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With just over a week to go until SummerSlam, WWE SmackDown Friday Night focused heavily on building the bigger games for the next pay-per-view event. This included almost a quarter of the show dedicated to John Cena face to face with universal champion Roman Reigns as the two verbal barbs swapped.
As Cena and Reigns opened the show, it was SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair and SummerSlam challenger Sasha Banks who took things on the physical level. Belair found himself the victim of a brutal attack from the challenger while signing the contract for the closing championship game.
CBS Sports was with you all night long with recaps and highlights of all the action at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Champions and Challengers face off
John Cena opened the show with an in-ring promo, immediately taking a series of verbal punches on Roman Reigns. Cena admitted that Reigns would “beat the hell” on him at SummerSlam before saying he also knew Reigns would lose anyway. Reigns came to the ring and told Cena not to waste time, to which Cena said he was waiting for SummerSlam to embarrass the champion. Insults built between the two, with Reigns snapping photos of Cena’s failed relationship with Nikki Bella and Cena mocking Reigns teeth and for “kicking Dean Ambrose out of WWE.” All the while, Cena kept saying that it only takes one pin to beat the “protected” champion.
The show ended with the signing of the SummerSlam contract between Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. Before signing the contract, Banks called his “witnesses” to the ring, bringing out Carmella and Zelina Vega. After Banks and Belair put pen to paper, the three women attacked the champion before Banks locked Belair into the Banks Statement at the top of the table while the show was no longer airing.
The Cena and Reigns segment lasted 25 minutes, taking up almost a quarter of the show. The content wasn’t exactly worthy of filling so much of the show, but Cena’s final statement was delivered well and helped sell a story that didn’t involve any physical contact prior to SummerSlam. Banks and Belair, on the other hand, have a very physical rivalry and contract signing rarely goes without some sort of physicality. Banks has so far gotten the best of Belair in these situations, which likely means Belair needs to take the pay-per-view victory. Category B
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Intercontinental Championship – Shinsuke Nakamura beat. Apollo Crews (c) via pinfall to win the title. Ric Boogs made his normal interference while playing the guitar, which resulted in his being ejected from the ring. While ejecting Boogs, Commander Azeez attempted to enter the ring to attack Nakamura, which resulted in him being ejected as well. After more back and forth, Nakamura managed to hit a Kinshasa to score the pin and become a double intercontinental champion.
- The profits of the street def. Alpha Academy via pinfall when Angelo Dawkins hit Chad Gable with a corkscrew daredevil.
- Seth Rollins cut a promo in the ring before showing a retrospective of his career with Edge, his opponent from SummerSlam, pointing out that everything Edge has done, Rollins has done better.
- The Mysterios def. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode via pinfall when Dominik Mysterio pinned Roode with a roll-up. The Usos appeared on the Tron in an attempt to cause a distraction, but the Mysterios managed to secure the victory anyway.
- Kevin Owens beat. Baron Corbin via pinfall with a sunset flip. Corbin was begging for money again, asking every fan in the arena to donate $ 1,000 when Owens entered the ring. Owens said he would pay Corbin $ 1,000 if Corbin could beat him in a match. Corbin stole Big E’s Money in the Bank contract in a backstage segment after the game.
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