{"id":199850,"date":"2025-06-20T12:04:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=199850"},"modified":"2025-06-20T12:04:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:04:12","slug":"wwe-smackdown-feud-tracker-assessing-and-grading-king-of-the-ring-qualifiers-cenas-title-contenders-bloodline-drama-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/06\/20\/wwe-smackdown-feud-tracker-assessing-and-grading-king-of-the-ring-qualifiers-cenas-title-contenders-bloodline-drama-more\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN FEUD TRACKER: Assessing and grading King of the Ring qualifiers, Cena\u2019s title contenders, Bloodline drama, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3717406377\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>Some interesting developments in the wrestling world before we get into things:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Following a match with Kairi Sane on Raw, WWE Women\u2019s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan suffered a dislocated shoulder. Early reports claim Morgan will require surgery, and be out for an extended length of time. Morgan had quietly been built as the centerpiece of Raw\u2019s women\u2019s division, and her injury will likely shift multiple planned matches for Evolution.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022At AAA\u2019s thrice-yearly premiere event Triplemania Regia III, Los Garzas (Angel and Berto) defeated Nueva Generacion Dinamita to become the AAA World Tag Team Championships. The Garzas\u2019 ongoing conflict with Santos Escobar has largely been downplayed in their AAA excursions, so it will be interesting to see how Los Garzas\u2019 recent success will play into Escobar\u2019s approval on main roster programming. As of yet, no AAA belts have appeared on WWE television (although they have been acknowledged).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Following his legitimate release, R-Truth returned to WWE during MITB and it was revealed he had signed a new short-term contract. Many theorized that Truth\u2019s release was a work, but multiple sources including the wrestler\u2019s son verified the release and return were legitimate.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Despite making no television appearances since 2024, Omos recently announced he has signed a new multi-year deal with WWE. Despite their lack of interest in him, Omos has consistently shown in-ring skills far beyond the standards of most big men in the past, and we look forward to hopefully seeing him on screens again soon.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Last week\u2019s episode of Smackdown felt extremely atypical for WWE. Casting away their recent penchant for slow-burn narratives and skippable weekly programming, Smackdown instead raced through qualifiers for King Of The Ring, and managed to put together not only a satisfying tourney with only a week to spare, but left the majority of the roster\u2019s individual narratives advancing either through a win or a loss. Despite the abbreviated schedule, the booking felt airtight and actually provided a fairly even playing field going into the semifinals this week. For the men\u2019s division, we\u2019ve got four babyfaces in the semifinals, a dynamic far outside the comfort zone of Triple H\u2019s booking philosophy.<\/p>\n<p>But while programming may have come out better, this rushed pace signals an acknowledgement towards the extremely packed calendar in the next few months, with three PPVs (or specials) in the next three weeks. Despite the extended TV time of Smackdown, building towards three different PPVs is a tall order. WWE\u2019s been semi-successful so far, avoiding obvious logical gaps like \u201cwhy does this person only want to fight at Evolution? Why not Night Of Champions? Isn\u2019t that sooner?\u201d by making each event feel distinct. Cena\u2019s heel turn has played up the Saudi Arabia supershow style of Night Of Champions, evoking the boxing supercards of old and de-emphasizing grudge matches. SNME of course, is now tied to Goldberg\u2019s retirement match (which makes sense to be there since it\u2019s his home city), and Evolution is the women\u2019s only PPV, which makes it the kayfabe best home for any woman who wants a match to prove they\u2019re the best of the division.<\/p>\n<p>That may seem like a weird nitpick, but when you notice those holes in a story, you never unsee them. So it\u2019s good to see WWE trying at least somewhat to make each PPV\u2019s card feel authentically built. It\u2019ll also be interesting to see if any feuds thread throughout multiple PPVs in this cycle. For example, a match at Night Of Champions leading to a grudge rematch at SNME. While that could be an interesting way to fill out a card, the Triple H era of five-match cards make this possibility far less exciting. No one wants a card filled with rematches.