WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 26, 2024) with a taped show (spoilers here) emanating from the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming SummerSlam premium live event early next month in Cleveland.
Advertised for tonight: A tag team gauntlet match that will determine the next top contenders to DIY’s WWE tag team titles.
Also on the card: Nia Jax & Ms. Money in the Bank Tiffany Stratton team up to take on Women’s Champion Bayley & Michin. Elsewhere, LA Knight squares up with Santos Escobar in singles action. All that 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.)
War in the heavens, vengeance ignited. Torment and tempest attacks like a swarm. Forged out of flame from chaos to destiny, bringer of pain forever undying, but me? I’m just here to liveblog this pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a recap of last week’s main event.
Nick Aldis ends a phone call to chat with the Bloodline and inform Tonga Loa that since he suffered an eye injury and can’t compete, they forfeit their spot in the tag team gauntlet. Tama Tonga speaks up not willing to take it, Solo Sikoa holds him back and tells Nick that they’re not going to forfeit, they’re just going to substitute Jacob Fatu... if that’s okay with him?
Aldis agrees to the change.
LA Knight is walking backstage cutting a promo about how he’s going to beat Santos Escobar tonight and then beat Logan Paul at SummerSlam.
Fast-paced out the gates, hip tosses from Knight, into a kneeling armbar, keeping the pressure up, shoulder blocks in the corner into mounted punches. Escobar turns the tide, snap suplex, spinebuster, step through into the Sharpshooter but LA is right in the ropes for the break!
Pressing Santos with punches, a big lariat, slinging him into the ropes, Escobar turns him around, Tiger feint kick and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Santos grinding him down, Knight gets him down in the corner, stomping a mudhole, running knee, whip reversed, front kick, DDT, cover for two! Elektra Lopez runs interference, Logan Paul tries for a cheap shot but Knight ducks and drops him on the apron! Phantom Driver countered...
LA Knight wins by pinfall with the BFT.
Post-match the heels join forces to put boots to LA and Logan hits a frog splash!
Naomi is interviewed backstage when Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill roll up and the three of them catch up before we go to break.
Back from commercial, Logan Paul runs into an interview.
He says what just happened was the first course of a three-course meal for LA Knight. He’s a working and everyone he knows and loves will be at SummerSlam and he’s even got a big surprise for us.
Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair make their entrances.
They get right to calling the champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn down, and after a bit of taunting they blindside their would-be challengers from behind! KOD on Isla but she hangs on the ropes and falls safely to the floor... ONLY FOR JADE TO MILITARY PRESS ALBA OVER THE ROPES AND RIGHT INTO HER!
Back from commercial, Street Profits and B-FAB meet with Terence Crawford and talk each other up and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Tiffany Stratton is backstage upset about her briefcase.
Nia Jax rolls up and says she’s gonna get her a new one but of course she shouldn’t cash in. Stratton says she’d never do tht to Nia.
Crews & Corbin and Legado del Fantasma start the match.
Heels jump the babyface team and work them over, dives and we go to break.
Back from commercial, LdF in control, working Corbin over, Crews with the hot tag and he is fired up! Rolling German suplexes, knee cuts Apollo off, butterfly backbreaker, Baron breaks it up! Wing Clipper reversed, pump kick, tag to Corbin, catch him...
Apollo Crews & Baron Corbin eliminate Legado del Fantasma with End of Days from Corbin on Angel Garza.
Street Profits are out third.
Ford showing off his athleticism opposite Crews, who shows off his own in return, big dropkick right on the button! Dawkins with a Backdrop Driver, tags made, Corbin knocks Montez out with an elbow and a little directing traffic... APOLLO ASSISTS BARON ON A DIVE AS WE GO TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, the Profits press the attack at length...
Street Profits eliminate Apollo Crews & Baron Corbin by pinfall with Revelation on Apollo Crews.
Pretty Deadly are out fourth.
Pretty Deadly quickly start targeting Ford’s knee, quick tags to work him over, pressing their attack opposite Dawkins as well but Montez breaks it up! Electric chair...
Street Profits eliminate Pretty Deadly by pinfall with an electric chair blockbuster on Elton Prince.
Good Brothers are out fifth.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Good Brothers are in control, working Ford over, low bridges and a tag to Dawkins! Big man tope con giro wipes both of ‘em out! Back inside, Anderson spinebuster, tag to Gallows, Montez trips Karl up...
Street Profits eliminate Good Brothers by pinfall with a schoolboy from Angelo Dawkins on Luke Gallows.
The Bloodline is our sixth and final team and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Tonga putting boots to Dawkins, working him over, tags, cheapshots from Solo Sikoa at ringside, eventually Montez tags in, Tama eats a spinebuster! Whip reversed, back body drop to the apron, Ford up top, diving crossbody, cover for two! Off the top for the splash, nobody home, tag to Fatu!
Suicide dive takes Dawkins out on the floor, back inside with Montez, spinebuster and Jacob is fired up! Superkick, pop-up Samoan drop...
The Bloodline win, last eliminating Street Profits by pinfall with a double-jump moonsault from Jacob Fatu on Montez Ford, becoming #1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, A-Town Down Under hit the ring to complain about Terence Crawford costing them their match last week.
They call him out and demand an apology, and Crawford obliges and makes his entrance.
Grayson Waller complains about the disrespect and demands his apology, but Terence just knocks Austin Theory out. Waller runs away. Crawford stands tall.
We get a video promo from Cody Rhodes where he reflects on his 2024 so far and how all of his allies have been destroyed by the Bloodline and he heads into SummerSlam alone. He sets up a one-on-one face-to-face with Solo Sikoa for next week.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Andrade el Idolo is interviewed.
He’s thinking about going for the United States Championship— Carmelo Hayes rolls up to say they’re not done with each other, Andrade said he missed, it’s done, Hayes makes his case and el Idolo agrees to one more match and gets left hanging on the handshake.