WWE SmackDown live results: SummerSlam go-home show

On the eve of SummerSlam, the main event’s participants will go face-to-face on tonight’s SmackDown from Cleveland, Ohio.

Cody Rhodes is set to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Solo Sikoa on Saturday. Tonight, the two will meet face-to-face for one final confrontation before the PLE. Sikoa and The Bloodline have attacked Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens multiple times over the last month on the way to SummerSlam.

The Bloodline’s Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu are taking on WWE Tag Team Champions DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) for the belts tonight. Fatu & Tonga won a number one contender’s gauntlet last week to earn the title shot.

A Women’s Tag Team title match with Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill challenging Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn is also set for the episode. Plus, Logan Paul will receive a Cleveland homecoming before defending his United States title against LA Knight at SummerSlam.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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– Corey Graves welcomed everyone into the show as a shot of the Cleveland Browns Stadium was shown.

– Logan Paul pulled up backstage in a Prime truck. Paul shook hands with SmackDown GM Nick Aldis. Cody Rhodes’s music hit and we went to the first proper segment.

The Cody/Bloodline segment

This was all right. I could be in the minority, but for me, this match just hasn’t clicked for me. Still, I can see WWE trying – and Sikoa, especially, has gained something in all of this – but I can’t buy into Cody losing at SummerSlam, even if it is now going to be a Bloodline Rules match. Speaking of that, Sikoa noted how Cody keeps talking about his WreslteMania match being a Bloodline Rules match … but has he? I don’t seem to recall Cody bringing that up a ton in this build, but maybe my brain is fried. Either way, the Bloodline Rules makes tomorrow’s main event at least a little more intriguing.

Cody soaked in “Cody!” cheers and then asked Cleveland what they wanted to talk about. Cody said he wanted to talk to Solo Sikoa and Sikoa’s music hit. Out walked Sikoa, who was alone. Loud “We want Roman!” chants began. Sikoa pointed to the crowd and Sikoa said, “Cleveland, Ohio, acknowledge me.” The crowd chanted “Solo sucks!” Cody said he saw a chip on Solo’s shoulder and what Solo has done hasn’t been easy. Cody said from a distance, he almost admires what Solo has been able to do. Cody said tomorrow night at SummerSlam, the bell is going to ring and when it rings … Solo cut Cody off and asked him if he was done.

Solo said Cody was wasting his time. Cody said he wasn’t done and Solo was a self-appointed Tribal Chief while Cody is the actual WWE Champion. Cody named-dropped Randy Orton and Kevin Owens and said if he loses to Solo, he can’t repay his debt to Randy and Kevin. Cody said he wants to pay them back with Solo’s blood. Cody referenced beating Roman at WrestleMania in a Bloodline Rules match. Solo called Roman a weak Tribal Chief. Solo said Solo is not weak, Solo is dangerous. Solo said he’s going to show Cody how dangerous he is at SummerSlam. The crowd started a “What?” chant and Jacob Fatu began walking through the crowd. Tama Tonga appeared as well. Tonga Loa followed suit.

In the midst of this, Sikoa asked Cody if he wanted the match Saturday to be a Bloodline Rules match. Cody spoke to all the members of the Bloodline and called Fatu a mean name. Cody accepted making tomorrow’s match a Bloodline Rules match. Solo asked Cody if he knew what Solo could do before SummerSlam. Solo said tonight, the tag titles come back to the Bloodline while tomorrow, Cody’s title comes back to the Bloodline, too. Cody said he won’t have to fight Solo’s family; all he’ll have to do is defeat the Tribal Chief and since the Tribal Chief isn’t there, he’ll settle for the wannabe. Cody’s music hit and the segment ended.

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– A Carmelo Hayes vignette aired and he spoke about Andrade. Melo said all Andrade does is quit and switch teams. Melo said the next time he and Andrade wrestle, Melo will win because when Melo shoots, he doesn’t miss. Andrade then made his entrance for a match against Hayes.

