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WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results (7/17/20) – AJ Styles Retains IC Title

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Welcome to WrestlingNews.com’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results – Streaming Live Coverage. Please read our preview of tonight’s broadcast. You can reload the page for the latest results, reactions and news from tonight’s broadcast.

WWE SmackDown Results & Reactions – 7/17/2020

The show opened with promos from WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles and his challenger for tonight, Matt Riddle. Riddle is someone WWE is high up on and looking to establish right away. Daniel Bryan commented on the match before Alexa Bliss teased tonight’s ‘Moment of Bliss’ with a special guest. John Morrison and The Miz were featured next, where Miz asked Morrison if he was afraid to fight Braun Strowman. Morrison said he was terrified. WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman said he just hopes Bray Wyatt is watching.

Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura on next, proclaiming they’ll win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team titles on Sunday at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. The New Day came on and said they’ll successfully defend on Sunday and Cesaro isn’t going to beat Big E tonight.

Big E w/Kofi Kingston vs. Cesaro w/Shinsuke Nakamura. The winner will determine whether the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship match at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules will be a tables match or a steel cage match. Cesaro beat Big E after hitting the Swiss Death & Standing Ricola Bomb. There were some rough spots in this one, specifically a belly-to-belly suplex from Big E on Cesaro that fell flat. These are two big guys and both have had better matches. After, the two tag teams brawled at ringside. Cesaro and Nakamura will pick their gimmick for their title defense at Extreme Rules.

Backstage, King Corbin talked with Kayla Braxton about AJ Styls vs. Matt Riddle. Speaking of Corbin, in today’s Ask WNC, we discussed Baron Corbin heat.

Cesaro and Nakamura are shown backstage to announce the gimmick they’re choosing for their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship match at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. They announced they will challenge for the titles in a tables match.

Moment of Bliss with Alexa Bliss is up next in the ring. Bliss believes Riddle will win the Intercontinental Championship tonight and Strowman will beat Bray Wyatt on Sunday. WWE SmackDown Women’s Champions Bayley and Sasha Banks came out. Asuka is Alexa Bliss’ special guest. A brawl with Bliss, Nikki Cross and Asuka taking on Bayley and Banks ensued.

WWE SmackDown Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Nikki Cross & Asuka w/Alexa Bliss. Bayley rolled up Cross to get the win.

Backstage, The Miz continues to prep Morrison for his match against Braun Strowman. The gimmick is meant to put Strowman over as an unstoppable beast but it makes both Miz and Morrison look weak. Strowman vs. Morrison is next.

Bray Wyatt was featured in a pre-taped promo in Wyatt Family character on WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman. The vignette had rattlesnakes as Wyatt talked about creating a monster in Strowman. It was really well done and exactly what has turned Wyatt into one of the company’s biggest stars. Bryatt vowed to destroy the monster that Strowman has become.

WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. John Morrison w/The Miz. Strowman squashed Morrison and warned Bray Wyatt on the mic afterwards that he was coming home. The Miz called for help from the back and they brought a backboard out but Morrison left under his own power. Michael Cole played up on commentary we’ve never seen Strowman like this.

Lacey Evans vs. Naomi. Lacey went over via pinfall after hitting Woman’s Right.

Backstage, Kayla Braxton with Jeff Hardy. She wants to know why Jeff accepted Sheamus’s challenge, which could jeopardize his sobriety. Jeff says going into a bar with Sheamus is risky but it’s a risk he is willing to take. When asked for a prediction to Riddle vs. Styles, Jeff talked about how he could have been in the match if he was not framed by Sheamus for drinking and driving. Sheamus knocked him out and vowed to cleanse him of his demons.

Kayla backstage with Bayley and Sasha. She asks if this momentum will continue on Sunday. Bayley says no one has more momentum than her – it’s mass times velocity. When she carries around her titles, she has more mass than Nikki. It’s science. Bayley says Banks will have two titles as well after Extreme Rules.

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are shown backstage with Nikki showing a lack of confidence. Bayley and Banks are heard laughing as Cross attacks them from behind. Alexa gets involved, with the tag champs getting taken to the ground.

WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles says Matt Riddle beat him by surprise and there will be no surprises tonight. This is the house that AJ Styles built. Riddle responded, questioned if AJ stood for arrogant jackass. After he wins the Intercontinental Championship tonight, he’ll be the bro that runs the show.

Matt Riddle vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Greg Hamilton does the formal in-ring introductions. This has a big fight feel to it, as it should given what WWE expects from Riddle. Riddle dominated Styles early on with suplexes and waist-lock takedowns. Riddle hit a beautiful fisherman’s suplex, with Cole commenting Styles did not seem to be in the game. Styles immediately built a counter, driving his opponent face-first into the middle of the ring. Riddle hit the bro to sleep and got a near fall before the show went to commercial. Every time Riddle has gotten close, Styles has built a counter. Riddle went for a floating bro off the top rope but no one was home, leaving an opening for Styles to comeback again. The way this has been booked has made it clear, they’re going to protect Riddle and elevate him. Predictably, Styles countered a bromission attempt to get the pinfall victory. After, the two shook hands and King Corbin came out and attacked Riddle. Riddle was left down in the ring with Corbin looking on as he went back down the ramp.

News from the Show:

  • Cesaro beat Big E in a singles match to determine the stipulation to the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship match at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. It’ll be The New Day vs. Cesaro & Shinsuka Nakamura in a tables match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
  • Asuka was revealed as Alex Bliss’s guest on Moment of Bliss.
  • Reminder: The Big Show will face Randy Orton in an unsanctioned match on next week’s WWE Monday Night Raw.
  • WWE SummerSlam 2016 will air on FS1 Tuesday at 9 PM ET.

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