Friday night’s SmackDown in Cleveland wasn’t some big finale, but it cranked up the hype machine for Sunday Night’s Main Event next weekend, big time. We saw Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, and Gunther all get thrown into a triple threat match, with a title shot hanging in the balance.
Everyone Wants a Piece of the Pie
Kevin Owens hit the ring after a quick recap video, talking about how losing last week’s title match to CM Punk was the worst. He said he’s lost a bunch, but that one stung different. Then, who else shows up but CM Punk himself, jawing that he would’ve taken down KO with or without Sami Zayn’s interference. Classic Punk, right? But the drama didn’t stop there. Gunther stormed out, making his case for a title shot, and before you knew it, Finn Balor joined the chaotic party. Nick Aldis was already trying to play referee, and he ended up booking the whole thing: a triple threat for a title shot between Owens, Balor, and Gunther. It felt pretty standard, honestly, and maybe a little too calm, which drained some of the excitement. But hey, it got the job done and set up a must-watch match for later. KO even tried to hide a smile when the crowd started chanting, and you could tell he got a little choked up talking about his mom’s health. Grade: C+.
Eye-Popping Action and a Huge Win
The first actual match of the night pitted Nia Jax and Lash Legend against Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton. Tiffy even tried to tell Chelsea she didn’t have to go through with it, especially with Chelsea rocking a protective mask over her eye. But Green was in. Stratton got some good offense in before tagging Green, and they actually held the upper hand for a moment when Jax tagged in. That didn’t last. Jax powered through, countered Chelsea’s Unprettier, and nailed her with a headbutt that Green sold like her eye was reinjured. Ouch. Tiffany took a beating through the commercial break, and doctors were swarming Chelsea outside the ring. The storyline here was way better than the actual wrestling, honestly. Green was selling that eye injury like a champ, maybe even a little over the top, but it worked. Stratton carried a ton of the in-ring action. The energy wasn’t really there until the very end. Chelsea, being escorted away by doctors, saw Tiffany struggling and ran back in for the tag. But that eye injury was a massive liability. Jax took full advantage, landed her finisher, and secured the win. Jax and Legend walked out winners. Grade: C+.
We also saw Paige step back into singles title action for the first time since her return, challenging Jacy Jayne for the United States Championship, with Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid at ringside. Details on that one are coming. But with a triple threat now set for a title shot at Sunday Night’s Main Event, next weekend is going to be absolutely wild. You know we’ll be glued to the screen for all the action!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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