Andrade defeated Carmelo Hayes [16:06]

It would have made sense for Hayes to win and even the series but I had a gut feeling we might get another Andrade win. I like it. As for the match, I prefer their first bout, but that could also be because it kind of came out of nowhere. The expectations here were higher, and I’m not sure they lived up to it. Still, they made use of the increase in time they got and some of the near-falls towards the end were a lot of fun. The first match felt like a sprint; this felt a bit bloated. How will No. 3 go?

The match opened with a fury of action, topped off with some tough chops exchanged. Andrade got the upper hand with a dropkick and went for a vertical suplex, but Hayes countered into an inside cradle for a one-count. Andrade returned the favor for a two-count. Andrade went for his finisher, but Hayes pushed him away and rolled to the outside. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Hayes ran Andrade into the ring steps on the outside. Hayes put the boots to Andrade. Back inside the ring, Hayes hit a super-kick for a two-count. Hayes then worked on Andrade’s arm. Andrade worked his way out and landed a chop, dragon-screw and a forearm. Andrade went for a double-knees, but Hayes moved. Andrade went for a springboard move, but Hayes cut him off. Hayes followed up with a suplex and and went to the top, but Andrade cut him off. Andrade hit a super-plex from the top and both guys were down as the show went to a break.

Back from the break, Andrade fired up and pushed Hayes over the top to the outside. Andrade followed that up with a moonsault from the second turnbuckle onto the outside. Inside the ring, Hayes hit a Spacebuster out of nowhere. Andrade came back with a back elbow and the double moonsault spot, which resulted in a good near-fall. Andrade worked a figure-four until Hayes got to the ropes for a break. Hayes came back with a pair of super-kicks. Hayes went to the top, but Andrade moved. Hayes went for a roll-up but Andrade countered with one of his own and got the surprise win.

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– Legado Del Fantasma was shown backstage and Santos Escobar was chewing out his faction. Escobar said their fortunes will turn by beating Apollo Crews tonight.

Santos Escobar defeated Apollo Crews [3:33]

This was sort of a nothing match, but it continues to be nice to see Crews and Corbin get some TV time. I can’t say this makeshift feud feels particularly interesting, but it does give everyone involved something to do and there’s something to be said for that.

Escobar attacked Crews with a boot to begin the match. Baron Corbin appeared at ringside to cheer Crews. Escobar hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two-count. After a minute or so, Crews came back with a belly-to-belly suplex and followed that up with a series of clitheslines. Corbin hit Angel on the outside of the ring. Inside the ring, Crews hit a standing moonsault for a two-count. Crews went to the top and someone grabbed Corbin from under the ring. Escobar landed a Phantom Drive on Crews inside the ring for the win.

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– Cargill & Belair were interviewed backstage. Belair said they had been waiting for their match with Fyre & Dawn. Belair said they will walk out with the tag belts.

The Logan Paul segment

Meh. Maybe it’s on me tonight because I feel like I might be being too negative on this fine evening, but this does not feel like a big deal go-home show. I expected more from these two, and if the crescendo was going to be Knight driving off with Paul’s truck … maybe do something sinister to Paul’s truck to punctuate the whole thing? Oddly, Paul didn’t get the response I think everyone involved was looking for in his hometown. The crowd started hot, but the more he talked, the more he lost them. Conversely, the Knight pop was there to begin with, but it didn’t hold as he roamed around backstage. Everything just felt less than what it could have been.

Paul said “Cleveland, I’m home,” and the crowd booed loudly. Paul said he had never met a guy so eager to take a belt off him and it turns out Knight isn’t Paul’s type. Paul said Knight is delusional if he thinks he’s going to beat Paul in his hometown. The crowd chanted Knight’s name. Paul said he inspires and represents Cleveland. Paul said, “I am Cleveland.”

Paul said he’s had two title defenses in 273 days. The crowd was a bit subded as Paul said he can’t relate to the audience because he actually made it. Paul introduced the people he had in the ring, whom he called “Cleveland’s finest.” Aldis chimed in saying the people in the ring weren’t important, but Paul said Aldis doesn’t know anything. Paul unveiled a banner of himself and it was defaced with a big “Yeah!” LA Knight’s music then hit and Knight walked out.

Knight taunted Paul as the crowd said “Yeah!” Knight said they were 24 hours away from Paul losing his title. Knight called Paul out for being from a suburb of Cleveland and not actually Cleveland. Knight said he’s going to give Paul a gift – another banner. Knight walked to the back and ran into Pretty Deadly, who were going over their musical. Knight walked away from them and asked people if they had a banner. Knight found the Prime truck Paul came to the venue in. Knight drove off in the Prime truck as Paul threw a fit to end the segment.

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Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair defeated The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn) via DQ [7:33]

I’m not a fan of these types of finishes, but I didn’t expect to see one here. Also on the plus side, this inserts Davenport into an important program and I’ve been wondering of SmackDown would ever get around to doing that. So, I can’t complain too much. Also worth nothing: Cargill is getting better. It’s hard to see, because we don’t see her work that much, but her selling has improved a lot during this run with Belair and she feels like a more complete wrestler than she was. Good for her.

Fyre and Dawn tried to jumpstart the match, but Cargill and Belair countered it with stereo fallaway slams. Cargill and Dawn began the official match and Cargill had control before she tagged in Belair, who went for a suplex, but Fyre ran in to break it up. Things broke down and all four women were in the ring. Cargill and Belair landed stereo guerrilla press slams and the show went to a break.

The show returned and Fyre was working over Cargill. Fyre kicked Cargill in the midsection and hit a backstabber. Dawn tagged in and landed a splash for a good near-fall. Cargill came back with a double suplex on Dawn and Fyre and then Belair received the hot tag. Belair hit a double cross-body and took out both opponents. Belair landed a moonsault on Fyre for a two-count and Cargill ran in. Cargill and Dawn fought on the outside and Fyre rolled up Belair for a two-count. Out of nowhere, Blair Davenport showed up and ran Cargill into the ring steps to end the match. The heels took out both Cargill and Belair after the match, throwing Cargill over the commentary table.

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– Tiffany Stratton was shown crying over her MITB briefcase. Nia Jax showed up and gave Tiff her own MITB briefcase on the condition Stratton doesn’t cash in. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven showed up and Green blamed Stratton for Green not winning the MITB ladder match. Stratton said green isn’t Green’s color and left. We then went back to the ring for the main event.

The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga) defeated #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) to win the WWE Tag Team Titles [9:15]

This was shorter than I expected, but the outcome was, indeed, expected. Good for Jacob Fatu, though, who’s been through it and now has WWE gold around his waist (or Sikoa’s shoulder). That said, I’m a bit tired of WWE playing hot potato with their tag belts, so I could go for a nice long title run from Fatu and Tonga. The match was fine, but nothing particularly memorable outside of Fatu popping up after taking a Poison-Rana. When it comes to Gargano and Ciampa … hey, at least they got a title run, right?

Tonga and Ciampa started the match with Tonga getting the best of it. Tonga threw Ciampa into a ring post and Ciampa was down on the outside of the ring as the show went to its final commercial break. Back from break, Gragano received a hot tag and Gargano took Fatu and Tonga out with a fury of moves. Gargano hit a spear on Tonga for a two-count. Ciampa tagged in and landed an Air Raid Crash on Tonga for a good near-fall.

Ciampa chopped Tonga, but Fatu got in a blind tag and ran right into Ciampa. Fatu hit a hip attack on Ciampa and tagged in Tonga, who hit a splash. Tonga went for a cover, but Gargano broke it up. Outside the ring, Fatu ran at Gargano, who was up against the ring steps, but Gargano moved and Fatu ran into the steps. Gargano tagged in and #DIY hit a Shatter Machine. Solo Sikoa hopped on the apron and hit a Samoan Spike on Ciampa as the referee was distracted. Tonga tried to capitalize, but Gargano kicked out of a pin attempt.

Fatu and Tonga beat down Gargano and give the world the No. 1 pose. Gargano came back with a series of super-kicks on everyone. Tonga was taken out by a suicide dive from Gargano. Gargano then hit a Poison-Rana on Fatu, but Fatu got right back up and hit his pop-up Samoan Drop. Fatu landed a moonsault and the implant DDT for the win. The Bloodline posed as Sikoa held the tag titles on his shoulders to close the show.