Finn Balor earns WWE title shot at SummerSlam on SmackDown

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OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JULY 24: CM Punk listens to his opponent during SmackDown at Oakland Arena on July 24, 2026 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images The sub-headline gives you all the intro you need, I reckon. A live blog of SmackDown (with a much better subhead, I might add) is here. I struggled with how to divide this show up, and the way I ended up choosing might seem weird, but it honestly made as much sense to me anything else. The Men Given a performer and character like Gunther and a need to keep him busy outside of the World title scene, all the stories WWE’s come up with for Gunther over the past year are perfectly acceptable. Unfortunately, they also kind of feel like barely different variations on the same theme. At this point, they’re also making “The Career Killer” gimmick something that’s holding Der Ring General back rather than allowing him to remain a viable main event talent. That’s largely because, as Nick Aldis told Gunther after he gave up being SmackDown General Manager and made it official that they’ll face each other next weekend at SummerSlam, it’s left Gunther repeating himself over and over again. The rest of the National Treasure’s comeback didn’t feel that fresh, either. It still worked as a way to ramp up tension for Aldis’ return to the ring, and was a decent attempt at planting a seed of doubt in our heads about the outcome in Minneapolis… even if it sent Nick to the trainer’s room. Which is where his replacement was headed to check on him, but one of the new problems he inherited was waiting for him. That whole scene led to the night’s big match, a 4way between Damian Priest, Royce Keys, Finn Balor, and the guy Zayn lost a feud to right before he entered the WWE title scene, United States champ Trick Williams. The winner goes against Zayn at SummerSlam with the #1 contendership on the line. Just relax, @SamiZayn!!! 😮‍💨@ScrapDaddyAP has #SummerSlam plans for you, and it involves a No. 1 Contender's Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship! 👀 pic.twitter.com/cF65N4lcXF — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 As expected, my guy is continuing to get screen time after his brief WWE title reign, and he’s still on periphery of the main event for the time being. Zayn will find himself in a few midcard programs again soon, but he’ll be back this way too. The way he’s seamlessly woven his character’s story into the ongoing WWE title program, and especially the way he used the above interview to make SummerSlam’s CM Punk/Cody Rhodes match sound like a bigger deal while criticizing it, are why he’ll remain on our screens and in and out of the main event scene as long as he’s healthy. Shout out to Pearce, too. We bust his bells about his kayfabe gig, but he remains entertaining in a role that’s not easy to keep entertaining. He gets to fully lose it on Sami here, and again sell the chaos of the fictional world he’s kinda-but-not-really in charge of, even in the story. I’m not mad about getting twice as much of him every week for a bit. The fellas next big segment was the face-to-face advertised between SummerSlam’s main eventers, but first Cody wandered into the World Tag champs’ conversation. He got a message from Priest about how “the boys” feel about Rhodes remaining a fixture of the WWE World title scene, before Damian put himself over as the winner of tonight’s lone men’s match, and the next WWE champ. "We're sick of the same people being the face of this brand!"@ArcherOfInfamy is keeping it straight with @CodyRhodes. 😳@RonKillings pic.twitter.com/kI8pvuSoln — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 That came up once the current champ and the American Nightmare were in the ring together. Punk and Cody did a solid job weaving their own career-long character arcs into their current story, and without taking any major shots at the last place they worked together (I don’t count boasting about the roster Nick Khan and Triple H assembled, that served the challenger’s promo, and is just good business). I still have to squint to see what they’re fighting over beyond the belt right now, though. Other than bickering about “accidents”, the worked-shoot-seeming stuff from last weekend wasn’t a major factor tonight, so for now it seems to be an easter egg for us online obsessives. We’ll see if it turns into more in the coming weeks. Like the opening segment, this was solid. But solid feels disappointing for a two-day stadium card. The bigger possible concern, if I’m WWE? The lack of reaction for Rhodes’ fire. His latest twist on his “undesirable to undeniable” promo had lines that could have been cheered or booed, but mostly got neither in The Bloodline’s neck of the woods Friday night. Could be nothing, could be something to keep tabs on. And speaking of Bay Area natives on the show from Oakland, CA, let’s talk my favorite part: the main event (what a concept!). We were reminded about the latest Bloodline business during a sponsored recap before a fun scene with the trio who will face The Usos and Jacob Fatu at SummerSlam, LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Solo Sikoa. Knight does a good job hyping Keys up for his chance to face Sami to be #1 contender, and Sikoa flashes more of his talkative side. It’s fun enough that, combined with reactions like LA’s, just might get him over as a midcard babyface. "We on the same team here." Solo Sikoa is doing his best to rally the troops. 