5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (8 Aug - Results & Review)

1. Solid Main Event & A New Contender

Later, Cena teamed with Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre. They combined to produce a fun, house show style main event tag that ended via DQ when Paul hit a low blow on Cena. Those Clash In Paris rivals then brawled to the back like they were on a timer, which left the floor clear for Drew and Cody to set up their own marquee match for the next PLE.

McIntyre managed to stake his claim for a WWE Title shot by cracking Rhodes with the belt, then he smashed Cody with a Claymore Kick through the side of the announce desk. That looked absolutely killer. Replay angles didn't even expose it; it looked for all the world like Drew had caved in the side of the champ's skull with his boot, and the table splintering made some noise.

There’s your title bout for Clash In Paris then. That should be another fun one, and it's a match WWE teased months ago. On the 14 February episode, Drew warned Cody that he'd be coming for him and his title eventually. Of course, Rhodes went on to drop the gold to Cena at WrestleMania 41, but McIntyre has come good on his word now Cody has reclaimed the thing.

Love it when a plan comes together.

Drew came across as a major threat to Rhodes on Friday night. The match itself was background noise to this angle. If you're going to set up a title bout mere weeks in advance for a 'B' level PLE, this is how you do it.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 10 New Directions For WWE After SummerSlam 2025 and 15 Things We Learned From WWE Unreal!