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3204541464\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>But enough conjecture: last week\u2019s Smackdown wove many of the brand\u2019s midcard storylines into KOTR and QOTR qualifiers, making the format of this week\u2019s column slightly different. Who\u2019s advancing to the finals, and who\u2019ll be left finding other paths to the gold? Let\u2019s review:<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>KOTR QUALIFIERS #1 (ALEISTER BLACK vs. RANDY ORTON vs. CARMELO HAYES vs. LA KNIGHT)<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Aleister Black made his return to WWE targeting The Miz and his lackey Carmelo Hayes. Thanks to Miz, Hayes was unable to get a conclusive win over Black. Several weeks ago, LA Knight punched his ticket to MITB by winning a three-way match also involving Black.<\/p>\n<p>En route to MITB, LA Knight faced Black in a tune-up match. Black cut a promo before the match, vowing to reclaim what he had lost to Knight, but also planning to admit defeat gracefully if necessary. As predicted, Knight managed to seal the win, but only due to DQ when Seth Rollins intervened.<\/p>\n<p>Post-match, Rollins tried laying out Knight to increase his chances at MITB. Black tried to defend Knight but was also laid out.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Orton and Knight were among the babyfaces who confronted John Cena, vowing to win KOTR and reclaim the WWE Championship. Later, Orton, Knight, Black and Hayes faced off in a KOTR qualifier. Knight took control for the match\u2019s early stages, while Hayes focused on taking out Black. Eventually, Rollins\u2019 goons attempted to interfere by taking out Knight, allowing Orton to RKO an overconfident Hayes for the win.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>WWE managed to cram in decent motivation for each of the four competitors in the past few weeks, whether through a brief vignette or playing off feuds in the past few months. Thus, each wrestler had a throughline that ultimately led to the match\u2019s outcome. Hayes focused too much on Black which led to him not accounting for Orton, Orton played the tactical game in an effort to get back to Cena, Knight was ultimately taken out due to his secondary beef with Rollins, and Black\u2026. Well, he was kinda just there, but his general jiujitsu-influenced style was a brilliant base for the more old-school brawling style of some of the other competitors.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3440759255\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Moving forward, it looks like we\u2019re moving to Knight vs. Rollins. While I\u2019m normally not a huge fan of interference, WWE\u2019s inclusion of Knight as one of the babyfaces confronting John Cena in the show\u2019s opening segment (we\u2019ll discuss that below) positioned him as a major force, and the interference kept him clean in defeat. Knight feuding with Raw\u2019s top heel could be a great way to revitalize him after a year fighting for midcard titles, and they\u2019ve done a great job authentically orbiting the two around each other and playing into Rollins\u2019 vindictiveness as a catalyst for him to get involved in Knight\u2019s business.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Hayes continues to take losses, but at least each one feels like it plays into his character\u2019s growing anger and determination at his lack of main roster success. WWE has enough fuel to launch a solo heel turn for the ages, but they run the risk of lowering Hayes\u2019 stock in the meantime too much for audiences to care. Black caught the short end of the stick, but WWE at least planted the seeds for a babyface turn by having him stand alongside Knight in the build to MITB and establish himself as wanting to win KOTR strictly for the glory. Black\u2019s ominous character lends itself well to a serious babyface rather than an ominous heel (where he comes off a bit self-serious compared to the swaggier heels more commonplace nowadays), and a slow-burn turn could do wonders to give his early WWE run some more juice.<\/p>\n<p>Orton winning is a reliable choice. While I doubt he\u2019ll ultimately win the tournament (thanks to already having a feud with Cena that didn\u2019t leave much to revisit), his main event status raises the stock of the tournament as a whole. With Night Of Champions heading into Saudi, Orton will likely make an appearance due to his stardom, so him reaching the finals could be in store.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: A-<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>JOHN CENA ADDRESSES HIS ENEMIES<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In February, John Cena won a title shot for Cody Rhodes\u2019 WWE Championship at Wrestlemania by winning the Elimination Chamber. Following the match, Cena shockingly turned heel. At Wrestlemania 41, Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win his record-breaking 17th WWE Championship. Rhodes took an absence from WWE while Cena racked up defenses against Randy Orton &amp; R-Truth.<\/p>\n<p>Following this, R-Truth was legitimately released from WWE to negative reception.<\/p>\n<p>Cena also came into conflict with Jey Uso, degrading his work as World Champion. Following Uso\u2019s match with Logan Paul, Cena allied with Paul against Uso and the returning Rhodes in a tag match, where the heels lost after R-Truth returned and cost Cena the win.