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

2. Opening Segment Has So Much To Unpack

You'd need some suitcase to fit all of the ins and outs of SmackDown's opening segment. There was a lot going on.

Firstly, Cody Rhodes is King Of The Ring, and that means he gets John Cena at SummerSlam. Second, Randy Orton showed Cody he wouldn’t hesitate again by dropping the returning Drew McIntyre with an RKO. Third, Drew himself spoke of parallel careers with Rhodes, and called that a match he sorely wants. Basically, he fancies seeing Cody beat Cena so he can then climb the mountain again himself.

You've got to like how WWE stacked up possible turns and mega-matches aplenty in one 10 minute skit. It was a revolving door promo segment and we’ve all watched thousands of those, but it was a strong one with purpose. For example, the way Randy looked away from Cody and seemed to be slipping back into his old heel act right at the end was phenomenal.

The 'Viper' suddenly realised that he'd probably be King if he hadn't hesitated over in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, McIntyre has revenge on his lips after agreeing to a bout with Orton at Saturday Night's Main Event. That's a fine enough time killer for both ex-WWE Champions.

Rhodes seemed to realise what Randy was saying when his old Legacy leader pointed towards Cody's own lack of hesitation at Night Of Champions too. If this is Triple H's way of suggesting that a heel turn isn't too far away for Rhodes, then it's working.

Credit to these dudes for packing so much into such little time.