WWE SmackDown preview (July 21, 2023): WWE hopes it has another Bloodline hit on its hands

SmackDown airs tonight (July 21) with a live show from Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. This is the third episode of SmackDown during the five week build towards SummerSlam, which takes place early next month.

WWE hopes it has another Bloodline hit on its hands

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns returns to SmackDown tonight for the “SummerSlam Rules of Engagement” with Jey Uso.

WWE has yet to explain what this segment is all about, but at the very least it continues their pattern of giving taglines to many of Roman’s recent TV appearances. Those taglines usually result in a ratings bonanza, and WWE is hoping for more of the same tonight with The Bloodline. The big problem working against WWE on that front is tonight’s broadcast is bumped to FS1 rather than being on FOX, so viewership will drastic go down.

The concept here seems straightforward enough. Roman’s title defense against Jey at SummerSlam is not official yet, so it’s safe to assume Roman will agree to the match in this segment, possibly with a stipulation or gimmick added to the mix. WWE’s web site is describing Jey as “unhinged” after last week when he superkicked Paul Heyman, so perhaps that will also play a factor in the SummerSlam Rules of Engagement.

However, Jey might be walking into a trap, because he’s all alone now that his twin brother Jimmy is out indefinitely. Does Jey have a plan in mind for fending off Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and the wise man, if the SummerSlam Rules of Engagement quickly turns into an ambush?

The rest of the title scene

United States Champion Austin Theory should be very worried because LA Knight is competing in tonight’s United States Championship Invitational. It will be a four way match featuring Knight, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, and Cameron Grimes. The winner goes on to face Santos Escobar next week in the final round of the invitational. Theory will then have to defend his belt against whoever wins that final match. If WWE is paying attention to its live audiences, Knight should be a shoo-in to win tonight’s match and go all the way to taking that belt from Austin.

WWE Women’s Champion Asuka retained her gold last week against Bianca Belair via disqualification. It seems there is no way to have a clean match for this title right now due to constant interference from Charlotte Flair, IYO SKY, Bayley, and Belair, so WWE Official Adam Pearce will need to get involved and do something about this problem.

Are WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn going to be left off the card on consecutive WWE pay-per-views events? They just defended the belts against Judgment Day on Raw, and no SmackDown teams stand out as deserving a title shot, especially now that one half of Pretty Deadly is injured.

Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville just became the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions earlier this week on Raw. Will they grace us with their presence on SmackDown tonight?

Other stuff to keep an eye on

- Is Edge in WWE’s plans for SummerSlam? If so, the clock is ticking on finding him an opponent for the card.

- Speaking of ticking clocks, Karrion Kross attacked The O.C. backstage last week and made it very clear that he isn’t finished with AJ Styles just yet. This sets the stage for Kross and Styles to get in the ring again and have a better match than their last one that was completely rushed in two minutes.

- Shotzi shaved her head and is laughing like a maniac, and Damage CTRL seems pretty concerned about what she might do next.

- Bob Lashley returned to WWE TV last week and invited the Street Profits into his limousine for a chat. Will this be a fast-developing situation that results in a new version of The Hurt Business? Does that mean we’ll also be seeing MVP back on our screens soon enough?

- Grayson Waller’s social media beef with The Rock made it onto SmackDown television last week. Could the People’s Champion be on his way to SummerSlam to lay the SmackDown on this roody poo candy ass?

What will you be looking for on SmackDown?