WWE SmackDown Results and Grades 24 July 2020: A singles run for a top star?

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

WWE SmackDown Results and Grades: WWE Extreme Rules is done and dusted and the promotion is moving towards its next big PPV.

Sheamus and Jeff Hardy were to continue their rivalry in a bar fight while Naomi was to feature on the Dirt sheet.

Bayley and Sasha Banks on SmackDown
Bayley and Sasha Banks on SmackDown (WWE)

However, there was a major title announcement on WWE SmackDown and that is what we start with in this results and grades piece.

Best friends address championship situation

Sasha Banks and Bayley gloated in the ring after they stole the Raw Women’s title from Asuka. However, Banks vs Asuka will take place next week to decide the champion.

While they were speaking on their greatness, Nikki Cross came out and wanted another title shot. Bayley accepted but only if Cross could defeat Alexa Bliss and a match was set up.

Bliss was pushed to the ground by Cross ahead of the match and the pair actually put up a good showing. They even hit Bayley and Banks outside the ring but it was Cross who picked up the win after a roll-up.

Cross beats Bayley

Grade A

This was an excellent start to the show as Bayley and Banks delivered. Driving a wedge between Bliss and Cross was smart too and the match wasn’t bad either.

Riddle time

Bray Wyatt presented another segment of the Firefly Fun House and said it was time for the Fiend.

Matt Riddle then came out to face Tony Nese and picked up an easy win.

He then called out Baron Corbin but the King of the Ring wasn’t keen on taking on Riddle. Nese tried to get a cheap shot but Riddle avoided that kicked his rival before confirming that Corbin would be the next guest on The Bro Show.

Riddle beats Nese

Grade B

The match was done to put Riddle over and it worked. Corbin vs Riddle has been teased for a while and it will be interesting to see how the two work. They are different kinds of wrestlers and WWE seems to have done a good job of pairing them up.

Naomi and Big E get their shots?

Naomi featured on The Dirt Sheet after she was trending on social media due to a lack of a push from WWE.

While she thanked her fans for all the support, this was just a ploy for Lacey Evans to come out and mock Naomi.

However, Naomi got the last laugh as she got rid of her opponent and danced in the ring.

Kofi Kingston was told that he would be out for six weeks due to an injury suffered at Extreme Rules. Big E was cool about the news but Kofi told him to consider a singles push. While E was reluctant to go that route, Kingston highlighted how unselfish E had been and this was his time.

Grade B

The only reason these segments didn’t get an A was that WWE again messed up with Naomi. Instead of giving her something to build on, she again faced Evans and it made no sense.

The E-Kingston segment was really good. It was a little emotional and it will be interesting to see how E does as a singles competitor.

Fatal 4-Way to decide Styles’ next rival

Drew Gulak, Shorty G, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado clashed for the opportunity to face AJ Styles next week for the Intercontinental title.

The match was incredible as all four men did extremely well. For a while, it seemed that Gulak or G would win. However, WWE pulled a surprise as Metalik got the win. Styles then came to shake hands ahead of their fight but took a cheap shot.

Metalik though wasn’t going down as he threw Styles out of the ring and celebrated with the title.

Metalik wins Fatal 4-way

Grade A

This was a nice surprise from WWE and this should be a good match. Metalik hasn’t fought too many singles clashes on WWE but this is his time to shine.

Bar fight

Jeff Hardy and Sheamus finally met in a bar fight as the clash took place all around the arena. The pair even fought in a urinal but this was another one of those cinematic matches with that bartender that Hardy attacked also featuring.

Sheamus got the better of Hardy and placed his hat over the Charismatic Enigma’s face. However, when he returned and took the hat off, Hardy’s face was painted and he got the win in the end.

Hardy beats Sheamus

Grade B

This was a typical brawl in the end despite a nice start with both stars getting a lot of time to speak.

Hardy even showed off his other persona towards the end, and it will be interesting to see what this means for his future.

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