{"id":83964,"date":"2019-07-30T15:24:31","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T20:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=83964"},"modified":"2019-07-30T15:24:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-30T20:24:31","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-7-30-stratusfaction-in-king-lawlers-court-balor-vs-ziggler-its-a-new-day-for-drew-elias-the-viper-slithers-into-summerslam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/07\/30\/wwe-smackdown-primer-7-30-stratusfaction-in-king-lawlers-court-balor-vs-ziggler-its-a-new-day-for-drew-elias-the-viper-slithers-into-summerslam\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 7\/30: Stratusfaction in King Lawler\u2019s Court, Balor vs. Ziggler, It\u2019s a New Day for Drew &#038; Elias, The Viper Slithers into SummerSlam"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2717548698\" 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><h3>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER<br \/>\nJULY 30, 2019<br \/>\nMEMPHIS, TN. AT THE FEDEXFORUM<br \/>\nAIRS ON USA NETWORK, 8:00 p.m. EDT<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Smackdown Viewership Last Week:<\/strong> 1.56 (.01 Increase from the previous week)<\/p>\n<h3>Arena and Items Advertised by WWE<\/h3>\n<p>WWE Smackdown returns to the FedExForum in Memphis, TN. after appearing last June. The arena is the home of the NBA\u2019s Memphis Grizzlies and has been open since September of 2004. WWE events started rolling in and out of here in 2005 with Smackdown being the first. Numerous PPV events have been hosted here including 2007\u2019s Unforgiven and the inaugural pre-WrestleMania event Fastlane in February of 2015. That night saw Roman Reigns defeat Daniel Bryan to maintain his #1 contendership to the then-WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Many cite Reigns winning that year\u2019s Royal Rumble and defeating Bryan as the catalyst for the mixed-to-negative reaction Reigns received through the years until his leukemia announcement last October.<\/p>\n<p>We continue to get ready for SummerSlam which is just under two weeks away. A lot of the show started to take shape last week as we learned of the following matches, as well as the U.S. Championship match on Raw last night:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kofi Kingston to defend WWE Championship against Randy Orton<\/li>\n<li>Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt<\/li>\n<li>Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon: Kevin quits WWE if he loses<\/li>\n<li>A.J. Styles to defend U.S. Championship against Ricochet<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s what WWE.com is advertising for the show thus far:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Matches &amp; Segments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe King\u2019s Court\u201d returns as Jerry \u201cThe King\u201d Lawler welcomes Trish Stratus<br \/>\nFinn Balor is out to teach Dolph Ziggler some respect<br \/>\nThe New Day to go head-to-head with Drew McIntyre &amp; Elias<\/p>\n<p><strong>Storyline Follow-Up:<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2339047528\" 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<ul>\n<li>Randy Orton to address WWE Championship match<\/li>\n<li>King\u2019s Court: WWE Hall of Famer Jerry \u201cThe King\u201d Lawler with guest and fellow HOF\u2019er Trish Stratus<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whenever WWE pulls into Memphis, Tenn., there\u2019s always the possibility of Jerry \u201cThe King\u201d Lawler appearing. There is no exception tonight, as Lawler brings back his long-lost King\u2019s Court that originally ran from 1994-\u201995. He had several Hall of Famers including Shawn Michaels, Diesel (Kevin Nash), and Bob Backlund on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight, Lawler welcomes Trish Stratus. Multiple reports have Trish facing fellow multiple-time women\u2019s champion Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam in Trish\u2019s hometown of Toronto. Charlotte dropped a red herring in her promo last week where she said she was the \u201cQueen of all Eras\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Charlotte Flair demands a match at SummerSlam: SmackDown LIVE, July 23, 2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UtrnaBBq0f8?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<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: If Lawler doesn\u2019t say \u201cpuppies\u201d during this segment, what\u2019s the point? I\u2019m somewhat kidding. At any rate, Charlotte facing Trish at SummerSlam is fine if it comes to fruition. It keeps Charlotte occupied with something meaningful while not being involved in the championship picture. I don\u2019t think beating Trish gives Charlotte the \u201crub\u201d everyone probably thinks it does as Trish is expected to do the job, but I understand why the thought process is as such and it\u2019s overall fine. I\u2019m just calling a spade a spade.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Finn Balor vs. Dolph Ziggler<\/h3>\n<p>Dolph Ziggler\u2019s attack on WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels seems to have affected a few people. Last night on Raw, as a result of said attack, Seth Rollins took of Ziggler. This ultimately led to WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar coming out to attack Rollins which lead to a vicious (and ridiculous) beatdown.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight, it\u2019s Finn Balor\u2019s turn at Ziggler. They went at it numerous times in various matches throughout 2018 when Ziggler was aligned with Drew McIntyre. Balor worked a program with McIntyre towards the end of the year. Ironically Balor teamed with Rollins against Ziggler &amp; McIntyre, and at one point teamed with Braun Strowman. They add another chapter to their rivalry tonight.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: Nobody seems to have an issue with Bray Wyatt attacking WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, huh? On paper this should be a good match but come on now. Like we\u2019re not expecting the lights to go out and Wyatt to interrupt? This all should make Balor angry enough to be the demon at SummerSlam, shouldn\u2019t it? If Andrade can push him to that limit for their match at Super Showdown, surely a fiend can do the same.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Non-Title Match: Smackdown Tag Team Champions New Day (Big E &amp; Xavier Woods) vs. Drew McIntyre &amp; Elias<\/h3>\n<p>Last week on Smackdown, New Day was on guest commentary joining Tom Phillips and David Otunga, since you can\u2019t have just two people calling a match anymore for some odd reason.