The SmackDown live event from Raleigh, North Carolina’s PNC Arena will air tonight (July 14). This is the second edition of SmackDown in the five-week countdown to next month’s SummerSlam.
When will WWE stop playing games with LA Knight?
The failure of LA Knight to win the Money in the Bank contract earlier this month was a major setback for his push. But it wasn’t a major setback, did it? Since Roman Reigns is unlikely to lose the WWE Championship for at least another three years, it makes sense to keep the MITB contract on Raw and out of the hands of the Tribal Chief.
Even though LA Knight didn’t win the Money in the Bank contract, he’s still set to face off against fellow Megastar and YouTuber Logan Paul at SummerSlam. YEAH.
After Money in the Bank, I heard these and other justifications for WWE’s decision to book Knight in that event. Maybe the former has some truth to it, but the latter is meaningless because SummerSlam swiftly paired up Logan Paul with Ricochet.
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When Money in the Bank ends, what will happen to LA Knight? Last week he was entirely blacked out of the media, save for a brief appearance with Hit Row at MSG. That’s how WWE responded to Knight’s sudden rise in attendance.
If WWE is serious about making LA Knight a larger deal, I don’t know what they’re waiting for. The crowd go absolutely nuts whenever this guy appears on TV. Providing for the desires of the locals shouldn’t be too difficult.
It’s possible that the previous week was an anomaly. After all, the length of the Tribal Court Bloodline section was warranted given its potential to increase viewership. That won’t happen tonight, so now is the time for WWE to come up with a strategy to take advantage of Knight’s current popularity.
Underrated and not a quarterback, Lamar Jackson… All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
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Lamar Jackson is one of only a few of players in history to win both the Heisman Trophy and the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. Jackson is one of just two MVPs in history to receive 100% of the vote. The other is Tom Brady, who is universally hailed as the game’s finest quarterback. Jackson, although being in elite company, is often labeled as not being a “true quarterback.” Since high school, Lamar has been subjected to an undeserved name, yet he has consistently disproved his detractors’ assumptions. Being associated with the GOAT for all time isn’t that horrible, you know? However, Lamar has had to work hard to get his due respect. He was once passed over by major college programs, advised to switch positions, and was considered doomed to fail in the National Football League. Let’s go ahead and meet each Lamar Jackson that the prism has to offer.
There may not be much room for further matchups on the SummerSlam program if things continue at their current pace. On the other hand, U.S. Champion Austin Theory still has time available in his schedule for that evening. Why not have the superstar be the one to finally put an end to Theory’s lackluster championship run?
That’s only one potential use for LA Knight in the WWE right now. Let’s see how the creative team handles Knight tonight in anticipation of SummerSlam.
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The remainder of the opening sequence
Asuka, the current WWE Women’s Champion, will defend her title tonight against Bianca Belair, the previous champion. With Charlotte Flair and the current holder of the Money in the Bank contract, IYO SKY, both lurking in the shadows and driven to interfere, anything may happen in this match.
Last week on SmackDown, Jey Uso challenged WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the closing segment. Jey understands that he must pin Roman again with the title on the line in order to terminate Roman’s reign as the Tribal Chief of WWE, despite the fact that he previously did so at Money in the Bank. Since Roman is only a part-timer and isn’t scheduled to appear tonight, it may be up to Paul Heyman, Reigns’s manager, to decide whether or not to accept Jey’s offer.
Champion Tag Team of WWE If there is time left on the program, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn still need a SummerSlam bout. Is there a chance that the Street Profits, the O.C., or the LWO may bypass Pretty Deadly now that they’re behind them?
The current challenges for WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come from Raw’s Chelsea Green, Sonya Deville, and Rhea Ripley.
Additionally, last week saw Edge’s return to WWE, and in his first match on the main roster, he defeated Grayson Waller. If WWE creative can’t come up with anything for Edge to do at SummerSlam, something’s wrong. Will the Rated R Superstar be facing Waller again, or will another heel appear?
Last week, AJ Styles won a hastily put together bout against Karrion Kross. Is Kross going to return for a rematch, or is this feud now over?
How is Shotzi doing after Damage CTRL surprised her backstage and slashed her hair a few weeks ago?
WWE’s promotion for tonight’s program features Bob Lashley, despite the fact that he hasn’t appeared on television in almost two months. Is SummerSlam the last event he misses before he returns?
It appears like Baron Corbin has left WWE and joined NXT, putting an end to Cameron Grimes’ rivalry with him. So, what is Grimes’ status on the active roster now?
After Pretty Deadly’s assistance in Austin Theory’s victory against Sheamus last week, the Brawling Brutes may have to face them again.
According to reports, Carlito was supposed to make his WWE TV comeback last week at MSG. What about in Raleigh tonight?
If you tune in to SmackDown, what do you hope to see?