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Cena led a town hall claiming he had a plan for his retirement run, ready to pay the audience back for denying him for their false visions of pro wrestling. Pro wrestling never respected him, so he\u2019s done respecting it by choosing to ally with Paul and force CM Punk into hypocrisy.<\/p>\n<p>Rhodes confronted Cena, claiming that his so-called plan never accounted for Rhodes pinning him at MITB. Orton and Knight joined the party, each vowing to win KOTR and bring the WWE championship back where it belonged. Cena had enough and walked off, when Ron \u201cR-Truth\u201d Killings blindsided him with a beatdown. Post-segment, Cena was animatedly yelling at General Manager Nick Aldis, while a blowoff match with Killings was scheduled for next week,<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This segment immediately solved the biggest problem with the Cena heel turn: no one seemed to care that Cena was planning to desecrate the lineage of the WWE Championship beyond his immediate feud. By having a parade of babyfaces confront him, Cena immediately felt like a bigger threat and his self-satisfied attempts to dismantle wrestling and its heroes felt more serious from watching the hatred across Rhodes, Orton, and Knight\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n<p>It was also interesting to see that Cena had made enemies in multiple different ways: Rhodes based on principle, Orton off their long history and grudges, Knight simply for the glory, and Killings due to his idol turning evil. Intentional or not, each babyface had a built-in story based off different parts of Cena\u2019s in-ring legacy, and as such each feud is colored with a different tone and feels unique. Killings being first and foremost is interesting, as he was the only competitor to dispense with words and put Cena on the backfoot (side note, Truth\u2019s more vicious edge in his return has been so exciting to watch after years of comedy).<\/p>\n<p>Even backdoor mentions to Rollins and CM Punk make Cena feel like the end boss of the main eventers, seeing him narrowly escape each contender until the year\u2019s end should prove supremely entertaining. The nuts and bolts of the storytelling finally feel somewhat cohesive, beyond vague heel tactics to thumb his nose at the crowd. There\u2019s a crowd investment now that fuels each promo, elevating it considerably. I look forward to the chase.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: A-<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Podcast weekly Tuesday Flagship episode with guest cohost Jason Powell: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/new-flagship-keller-fann-on-punk-absorbing-hypocrisy-claims-queen-and-king-tournaments-aew-unified-title-truth-goldberg-becky-bayley--66598395\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cwade Keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NEW FLAGSHIP: Keller &amp; Fann on Punk absorbing hypocrisy claims, Queen and King tournaments, AEW Unified Title, Truth, Goldberg, Becky-Bayley\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=66598395&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>I HATE YOU SOLO!!!<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2025, Jacob Fatu began to unofficially take over as The New Bloodline\u2019s leader. Their dynamic began slowly shifting, as Fatu hinted he had lost faith in Solo Sikoa. Having made enemies with US Champion LA Knight, Fatu defeated him at Wrestlemania to become the new US Champion. Sikoa took credit for Fatu\u2019s championship gold, before an offended Fatu cut Sikoa off.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Solo Sikoa introduced Mateo as the Bloodline\u2019s newest member, despite Fatu not trusting him. Sikoa attempted to force Fatu into being obedient, which Fatu hesitantly complied with. Sikoa continued to disregard Fatu, insulting him in secret. Unbeknownst to him, Fatu was within earshot.<\/p>\n<p>During the match, Sikoa was saved by Fatu mid-match, who cleared a path for him to obtain the briefcase. But suddenly, Fatu grabbed Sikoa\u2019s leg, bellowed \u201cI HATE YOU SOLO!!!\u201d and viciously beat him down before leaving. Last week, Fatu cut a babyface promo vowing no one would take credit for his work again, before Sikoa appeared on the tron allowing him one last chance to apologize next week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A bit of a filler week here, building to a major confrontation next week. Fatu got a solo moment in the ring, cutting his first real babyface promo. But frankly, it felt like this was intended to simply test the waters of crowd reactions. There wasn\u2019t much said, with bigger moments likely planned for next week\u2019s confrontation.<\/p>\n<p>Sikoa\u2019s slow inclusion of buffoonery into his act over the past few months has been an all-timer character evolution. Graduating from a self-serious enforcer to a buffoon gone mad with power was a tricky tightrope to walk on, but Sikoa made it work and carved out a great niche for himself. A lot of people can playthe brutish enforcer, but less have Sikoa\u2019s comic timing down.