WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from August 13

In terms of importance, few nights stand out more each year than WWE SummerSlam, which makes the show after the pay-per-view vital to the future of the company. The August 13 edition of SmackDown Live was set to push the brand forward after multiple major victories and defeats.

Kofi Kingston lost his cool in his feud with Randy Orton after the two got counted out outside the ring. His brutal attack on The Viper promised that this rivalry was only just beginning, but no one knew how Orton would respond.

Kevin Owens finally put a stop to Shane McMahon's reign of terror with a victory over The Best in the World. However, he did so via low blow, setting up Shane to retaliate in dangerous fashion.

Bayley pulled out another statement victory by defeating Ember Moon, leaving her without a clear challenger going forward. Charlotte Flair walked out with her own victory over Trish Stratus, setting the stage for a match between The War Goddess and The Queen to determine the next No. 1 contender.

Talk of last week's attack on Roman Reigns may not have had much of an effect on SummerSlam, but it resulted in the biggest match of the night for SmackDown. Buddy Murphy had laid the groundwork for his SmackDown debut in a battle with The Big Dog.

This week's SmackDown was jam-packed with potential that needed to live up to the expectations established by the highs of the previous night's edition of Monday Night Raw.

Kevin Owens tried to turn his attention to King of the Ring only for Shane McMahon to interrupt him. The Best in the World called out The Prizefighter as a cheater. He also fined KO $100,000 for his attack on Elias, which Owens took personally, as his family needed that money.

After the break, KO yelled at Shane in his office and threw a chair into the TV screen. Shane-O-Mac smiled as Owens walked out.

Grade

B-

Analysis

Shane segments typically don't make much of an impact, but KO made this work. He even managed to sell a fine as a major punishment.

The sooner this feud ends the better. However, it's hard not to be impressed with how well WWE has pivoted to make Shane's feud with KO matter so much more than his rivalry with Roman Reigns did.

Ember Moon brought the fight to Charlotte Flair with her athleticism and quickness, pushing The Queen far off her game plan. However, Charlotte ground down the leg of The War Goddess until she was too worn down to climb the ropes for the Eclipse.

The Queen survived Moon's best remaining shots and then caught her with a big boot into the Figure Eight for a submission victory.

Result

Charlotte def. Moon by submission

Grade

A-

Analysis

This was an excellent television match, as the two worked well together and pushed each other to the limit. It should be an indication to WWE officials that Moon is very much ready to work with the top stars in the business.

However, it looks like her time in the sun was short-lived. Charlotte has returned to top status on the brand and will likely be challenging Bayley at Clash of Champions. This will be a good feud for SmackDown, but it might overshadow too much of the rest of the brand.

Daniel Bryan and Rowan came out to address the rumors started by Buddy Murphy that Rowan was involved in the attacks on Roman Reigns. The Planet's Champion called it all lies and promised that he would prove it alongside his friend tonight.

Buddy Murphy showed why he deserved this opportunity by pushing Reigns to his limit in a fast, physical bout. The Best Kept Secret not only survived a Superman Punch and avoided a Spear but nearly won with a series of knees into a spinning brainbuster.

Reigns put away Murphy with a Spear but gave him a nod of respect afterward for his effort.

Backstage, Bryan and Rowan assaulted Murphy in the locker room until he admitted that he lied. Reigns confronted the heels backstage, and The Planet's Champion promised to bring The Big Dog his attacker next week.

Result

Reigns def. Murphy by pinfall

Grade

A

Analysis

You don't get much bigger in modern WWE than having your first match on SmackDown Live against The Big Dog. Those who have not followed his 205 Live run may not know who Murphy is yet, but this was a great preview of how good he can be.

While he was always going to lose, the heel pushed Reigns at a level many recognizable heels never have. The Best Kept Secret was already wrestling at a main event level despite months left off the card.

He can keep that momentum going hopefully in the King of the Ring tournament alongside fellow cruiserweight alums Ali and Cedric Alexander. He might not be ready to win the tournament, but a few big wins could finally get him into the spotlight.

Backstage, Samoa Joe arrived, prepared to fight for Shane McMahon to shut up Kevin Owens. Elias also came out to work as the special guest enforcer for the match.

The Prizefighter slipped out of the Coquina Clutch and connected with a powerbomb. However, The Drifter ripped the ref out of the ring to set up The Samoan Submission Machine to roll up KO for a fast three-count.

Result

Joe def. Owens by pinfall

Grade

D+

Analysis

This was a flat delivery of a potentially excellent match. These two tenured veterans rushed through the motions to get to the finish, and it did not feel like it meant anything.

Joe just pulled off a dominant victory over Sami Zayn only to follow up with a cheap win over KO where he needed help just to survive five minutes. Any heel could have filled this role better.

In interviews backstage, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder decried the joke The New Day had made of the tag team division. Big E and Xavier Woods responded by stating they had only ever elevated the division.

Randy Orton taunted Kofi Kingston as he stood by his New Day brothers. He challenged the WWE champion to get involved in the tag team match about to go down, setting up a six-man tag team match.

As the action ramped up, Kofi escaped an RKO and knocked The Viper out of the ring. The Revival took advantage of an arm injury Woods had suffered in the contest and won with the Shatter Machine.

Afterward, the WWE champion thwarted an attack on Woods and Big E by Dawson and Wilder but took an RKO for his trouble. The Apex Predator gave one to E and Woods as well and then a second to Kofi.

Result

Revival and Orton def. New Day by pinfall

Grade

B-

Analysis

This felt tame for a main event angle coming off such a brutal attack at SummerSlam. The match mostly served to set up an interesting title clash between New Day and The Revival while Kofi and Orton continued to brawl.

Hopefully, WWE is preparing a major angle for the future, as Kofi and Orton can't just keep hitting their finishers on one another. The Viper has proved he can be more sadistic than he has shown so far.