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, despite having issues with Kevin Owens earlier in the year (like three months ago), New Day expressed their support for Owens in his recent troubles with Shane McMahon. Owens was to have a match with Roman Reigns, but it turned into a beatdown by Shane, Elias, and Drew McIntyre. Shane was serving as the guest ring announcer, Elias was the guest timekeeper, and Drew was the special guest referee. Like we didn\u2019t know where this was all going. Owens and Roman overcame the beatdown and Owens reiterated he would kick Shane\u2019s ass at SummerSlam.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2995748866\" 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>Tonight, New Day \u201cpays for their sins\u201d as they have a non-title match against Shane\u2019s henchmen these days of Drew McIntyre and Elias.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: With Francesca II and Elias\u2019s guitar, they can totally get a mini-concert going. Why have a match? I\u2019m only half-kidding. There\u2019s not much to expand on here as you expect Shane and to get involved on behalf of his guys. I would be curious if Owens helps New Day and how that dynamic plays out given Owens\u2019 feud with Kofi earlier in the year. By the way, why didn\u2019t New Day help Apollo Crews after a post-match beatdown from Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura?<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Randy Orton to Address WWE Championship match at SummerSlam<\/h3>\n<p>This is not advertised on WWE.com, but it was mentioned during a Smackdown commercial last night.<\/p>\n<p>We learned last week on Smackdown that Kofi Kingston will defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton at SummerSlam. It certainly isn\u2019t the first time Orton will around the world title picture at the big summer event. Who can forget him becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Champion at SummerSlam 2004 when he defeated the late Chris Benoit.<\/p>\n<p>Last week Kofi and Orton talked about their history especially Kofi when he cited an encounter from 2009. Here\u2019s another where Kofi defaces Randy\u2019s car:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kofi Kingston defaces Randy Ortons gift.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nWofU-HPM7k?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<p>Here\u2019s Kofi in a WWE exclusive talking about preparing for Orton:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How is Kofi Kingston preparing for Orton?: SmackDown Exclusive, July 23, 2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ge0Uu-RBP7Q?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<p>Orton has not been WWE Champion since dropping the title in 2017 to Jinder Mahal at Backlash. He attempts to regain the title at Summerslam and addresses that tonight.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: I like how they\u2019ve brought history into this feud. Even though it was years ago, they did a nice job tying it into today and makes me want to invest in the match. It remains to be seen whether or not Kofi retains but my early inclination is that he does so. The imminent FOX debut does play in and the question is does WWE see Kofi as the champion they want to present once the show gets off and running.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Other Match Results and Segments from Last Week<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura def. Apollo Crews in a non-title match.<\/li>\n<li>Ali discussed his missing out on the WWE Championship earlier in the year when he got injured. He failed to capture the Intercontinental Championship from Shinsuke Nakamura at Smackville this past Saturday.<\/li>\n<li>Ember Moon def. Charlotte in one minute due to a distraction by Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion Bayley<\/li>\n<li>WWE Champion Kofi Kingston wrestled Samoa Joe to an unannounced decision due to outside interference by Randy Orton.<\/li>\n<li>Bray Wyatt, talking from the Firefly Fun house, officially accepted Finn Balor\u2019s challenge to a match at SummerSlam.<\/li>\n<li>Mandy Rose &amp; Sonya Deville had that weird segment where Sonya made the assumption they were getting a WWE Women\u2019s Tag Team Championship match next week (tonight), and if they win, they earn a WWE Women\u2019s Tag Team Championship match. Yes, this is all correctly typed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Overall Thoughts on Tonight\u2019s Show<\/h3>\n<p>We still haven\u2019t heard Daniel Bryan\u2019s announcement which was to shake Smackdown to its core. This had been advertised for the last two weeks. Maria as the new 24\/7 Champion could cross over into tonight. We\u2019ll see how they handle a pregnant woman being champion. Other than that, we can expect more build-up towards SummerSlam. The Intercontinental and Smackdown Tag Team Championships will likely get matches. We could get some #1 contender decisions tonight or at least over the next two weeks. After an action-packed Raw, you\u2019ll likely get a similar feel tonight.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankPeteani. Questions and discussion are welcome. Thank you for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1903788197\"><div id=\"pwtor-2021132779\"><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 PRIMER JULY 30, 2019 MEMPHIS, TN. AT THE FEDEXFORUM AIRS ON USA NETWORK, 8:00 p.m. EDT BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton Smackdown Viewership Last Week: <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2019\/07\/30\/wwe-smackdown-primer-7-30-stratusfaction-in-king-lawlers-court-balor-vs-ziggler-its-a-new-day-for-drew-elias-the-viper-slithers-into-summerslam\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 7\/30: Stratusfaction in King Lawler\u2019s Court, Balor vs. Ziggler, It\u2019s a New Day for Drew &#038; Elias, The Viper Slithers into SummerSlam\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5697,"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":[2,52,4403,27,5893,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-smackdown-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/OrtonRandyWK_3x2_600.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83964","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=83964"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83968,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83964\/revisions\/83968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}