What Transpired After WWE Smackdown Went-Off The Air: July 4th, 2017
Jul 5, 2017 at 3:04 PM
Another packed edition of WWE Smackdown was hosted on the occasion of the Independence Day. John Cena returned big time on the show to set up a bitter rivalry for weeks to come with Rusev. Also, an Independence Day Battle Royal took place on the night to crown a new number one contender for the United States of America.
The night was far from over once the main show went off the air from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The tradition of WWE hosting dark matches continued with an additional surprise.
The dark matches generally do not feature the female superstars from the roster. However, it was an exception, last night as two premiere women locked horns to give a treat to the fans in attendance.
Charlotte deaf. Natalya in a dark match! pic.twitter.com/P7XAoqNo3u
— Prince Shane ?? (@ShaneAllison) July 4, 2017
Prior to the kick-off of Smackdown, Lillian Garcia was present on the show to sing the National Anthem of America. After that segment, Charlotte Flair hit the ring to take on the bitter rival, Natalya in a singles contest. She came out on top by putting away the Queen of Harts via pinfall.
@AdamTheBlampied Nakamura and Cena vs Rusev and Corbin in the dark match tonight after 205Live pic.twitter.com/BHOvaTV7TR
— Andrew (@FifthOf55) July 5, 2017
Two days of #WWEPhoenix capped by a match between John Cena & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev & former Cardinals OL Baron Corbin. Good guys won. pic.twitter.com/hgOoVRuGw5
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleABC15) July 5, 2017
Another giant matchup took place when the cameras stopped rolling. It was a tag team action with a dream team of John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura locking horns with Baron Corbin and Rusev. The face team picked up the win to send the crowd home happy.
The new #1Contender for the #USTitle @AJStylesOrg is now #TalkingSmack with @ReneeYoungWWE and @WWEDanielBryan on @WWENetwork! pic.twitter.com/OFauSnxdGH
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) July 5, 2017
The new number one contender for the US title, AJ Styles closed the main show of Smackdown and thereby attended the latest edition of Talking Smack to deliver a huge statement to the champion, Kevin Owens. They will have the title match at the Battleground PPV.
#SDLive #WomensChampion @NaomiWWE doesn’t know why @TaminaSnuka came to @LanaWWE‘s side… and she DOESN’T CARE, either! #TalkingSmack pic.twitter.com/B3VWxw8eK4
— WWE (@WWE) July 5, 2017
The POWER of LOVE has joined #TalkingSmack…@MariaLKanellis ❤️ @RealMikeBennett pic.twitter.com/evkkfylP8j
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) July 5, 2017
Also, on the show, Naomi talked about what’s next for the Women’s Championship. Plus, Mike and Maria Kanellis debuted on Talking Smack to hint that they might start a rift with Sami Zayn, going forward.