Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown was notable as it marked the final episode to air on FOX and set up the premiere episode on the USA Network next week.
On the show, there were several angles and matches, including a segment that set up Cody Rhodes defending the Unidpusted WWE Championship against Solo Sikoa next week inside a steel cage. It also featured the return of Giovanni Vinci.
WWE had been hyping up his return through vignettes. Sure enough, on the show, he made a grand entrance while his opponent, Apollo Crews, waited inside of the ring. As Vinci was taking off his entrance gear, the bell rang while having his back to Apollo.
Crews capitalized and scored a roll-up win in seconds. WrestleVotes reported that key figures in WWE creative hated match booking.
I’m told there are a few “key” figures within creative that absolutely hated the direction on the Giovanni Vinci angle tonight. #SmackDown
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) September 7, 2024