WWE SmackDown Results 7/17 - CM Punk & Cody Rhodes To Appear, Balor Vs. Talla Tonga

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s live coverage of "WWE SmackDown" emanating from the MVP Arena in Albany, New York. 

Tonight's episode will see the fallout of Gunther's attack on General Manager Nick Aldis, Aldis having been on administrative leave previously after an altercation with Gunther at Night of Champions. Gunther has been on a collision course with the GM after each loss to either Cody Rhodes or Sami Zayn with the WWE title on the line, officially coming to blows during last week's show. 

Rhodes and reigning WWE Champion CM Punk are due to team together against the pairing of Gunther and Zayn at this weekend's Saturday Night's Main Event. They are advertised to address that during "SmackDown" and it will be interesting to see how those different dynamics play out.

The only match confirmed at the time of writing is a continuation of Finn Balor's rivalry with the disbanded MFT, Tama and Talla Tonga. He had courted Tama for a Bullet Club OG reunion only for Tama to reveal he had been advised by his Elders to burn the past. Balor beat Tama in singles action last week and will now look to replicate that feat against his much taller brother. 

"SmackDown" is scheduled to begin at 8 PM ET on the USA Network for those watching domestically. For those watching internationally, "SmackDown" is available via Netflix. 

The show is underway and Gunther makes his entrance. He lets the crowd get their boos out before finally speaking. 

He says he has prided himself on being a professional throughout his career, but says since arriving on "SmackDown" he has been mistreated. He says he doesn't know if Nick Aldis jealous of him, though he would understand, but he should be the WWE Champion and everyone knows it. 

He says that Aldis is the only reason he is not WWE Champion, and now he is forcing him to team with Sami Zayn against CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. He says he will not accept it and that Zayn does not belong on the same side as him. 

Adam Pearce says enough is enough as he makes his entrance. Pearce says Gunther should say thank you to him for saving his job, citing his extracurricular attacks on Rhodes and Aldis in recent weeks. Pearce says if that happened on his show, Gunther would be fired, but Aldis fought the case that Gunther still fight this weekend at Saturday Night's Main Event – including the stipulation. 

Gunther complains that there would be a hidden stipulation set up by Aldis, but Pearce says to let him finish. He says that the stipulation is to benefit Gunther; if he and Zayn beat Punk and Rhodes this weekend, then the WWE Championship match will grow to a four-way including them. 

Rhodes' music plays and he comes down to the ring, immediately fighting Gunther when he gets into the ring. Gunther retreats from the ring, bemoaning the stipulation but saying it will not matter ultimately, because Gunther does not have it in him to beat him and Punk. 

Rhodes calls for a singles match between them tonight, turning to Pearce towards that end. Pearce declares that "It is official" and the main event will be Gunther versus Cody Rhodes. 

The bell rings and Talla offers a test of strength way above the head of Balor. Balor continues to try and work an opening, getting Talla in the corners for two chops that only seemed to annoy the larger opponent. Balor continues to throw kicks to the leg before Talla cuts him down with a big boot. 

Talla throws Balor into the corner, leaving him to bounce off the buckles back onto the mat. Now he's just exerting his force against Balor on the bottom rope. Balor ducks Talla as he runs at him on the ropes, sending Talla to the outside. 

Talla returns to the apron and receives a few right hands for his effort, Balor gets caught in a chokeslam position but continues to squirm, and is instead dispensed into the corner by Talla as he creates space. 

On the outside of the ring, Talla picks Balor up and drops him face-first onto the announcer's desk. Talla returns to the ring while the referee makes the count, but behind his back Tama Tonga runs across ringside and drops Balor with a lariat. 

Balor beats the count at nine but just continues to get stomped down by Talla in the ring. Talla thrusts Balor into the opposing corner and watches him bounce off, making the cover for an early near-fall before continuing to crank the neck of Balor. 

Talla continues to work Balor until he rallies for a comeback, only for that to come to a swift end with a release Samoan Drop to the mat. Balor rolls to the apron, Talla stalks. 

Balor fights Talla off and takes to the top rope looking for Coup de Grace. Talla gets Balor by the throat looking for a chokeslam, but Balor turns that into a DDT. Balor looks for a shotgun dropkick, running instead into a big boot. Talla makes the cover for another near-fall. 

Talla ties Balor up in the ropes and looks for a big boot, but Balor avoids it to leave Talla hung up. Balor shakes the ropes to rock the jewels before turning his attention to Tama on the outside. He connects with a slingblade to Tama and goes back to the ring, hitting Talla with a shotgun dropkick. 

Balor connects with Coup de Grace but goes back to the top rope to land another one, finally making the cover to get the winning pinfall. 

Finn Balor def. Talla Tonga via Pinfall

Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid attack Stratton before the bell rings as Jayne calls the play. Brie Bella and Paige run down to the ring to make the save, brawling with Henley and Reid back up the ramp.

Back in the ring, the bell rings and Stratton has recovered. Stratton immediately goes for Jayne and continues to lay in punches and kicks. Jayne replies with her own to create some space, looking for a chop that finds only air as Stratton ducks. 

Stratton continues to press her advantage and gets the first near-fall of the match. Jayne ducks a dropkick, using that opportunity to seize upon Stratton and work her over in the corner. 

Stratton fights back to her feet and thus ensues a striking exchange in the middle of the ring. Jayne gets the better of the exchange with an enzuigiri, but Stratton comes back with running lariats and delivers an Alabama Slam. 

Stratton moves Jayne into the corner and goes to the top rope, but Jayne gets back up and halts her. Jayne delivers a swinging neckbreaker to Stratton draped off the top rope. 

Jayne looks for Rolling Encore, Stratton avoids it. Stratton delivers a rolling senton and goes to the top rope, connects with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, and gets the pin. She is the first participant in the ladder match at SummerSlam to determine a new Interim WWE Women's Champion. 

Tiffany Stratton def. Jacy Jayne via Pinfall

A package plays showing the return of Baron Corbin during last week's show, with Corbin identifying Trick Williams as one on a long list, and Carmelo Hayes as collateral damage to that effect. 

A subsequent backstage segment sees Trick Williams addressing the attack. Williams says that Corbin is jealous that his United States Championship has more hair on it than he does. But then Carmelo Hayes enters the frame. He says that Corbin allowed Williams to get away last week without having to defend his United States Championship against him. But he still plans to come calling for the title. 

Cargill starts the match looking for a bicycle kick, Jax ducks it and drops Cargill with a Samoan drop. Jax goes to the top rope, looks to fly but Cargill rolls out of the way. 

On the outside of the ring, Charlotte Flair has emerged and is taking out B-Fab and Michin. Flair gets into the ring and attacks Cargill to cause the disqualification. 

Jade Cargill def. Nia Jax via Disqualification

Flair continues to put Cargill's arm in a chair but Cargill escapes before she can stomp on it. Flair jaws at her from within the ring while Jax is declared the loser. Jax attacks Flair out of anger, leaving the ring to allow Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin to pile onto Flair and close the segment standing tall. 

Gunther appears in a backstage segment to address Rhodes' words on earlier in the night. But then he is drawn into an interaction with Candice Lerae and the catatonic Johnny Gargano. She tells him not to do anything stupid because they really need Zayn to win tomorrow night. Gunther laughs and walks off. 

Blake Monroe attacks Lerae from behind and tells Gargano he needs to get help to close the segment. 

Jax and Lash Legend are now berating Adam Pearce for the finish of the match, with Pearce determining that she will get another opportunity to qualify with a singles match against Flair next week. 

Erik and Nathan Frazer start the match as the legal competitors, with Frazer falling immediately victim to Erik's power and being dragged into his corner for Ivar to tag in. Ivar takes Frazer into the adjacent corner and rattles him with back elbows before returning him for another tag to Erik. 

Frazer tries to kick his way into some space. He gets dropped with a knee to the gut. Frazer delivers something of a capoeira kick to create room, tagging out to Axiom. Frazer looks for a tope to take out the Raiders at ringside, they catch him, but then Axiom follows up with a springboard to take them both out and save his partner. 

Axiom brings Erik back into the ring, getting momentarily distracted by Ivar, thus allowing Erik to reclaim the advantage. Erik tags out to Ivar. Ivar comes in, drops Axiom back down with a hammerfist, and tags Erik back in. 

Erik dumps Ivar on top of Axiom and makes the cover for two. He tags back out to Ivar, who throws Axiom into the knee of Erik with an audible slap. Erik tags back in and continues to strangle Axiom with his bicep. Axiom keeps trying to find an escape, punching and wrestling away from Erik before getting dragged back.

Axiom uses the momentum to take out Ivar on the apron, leapfrog Erik and tag Frazer in. Frazer delivers a running knee to Erik and goes to the top rope. He goes for a phoenix splash, Erik rolls out of the way and tags back out to Ivar. 

Ivar stacks FrAxiom and looks for a moonsault onto the both of them, but they roll out of the way. Frazer connects with a 450 splash on Ivar and goes for the cover but only for two. 

Axiom continues to run the ropes after tagging in, dropped by the swinging leg of Ivar, who then tags out to Erik. Erik gets a near-fall before FrAxiom attempt another rally, stopped by Ivar as he tags into the action. 

They get Ivar on the top rope for a double superplex, Frazer going up to and connecting with a phoenix splash. He makes the cover but Erik saves the match at the last second. 

The Viking Raiders work together to drop Frazer with a pop-up powerslam, turning their attention to Axiom to deliver Ragnarok and get the winning pinfall. 

The Viking Raiders def. FrAxiom via Pinfall

Jackie Redmond joins Danhausen in his backstage laboratory to discuss his No Disqualification match with JD McDonagh this weekend. He produces a stuffed cat in a bird cage when asked how he can expect to beat McDonagh. 

Redmond points out that it's a stuffed cat. Danhausen rejects that notion. Then the lab's lights start to flicker and something sparks, cuing their departure to close the segment. 

Rhodes attacks Gunther before he can even make his entrance, brawling him down the ramp and at ringside before throwing him into the ring to get things started. The bell rings and Rhodes continues to beat down at Gunther. 

Rhodes looks for a Cody Cutter but doesn't get it and momentum shifts, Gunther now making use of the high ground to kick down and beat his opponent to the mat. Gunther continues to stalk Rhodes across the ring, unleashing overhands and chops to drop him back down. 

Rhodes reverses a wristlock and looks to rally but Gunther kicks him to the gut to drop him. Gunther now hits hammer-and-anvil elbows. 

Gunther throws Rhodes against the ropes and drops him with a shoulder barge, following that up with a chop to send him back to the mat. Gunther brings him back up again and delivers a knee against the ropes. 

Rhodes flips out of a suplex attempt, attempting Cody Cutter but getting caught. Rhodes escapes and again and finally connects with the Cutter, but it only makes room. Rhodes rallies with a powerslam and a Disaster Kick, followed by a second Cody Cutter.

Rhodes now looking for the Cross Rhodes, but Gunther escapes and sends Rhodes to the corner. Gunther kicks at the hamstring and then the calf to send Rhodes flying to the mat. 

CM Punk makes his way down to the ring as Gunther looks to use the ringpost to do further damage. Gunther instead looks for a GTS to mock Punk, but Rhodes jumps out of it and takes down Gunther to leave both men down in the middle of the ring. 

Punk encourages Rhodes to get back to his feet, riling up the crowd at the same time. But Gunther rises first, initiating a striking exchange. Gunther sends Rhodes to the ground again with a kick, pulling him back up by the wrist and sinking a chop into his chest. 

Rhodes ducks the next one and connects with the Bionic Elbow. Rhodes hits Pedigree but cannot take advantage as he clutches his knee. Gunther chops Rhodes and connects with a powerbomb to make the cover. Rhodes kicks out but Gunther turns that into a single leg Boston crab. 

Rhodes crawls as Punk encourages him at ringside, slapping the apron as the crowd chant his name. Rhodes is close but Gunther pulls him back to the middle. Rhodes turns over and manages to punch Gunther off of him. Gunther attempts a big boot in the corner but winds up hung up on the ropes. 

Rhodes now targets the leg of Gunther with kicks and cinches in the figure four leglock. Sami Zayn emerges at ringside and begins to attack Punk. Zayn launches Punk over the announcer's desk. 

Rhodes lets go of Gunther and goes for Zayn. Gunther pulls him back into a rear choke but Rhodes spins out and goes for a suicide dive to Zayn. Rhodes returns to the ring and looks to finish with Gunther before Zayn grabs him out of the ring and throws him into the ringpost. The referee calls for a disqualification. 

Cody Rhodes def. Gunther via Disqualification 

Rhodes, Punk, Gunther, and Zayn continue to brawl as the show comes to a close, officials tying their best in vain to separate them.