{"id":220103,"date":"2026-07-31T21:23:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T02:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=220103"},"modified":"2026-08-01T01:35:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:35:35","slug":"wwe-smackdown-results-7-31-corbridges-report-on-punk-and-rhodes-face-to-face-on-summerslam-eve-priest-r-truth-vs-war-raiders-for-tag-titles-giulia-vs-legend-in-ladder-match-quali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/07\/31\/wwe-smackdown-results-7-31-corbridges-report-on-punk-and-rhodes-face-to-face-on-summerslam-eve-priest-r-truth-vs-war-raiders-for-tag-titles-giulia-vs-legend-in-ladder-match-quali\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS (7\/31): Corbridge\u2019s report on Punk and Rhodes face-to-face on Summerslam eve; Priest &amp; R-Truth vs. War Raiders for tag titles; Giulia vs. Legend in ladder match qualifier"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4126953786\" 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 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT<br \/>\nJULY 31, 2026<br \/>\nGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN AT <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reschcomplex.com\/events\/detail\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown?source=ev\"><strong>RESCH CENTER<\/strong><\/a><strong><br \/>\nAIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK<br \/>\nREPORT BY ERIC CORBRIDGE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Commentators: <\/em><em>Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ring Announcer: Mark Nash<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Attendance: As of Thursday,\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/wrestletix\/posts\"><strong><em>WrestleTix<\/em><\/strong><\/a><em>\u00a0reported that 4,343 tickets were distributed headed into the show. The arena was setup to accommodate 5,378 fans. <\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/wwe-smackdown-post-show-7-31-keller-machado-discuss-what-happens-after-summerslam-depending-on-various-outcomes-plus-final-preview--73304064\">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN POST-SHOW (7\/31) - Keller &amp; Machado discuss what happens after Summerslam depending on various outcomes, plus final preview\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=73304064&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\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>[HOUR ONE]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; It was the eve of Summerslam as Smackdown emanated from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Commentator Joe Tessitore welcomed everyone to \u201cTitletown\u201d. Superstar arrivals were shown including Cody Rhodes, C.M. Punk, Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green, Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab, Nia Jax and Lash Legend, Giulia, Damian Priest and R-Truth, and The War Raiders.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Finn Balor entered wearing street clothes as the announcers talked about his number one contender match at Summerslam against Sami Zayn. Balor cupped his hand to his ear and the fans cheered louder. Balor said that anytime they get to this part of the calendar, he thinks about 2016 and the best and worst night of his career. He experienced the highs of winning the Universal Championship at Summerslam that year and the lows of being told he\u2019d have to relinquish the title due to an injury suffered during the match. He said he\u2019s spent the last ten years trying to get back the glory of that night, and now they\u2019re on the eve of Summerslam. He said he has the Balor club behind him. Cue Sami Zayn.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zayn came out on stage with a microphone to a chorus of boos. Zayn said he understood this was an emotional time for Balor, but there were some things that Zayn had to get off his chest. He said the main event of Summerslam should have been a triple threat with him against Rhodes and Punk. Zayn said he would love to see Cody Rhodes as the WWE Champion again because he already beat him once for the title and he knows he could do it again. Zayn also said there was part of him that wanted Punk to retain and then called him a fraud and the biggest piece of trash in the company. He talked about how Punk cried when he gave his pipe bomb promo back in 2011 yet now has ascended to becoming Corporate Poster Boy #2. He wanted to take the title back from Punk since he stole it from him to begin with. Zayn said he respected Balor, which prompted Balor to respect him enough to come down to the ring and talk to him face to face. Zayn walked to the ring.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1390220241\" 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 style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zayn entered the ring and said everyone knew how great Balor is and that the truth is he should have been a champion two or three times by now. He asked Balor to take the pulse of the moment and realize it belongs to Zayn now. Zayn said Balor had his time and that this is about justice. Balor mocked that and said, \u201cwhat about justice for Finn?\u201d Balor said this was his moment.\u00a0 Zayn responded that if it took ten years and he never came close then maybe he should have given up. Balor pointed out that he could say the same thing about Zayn. Balor noted that he had to give up the belt due to injury but Zayn actually lost it. The crowd chanted \u201cSami sucks.\u201d Zayn said those sounded like fighting words, and he would drop him where he stood if he wasn\u2019t the last real good guy. He said he was going to walk away.