WWE SmackDown preview (July 28, 2023): WWE isn’t quitting Karrion Kross just yet

SmackDown airs tonight (July 28) with a live show from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is the fourth episode of SmackDown during the five week build towards SummerSlam, which takes place on August 5.

WWE isn’t quitting Karrion Kross just yet

Karrion Kross was an unstoppable force in his NXT days, but that success has yet to translate on the main roster.

His earliest days on Raw included a debut loss to Jeff Hardy (and no Scarlett by his side) before Vince McMahon turned him into a dollar store Super Shredder with a piece of shit helmet. This run was such a giant failure that Kross was fired from WWE by the end of 2021.

Karrion’s second run on the main roster began when Triple H brought him back almost exactly one year ago during an early August episode of SmackDown. This current run has been better due to the lack of dumb helmets and inclusion of Scarlett, but Kross hasn’t been able to escape mid-card status. He isn’t that over and has lost key matches in feuds against babyfaces like Drew McIntyre, Rey Mysterio, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Styles.

Speaking of The Phenomenal One, it looked like his story with Kross might be over after a rushed two minute match resulted in a win for AJ at Madison Square Garden earlier this month. But Karrion’s push isn’t finished quite yet, as he recently attacked The O.C. backstage, leading to AJ’s loss in the United States Championship Invitational.

As a result of that angle, Kross is scheduled to face Karl Anderson in a singles match tonight. It looks like a situation where WWE is setting up Karrion for a win on TV in order to give him some momentum for another rematch with Styles. In other words, WWE isn’t quitting Karrion Kross just yet, despite his lackluster results over the last year.

Will things work out any better for Kross if he can get Styles in the ring one more time? Or is this just WWE’s way of giving longtime upper card star Styles something to do with SummerSlam weekend approaching?

The title scene

Rey Mysterio takes on Santos Escobar tonight in the final match of the United States Championship Invitational. The winner earns a future title match against United States Champion Austin Theory, of course. Will the LWO be in one piece coming out of this fight, or will there be a sore loser who can’t handle defeat?

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Jey Uso are busy preparing for Tribal Combat at SummerSlam. How will Solo Sikoa react one week after his Tribal Chief stopped him from delivering the Samoan Spike to Jey?

Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair should probably stop assuming they will beat Asuka for the WWE women’s championship, especially since IYO SKY is the one who holds the Money in the Bank contract. What’s the next move on the chess board between these four women with the SummerSlam triple threat title match only one week away?

WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn might not be defending their belts for a few weeks given KO’s current injury.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green are awaiting their first title defense. Hey, does WWE creative remember that Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn exist?

Other stuff to keep an eye on

- The Street Profits are frustrated and ready for an attitude change. Will they show up to SmackDown tonight wearing fancy new suits, perhaps alongside Bobby Lashley?

- Damage CTRL made a huge mistake when they ambushed Shotzi and shaved her head. Shotzi is now in a maniacal state and playing with scissors and knives as she plots out her revenge.

- Grayson Waller loves dumping on WWE legends like The Rock and Edge. Which legend will he insult tonight? If he continues to mock The Rock, does that mean Dwayne is showing up at SummerSlam to beat his ass?

- One half of Pretty Deadly is injured, but that hasn’t stopped the duo from messing around with the Brawling Brutes. Do they have some Brogue Kicks in their future after weeks of getting over on Sheamus and his fellas?

- LA Knight is a megastar who needs something to do at SummerSlam. Will he grab a mic and let us know what he’s planning to do at Ford Field next weekend?

What will you be looking for on SmackDown?