<\/p>\n<p>With Hikuleo making rounds on Main Event in the past few weeks (after nearly a year since his initial signing, Jesus Christ), my money\u2019s on a new Bloodline member being introduced next week at the confrontation. Hikuleo is greener than much of the rest of the family, but his New Japan work was extremely engaging at the end of his tenure. I\u2019m curious to see how his persona stacks up to the other Bloodline members, and how WWE will make attempts to differentiate him from the pack.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: C<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>QOTR QUALIFIERS #1 (JADE CARGILL vs. MICHIN vs. NIA JAX vs. PIPER NIVEN)<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the first QOTR qualifier of the night, Jade Cargill, Michin, Nia Jax and Piper Niven faced off for a shot at the crown. With a battle of the hosses, the women began the match by brawling across the arena. Cargill took the brunt of the punishment, with the other three wrestlers frequently teaming up against her. However, Cargill managed to take advantage, seize an opening and win the match.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Little touches like this still highlight the disrespect the women\u2019s division gets in comparison to the men\u2019s division. While both KOTR qualifiers last week got a narrative throughline or a pre-match promo highlighting a participant\u2019s motive, and built its entrants based off prior history, this match felt like the only thought was \u201cput all the hosses together\u201d. And yes, of course that makes an interesting match. The brawling was fast-paced and entertaining, and the wrestlers all put in a clinic. Jax in particular shined, strutting about egotistically and providing some well-received heel heat. But none of the women were able to build a cohesive match psychology beyond keeping Cargill looking strong for the eventual win.<\/p>\n<p>With Jax confronting Tiffany Stratton directly after, it looks like she\u2019s in line for a filler feud despite their rivalry wrapping up months ago. That could have happened with or without this tournament. And Michin\/Piper Niven likewise don\u2019t feel like any meaningful story beats occurred that they can build off in future. An empty match that got Cargill to the main event, and that\u2019s it. A good segment overall, but a missed opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: B-<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>ZELINA VEGA\u2019S NEW CHALLENGER<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Giulia was recently called up to Smackdown after a monster run in NXT. Soon after, Giulia punched a ticket to MITB.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Giulia cut a promo talking about her goal to have main roster gold around her waist. Backstage, Giulia ran into Women\u2019s US Champ Zelina Vega and the two jaw-jacked.<\/p>\n<p>Later, Vega faced off in a Street Fight against Niven. The Secret Hervice tried intervening, but Giula fought them off for Vega to get the win. Post-match, Giulia turned heel on Vega, laying her out and holding the Women\u2019s US Championship.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, an irate Vega demanded a confrontation with Giulia, scheduled for next week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Another slightly filler week, setting the stage for a confrontation next week. Vega showed promise in her brief backstage segment, opening up the fiery babyface well where she excels rather than the perpetually hurt puppy dog she\u2019s been portrayed as throughout her US title run.<\/p>\n<p>However, I don\u2019t have high hopes for next week\u2019s segment to highlight Vega\u2019s skills. Vega excels when she has an immovable object to rail against (like The Secret Hervice), while Giulia\u2019s viciousness seems destined to push Vega back into the vulnerability that feels too overdone and makes her look overly weak. Additionally, while certainly improving, Giulia\u2019s promo skills are still basic in English, which won\u2019t allow Vega the back-and-forth rhythm she needs to look the most capable. Vega\u2019s wit and comebacks feel a bit muted when her opponent can\u2019t respond quickly, as the pacing then drags. The style has to be changed up, which doesn\u2019t benefit Vega.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, this feud feels like it\u2019s heading for a squash, given how dominant Giulia\u2019s been since debuting on Smackdown. While that\u2019ll certainly elevate Giulia, Vega may be left out in the cold.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: C-<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>LEGADO DEL FANTASMA FINDS PEACE (AND TAG TEAM GOLD)<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the past few months, Santos Escobar has repeatedly berated Los Garzas (Angel &amp; Berto) for not amassing a winning record, despite his own lackluster in-ring showings. After repeated losses, Berto grew tired of Escobar\u2019s verbal abuse post-match, swatting him away and leaving. Angel tried to mollify Escobar, who threatened that it would be all Berto\u2019s fault if they all split up.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Los Garzas prepared for their six-man match at Worlds Collide, and for once seemed to be bonding rather than arguing. At the PPV, the three used their teamwork and lucha experience to beat El Hijo De Dr. Wagner Jr, Pagano, and Psycho Clown. The following week, at Triplemania Regia III, Los Garzas continued shedding their losing streak by capturing the AAA World Tag Team championship.