Damian sold each of Aleister's strikes well, and it was his Black Mass kick that laid Priest out post-match more than the chair or any other bump. This...this is how you make a finisher look deadly. It's such a simple one too.

SmackDown's match whet the appetite for more between these lads, and that's all anyone could ask for going into Friday's go home episode before SummerSlam. Next step: Give them 15-20 minutes at Clash In Paris come the end of the month. They've earned that spot by working so hard here.