Friday Night SmackDown – July 10th 2020: Results & Review

Welcome to this week’s Friday Night SmackDown review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we’ve got more build towards Extreme Rules, including the death of Milos Forman, who cut his Hair while being haunted by Goya’s Ghosts after Amadeus wrote a cantata called One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest as the Man On The Moon pissed himself. I don’t know if this show will be good, but I already know it sucks.

Match #1: Jeff Hardy def. The Miz

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After The Miz & John Morrison provoked Jeff Hardy on “Miz TV,” The Charismatic Enigma laid down a challenge for The A-Lister. The two highly decorated Superstars battled throughout the match until a distraction from Sheamus seemed to tip the scales in favor of The Miz. The always resilient Hardy reversed a pin and rolled up The Miz to clinch a satisfying victory over his outspoken competitor.

My Opinion: 3.4 out of 5 – This got some time and gave Miz his best performance in a while. Jeff looked great and meshed well with Miz, like a goldfish in a toilet bowl during the flush. Jeff has an ability to work well with the boring wrestlers, which is a skill not everybody has. It’s nice seeing Jeff still get a victory every now and then. Cocanocioa Jones is my pimp and this match was my bitch…because it was an excellent opener with brisk, hefty back-and-forth and big high-spots from Jeff Hardy.

Match #2: Bayley & Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Before The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, Nikki Cross was intent on gaining the upper hand over Bayley with Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks ratcheting up the rivalry. Cross didn’t waste much time, as she came charging down the ramp to attack the SmackDown Women’s Champion before any competitor had even entered the ring. The energy remained high as the talented tandems traded vicious blows, with Cross perhaps providing a peak into the future by hoisting the SmackDown Women’s Title after one brutal attack. The Women’s Tag Team Champions once again showed their resourcefulness and teamwork as Banks broke up a tag, and Bayley slid in for the win.

My Opinion: 3.2 out of 5 – This was not as exciting as it should have been, but it was solid and fine, like Garfield on Mondays (he can handle it). I thought that this match had enough suspense to keep it from being too mundane, but I also wanted there to be more of a ferociousness to the fighting. The last act of the match had the fire in the pan, but even then, the heat still couldn’t quite cook the meat.

Match #3: Naomi vs. Lacey Evans (No-Contest)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Lacey Evans took exception to Naomi’s SmackDown Karaoke Showdown victory and looked to settle matters in the ring. The Sassy Southern Belle came out fast and furious, but she added even more enemies when she shoved Dana Brooke and Tamina. Chaos erupted as Tamina and Dana Brooke entered the ring, and all four competitors brawled inside the squared circle, bringing a brutal end to the Karaoke Showdown.

My Opinion: 1.3 out of 5 – This was a couple minutes of “Barney Miller is on FETV right now…screw this”! Given no time at all, this was a match with no finish and hardly a reason to exist, like my novel about my bunions.

Match #4: (Main Event) The New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro – SmackDown Tag Team Title Match (No-Contest)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro have done everything in their power to antagonize the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, and their actions during their title opportunity showed that the rivalry is just heating up. The two teams lost focus on the titles and instead set out to inflict pain as much pain as possible, as all four competitors converged in the ring. The King of Strong Style & The Swiss Cyborg made their emphatic statement when Cesaro Powerbombed Kofi Kingston into Big E and through a table.

My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – This had another dumb finish (for a decent reason), but the action leading to the end was quite good, with Cesaro looking fantastic in particular. This was mostly just a commercial for the match these guys will likely fight in at Extreme Rules, but it was an entertaining commercial nonetheless.

News Of The Night:

1. Jeff Hardy fights Sheamus in a Bar Fight at Extreme Rules.
2. AJ Styles defends the Intercontinental Title against Matt Riddle, next week.
3. A Karaoke Contest was held with Tamina, Lacey Evans, Mandy Rose and Naomi…don’t watch it.
4. The Bray Wyatt/Braun Strowman fight from a few months back was shown in its entirety.
5. The New Day and Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura were teased to have a Tables match at Extreme Rules.

Final Verdict: 3.1/5

While no masterpiece, this show did build toward important events while giving some matches some time to shine.