By Ryan Satin
Analyst of FOX Sports WWE
Karrion Kross surprised the wrestling world with his return to WWE on SmackDown – and he has a message for Roman Reigns.
First, here’s a summary of the match results:
– Ricochet defeats Happy Corbin via a pinfall due to Corbin being distracted by Pat McAfee at the announcement desk
– Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Ludwig Kaiser through the dead end
– Shayna Baszler won the women’s SmackDown title after winning a Gauntlet match consisting of Raquel Rodriguez, Shotzi, Aliyah, Xia Li, Natalya and Sonya Deville
– The Viking Raiders team won a local talent Squash match
– Kofi Kingston defeats Erik via composite peg
Moment of the Night: Karrion Kross and Scarlett are back
Karrion Kross Returns As Roman Reigns And Drew McIntyre Face Each Other On SmackDown
Roman Reigns returns to Friday Night SmackDown after defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in one of the most brutal matches in WWE history. The Universal Champion spoke to Drew McIntyre before Karrion Kross made his shocking return.
Another major coup at the beginning of the Triple H era.
Kross and Scarlett should never have been released in the first place.
Even with his initial disastrous debut out of control, Karrion Kross still manages to establish credibility and demand onscreen attention. He’s someone you can build an entire brand around.
The way he was featured on SmackDown this week is a much better way to make that happen.
Attacking Drew McIntyre and sending a message to Roman Reigns with an hourglass makes you forget about the silly outfit from last year and focus instead on the fact that he is a monster.
Moves like these from Triple H are creating excitement around the product once again and regaining trust from the fan base. Kudo all around.
Match of the Night: Ricochet vs. Happy Corbin
Ricochet is one of the most impressive wrestlers in the world. A possible new push on the horizon gives me hope for his WWE future.
Winning over Happy Corbin, even if McAfee loses focus, is a step in the right direction.
Hopefully he can go on to win meaningful victories again.
Additional highlights:
WWE has announced that starting this week’s Raw, there will be a tournament to crown the new champions of the Women’s Tag Team.
No teams have been announced yet and the situation between WWE and former generals Sasha Banks/Naomi is currently unknown.
Shayna Baszler lands a chance with Liv Morgan in a high stakes Gauntlet match | WWE on FOX
Raquel Rodriguez, Aliyah, Shotzi, Xia Li, Shayna Baszler, Natalya and Sonya Deville battled it out in a high-stakes Gauntlet match for the chance to challenge Liv Morgan for the SmackDown Women’s Title at WWE Clash of the Castle.
Shayna Baszler’s title win at Clash of the Castle is another W-spot for NXT 1.0 fans watching the show.
Kross, Ricochet and Baszler have all had great runs in NXT as it is run by Triple H. The possibility of achieving the same position in WWE with “The Game” as creative lead is very promising.
As for Shayna and Liv, I’m looking forward to seeing how Ronda Rousey contributes to the story.
Will the former champion be of any help to her friend? Or will she be more focused on getting the title back? Time will answer.
For a segment-by-segment breakdown of the show, listen to the SmackDown Roundup podcast in the “Out of Character” feed on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Don’t forget to follow all your favorites WWE Superstars and Shows in the FOX Sports app to get notified of what they’re up to and more!
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1’s “WWE Backstage” and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.
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