WWE SmackDown Results 7/26 - Number One Contenders Gauntlet Match, Women's Tag Team Bout
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s results for "WWE SmackDown" on July 26, 2024, coming to you from the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska!
Two weeks after successfully retaining the WWE Tag Team Championship against A-Town Down Under, #DIY will find out who their next challengers for the title is as The Bloodline collides with Legado Del Fantasma, The Street Profits, The OC, Pretty Deadly, and Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews in a Number One Contenders Gauntlet Match. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano became the titleholders after dethroning Grayson Waller and Austin Theory on the July 5 episode of "SmackDown".
Women's Money In The Bank briefcase holder Tiffany Stratton will be joining forces with Nia Jax to square off with Michin and WWE Women's Champion Bayley. Bayley and Jax found themselves involved in a heated verbal exchange during a satellite interview last week ahead of their title match at WWE SummerSlam on August 3. Later that night, they encountered one another again when Bayley cost Stratton her match against Michin by taking out Jax (who was present at ringside) and destroying her briefcase.
After he signed the contract last week to officially secure a United States Championship match against Logan Paul at SummerSlam, LA Knight looks to gain some momentum heading into the bout as he goes head-to-head with Santos Escobar. Knight and Escobar previously squared off with one another in a Triple Threat Men's Money In The Bank Qualifier alongside Paul on the June 28 edition of "SmackDown".
We are live! The show kicks off with a vido recapping The Bloodline's attack on Kevin Owens following the main event of last week's "SmackDown".
We then head over to Nick Aldis speaking with The Bloodline. Aldis points out Tanga Loa's eye injury, and cites it as the reason they need to withdraw from the Gauntlet Match later tonight. Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa make it clear that they won't be doing that, and Sikoa says Jacob Fatu will be taking the spot of Loa.
Wade Barrett and Corey Graves then greet audiences at home as LA Knight makes his way down to the ring. Santos Escobar and Elektra Lopez follow.
LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar (w/ Elektra Lopez)
The bell rings and Escobar goes straight after Knight. He connects with a shoulder tackle, but Knight responds with a pair of arm drags and wears Escobar down with a submission hold. He fires off shoulders on his midsection in the corner and rains down right thanks on him, but Escobar lands a kick on Knight's chest and fires off a few chops on him. Escobar then connects with a suplex on Knight and locks in a Sharpshooter, but Knight quickly escapes by getting his hand on the bottom rope. Escobar sends Knight crashing into the ropes, and Lopez delivers an open palm strike to Knight. Escobar then dials it up for a 619 on Knight.
Back from the break, Knight lands a neckbreaker on Escobar, but Escobar responds with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He fires off right hands on Knight in the corner, but Knight whips him into the corner and fires off stomps on Escobar. He follows it up with a running knee and a DDT, then goes for a pin but Escobar kicks out.
Lopez distracts Knight, allowing Escobar to clock him. Knight connects with a powerslam on Escobar, but Lopez hops up on the apron distracting the referee. Logan Paul appears and looks to clock Knight, but Knight levels him with a clothesline. Knight walks into a kick from Escobar. Escobar then sets up for the Phantom Driver, but Knight escapes and delivers BFT for the win.
Winner: LA Knight
After the match, Knight and Paul begin brawling, but Escobar attacks Knight and helps Paul up. The pair fire off stomps on Knight before Paul ascends to the top and delivers a Frog Splash to Knight.
We then head backstage to Naomi and Byron Saxton, and the two talk about Blair Davenport's attack on Naomi two weeks ago. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair walk in and give some encouraging words to Naomi. Cargill and Belair then make their way down to the ring.
We Hear From Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
Belair says Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn promised to be at "SmackDown" with the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, but they don't see them. Fyre and Dawn's music then hits, but they don't appear. Fyre and Dawn then blindside Cargill and Belair from behind and attack them, but Belair delivers a KOD to Dawn on the apron and Cargill dumps Fyre out of the ring and on top of Dawn.
Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews and Legado Del Fantasma then make their way down to the ring.
