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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 28, 2023) with a live show emanating from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming SummerSlam Premium Live Event scheduled for next weekend in Detroit.
Advertised for tonight: Rey Mysterio battles Santos Escobar in the final match of the United States Championship Invitational. The winner earns a title match against Austin Theory.
Also on the card: Karrion Kross is booked in a singles match against Karl Anderson, Jey Uso and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns prepare for Tribal Combat at SummerSlam, and more!
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. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JULY 28
Sweet woman are you feeling right, what was it that you did last night? You made me crazy, you made me fly. I can’t forget the hungry look in your eye, but right now I’ve got to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for these folks.
The show opens with commentary welcoming us and hyping the card up.
Jey Uso makes his entrance and gets on the mic—
Enter Roman Reigns, flanked by Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa.
Paul hands him the mic and Roman asks New Orleans to acknowledge him.
Reigns says he made the Usos, he made Main Event Jey Uso and now he thinks he’s the Tribal Chief? Uso says he never wanted any of that and all he wanted was to watch Roman’s back and support him. He’d been his right hand man for three years through the mud and trenches, no questions asked.
He was his Tribal Chief, he believed in him and thought he could lead this company and their family, but he broke the family. He broke the Bloodline and he broke Jimmy, and it’s all Roman’s fault. Reigns tells him to shut his mouth, Jey won’t back down and Roman turns the blame around on Uso.
He wants to turn every stone and think hypothetically, so what if Uso actually beats him? That means he gets the title, he gets the lei, he gets everything that is Roman’s. Jey tells him he’s already beaten Roman, he pinned him, he’s the only one, and at SummerSlam, he’s gonna beat him again.
Rey Mysterio makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Jey Uso runs into Grayson Waller backstage.
Waller pitches him on getting the Grayson Waller rub after SummerSlam, win or lose, Uso mock laughs with him and pops him in the mouth!
Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar (WWE United States Championship #1 Contender’s Invitational Finals)
Collar and elbow, Escobar goes behind, schoolboy, no good. Mysterio with a hammerlock, Santos reverses to a spinning toehold, roll through into a deathlock, roll back around again, we see Austin Theory watching in a skybox and Escobar slams Rey! Hamstring kick follows, trading slaps, off the ropes, drop down, drop toehold, Santos rolls to the floor and eats a tope con giro that sends us to break!
Back from commercial, fighting on the apron, Mysterio off the top with a seated senton, springboard crossbody, cover for two! Escobar with an enzuigiri, diving crossbody, only two, electric chair to the floor, Rey turns it around, Dragonrana into the apron and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Rey Mysterio is being tended to by a trainer and we get footage of his head bouncing off the ramp when Escobar dove on him during the break. Referee Jessika Carr waves it off...
Santos Escobar wins by referee stoppage.
Post-match, an emotional Escobar helps Rey up and hugs him.
Bianca Belair is interviewed backstage.
Before she can say much, Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville roll up to brag about their title win and lament their lack of a championship celebration.
Charlotte Flair rolls up to give them shit for talking behind her back and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Hit Row are in the ring and cut a promo to the disdain of the crowd.
LA Knight makes his entrance and says he knew Will Smith was in the game, but he didn’t know Uncle Phil got in the rap game, and Top Dolla gets hot about it.
Ashante “Thee” Adonis vs. LA Knight
Adonis choking Knight in the ropes, wrenching his arm, LA recovers, jumping neckbreaker, Dollar runs interference and gets clubbed down, slam for Ashante and Knight surveys the faithful before hitting the People’s Elbow! Kick to the midsection...
LA Knight wins by pinfall with the BFT.
Adam Pearce runs into Jey Uso backstage, telling him Grayson Waller’s been beating his door down for a match tonight. Uso says he’ll make it nice and quick and accepts the match.
Charlotte Flair makes her entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Street Profits are hanging out with Bobby Lashley backstage.
Lashley says Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams spoke very highly of the Profits when he spoke to them, and they should be, they should be treated like stars and they should dress like stars. Montez Ford slaps Angelo Dawkins’ leg in a “he’s talking about you!” kind of way, and Bob has a rack of suits wheeled in as a gift for the Street Profits.
Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville.
Belair and Green to start, collar and elbow, Bianca with a side headlock, shot off, shoulder block, little dance from the EST, off the ropes, blind tag and Charlotte kicks Chelsea in the head! Figure four headscissors, rolling head smashes, Belair tags back in.
Scoop and a slam, Deville tags in, handspring moonsault for two! Match breaks down, Sonya blasts her with a boot for a deep two as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Deville in control on Belair but she gets away and tags out! Diving crossbody takes the heels out, chops, fallaway slam sets up a handspring lariat... NOPE! The match breaks down, Deville with a blind tag, fallaway slam from Flair sets her up, single leg into the spinning toehold but Sonya kicks her into the corner!
Belair with a tag, sheerdrop brainbuster, kip-up, fired up, shoulder block, mounted punches! Whip reversed, blind tag from Green, block the handspring, set her up, Flair pulls Deville out, Bianca shoves Chelsea off, backbreaker rack, blind tag, Flair hits the big boot! Babyfaces arguing...
Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair win by pinfall with a big boot from Flair on Sonya Deville.
Bayley is shown watching them bicker and laughing about how embarrassing it is when IYO SKY rolls up to bicker with her.
Bayley offeers a pile of excuses and pulls out a cut-up letter festooned with green hair promising to see her soon. They hurry to leave but—
Asuka rolls up.
She’s all smiles and says she has to face two of the best ever in Charlotte and Asuka, and if SKY is thinking about cashing in, she’ll make sure she regrets that decision forever. IYO says she respects Asuka but it doesn’t matter who wins because she’ll be leaving with the title.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we’re informed there’ll be a SummerSlam battle royal.
LA Knight rolls up on Adam Pearce telling him to make things right by putting him in the Slim Jim battle royal.
Sheamus and Brawling Brutes roll up to see what the craic is and Sheamus tells Mr. Catchphrases that you can’t win battle royals with promos. LA says he’ll bang Sheamus upside the head, Adam plays peacemaker, puts them both in the battle royal and books a singles match for them for next week.
Grayson Waller is interviewed while shadowboxing backstage.
He says he didn’t provoke Jey Uso, he was just trying to be a good bloke and invite him on his show, but now he’s gonna pay and he ain’t ready for the Grayson Waller Effect.
Karrion Kross makes his entrance, flanked by Scarlett Bordeaux, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Karl Anderson telling AJ Styles and the rest of the OC that this is personal and they need to let him handle it himself. Too Sweets go up and he goes out.
“Machine Gun” Karl Anderson vs. Karrion Kross
Anderson pressing the attack early, punches in the corner, Kross turns the tide, pumphandle into a spin-out DDT...
Karrion Kross wins by pinfall with a pumphandle lift DDT.
Post-match, Kross puts Anderson in the KrossJacket until the OC make the save!
We see Roman Reigns brooding in his office while Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa stand by.
Jey Uso makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up next week’s show.
Grayson Waller vs. Jey Uso
Circling, feeling each other out, Waller with a side headlock, Uso shrugs off a headbutt and slams him! Grayson grinding his palm into Jey’s face, drawing him up, catch a kick but the rebound enzuigiri staggers him! Uso lines him up but the Bloodline come to the stage to distract him!
Waller takes advantage and blindsides Jey and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Waller gets a nearfall off an elbow, follows it with mounted punches, Jey on the comeback, Samoan drop, waiting for Grayson to rise, staring Reigns down as he hits Waller with a spear! Up top...
Jey Uso wins by pinfall with a diving splash.
Post-match, Solo Sikoa attacks Jey but Uso gets the better of his younger brother! Roman runs in... JEY TAKES HIM OUT WITH THE SPEAR! Uso up top, Solo shoves him down and lays him out with Spinning Solo! He picks Jey up and hits a Samoan Spike right as Reigns brings him crashing down with the spear!
That’s not enough for Roman, wants another go and he gets it!
Reigns stands tall in the turnbuckles.
That’s the show, folks.
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