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a weird one for me. I\u2019m unsure how to grade this segment, as it is highly dependent on how much we\u2019re supposed to treat AAA\u2019s storylines as canon to WWE. I know they now exist in one universe, but it was so jarring to see LDF seemingly getting along perfectly fine after weeks of hammering home that Escobar\u2019s abuse had driven them apart.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m curious to see how this development impacts WWE main roster narratives. After all, it\u2019s a lot harder to sell a storyline about being angry at failure, when the supposed failures are tag team champions. In any case, it\u2019ll be interesting to see AAA belts more frequently on WWE programming, and if they\u2019ll be integrated into a narrative they\u2019ll likely be treated with some level of reverence. In any case, that adds a little meta-intrigue to a clumsily built story in the Smackdown midcard. Regardless, I hope this ends with an emphasis rather than a whisper. Escobar\u2019s storylines since his heel turn have all petered out, and he hasn\u2019t had many highlight-worthy moments as a result. It feels like a waste for a wrestler of his talent.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: C<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>LUMIS &amp; GACY vs. MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After a lengthy hiatus, the long-dormant Wyatt Sicks made their return and laid out all the major teams in the Smackdown tag division.<\/p>\n<p>The following week, The Street Profits cut a promo claiming to run the division. One by one, the other teams (Fraxiom, MCMG, DIY) appeared to cause trouble, before The Wyatt Sicks appeared and laid out all the teams, standing tall as the segment closed.<\/p>\n<p>The Profits suggested an alliance to team up against the Wyatts. Fraxiom and MCMG agreed, but DIY hesitated. Last week, Nick Aldis selected MCMG to be the first to take on the Wyatts, but they were dominated quickly by Dexter Lumis &amp; Joe Gacy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I wasn\u2019t a big fan of this booking. After a deliberate segment last week suggesting a team-up to combat the Wyatt Sicks, Aldis essentially forcing Motor City Machine Guns to fight them solo felt like a backwards choice. If anything, solo matches like these should have happened BEFORE the big decision to team up. The beauty in the potential of this storyline is seeing these wildly different teams coexist and integrate with each other. Sending them out one by one doesn\u2019t feel nearly as logical, given The Wyatt Sicks made their return dominating multiple teams at once. Of course MCMG wouldn\u2019t be able to do it themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, The Wyatt Sicks don\u2019t have the in-ring acumen to get over as a heel end boss. Lumis and Gacy looked slow and clunky, especially against the most experience tag team on the roster. If WWE wanted to build them up as foreboding and unstoppable, limit them to beatdowns and run-ins. They just don\u2019t feel plausible in simple tags as this all-encompassing threat.<\/p>\n<p>Strange booking that highlighted all the weaknesses of this narrative idea, and none of the strengths (not to mention the tag match got barely any time).<\/p>\n<p>Grade: D<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>QOTR QUALIFIERS #2 (CANDICE LERAE vs. ALBA FYRE vs. CANDICE LERAE vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR)<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Over the past few weeks following her loss at Wrestlemania 41 to Tiffany Stratton, Charlotte Flair has been slowly unravelling due to audiences rejecting her, resulting in several angry tirades where she stormed out of the venue and angrily railed at the fans. Several times, a bemused Bliss offered to talk with Flair, who skeptically agreed.<\/p>\n<p>In a hilarious backstage segment, Chelsea Green video called in poolside to notify Nick Aldis that her QOTR match needed to be postponed. Aldis instead gifted her slot to stablemate Alba Fyre, much to The Secret Hervice\u2019s indignance.<\/p>\n<p>In the match itself, Charlotte Flair easily dominated proceedings, locking Fyre in a submission, but Alexa Bliss swooped in and managed to get Candice LeRae pinned for the win just before Fyre tapped. Bliss got the win, to Flair\u2019s fury.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The match itself was easily the best qualifier of the night, with each participant tactically exposing weakness and trying to aim for their most attainable path to victory. LeRae went for brutality, Bliss was quieter and picked her spots, Flair tried to submit (a nice character touch for her newer heel persona\u2019s want to assert dominance) and Fyre was simply the pin taker but even that made sense thanks to the backstage segment establishing she had little time to prepare. Segments like those are what elevate in-ring action into storytelling, by giving the extraneous warm body a reason to be that role in the match.