5 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 1)

2. AJ vs. KO III Starts Things On A High

Kevin Owens AJ Styles
WWE.com

On any other show, a match of AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens III’s quality would comfortably finish as the biggest highlight of the night. This wasn’t quite the case on SmackDown, but the duo have no reason to be disappointed. Their efforts were fantastic, and while the finish was a tad screwy, the action was excellent throughout.

This was AJ and KO’s best singles match so far, and it took place in the opening slot of a random episode of SmackDown. They completely outdid the surprising flatness of their Battleground showdown with some great back-and-forth action, but harnessed that bout’s clunky conclusion when the referee counted a 1, 2, 3 despite Owens clearly getting his shoulder up in time.

This led to a full-on backstage temper tantrum from Owens, who was granted a fourth US Title match against Styles at SummerSlam. Shane’s special guest referee spot is worrying, but the bout ticked every box, and kicked SmackDown off on the perfect note. KO’s feud with Styles hasn’t quite lived up to the hype, but this was a good way to get things back on track after their disappointment at the last pay-per-view.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. 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.