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WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 30, 2021) with a show emanating from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) set for next month in Las Vegas, Nevada.
WWE hasn’t advertised much for tonight’s card yet. Last week’s episode ended with Universal champion Roman Reigns denying John Cena’s challenge for a title match at SummerSlam, and instead opting to accept a challenge from Finn Balor. We’ll likely find out more tonight on when Balor will fight Reigns, and how Cena will respond to Roman dodging him.
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JULY 30
As I wake in the darkness and I look around, there is no sound. It’s so tranquil. It’s so calm like you, but now I hear a noise, and I have to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for these folks.
The show opens with John Cena making his entrance.
We get a recap of his return to WWE and he gets on the mic.
He welcomes us to the show and asks the crowd what’s up tonight before addressing that Finn Balor is going to sign a contract to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. All congratulations to Finn, but it just proves his point that Roman sucks. Past all the false confidence, he’s just a scared little kid.
He takes issue with Reigns’ notion that he hasn’t reinvented himself, pointing out that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson come back to WWE as their same established characters, and you don’t want them to come back with a radical overhaul. (And of course John has jokes about what kind of characters they might come back as.)
But Roman has to change every two years because the fans don’t believe in him, and they don’t believe in him because he doesn’t believe in himself. He’s just a lazy stooge named Joe, nothing more than a bloodsucking product of this machine who’s so, SO afraid to fail. Reigns knows he would have embarrassed his ass at SummerSlam, and he’s afraid to fight him because of how he’ll make him look.
Enter Baron Corbin, haggard as usual.
It takes Cena a minute before he recognizes him, and Corbin admits he looks horrible. John deflects before admitting that, yeah, he looks horrible. Baron says things aren’t going good for him, but he wants to talk. He knows they’ve never been close but he’s a desperate man and his life is falling apart. He lost his crown, his cars, he’s about to lose his house, his credit is trash...
And to top it off, last week he injured a very sensitive part of his body and now he’s unable to... John suggests a couple other things and Baron admits he’s unable to... perform. As a result, he says, his wife has left him and taken the kids. Cena polls the crowd on helping him, before offering the cash in his pocket.
Corbin says he’s rich, he’s a superstar, and he doesn’t have to take a handout he’ll work for it, put him in a movie, put him in The Suicide Squad! John points out Suicide Squad is wrapped, Baron begs for a spot in the sequel before offering that he’d even be a stunt double. Cena shrugs that off, Corbin calls him a selfish, self-absorbed tightwad with an ego the size of the state of California.
He closes calling John a Hollywood sellout, and Cena says this is a teachable moment and he’ll help Baron by giving him something he desperately needs... AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!
We see Rey Mysterio getting ready in the locker room when Dominik rolls up and promises he’s got his back.
Rey says he’s proud of him and he loves him but he’s made some rookie mistakes and he needs to step his game up if he wants to win the tag titles back.
The Usos make their entrance to send us to break.
Jimmy Uso vs. Rey Mysterio
Uso with a side headlock, shot off, shoulder block, off the ropes, Mysterio with a tijeras to put him in the corner! Mounted punches in the turnbuckles, big diving bulldog follows... NOPE! Back body drop over the ropes, dropkick knocks Jimmy to the floor, Rey off the ropes, low dive but Uso rolls out of the way and lays him out with a superkick as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Uso with a shove, Mysterio with a front kick, sunset flip, roll through, buzzsaw roundhouse! Off the ropes, back body drop puts Rey on the apron, he eats an enzuigiri and crumples! Mysterio back in, running hot, crossbody connects! Basement dropkick sets him up, off the ropes... JEY PULLS JIMMY OUT OF THE RING AND REY HITS A SLINGSHOT TORNILLO ON BOTH USOS!
Back inside, 619 to Jey, one for Jimmy but he catches the kick, Mysterio reverses, crucifix pin, Dominik assists...
Rey Mysterio wins by pinfall with a crucifix pin and a little help from Dominik.
Bianca Belair makes her entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Bianca Belair is in the ring to be interviewed about her first 100 days as champion.
She talks about how great her reign has been so far—
Enter Carmella.
She mock congratulates Bianca but says if she really wants to cement her legacy, she should give her one more title shot, citing her own 130-day title reign and making all manner of excuses as to why she lost, until—
Enter Zelina Vega.
She says Carmella better slow her roll because we all know she’s too pretty to be a third time loser, and what she has to Belair, she wants to say to her face. She makes her case for a title shot and officially challenges Bianca, who accepts. Carmella attacks, and Vega jumps in and helps her beat the champ down!
SASHA BANKS IS HERE TO MAKE THE SAVE! Corner knees, big front kick, helping Bianca up and she offers the champion a hug!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial we get some hype for some ring announcer contest WWE is running on TikTok.
Reginald is interviewed backstage.
He says he’d have done anything to get to WWE, but he saw the perfect opportunity and now, as 24/7 Champion, he’s happy. And he doesn’t know who his opponent is, but he’s just happy it’s happening in the ring, because he has to keep his head on a swivel. Whoever challenges him should expect the unexpected.
Alpha Academy get in the ring and Otis Dozovic has a mic, informing Reginald that Chad Gable is his opponent!