<\/p>\n<p>Bliss sneaking the pin will further Flair\u2019s descent into madness, while continuing her tenuous interactions with Bliss (the motive of which have still not been explained). And, stepping outside of the narrative, Bliss advancing to the semifinals is an amazing choice due to her immense popularity and merchandise numbers. After an iffy few months following her return and absence following Wrestlemania, using the tournament as a way to re-elevate Bliss to a title contender was such a good choice.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: A+<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>KOTR QUALIFIERS #2 (CODY RHODES vs. ANDRADE vs. DAMIAN PRIEST vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA)<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In February, John Cena won a title shot for Cody Rhodes\u2019 WWE Championship at Wrestlemania by winning the Elimination Chamber. Following the match, Cena shockingly turned heel. At Wrestlemania 41, Cena defeated Cody Rhodes to win his record-breaking 17th WWE Championship. Rhodes took an absence from WWE.<\/p>\n<p>Rhodes returned to aid Jey Uso in fighting Cena and Logan Paul, winning the match by pinning Cena after R-Truth\u2019s interference. Last week, Cena led a town hall claiming he had a plan for his retirement run, ready to pay the audience back for denying him for their false visions of pro wrestling. Pro wrestling never respected him, so he\u2019s done respecting it. Rhodes confronted Cena, claiming that his so-called plan never accounted for Rhodes pinning him at MITB.<\/p>\n<p>Later that night, Rhodes competed against Priest, Nakamura, and Andrade in the second KOTR qualifier of the night, eventually winning the match to close the show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The weaker of the two men\u2019s qualifiers last week, simply because it felt like it was Rhodes\u2019 match to lose. With Andrade and Nakamura having little going on narratively, the odds of both of them were miniscule. Priest, the other bonafide main eventer, had been brewing a rivalry with Jacob Fatu over the past few weeks and WWE\u2019s storytelling style tends to not have people concurrently chasing two championships (Liv Morgan being the exception). Thus, much of the match\u2019s psychology felt a bit forced and tried to portray the four competitors as being on more of an even playing field than they should have been in kayfabe.<\/p>\n<p>On the positive side, Rhodes\u2019 narrative throughout last week was supremely engaging. His standoff with Cena felt electric, with his natural corniness bouncing off well against Cena\u2019s smug self-interest. Against the wrong opponent, Rhodes comes across hokey (for those of you that never saw his run in AEW, google \u201cCody Rhodes solves racism\u201d and thank me later), but it flowed beautifully here. I\u2019ve been loving Smackdown\u2019s newest penchant for establishing the main event in the opening promo. It allows the weekly shows to build to something naturally, not only helping retain viewers but giving the three hours a sense of escalation and mitigating audiences getting bored.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m curious to see if Rhodes wins, as it\u2019s clear WWE eventually wants to see him build his way back up to John Cena. But we\u2019re still halfway through the year, which leaves a lot of meat on the bone for other feuds while Rhodes builds up further. And unlike Wrestlemania 40, ending Cena\u2019s title reign isn\u2019t linked to Rhodes\u2019 story, so WWE isn\u2019t locked into him as the endgame this time. He\u2019s a made man, which actually allows a little more suspense. They could go a different way and be forgiven.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: B-<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (6\/13) - WWE Smackdown w\/cohost Chris Adams\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XgF717CKPvw?start=5&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-510981712\"><div id=\"pwtor-421096590\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Some interesting developments in the wrestling world before we get into things: \u2022Following a match with Kairi Sane on Raw, WWE Women\u2019s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan suffered a dislocated shoulder. Early reports claim Morgan <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/06\/20\/wwe-smackdown-feud-tracker-assessing-and-grading-king-of-the-ring-qualifiers-cenas-title-contenders-bloodline-drama-more\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN FEUD TRACKER: Assessing and grading King of the Ring qualifiers, Cena\u2019s title contenders, Bloodline drama, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":199851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,6447,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-199850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-feud-tracker","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-20-at-12.01.53\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":199852,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199850\/revisions\/199852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}