WWE SmackDown Winners and Losers – SHIELD Reference; Solo Sikoa Unveils New Name; Drew McIntyre Returns [07/04]

Written by Debottam Saha • Published Jul 05, 2025 06:30 EDT

A packed episode of WWE SmackDown went down on July 4. The show had a lot of action along with some major announcements that can alter the landscape of the industry.

First off, Cody Rhodes’ massive SummerSlam plans have been revealed, along with a new world title match being set for Evolution 2. Meanwhile, Solo Sikoa and his group of misfits have gotten a new name that has left a lot of fans, including yours truly, baffled.

In other news, on the first two-hour SmackDown in what feels like a century, Randy Orton’s future plans have also been revealed following the WWE return of Drew McIntyre.

Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from the latest episode of WWE SmackDown:

#4. Winner – Drew McIntyre is BACK!

Love him or hate him, Drew McIntyre’s presence lifts every WWE programming. He returned to the company during the opening segment of the show and immediately took shots at Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton’s dynamic. The star then made some other comments, leading to him eating an RKO from Orton.

McIntyre has turned himself into one of the most diabolical yet entertaining heels in WWE. His absence really created a void that many in the company failed to fill. Now that he is back, only good things should be expected. The star is set to face Randy Orton at Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 12.

#3. Loser: Why do WWE Hall of Famers keep getting handed title chances?

What is it with WWE Hall of Famers getting random title shots despite not being a part of the programming for months and years? First, it was Goldberg who suddenly appeared on RAW and challenged Gunther to a title match, without ever earning it. Now, Trish Stratus also got a title match without ever earning one. The star was introduced by Tiffany Stratton on the latest edition of WWE SmackDown and was handed a Women’s Title match without the latter even asking for one.

I mean, I mean…what?

It’s one thing to walk out and ask for a title shot, but it’s completely the other thing for the champion to just reveal their next opponent, that too a Hall of Famer who is barely active. At least when John Cena chose Bryan Danielson as his opponent, he was a worthy opponent, proving himself in the ring on a daily basis.

This is a baffling decision on WWE’s part and one that should rightfully be called out.

#2. Winner and Loser: The Naomi-Jade Cargill feud

It seems the only reason Jade Cargill won the Queen of the Ring tournament was so that there could be an underlying story thread of Naomi cashing in her MITB briefcase on Cargill if the latter defeats Tiffany Stratton, who should logically remain the champion at Evolution. Cargill and Stratton are set to face each other at SummerSlam.

However, there’s barely anything else to add to that feud anymore. Yeah, Naomi’s character work is great, but then it’s the same rehashed stuff from weeks ago that doesn’t make any sense, and the same backstage attacks that have gone stale.

It’s a win-lose situation, really, where the championship is slowly becoming the central point instead of just the pure hatred between Naomi and Cargill. While on one side, the matches will be great and the story ties up a lot of the factors, on the other hand, we could have done with a Street Fight.

#1. Winner – The Bloodline stuff is once again fun on WWE SmackDown

Ah! The Bloodline, the story that saw twists and turns and swerves – enemies being made and brotherhoods being restored. What a cacophony of storytelling and pure drama, mixed in with some great wrestling.

From that to its disintegration into Solo Sikoa’s makeshift Tribal Chief character, and then Roman Reigns winning the Ula Fala only to disappear, and then three Tongans claiming to be Bloodline members, its disintegration was downright baffling. However, it now seems things will be picking up.

With Solo Sikoa winning the US Title, he has regained some credibility. The star has also added Tala Tonga and JC Mateo into the mix, making it a fascinating affair of sorts. The group has also now revealed a new name – MFT (My Family Tree). Although the name is a bit of a downer, overall, the trajectory of the stable seems promising. With the addition of Tala Tonga and the return of Tonga Loa, it seems that there’ a strong sense of unison once again, one that can lead to them dominating the roster for a while.

Jacob Fatu will undoubtedly be their first feud, but there are some major ones that can still happen on WWE SmackDown…looking at you Wyatt Sicks!!

The group even introduced a new move, paying tribute to The SHIELD.