This week’s SmackDown will still air on Friday, but due to Friday also being the Fourth of July, WWE won’t air the show live. Instead it will air a taped episode that actually recorded after Monday Night Raw went off the air, and thanks to those who were in attendance for the event (via @johnrclark12), we now know many of the bigger moments from the episode, which include two big superstar returns, the debut of a teased Tag Team, and a moment with a botched birthday cake delivery that happened after taping stopped. Spoilers incoming for the July 4th episode of SmackDown, so you’ve been warned.
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A Welcome Return
At Night of Champions, Cody Rhodes was able to take down Randy Orton to earn a Title shot against John Cena at SummerSlam, and this was picked up on at the start of SmackDown when Orton confronted Rhodes in the ring. This wasn’t as confrontational as expected though, as Orton revealed that he respected Rhodes for going for the win when he needed to most and admitted he himself hesitated when he could have hit Rhodes with the punt kick. Rhodes then promised he would take Cena down at SummerSlam.
That’s when Orton and Rhodes were both interrupted by the welcome return of Drew McIntyre, who was hilariously wearing a bored at work shirt. McIntyre mocked both superstars and the respect they showed for each other, and perhaps in a tease of what will happen down the road, McIntyre tried to get them to turn on each other. That eventually led to McIntyre getting hit with an RKO from Orton, and later in the night, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis revealed that McIntyre will face Orton at the next Saturday Night’s Main Event.
New Tag Team Powerhouse Arrives
One of the side stories on SmackDown in recent weeks has been between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair. Bliss has got the better of Flair since returning, and despite a few olive branches from Bliss, Flair has shot down any potential for an alliance. That all changes though after a conversation with Aldis backstage, as Aldis proposes that Charlotte should go after the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships with Bliss.
That’s because on Raw, it was revealed that Roxanne Perez would be officially crowned Women’s Tag Team Champion alongside Raquel Rodriguez due to Liv Morgan’s injury, but Adam Pearce also revealed that Rodriguez and Perez would have to defend their Championships in a Fatal 4-Way at Evolution. That match will include a team from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, and so Flair decided to accept Aldis’ proposal and team up with Bliss later in the night (via @Save_Crystals) against the Secret Hervice (Piper Niven and Alba Fyre).
That would actually change to being a Triple Threat between the teams of Bliss and Flair, Piper and Fyre, and Michin and B-Fab, but despite being completely new as a Tag Team, Flair and Bliss showcased how lethal they can be working together. Flair and Bliss were able to win the match and move on to Evolution, where they will face Perez and Rodriguez as well as a team from Raw and a team from NXT.
Dream Match at Evolution
Staying in the Women’s Division, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton came out to the ring to talk about her upcoming match against Jade Cargill at SummerSlam. Cargill defeated Asuka at Night of Champions to earn a shot at Stratton’s Championship, so it made sense when Cargill interrupted Stratton’s mic time, though they weren’t the only superstars who would show up to the ring.
That’s because Stratton would reveal that she had another challenger in mind ahead of her match against Cargill, and she wanted it to be the legendary Trish Stratus. Not only did Stratton want to battle Stratus, she wanted to do so at Evolution, and she got her wish too, as Stratus would make a surprise appearance and accept her challenge. Now, Stratus will face Stratton for the Championship at Evolution, and there’s a chance we could see Cargill face Stratus for the Title if Stratus emerges as the victor.
Fear the Wyatt Sicks
The SmackDown Men’s Tag Team Division has been attempting to deal with the recently returned Wyatt Sicks, though not all that effectively. Nick Aldis decided to do something about that and issued a match that would have a member from four of the Tag Teams unite in a match against the Wyatt Sicks.
That meant that DIY’s Johnny Gargano, Los Garzas’ Humberto Carillo, Street Profits’ Montez Ford, and Motor City Machine Guns’ Chris Sabin would team up to take on Uncle Howdy, Rowan, Joe Gacy, and Dexter Lumis, and it would be the Wyatt Sicks dealing out some damage and taking the win. It would be easy to see this resulting in a second match that took the other four superstars from those teams, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Bloodline Feud
We also got movement on the Jacob Fatu storyline that emerged from Night of Champions, where Fatu lost his United States Championship to Solo Sikoa courtesy of Sikoa’s allies. That included JC Mateo, a returning Tonga Loa, and the debut of Hikuleo, and Fatu found himself overwhelmed and outnumbered. This led to a Tag Team match between the teams of Fatu and Jimmy Uso and Sikoa and Mateo, and after taking down Sikoa cleanly, Fatu tried to slam Sikoa through a table, but is attacked by Hikuleo (who has now received the official name of Tala Tonga via Fightful). Then Sikoa, Tonga Loa, and Tala Tonga put Fatu through the table with a Triple Powerbomb.
A New Force in the Tag Division?
That wasn’t the only team to make an impact though, as Andrade teamed up with Rey Fenix to take on SmackDown’s newest additions FraXiom, and they put on a show. FraXiom has been a dynamo since joining SmackDown, delivering great matches at every turn, but Andrade and Fenix evidently brought that to another level, garnering a big reaction with the win and perhaps setting things up for a great run with the two as teammates if WWE decides to go that route. Obviously, Fenix and Penta are one of the best Tag Teams around, but they have yet to team up in WWE, so perhaps we’ll get a different team-up before that inevitable reunion.
There was also movement on the Aleister Black front, bringing him into direct conflict with Damian Priest. Priest attempted to explain Ron Killings (R-Truth) and his actions, and Killings and Black will have a match on next week’s SmackDown. This is starting to look like the beginnings of a major feud between Priest and Black.
A Birthday Cake on the Mat
After the TV taping portion of the night ended, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso came out to help out Jacob Fatu and deliver a fun promo to close out the night. As you can see in the video above, Jey also presented Rhodes with a birthday cake, but as he lifted it up for the crowd, he then dropped it, sending it careening top-first towards the mat (via WrestleTalk).
Jey then ran over to Rhodes in the corner, and Rhodes laughed as he went over to pick up the cake, which he had to peel off the mat, and a bunch of it fell off. Jey then walked up and braced to take the remains of the cake being thrown at him, but Rhodes instead hit himself in the face with the cake to close out the segment (via WeWantCody_).
What are you most excited for on this week’s SmackDown, and which moment stands out most? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
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