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gunther hit the ring and took them both out with clotheslines. He grabbed a microphone and said they were both jokes and that the was the rightful number one contender. Interim Smackdown General Manager burst onto the stage and asked Gunther what he was doing. Gunther asked what he had to do to get what was his and speculated that he had to beat Pearce\u2019s ass too (like Aldis). Balor attached Gunther from behind. Zayn attacked Balor and Gunther took them both out in the aisleway. Nick Aldis came out and they fought into the ring, where Aldis locked in a Texas Cloverleaf. Officials restrained them but Gunther broke free and laid out Aldis with a big boot. [c]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: A heated opening segment that didn\u2019t introduce any new information but effectively teased what was to come in the Zayn vs. Balor and Aldis vs. Gunther Summerslam matches. The WWE Championship picture will be interesting following the PLE because Gunther isn\u2019t going to sit idly by while either Zayn or Balor are deemed the number one contender.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Tessitore noted that Survivor Series tickets go on sale November 28. It is in Houston this year.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; New besties Chelsea Green and United States Champion Tiffany Stratton were in the ring, now wearing matching outfits, and jumping around like children. Jade Cargill accompanied B-Fab and Michin to the ring for a tag team match.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>(1) TIFFANY STRATTON &amp; CHELSEA GREEN vs. B-FAB &amp; MICHIN (w\/Jade Cargill) <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stratton and B-Fab started things off. Stratton gained control with a drop kick on Fab and drop toehold on Michin that left them in the 619 recipient position. Green tagged in and they double teamed the heels. [c]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Green tried to rally against Fab with a jaw buster but couldn\u2019t make the tag. Stratton barely stretched even though she probably was supposed to. Green hit an enziguri and made the tag at the same time Fab tagged out. Stratton was on fire knocking Fab off the apron and hitting an Alabama slam on Michin. Stratton hit a nice looking swanton bomb and covered for a two-count. Green made a blind tag. On the outside, Stratton leaped onto the steps and jumped back to drop Fab with a codebreaker. Back inside, Green was about the jump off the top rope but she was distracted by Cargill throwing Stratton into the steps. Michin went up to the top rope to meet Green but Green knocked her off and hit a missile dropkick. Fab tagged in but Green immediately caught her in position for the Unpretty-her. Michin superkicked Green to break it up. The Baddies hit the BTA double-team facebuster to score the win.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2837901515\" 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 style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: Michin and B-Fab via pinfall in 7:00.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Announcer Wade Barrett said that it was a mugging by the Baddies as they celebrated in the ring. Charlotte Flair\u2019s music played and she slowly walked to the ring wearing an odd-looking bulky jacket. Stratton and Green took out the Baddies, leaving Cargill alone in the ring. Flair entered and they traded blows. Cargill missed a pump kick and Flair countered with a big boot that forced Cargill to retreat up the ramp.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: Boring match and more of the same face to face confrontations that we\u2019ve seen between Flair and Cargill for several weeks.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Fraxiom and Rey Fenix were having a chat, <em>probably about catering<\/em>, and saw J.D. McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio wandering the backstage area. Axiom asked them what they were doing there. They said they were looking for Danhausen. Fenix said they hadn\u2019t seen him but Mysterio wondered how Fenix would know anything since he\u2019s been hiding in Mexico. Fenix said he was training and was ready to fight. Mysterio said Fenix should put his AAA Cruiserweight title on the line tonight against McDonagh. Fenix agreed so McDonagh said he was going to the <em><span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">principal\u2019s office<\/span><\/em> Pearce\u2019s office to get the match made.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga had a pretape where they said they\u2019d forgotten who they are why they\u2019re here. They said they were too busy fighting Solo Sikoa\u2019s battles and lost sight of the gold. From now on, they said they would put their family first from now on. A voice from the distance said, \u201cthese are the sons I need.\u201d\u00a0 Someone walking with a cane approached and it was revealed to be Haku. He said (presumably) in Tongan not to forget who they are, the sons of Haku.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: That was an unexpectedly fun development. Hopefully Haku will be around for a while because his stature and commanded respect will add to the presentation of Tama and Talla. It could also have a ripple effect with Bloodline storylines if WWE chooses to blend them.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Damian Priest walked out on stage. R-Truth came out wearing a Micah Parsons Packers jersey and a cheesehead, which the crowd obviously enjoyed. [c]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>(2) DAMIAN PRIEST &amp; R-TRUTH (c) s. THE WAR RAIDERS (c) \u2013 WWE &amp; AAA Tag Team Championship Title for Title match <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They showed a graphic with both championship belts with \u201cTitle for Title\u201d underneath and Barrett stressed that it was winner takes all. Priest beat down Erik in the corner and tagged in Truth. Priest hit a Russian leg sweep as Truth hit a spinning forearm. Truth did a split and Stinger splash. Ivar went for a clothesline from the apron and Truth ducked, but it allowed Erik to nail him from behind. He also weakly pushed Priest off the apron. Erik hit a knee on Truth on the floor. Priest jumped off the apron but the Raiders caught him and deposited him into the barricade. Erik threw Ivar into Truth and then Priest, who were both seated by the barricade. They went to a split screen. [c]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Erik made a blind tag to Ivar just before Priest gave Ivar a hurricanrana off the top rope. Priest dodged an Erik right hand and hit a forearm. He called for the big clothesline <em>but looked like an idiot when he ran the ropes instead of just actually hitting his opponent<\/em>, so that when he turned around the Raiders dropped him with a double team move that led to a two-count. They double teamed Truth and shoved referee Charles Robinson off when he tried to pull them off. Priest got into it too and then shoved Robinson off again. The referee had enough and called for the bell.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNERS: Double Disqualification in 7:00. \u00a0No titles changed hands.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The teams kept fighting on the floor and fought through the crowd. Truth jumped off a railing and took out everyone, including his partner.\u00a0 Priest was up first and clotheslined both Raiders back over the barricade. Suddenly Talla and Tama Tonga ran out and took out everyone. Talla chokeslammed Truth into the ringpost, while Tama beat down Priest. Talla chokeslammed Priest with ease back in the ring. Haku, their father, got in the ring with them as they held up both sets of belts. He had a giant cane and looked proud.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; They showed footage from last night in Springfield, Illinois where Cody Rhodes \u201caccidentally\u201d hit C.M. Punk with an elbow after their tag team match. Cathy Kelley asked Punk how he reconciles the fact that his relationship with Rhodes has become more contentious over the last few weeks. Punk said that it is competition and that they might not have to be friends. He said it was his job to take on all comers and that at the end of the night he\u2019d still be the Undisputed WWE Champion. Trick Williams walked up and interrupted and told Punk that sooner or later he\u2019d be coming for the title. Punk said he wanted Trick to win because he needed challengers and wanted new faces. Punk said that when he does he was going to whoop that trick. [c]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; They showed a pre-tape with footage of Nick Adlis\u2019s TNA career with Aldis narrating it. He said that he was okay with leaving his in-ring career behind him and accepting his role as general manager, until Gunther put his hands on him. That left Aldis with no choice but to face Gunther like a man.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: Very well put together package chronicling Aldis\u2019s career. It was smart to have this to show fans that weren\u2019t aware of his previous accomplishments .)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>[HOUR TWO]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; United States Champion Trick Williams entered as they recapped Baron Corbin\u2019s sneak attack on Williams from last week. They showed the footage where Trick challenged him to a match at Summerslam. Trick said over the past month that big bald-headed Baron Corbin came back to WWE just to hate on Trick. He said he looked like a big-ass Tommy Pickles (from Rugrats), <em>which drew no laughs except from me<\/em>. Corbin came out on stage wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He told Trick that while he was away he learned patience, which was something that Trick hasn\u2019t learned because he had a rocket strapped to his back. Corbin said that Trick was given music that made him seem more important than he actually is. He said that at Summerslam Trick will panic as Corbin wraps his arms around his neck and cuts off his oxygen. Trick cut him off and told him to shut up. Trick asked if Corbin was just there to collect a check so that he could get a summer house in Barcelona. He said the only thing Corbin would collect was a size 15 lemon peppa steppa right up his ass. Trick wanted to have the match right now. Corbin said that wasn\u2019t going to happen. He called Trick a dumb rookie that doesn\u2019t understand patience. Corbin said that on Sunday he would take the title and there was nothing Trick could do about it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: It was fine, but nothing special. Corbin doesn\u2019t sound as tough as he looks. And while Trick is hot with the fans, some of his lines fell flat tonight..)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<strong>Quick plug:<\/strong> I created <em>BadWill<\/em>, a workplace sitcom comic series about a thrift store that only accepts donations from failed relationships. The Kickstarter campaign for Episode 2, where readers can pre-order and help fund the production and printing of the book, is heading into the final stretch.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are so close to funding (98%), so if you\u2019re curious I\u2019d love for you to check it out and help get it across the finish line! I think you\u2019ll enjoy it! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/ericcorbridge\/badwill-episode-2-omaha\">Kickstarter- BadWill Episode 2<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Act III of the Hell in a Cell vignette aired. Part One was called Vendetta and showed Brock Lesnar attacking Oba Femi from behind and ultimately winning their second match after seven F-5s. Some VERY deep voice narrated it. Part Two was titled Renewal and recounted Femi winning the King of the Ring, and subsequently how Lesnar kicked him in the little Femis. Part Three was called Scars and recounted them challenging each other for one last match in a Hell in a Cell. Lesnar\u2019s two previous Hell in a Cell match highlights were shown, as well as their weigh-in from this week\u2019s Raw.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: It was more unique than good, but still worth checking out if you didn\u2019t see it. The voiceover guy might haunt my dreams though .)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rey Fenix entered for his upcoming title defense. [c]<\/p>\n<p><strong>(3) REY FENIX (c) vs. J.D. MCDONAGH (w\/Dominik Mysterio) &#8211; AAA Cruiserweight Championship match\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They started off with a test of strength, kick in the nuts combo by McDonagh. They did it again and danced with their arms locked. Fenix ran up the rope and used his speed to take down McDonagh. Fenix with a sunset flip for an early nearfall. McDonagh bailed to the floor where Mysterio tried to cool him off. Mysterio grabbed at Fenix\u2019s foot, causing a distraction that allowed McDonagh to grab control and stomp on Fenix in the corner. Fenix kicked McDonagh to ringside and went for a splash on the floor, but McDonagh went up to the apron and hit a springboard moonsault instead. Both men were down as they went to a picture-in-picture break. [c]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McDonagh hit a massive right forearm that leveled Fenix, then charged into the corner. Fenix dodged and hit a cross-body followed by a death valley driver\/brain buster, then covered for the one\u2026two\u2026kick out. Fenix hit a couple kicks and a springboard cutter that brought the crowd to life. McDonagh battled back with a running Spanish fly that looked great and earned him a nearfall. They traded blows until Fenix twirled through the ropes and nailed him with a thrust kick. He went up top so Mysterio got up on the apron. While the referee was distracted, McDonagh crotched Fenix on the ropes. The referee figured out what happened and banished Mysterio from ringside. Danhausen came out on stage and started to curse Mysterio, but Mysterio clocked him before he could finish. The Littlehausens rans out and started beating up Mysterio while Danhausen held him. They fought back through the stage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Back in the ring, Fenix walked the ropes for the Adios Amigos kick and double knees in the corner. Fenix hit the Mexican muscle buster and covered for the one\u2026two\u2026three.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNER: Rey Fenix won by pinfall in 11:00. Fenix retained the AAA Cruiserweight title.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: I\u2019d love to see these two get 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted and undistracted grappling .)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Lash Legend entered for the main event match of the evening. Nia Jax was not with her. [c]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>(4) <\/strong><strong>LASH LEGEND vs. GIULIA \u2013 Interim WWE Women\u2019s Championship Qualifying match.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Giulia entered during the break. Legend went for a pump kick but Giulia ducked and hit some kicks of her own. She locked in a modified Octopus. Legend tried to get her off by jerking her up and down in the ropes. It didn\u2019t work so she dropped her with a sidewalk slam instead but only got a one count from it. Giulia held on with an arm lock. Legend escaped but Giulia nailed her with the arrivederci knee for a two-count. Giulia stayed on her and went for a suplex but couldn\u2019t get her up. She locked in a guillotine on Legend and got her down to one knee, but only momentarily. Legend powered out and hit the Lash Extension and covered for the very quick win. [c]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WINNER: Lash Legend via pinfall in 3:00. Legend qualified for the Interim WWE Women\u2019s Championship ladder match at Summerslam.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: It was better than you might expect for a three minute match. Giulia deserves FAR better than this booking. Perhaps a move to Raw would give her a proper reset.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Cody Rhodes entered for the main event talking segment. The Undisputed WWE Champion C.M. Punk\u2019s music played while Cody was still on the stage making his entrance. Punk walked right by Cody and patted him on the head. Cody smirked as he followed Punk to the ring. Punk was already talking as Cody was walking and said, \u201cdoesn\u2019t feel great does it.\u201d Cody argued back and said he sees through Punk and his mind games sometimes. He claimed that Punk had to know that they were on this path a long time ago.\u00a0 He said that Punk knew they were running toward each other now.