😅@RealRoyceKeys | @RealLAKnight pic.twitter.com/yL2NaCKK7o — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 Gunther also crashed Bálor’s spot before leaving, which allowed both guys to declare themselves the next WWE champ. .@FinnBalor has BIG plans, but @Gunther_AUT doesn't care one bit… 😬 pic.twitter.com/3G1mkMe2kV — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 It was good we got the Bloodline business report, because it was essential to the 4way. After Sikoa had fka Powerhouse Hobbs’ back by putting his foot on the rope to save him from a Trick Willy pin, Solo’s brothers arrived. Knight came through the crowd to catch The Usos unawares… Bloodline business has PICKED UP! 🤯@RealLAKnight | @WWEUsos pic.twitter.com/H6VKAs1Ifg — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 After the ringside area seemed clear, Bálor came up empty trying to Coup de Grace Williams, which led to Priest hitting his finisher on Trick before Royce spinebuster-ed him and seemed poised for victory. That was when Jacob Fatu showed up to neutralize his old homeboy. JACOB FATU just cost ROYCE KEYS!!! 😱 😱 😱 @RealRoyceKeys | @jacobfatu_wwe pic.twitter.com/hSn3uS150m — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 Leaving just the two former Judgment Day members. After slipping the South of Heaven goozle, the Irishman does his thing and gets a premium live event match with Zayn for a future WWE title shot. WHAT. A. WIN. @FinnBalor is headed to SummerSlam!!! pic.twitter.com/vg4SHgmtVg — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 The shenanigans made sense and didn’t play into the finish too much, and the whole thing was well-structured. The right guy won, as Finn vs. Sami gives them an easy mini-feud to book with a week to work with. Two underdogs scrapping for a shot they know could be their last is one of the more compelling stories on the card for Minnesota, at least for my tastes. And because two hours might make for a better wrestling show in my opinion, it doesn’t leave a ton of room for building out a two-night PLE card. So two weeks after his return, Baron Corbin inched closer to a U.S. title shot by taking out Williams in an online exclusive clip. That clip and a more detailed breakdown of it from Mr. Knight here. SmackDown gave us a good main event. Wish I could say that for more of this week’s show. The Women Days after a Raw with a notable lack of time for its women’s division, WWE gave the blue brand’s women three times as many matches as the men got on Friday night. I don’t have it exactly, but I’m sure the time breakdown wasn’t nearly as favorable — but it’s something, maybe? First, the feud between Fatal Attraction and the Women’s Tag champions rolled on. I was kinda wondering why, even after the Fatals interview, and commentary’s reminders of the storyline reasons. Most of the match between Brie Bella and Laney Reid happened during the commercial break, which didn’t make it feel more consequential (nor will it help WWE beat Monday’s rap). But after Bella won by rollup, the obligatory Jacy Jayne-led attack of Brie and Paige brought Nikki Bella’s return from injury. Following that, Nikki got on the microphone to say “bitch” a lot, and book a six-woman tag for Aug. 1 or 2. About that match, to paraphrase Claire’s reaction in the Cageside “offices”, it doesn’t seem SummerSlam-worthy until you remember that’s a two-day event now. Then it’s more, “yeah okay fine”. No need for me to riot, at least about the outcome of SmackDown’s first qualifying match for one of two open spots in next weekend’s ladder match to crown an interim WWE Women’s champ. Chelsea Green beat Kianna James with an Un-Pretty-Her that seemed to happen abruptly, but didn’t take away from a match I enjoyed for the most part. Before her win, Green and her current pal, United States champ Tiffany Stratton, couldn’t get on the same page about who’s winning the interim belt at SummerSlam. The more important thing about this segment is Blake Monroe’s arrival, and her mind games with Tiffy as she circles her first main roster title. I’m on record as snarkily suggesting WWE should upgrade by replacing Stratton with The Glamour, so I’m very intrigued to see what they do between the two of them. So far, the U.S. titleholder’s scenes with Green help to differentiate her take on an entitled rich Nikki-Bella’s-favorite-word from Monroe’s. Is @tiffstrattonwwe focused on the wrong thing? @BlakeMonroeWWE seems to think so. 😮‍💨 👀 pic.twitter.com/SelQ7t9OfZ — WWE (@WWE) July 25, 2026 Speaking of things that need differentiated, how about the Jade Cargill/Charlotte Flair rivalry. Flair’s match with Nia Jax was fine, but winning by disqualification when Michin an B-Fab helped Cargill take out the Queen again? There have to be different ways to remind us Jade’s a big deal. That thumbnail look AI-y to anyone else? Probably just an HD-induced uncanny valley thing. But I digress… If the subhead didn’t clue you in, the 1500 word in between hopefully clued you in. I didn’t like this episode a whole lot. The plus is basically for its best angle, which gave us a match I’m looking forward to at the Biggest Party of the Summer. Grade: D+ Now, let’s learn more about what you thought about the July 24 SmackDown. Feel free to take aim at my thoughts — somewhat civilly, I trust — in the comments below.