The Bloodline (w/ Solo Sikoa and Tanga Loa) vs. Legado Del Fantasma vs. The Street Profits (w/ B-Fab) vs. The OC vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews in a Number One Contenders Gauntlet Match
The bell rings and Legado Del Fantasma blindsides Corbin and Crews. Berto sends Crews crashing into the ring steps on the outside as Angle delivers a Hip Attack to Corbin in the ring. Corbin sends Angel crashing into the mat, but Berto tags in and Corbin is sent crashing out of the ring. Berto then delivers a tope suicida to take down Corbin on the outside.
Back from the break, Corbin tosses Berto into the corner spine first as #DIY watches the action from backstage. Crews and Angel tag in, and Crews delivers a boot to the side of Angel's head. He follows it up with three German suplexes and a splash in the corner. He ascends to the top and looks to fly, but Angel catches him with a jumping knee and a backbreaker. He goes for a pin, but Corbin breaks the fall.
Berto clotheslines Corbin out of the ring, but Corbin sends him crashing into the ring steps. Angel sets up for the Wing Clipper on Crews, but Crews escapes. Corbin then tags in and delivers End Of Days to Angel to eliminate Legado Del Fantasma.
Eliminated: Legado Del Fantasma
The Street Profits are next in the match, and Montez Ford gets in the ring with Crews. Ford and Crews show off to one another, and Crews lands a dropkick on Ford. He looks to land a vertical suplex, but Ford escapes and sends Crews crashing into the mat with a back suplex. Angelo Dawkins tags in and goes back and forth with Crews before Corbin and Ford tag in. Ford delivers a shoulder to Corbin's midsection, but Corbin sends Ford crashing to the outside with an open palm strike and flies with some help from Crews to level The Profits on the outside.
Back from another break, Ford looks to land a double stomp on Corbin off the top rope. Corbin moves out of the way and delivers a clothesline off the top before Ford levels him with an enzuigri. Dawkins and Crews tag in, and Dawkins looks to land a splash on Crews in the corner. Crews avoids it, but Dawkins sends Crews crashing into the mat.
Crews flies to level Dawkins on the outside as Ford flies to level Corbin. Crews gets Dawkins back in the ring and looks to fly, but Dawkins moves out of the way. Ford tags in, and The Profits deliver the sit out spinebuster-neckbreaker combination for the win.
Eliminated: Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin
Pretty Deadly are up next, and Kit Wilson repeatedly tries rolling up Dawkins. Dawkins kicks out and sends Wilson crashing into the mat. Ford tags in and The Profits double team on Wilson. Elton Prince makes the blind tag in, and Ford looks to land a vertical suplex on Wilson. Prince trips him, then tags Wilson back in. Wilson fires off stomps and a right hand on Ford in the corner before Prince tags back in and fires off stomps on Ford's midsection.
Wilson continues wearing down Ford and clocks Dawkins on the apron. He fires off stomps on his thigh and wears down Ford's leg. Prince and Dawkins tag in, and Dawkins levels Prince. He delivers a splash and an enzuigiri to him in the corner and goes for a pin, but Prince kicks out. Wilson then tags in and delivers a DDT to Dawkins. He goes for a pin, but Dawkins kicks out. Prince tags back in, and Pretty Deadly double team on Dawkins.
Ford tags in, and Dawkins gets Prince in an Electric Chair position. Ford flies off the top rope to take down Prince, then pins him to eliminate Pretty Deadly.
Eliminated: Pretty Deadly
The OC are the next entrants in the match.
Back from another break, Karl Anderson whips Ford into the corner and tags in Luke Gallows. Gallows levels Ford with a clothesline, then follows it up with a bodyslam and tags Anderson back in. Anderson pins Ford, but Ford kicks out. Anderson lands a bodyslam on Ford, then tags Gallows back in. Gallows levels Ford with a suplex, then rains down Hammer and Anvil Elbows on him and wears him down with a chin lock.
Gallows looks to send Ford crashing into the mat, but Ford escapes and levels Gallows. Anderson tags in and Ford dumps both him and Gallows out of the ring. Dawkins tags in and flies over the top to level The OC on the outside. He dumps Anderson back in the ring and runs the ropes, but Anderson catches him with a spinebuster and goes for a pin. Dawkins kicks out, and Gallows tags in. Gallows looks to send Dawkins crashing into the mat, but Dawkins escapes and rolls up Gallows to eliminate The OC.
Eliminated: The OC
The Bloodline are the final team in the match.
