CM Punk Returns Home
Friday Night SmackDown kicked off to a massive pop as CM Punk returned home! Punk talked about how he succeeded in making Drew McIntyre’s life a living hell, but he also expressed his surprise at how easy it was. Paul Heyman then made a surprise appearance to warn CM Punk that The Bloodline are coming for him before Heyman also said he wants The Best in the World to take him with him. This really angered Solo Sikoa and the rest of The Bloodline before they went to attack CM Punk, only for Cody Rhodes to show up and force them into retreat. Cody then challenged Solo to a match which The Enforcer gladly accepted. This was actually a pretty good segment as it got Punk in front of his home crowd whilst also teasing something with Paul Heyman, and it also furthered Heyman’s issues with the new Bloodline whilst setting up the show’s Main Event!
Grade: B
Men’s and Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Matches: Bianca Belair VS Michin VS Chelsea Green, Carmelo Hayes VS Randy Orton VS Tama Tonga, Grayson Waller VS Kevin Owens VS Andrade
Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill had an interesting chat backstage before Cody Rhodes spoke to Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. KO didn’t like Cody challenging Solo Sikoa. It was then time for a Women’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match as Bianca Belair took on both Michin and Chelsea Green. Bianca Belair was the clear and obvious favourite here, and she dominated the match to prove it. The match itself was fine, it probably suffered from too many of the same moves, but the ending was great as after Belair dropped Michin with the K.O.D., Chelsea Green threw The EST of WWE out of the ring and stole the victory away to book her ticket to Money in the Bank! I’m very pleased for her!
Grade: C+
Blair Davenport warned Bayley that she’s coming for her WWE Women’s Championship after she wins Money in the Bank before Solo Sikoa threatened Paul Heyman whilst also telling him to send a message to both Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. Grayson Waller and DIY were then having an argument backstage before a garage door was opened to reveal that Drew McIntyre had destroyed CM Punk! Drew then carried Punk all the way into the arena as the Chicago Fans booed him! McIntyre’s awesome, it’s as simple as that. After the commercial break, CM Punk was taken to hospital in an ambulance before it was time for Carmelo Hayes, Randy Orton, and Tama Tonga to try and qualify for Money in the Bank! This was a good match that made Carmelo Hayes look like the star he always has been. Against two big names, Melo shone here and that’s doubly impressive given both Orton and Tonga looked good. Towards the end, it felt like it was Randy’s match to lose, but Tonga Loa appeared and distracted him before Orton dispatched of Tama Tonga. However, Melo being the great Heel that he is managed to sneak a roll-up win over The Viper to book his ticket to Toronto! Melo in the Bank!
Grade: A- for Drew, B- for the Match
LA Knight came out for a promo next as he wanted to talk about Logan Paul, but he was quickly interrupted by Santos Escobar due to them being in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Match next week. The Megastar eventually dropped Santos with the BFT before Logan Paul arrived and wiped out Knight. There really wasn’t much to this. Grayson Waller was then the next guy to come out as he faced Kevin Owens and Andrade in another MITB Qualifying Match! This was probably the best match of the night action-wise, with both Andrade and Waller really showing out whilst we all know how brilliant Kevin Owens is! Even with an ankle issue caused by The Bloodline, KO kept fighting till the very end until Grayson finally did him with a nasty ankle snap. However, The Arrogant Aussie then saw his rolling Stunner get reversed into the Message as Andrade “El Idolo” picked up the big W! I like this Money in the Bank field a lot right now!
Grade: B-
Cody Rhodes VS Solo Sikoa
After Nia Jax attacked Michin after an incident with Tiffany Stratton, it was Main Event time as Cody Rhodes took on Solo Sikoa. Of course, this match only went about 2 minutes as the rest of The Bloodline arrived to cause the DQ. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton then ran down to make a successful save, but it was all for naught when the debuting Jacob Fatu came in and absolutely wrecked them! Fatu sent Orton crashing into the barricade in a nasty spot before he delivered an Uso Splash onto Cody through the announce table to leave the Undisputed WWE Champion laying! This was another great debut that WWE is seriously nailing right now!
