WWE SmackDown: Randy Orton viciously attacks Jeff Hardy after US title match
Wednesday 18 July 2018 08:13, UK
Jeff Hardy was subjected to a double dose of agony on SmackDown as his bid to reclaim the United States title fell short due to Randy Orton.
Hardy twice evaded a Kinshasa knee strike from champion Shinsuke Nakamura - who won the belt from him at Extreme Rules - and nailed a perfect Swanton Bomb for what looked like being the victory.
WWE Late Night Smackdown
But Orton dragged him out by his feet mid-cover to force a disqualification, and the punishment did not end there.
The Viper proceeded to slam Hardy into the steel steps several times and gave him a draping DDT off the commentators' desk in another inexplicable attack.
Bryan breaks up his 'funeral' on Miz TV
The hotly-anticipated feud between The Miz and Daniel Bryan took a step closer to becoming a reality, although the pair did not come to blows on this week's SmackDown.
Bryan had heard enough of Miz's 'funeral' for Team Hell No, who lost to the Bludgeon Brothers at Extreme Rules and have been temporarily disbanded following Kane's broken ankle.
The former SmackDown GM burst onto the set of Miz TV but could not get his hands on the host, who made a hasty retreat, leaving one of the 'pallbearers' to take the brunt of Bryan's ire.
Styles narrowly overcomes Almas
Having successfully defended his WWE title against Rusev at Extreme Rules, Styles was ready to face fresh competition and found Andrade "Cien" Almas only too happy to oblige.
The former NXT champion had his moments during a superb match but ultimately fell short, tapping out to the Calf Crusher to the fury of his manager Zelina Vega.
Samoa Joe completely a two-minute win over Tye Dillinger elsewhere in the show, and later tweeted his frustration at a lack of opportunities to face Styles for his title.