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punk asked the crowd if it was great to be alive in Green Bay on a Friday night. Punk said he knew he was going to ruffle some feathers and hurt some feelings by not taking the title shot that fell out of the sky for him. He reference the wrestlers whining in the back about the same four guys being on top and called Sami Zayn a bench player pretending to be a starter. Punk said he has ruffled feathers for 20 years and for 10 of them he was gone. Punk said that he and Cody should stop talking about being friends and realize it\u2019s about the championship. He told Cody it was up to him tomorrow night after the match whether they would still be friends. Punk said he had to know who the better man was, for \u201cbusiness purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cody mockingly repeated \u201cfor business purposes\u201d and said \u201cforgive me, we\u2019ve gotten off on the wrong foot\u201d because he interrupted his entrance. Cody asked the crowd what they wanted to talk about. It was a more mixed reaction for Cody than it was for Punk. There were even more C.M. Punk chants. Cody said the \u201cbusiness purposes\u201d sounded like classic Punk double talk. Cody said it was personal and always is to anyone who has or hasn\u2019t won the championship. It shows who is the best in the world. Cody said that they\u2019ve done the friends thing enough, and that wasn\u2019t Punk the one who always said that he wasn\u2019t there to make friends, but to make money? Punk nodded. The crowd \u201cooh\u2019d\u201d at that. Punk clarified that he didn\u2019t come back to make friends but he also didn\u2019t come back to lose friends. However, he said when it came to losing a friend or losing his title, then tomorrow night wouldn\u2019t be Cody\u2019s night. Cody said the word \u201ctomorrow\u201d was bothering him because Punk made it clear what he was going to do at Summerslam tomorrow night. Cody asked Punk what he wanted to do about it\u2026tonight?<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punk tossed his microphone aside and laid the championship between them. He took off his jacket and friendship bracelet and got into a fighting stance. Cody tossed aside his microphone and took off his jacket too. Punk dared Cody to punch him in the face. Cody hesitated for a few moments and then did punch him. The traded blows until Cody clotheslined Punk over the top rope to the floor. Cody cleared off the announce desk but Punk recovered and threw him over it. Tessitore said things had devolved into a free for all in Green Bay. Cody swept Punk\u2019s legs out from under him on the desk. Punk then did the same and they kept brawling at ringside. Officials came out to break it up. The broke free and traded right hands on top of the desk while the officials struggle to pull them apart. They escaped and fought again as the show went off the air.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>(Corbridge\u2019s Analysis: Strong finish as emotions exploded between Punk and Cody. This \u201cmain event\u201d feels much stronger than Reigns vs. Rollins because it\u2019s been about seeing who the better man is and fighting over the championship. Now it has turned into a personal issue too, which always draws money. And they did it all without resorting to real heel tactics.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<strong>Final plug:<\/strong> If you like to read and enjoy character-driven, high concepts sitcoms, check out my original comic series <em>BadWill<\/em> on Kickstarter here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/ericcorbridge\/badwill-episode-2-omaha\">Kickstarter- BadWill Episode 2<\/a>. The campaign is 98% funded so you could help push it across the finish line and pre-order a copy for yourself. There is a bundle for Episodes 1 &amp; 2 if you want to catch up too, as well as several other fun options like the Creator Edition, Associate Producer credit for Episodes 3-10, and even an Employee of the Month option where you will be featured in a future Episode!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/wwe-smackdown-post-show-7-31-keller-machado-discuss-what-happens-after-summerslam-depending-on-various-outcomes-plus-final-preview--73304064\">CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN POST-SHOW (7\/31) - Keller &amp; Machado discuss what happens after Summerslam depending on various outcomes, plus final preview\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=73304064&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\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1972667757\"><div id=\"pwtor-1617800428\"><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>WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT JULY 31, 2026 GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN AT RESCH CENTER AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK REPORT BY ERIC CORBRIDGE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett Ring Announcer: Mark Nash Attendance: As of <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/07\/31\/wwe-smackdown-results-7-31-corbridges-report-on-punk-and-rhodes-face-to-face-on-summerslam-eve-priest-r-truth-vs-war-raiders-for-tag-titles-giulia-vs-legend-in-ladder-match-quali\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS (7\/31): Corbridge\u2019s report on Punk and Rhodes face-to-face on Summerslam eve; Priest &amp; R-Truth vs. War Raiders for tag titles; Giulia vs. Legend in ladder match qualifier\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":185189,"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_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,48,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-220103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tvshowsandevents","category-tv_wwesmackdown","category-tv_wwetvreports"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-20-at-5.49.57\u202fPM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220103","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\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220103"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":220164,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220103\/revisions\/220164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}