Drew McIntyre & Trish Stratus Return: Everything We Loved From WWE SmackDown

WWE’s construct to an enormous weekend which options each Saturday Evening’s Foremost Occasion and the Evolution premium stay occasion continued final night time, as Friday Evening SmackDown was held within the PPG Paints Area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On this uncommon occasion, the blue model was not stay, as a substitute being taped instantly after Monday Evening RAW earlier this week.

This was nonetheless a notable episode regardless of it being aired on tape delay, that includes an enormous return, continuations of varied storylines, and establishing matches for WWE’s upcoming huge exhibits. We’ll check out all the very best moments from the July 4 Impartial Day version of SmackDown, assessing all of the issues we cherished.

Drew McIntyre Returned To WWE Programming

McIntyre Has Been Sorely Missed

Drew McIntyre has been out of motion for the reason that final Saturday Evening’s Foremost Occasion.

He returned on SmackDown and ate an RKO from Randy Orton.

WWE programming advantages from Drew McIntyre.

WWE tv has sorely missed Drew McIntyre since his absence, which started after his Metal Cage loss to Damian Priest, however on SmackDown final night time he returned to the fold. Randy Orton confronted Cody Rhodes after their King of the Ring finals matchup, providing help and his confidence that Rhodes will dethrone John Cena at SummerSlam. Out got here a returning Drew McIntyre, ridiculing each Orton and Rhodes for his or her mutual respect and emotional alternate.

McIntyre obtained an RKO for his troubles, establishing a match with Orton for the upcoming Saturday Evening’s Foremost Occasion on July 12. Though McIntyre didn’t look particularly robust on this section, it’s nice to see him again, as he all the time will increase the standard of each present he’s on. Orton and McIntyre aren’t any strangers to 1 one other, and they’re very prone to have a robust match at Saturday Evening’s Foremost Occasion.

Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Aptitude Proceed To Develop

One Of WWE’s Most Underrated Tales Continued On SmackDown

This story has been gently simmering on SmackDown.

Bliss and Aptitude teamed for the primary time ever.

They earned a shot on the tag titles at Evolution.

Charlotte Aptitude and Alexa Bliss have shared a love/hate relationship during the last couple of months, with their storyline creating week on week in what could be very a lot an underrated narrative, increasing their respective characters. Their chemistry has continued to develop, and it served them effectively on SmackDown this week.

Bliss and Aptitude defeated each B-Fab and Michin and The Secret Hervice (Piper Niven and Alba Fyre) to earn their spot within the upcoming deadly four-way WWE Girls’s Tag Staff Championship match at Evolution. Aptitude and Bliss have been two of a very powerful figures within the ladies’s revolution within the 2010s, so it’s a good factor to see them featured on the Evolution card – particularly for Bliss, who missed the inaugural occasion resulting from harm.

Trish Stratus Vs. Tiffany Stratton Is Official

WWE Set Up This Lengthy-Awaited Dream Match

Followers have wished this match since Elimination Chamber.

Stratton and Stratus confronted off on SmackDown.

Their promo section included Queen of the Ring winner Jade Cargill.

At Elimination Chamber 2025, Trish Stratus and Tiffany Stratton teamed as much as defeat the workforce of Nia Jax and Candice LeRae. Within the aftermath, the factor on everybody’s minds was a possible matchup between the 2 teammates in a conflict of generations. Final night time on Friday Evening SmackDown, Stratton was out within the ring and shared some tense phrases with Queen of the Ring winner Jade Cargill, however famous that she wished to place her title on the road at Evolution.

Out got here Trish Stratus, who was introduced as Stratton’s WWE Girls’s Championship opponent. Seeing Stratus within the ring is uncommon and will not occur too many extra instances, so it will likely be nice to see her share the ring with somebody from WWE’s latest era of stars.

The Bloodline Look Dominant On SmackDown

Solo Sikoa Continues To Construct Momentum

Solo Sikoa constructed from his United States Championship win.

Jacob Fatu and Jimmy Uso defeated Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo.

Sikoa’s new Bloodline rallied to face tall.

There can be some who groan and roll their eyes at one other occasion of Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline standing tall to shut out Friday Evening SmackDown. Nevertheless, with the current introductions of JC Mateo and Tala Tonga, to not point out the resurgence in Sikoa as a way more entertaining character, it was good to see the group wanting robust and dominant as soon as once more.

Jacob Fatu and Jimmy Uso picked up a win over new United States Champion Sikoa and JC Mateo, however the just lately debuted Tala Tonga made his presence recognized after the match, signaling his significance on this newest iteration of The Bloodline.