5 Takeaways From SmackdownLive - 8/14/18

This is my series, simply known as "5 Takeaways", where I will share my personal main talking points coming out of Raw and SmackdownLive.

These are all my opinion, so I may miss a nugget or two. If you have something to add to my list, or a list of your own, feel free to share in the comment section below!

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About three weeks after defeating Rusev on Smackdown, Andrade Cien Almas racked up another win, this time against his buddy. In a pretty quick match, Almas put English away without too much trouble.

The hate between the duos of Rusev/Lana and Almas/Zelina Vega is apparent, and their mixed tag match at Summerslam should be pretty good.

It pains me to have to type this, because it doesn't make any sense. The whole point of a squash match is to introduce a new superstar or team, not use them for the current tag team champions.

Harper and Rowan are a great tag team, but I don't think the "Bludgeon Brothers" gimmick is really working. Hopefully they'll go back to Luke Harper and Eric Rowan, and remain high in the ranks of the Smackdown tag team division.

I'm not saying anything here that we don't already know. This will be one of the best matches of Summerslam, from both an in-ring, and anticipation standpoint. These two have incredible history together, dating back to Bryan being The Miz's rookie in NXT.

WWE put together an incredible video package hyping this match up, and it really worked. Despite their usual lack of creativity when it comes to storytelling, they are excellent at video packages. This is going to be great.

Becky Lynch and Charlotte teamed up again, this time defeating Absolution (technically Absolution is dead, so it was just Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville), in a pretty good match. However, it was their backstage segment that caught this writer's eye.

After talking and agreeing they were on the same page, Lynch and Flair did their usual "team bump"... only Charlotte didn't drink her tea like normal, and instead looked on when Becky wandered off. It looks like a clear sign that Charlotte shouldn't be trusted come Sunday. It's a triple threat match for the title, so obviously no one should be, but Becky should be sure to watch her back.

In the main event segment, Samoa Joe came out in a rather spiffy looking suit. He read AJ a letter from "a fan" who talked about how Styles used to be their favorite, then he changed. The WWE champion laughed it off before revealing who the letter was from... Wendy Styles (AJ's wife).

AJ's expression understandably changed completely. Security had to hold him back from getting at Joe, as the show came to a close.

I liked this segment. It would be interesting to continue this angle and bring his actual wife into the storyline (although I doubt that'd happen). It made this match even more personal, and it's still the match I'm most excited for on Sunday.

Thanks for reading! Did I miss any good points? Is there something you agree or disagree with? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to check out my Weekend Wristlock each and every Saturday!