WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, News And Notes From July 3, 2020

Friday Night SmackDown featured a toast to Jeff Hardy, presented by Sheamus, in addition to a pair of great matches as Matt Riddle defeated John Morrison while AJ Styles retained his Intercontinental Championship against Drew Gulak.

Friday’s broadcast of SmackDown garnered 2.089 million viewers.

• June 26, 2020—2.174 million viewers
• June 19, 2020—2.089 million viewers
• June 12, 2020—2.016 million viewers
• June 5, 2020—1.984 million viewers
• May 29, 2020—2.170 million viewers

WWE Friday Night SmackDown—Key Competition

• Mainstream Coverage of COVID-19

Pro Wrestling Bits—Ric Flair at WrestleMania

WWE SmackDown Total YouTube Viewership this Past Friday

7,693,186 views (Up from 6,014,796)

• Most-Viewed: The New Day, Braun Strowman and Matt Riddle Lay out King Corbin (1,317,848 views) 
• Least-Viewed: The Undertaker Emerges at Survivor Series 1990 (221,322 views)
• Median Viewership: 563,892

WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results: Friday, July 3, 2020

Opening Segment Featuring King Corbin and Matt Riddle

If WWE knows how to tell a story, the feud between King Corbin and Matt Riddle will be based on Corbin getting the better of Riddle dating back to the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series.

Matt Riddle def. John Morrison

It was odd hearing Baron Corbin commentate during a Matt Riddle match given the reports of him being upset with this feud.

This was the type of match that, on paper and in the ring, made wrestling feel like a real sport performed by elite athletes.

The most impressive thing about this match is neither of these guys slowed down.

John Morrison may never have another chance to have such a great match, but rest assured, he’s has it in him this whole time.

AJ Styles def. Drew Gulak—WWE Intercontinental Championship

Drew Gulak’s Fourth of July trunks made him look like a male exotic dancer.

AJ Styles had a new t-shirt and he really seems to want people to buy it so he kept it on during this whole match.

AJ Styles attacking Matt Riddle prior to this match made me think Drew Gulak might actually have a chance should Riddle decide to retaliate.

Styles and Gulak continued a trend of long matches, a trend which aggressively did not exist in recent weeks.

How did it take so long to feature Zoom commentary?

Sasha Banks and Bayley Tribute Is Interrupted by Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross

Sasha Banks needs to start referring to herself as The Legit Draw.

Bayley and Sasha Banks have willed themselves into a great act and tonight’s segment was the icing on the cake.

If this segment were a nursery rhyme, it would be Jimmy Cracked Corn.

Bayley def. Alexa Bliss via Disqualification

This time it was Sasha Banks who strong-armed Bayley into working an impromptu match and Twitter was so happy about this.

At one point, Bayley teased a Twist of Fate for no reason whatsoever.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Kofi Kingston

The New Day’s entrance featured Big E rolling down the ramp in his spandex during a global pandemic in one of the ballsiest entrances I’ve ever seen.

Based on talent alone, there’s no reason this match should have been an ancillary one-on-one to promote a tag team show.

Sheamus Presents a Toast to Jeff Hardy

Something about this segment featuring a bartender made it all the more messy.

Jeff Hardy decided to attend this Tomfoolery on his own volition, even with Sheamus via satellite, so if this segment crosses a line, clearly it’s a line the Hardy character doesn’t see.

This feud feels more and more like it will culminate in a Jack Daniels on a Pole Match.