7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Aug 14)

4. AJ & Joe Trade Barbs

Samoa Joe Letter
WWE.com

Last week's AJ Styles promo was fantastic, with the WWE Champion spitting hot fire in the wake of Samoa Joe's latest verbal attack, which itself was one of the finest rants SmackDown has aired all year. This week's? Not quite on the same level, but enjoyable nonetheless.

The duo's verbal battle was positioned in the main event slot. It started with 'The Phenomenal One,' who ran through the pressures of being the champion, claiming Joe's recent accusations took him to a dark place. This drew the challenger from the back, and the big man brought with him a letter he claimed to be from a "fan." Conveniently, it reaffirmed every point Joe had made about Styles sacrificing his family life for wrestling success.

It was a swerve, though. "AJ will do anything to stay away from his family," recited Joe. "I hope you win at SummerSlam so he can lose what he loves, because I lost him a long time ago. My greatest gratitude, Wendy Styles."

Given AJ's infuriation at Joe's previous spot of family-baiting, calling the WWE Champion's wife by name is sure to boil his blood. This should guarantee an extra layer of heat for what was already one of SummerSlam's most enticing matches.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.