Back from another break, Tama Tonga fires off stomps on Dawkins in the corner. Jacob Fatu tags in and delivers a headbutt to Dawkins. Fatu sends Dawkins crashing into the top turnbuckle face first before Tonga tags in and Sikoa rakes Dawkins' head as Tonga distracts the referee.
Fatu tags in and Sikoa takes another shot at Dawkins as the referee is distracted by Fatu. Dawkins sends Fatu crashing into the corner, then tags in Ford as Tonga tags in on his side.
Ford levels Tonga with a pair of clotheslines, then delivers a spinebuster and clocks Fatu on the apron. Tonga delivers a double ax handle to Ford's spine, but Ford ascends to the top and delivers a crossbody.
Ford and Tonga teeter on the ropes, and Tonga delivers a superplex to Ford. He goes for a pin, but Dawkins breaks the fall. Tonga pulls Dawkins out of the ring and beats him down with Fatu, but Ford flies over the top to level everyone on the outside. He gets back in the ring with Tonga and looks to land From The Heavens. Tonga avoids it and tags in Fatu. Fatu then sends Ford crashing into the mat and lands a superkick before connecting with a Samoan Drop and a moonsault off the top for the win.
Eliminated: The Street Profits
Winners (and new Number One Contenders): The Bloodline
A-Town Down Under Calls Out Terence Crawford
Back from the break, Grayson Waller and Austin Theory slide in the ring and complain about Terence Crawford getting involved in the confrontation they had with Cody Rhodes last week. They call him down to the ring, and Crawford makes his way out. Waller tells Crawford that he disrespected him and Theory last week for giving Cody Rhodes a chair, then demands to hear an apology from Crawford for that and thinking he belongs in the ring with A-Town Down Under. Waller tells Crawford Theory will knock him out, but Crawford clocks Theory. Waller slides out of the ring as Crawford celebrates with the Omaha crowd.
We then head over to a video of Cody Rhodes reflecting on becoming Undisputed WWE Champion, as well as his SummerSlam title match against Solo Sikoa at SummerSlam and what's happened between him and The Bloodline.
Back from the break, we head over to the men's locker room and see a verbal confrontation between Andrade and Carmelo Hayes.
Michin then makes her way down to the ring, but Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax blindside her on the ramp. Jax sends Michin crashing into the ring steps, but Bayley runs down to the ring with a kendo stick in hand to even the odds and checks on Michin.
Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax vs. Michin and Bayley
Bayley and Stratton begin the action. The bell rings and Bayley rains down right hands on Stratton. Stratton responds with a shoulder tackle on Bayley, but Bayley delivers a kick to her calf before landing a pair of clotheslines. Stratton fires off boots on Bayley in the corner, then lands a forearm on her. Bayley responds with one of her own from the apron, then sends Stratton's face bouncing off the middle rope and looks to tag in Michin. Jax pulls Michin off the ring apron and delivers a Samoan Drop to her as Stratton lands a double stomp on Bayley.
Back from the break, Stratton delivers a Hip Attack to Bayley in the corner and whips her into the adjacent corner. Jax tags in and double teams on Bayley with Stratton. Jax sends Bayley crashing into the corner spine first and steps on her back. Stratton tags back in and lands a splash on Bayley in the corner. She wears Bayley down with a submission hold, then delivers a spinebuster.
Jax tags in and delivers an elbow drop to Bayley. Stratton tags back in and fires off a couple stomps on Bayley. She whips Bayley into the corner and looks to land a handspring back elbow, but Bayley intercepts Stratton and delivers a German suplex to her. Jax tags back in and keeps Bayley from tagging out to Michin. Bayley sends Jax crashing into the ring post shoulder first, but Stratton makes the blind tag in.
Michin tags in and delivers a Tornado DDT to Stratton. Jax tags in and charges at Michin, but Michin moves out of the way and delivers a running knee to the side of Jax's head. Bayley becomes legal and ascends to the top, then delivers an elbow drop and goes for a pin. Stratton breaks the fall.
Michin sends Stratton crashing out of the ring, but Jax looks to plant her. Bayley helps Michin out, but Stratton hits her with her Women's Money In The Bank briefcase while the referee is distracted. Jax then delivers the An-Nia-Lator to Bayley for the win.
Winners: Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax