WWE SmackDown Live Recap, Grades & Opinion: June 25, 2019

WWE SmackDown Live Recap: June 25, 2019

A.K.A. The One Where Someone Finally Came To Aleistar Black’s Door

With only three weeks to prepare for Extreme Rules, WWE is going to have to turn it into overdrive. Three matches have already been added to the card, including both the WWE and Universal Title matches. Will the Undertaker appear again tonight to keep teaching Shane McMahon manners? What about Bray Wyatt’s puppet friends – will more of them appear? Will we ever get to see Buddy Murphy on SmackDown? Let’s find out together!

Results:

• New Day def. Daniel Bryan & Rowan
• Heavy Machinery & New Day def. Daniel Bryan & Rowan & Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
• Elias def. Miz 2-1 in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match
• Nikki Cross def. Bayley, winning Alexa Bliss a SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Extreme Rules
• Sonya Deville def. Ember Moon
• Kofi Kingston def. Dolph Ziggler 2-1 in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match

Match of the Night: Kofi Kingston def. Dolph Ziggler 2-1 in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match

We have been seeing this match now for a month or so. Still, Ziggler and Kingston have great chemistry. They’ve been good adversaries for years, and this match was no different. Kingston has always been a great babyface-in-peril. Ziggler has really been hamming up how desperate he is as well, and that comes across in the way he wrestles. Great attention to detail by both men.

It's #2OutOf3Falls, and @HEELZiggler is ONE FALL AWAY from being added to the #WWEChampionship Match at #ExtremeRules with @TrueKofi and @SamoaJoe! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/BokXjXZYEq

— WWE (@WWE) June 26, 2019

Three Thoughts:

It All Feels Contrived

Since it was reported that WWE will no longer have wrestling during commercial breaks, two-out-of-three falls matches have become frequent. This week had two, and neither one was presented organically. WWE fans frequently read about the inner workings of the company, so this feels like a jarring shift. 

Ziggler & Kingston had a best-of-three match, and the stipulation felt strange. Kingston has already beaten Ziggler twice. Why must he beat him twice more in a match? Elias and Miz also had a best-of-three match that felt disjointed. Hopefully this switch goes the way of the “Electric Chair” or the gritty third hour of Raw and is forgotten about soon.

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Using All The Tools

SmackDown Live has been dominated by Shane McMahon recently, we know this. This week he was still there, but WWE finally used some of the stars they’ve kept on the bench recently. We hadn’t seen Finn Balor or the Intercontinental Championship since Super ShowDown. He finally has a new challenger, as the also-recently-forgotten-about Shinsuke Nakamura made his intentions known.

We also got to see Ember Moon in action. Moon has all the tools to be a top star in the Women’s division. Her feud with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville has been built through backstage segments, and a definitive victory against her bullies could make Moon the next challenger in line for Bayley. She lost tonight, but the future could still be bright for Moon.

Safe to say @SonyaDevilleWWE and @WWE_MandyRose have lit a FIRE inside of @WWEEmberMoon. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/PabbtRWcmz

— WWE (@WWE) June 26, 2019

Also, someone finally knocked on Aleistar Black’s door. Who is it?

Finally. Someone knocks. #SDLive @WWEAleister pic.twitter.com/wqJxaP0NNB

— WWE (@WWE) June 26, 2019

Nikki Next Up?

Bayley’s next challenger for the SmackDown Women’s Championship was decided when Nikki Cross pinned the champ. It isn’t Cross who gets the shot though. Instead it will be her new BFF, Alexa Bliss. 

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR! @NikkiCrossWWE has defeated @itsBayleyWWE to guarantee @AlexaBliss_WWE a rematch for the #SDLive #WomensTitle at #ExtremeRules! pic.twitter.com/i8c7jZRJmU

— WWE (@WWE) June 26, 2019

The story between Bliss & Cross has been excellently told so far. Cross was over the moon to win a title shot for her new friend. How will she react when she realizes Bliss has been using her and manipulating her? When she gets revenge on Bliss, it may be enough of a boost for Cross to reach the main event level.

Grade: B-

A show that was good overall, but had to contend with fitting the odd 2-out-of-3 falls match stipulations into their feuds. There were two more Firefly Funhouse puppet sightings, and the continuation of some midcard feuds that deserved airtime. We have more things to look forward to as well. Finn Balor is likely to tango with Shinsuke Nakamura. Finally, someone is going to fight Aleistar Black. We all win when Black fights.

More Bray Wyatt #FireflyFunHouse Easter eggs! #DoTheMuscleManDance!#SDLive pic.twitter.com/Ziam7NQdK2

— SmackTalk (@_smacktalk) June 26, 2019

One More Thing:

Did you remember that Elias has actual theme music? We never hear it, but we did tonight when he won. Here it is if you’re curious:

– Evan Gomes is the Managing Editor of Pro Wrestling for Full Press Coverage. Like and follow on Follow @EvanGomes_ Follow @FPC_Wrestling and Facebook.