Chad Gable vs. Reginald (c) (WWE 24/7 Championship)
Chops, off the ropes, big shoulder block, Gable draws him up, big water wheel suplex, cover for two! Reginald ducking chops, electric chair reversed into a drop, Chad with a bridging Tiger Suplex... NOPE! Back suplex lift up into the turnbuckles, Reggie with back elbows, jockeying for position... AVALANCHE GERMAN SUPLEX BUT REGINALD LANDS ON HIS FEET!
Sidestep the charge, somersault senton, Otis hits the ring...
Reginald wins by disqualification.
Otis biels Reggie out of the ring but he rolls through to a safe landing!
Five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce is backstage when Sonya Deville rolls up to deliver signed contracts for tonight’s main event— Carmella & Zelina Vega vs. Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks.
And on that note, we go to break.
Back from commercial, five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville are in the ring to moderate the contract signing between Roman Reigns and Finn Balor.
Both men make their entrances, Reigns flanked by Paul Heyman as usual.
Roman gets on the mic and deflects Cena chants before asking Finn if he heard John claim that he’s ducking him, and that means he must think Balor is a lesser man than he. But Reigns doesn’t think that, he thinks he’s worthy to challenge for the Universal Championship and catch a beatdown at SummerSlam, but just for the record, he doesn’t think he’s anything like Cena.
He doesn’t come out here with that tired old schtick, he’s hungry, he wants it, and Roman digs that, so he has to tell him that, if he signs the contract, he’s going to smash him and send him right back to NXT. Paul drops the mic for him and hands him a pen to sign with, and he does.
Balor pulls the contract over and says Roman must think pretty highly of himself, and perhaps justifiably so, but it’ll be his privilege to return to NXT... as Universal Champion. But before he can sign, Baron Corbin rushes him from behind and beats him down! Biel over the timekeeper’s barricade! Baron slides back in the ring with the contract... CORBIN IS GONNA SIGN THE CONTRACT BUT CENA CUTS HIM OFF AND POSTS HIM! CENA SIGNS THE CONTRACT!
And on that baffling note, we go to break.
Back from commercial, Paul Heyman accosts five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce & Sonya Deville about John Cena signing the contract.
Despite Heyman’s best litigation, Pearce says that, as far as he’s concerned, Cena’s signature on the contract is good enough.
Apollo Crews & Dirty Dawgz (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) vs. Big E, Cesaro, & Shinsuke Nakamura
E and Crews to start, Big with a belly-to-belly, off the ropes, cut off with a knee! Dumping E to the floor, where the Dawgz double-team him and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Cesaro gets the tag and comes in hot, blasting everybody! Discus lariat gets a two count on Ziggler, swing into the Sharpshooter but Roode makes the save and forces the break! Tag to Nakamura, diving knee assists a Karelin lift but can’t put Dolph down! Fired up, calling for it... ZIG ZAG COUNTERS! Crews legal, standing moonsault, Cesaro makes the save!
The match breaks down into “everybody do something cool” territory, Commander Azeez takes Boogs out, Apollo and Shinsuke back and forth...
Big E, Cesaro, & Shinsuke Nakamura win by pinfall with Kinshasa from Nakamura on Apollo Crews.
Edge makes his entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Seth Rollins is in the ring and we see footage from the break where Rollins ambushed Edge and beat him down.
Seth gets on the mic and demands we listen to him, saying all Edge has done is take and take and take from him and he’s sick of it. Don’t believe him? Guess what, what goes around, comes around, and he’s a revolutionary. He rolls a video package of his grievances against Edge. He says he’s not ashamed of anything he’s done, and that was the right thing to do.
He’s the rightful heir to the Universal Championship, and he can’t be champion, then neither can Edge.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of all the contract signing nonsense.
Commentary hypes up Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor for next Friday, so at least that’s not Finn’s SummerSlam match, right?
Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks vs. Carmella & Zelina Vega
Babyfaces in control early, but Carmella gets Banks in the corner and traps her. Tag to Vega, double suplex attempt but Belair makes the save! Sasha with a baseball slide to take both of them out, Bianca gets her up in a military press and drops the Boss into a crossbody to wipe them out and send us to break.
Back from commercial, Vega is in control on Belair, quick tags, working her over, Zelina with an octopus at one point but Bianca hosses her way out of it after a struggle and counters with a backbreaker! Tag to Banks, in with knees and dropkicks, Three Amigos! Sasha off the top with a frog splash... CARMELLA BREAKS IT UP!
Tag made, Banks goes for the lungblower, countered with a kick, X-Factor... BELAIR BREAKS IT UP! Another X-Factor reversed, Bank Statement...
Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks win by submission with the Bank Statement from Banks on Carmella.
Sasha and Bianca celebrate... AND BANKS TURNS ON HER WITH A LUNGBLOWER! SHE BEATS BELAIR DOWN! Tonardo DDT into the crossface, Bianca’s got nowhere to go and referee Dan Engler can’t pull the Boss off! Sasha finally lets go and stands tall with the title belt briefly before going back to the crossface!
Sasha’s really wrenching back and Engler is helpless to stop her!
That’s the show, folks.