WWE SmackDown Notes: Santos Escobar Wins U.S. Title Invitational, Rey Mysterio Suffers Injury, New Match for SummerSlam

Santos Escobar Wins U.S. Title Invitational Tournament, Rey Mysterio Suffers Head Injury

Friday’s WWE SmackDown show in New Orleans, Louisiana featured defeating in the Finals of the United States Championship Invitational Tournament.

The finish to this match involved Escobar placing Mysterio on the middle rope and put him on his shoulders only for Mysterio to flip Escobar over the ropes to the outside. Escobar managed to land on his feet with Mysterio on his shoulders only for Mysterio to drop him face first onto the ring apron afterwards. Mysterio then went back into the ring for a baseball slide to the outside but Escobar dodged out of the way. Escobar then went into the ring and hit Mysterio with a tope suicida to the outside for the commercial break spot. Following the return from the break, Mysterio was being attended to by a WWE doctor and SmackDown commentator Michael Cole stating that this was due to Mysterio had hit his head on the floor from Escobar’s dive to the outside. The ref called off the match due to Mysterio’s injury to give Escobar the ref stoppage victory to become the winner of the U.S. Championship Invitational Tournament.

Prayers up for @ReyMysterio 🙏 pic.twitter.com/1yobuNhgLG

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) July 29, 2023

As a result of his victory, WWE annoucned that Escobar will face off against Austin Theory in a match for Theory’s U.S. title at the August 11th SmackDown show in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

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Slim Jim Battle Royal Match Announced for SummerSlam 2023, Updated Card

Friday’s SmackDown show in New Orleans also featured one new match officially announced for the card of WWE’s SummerSlam 2023 event, which takes place on August 5th at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

This new match was announced to be a Slim Jim sponsored SummerSlam Battle Royal match.

This match was setup during a backstage segment featuring WWE official Adam Pearce talking to someone on the phone in his office. LA Knight interrupted Pearce’s conversation and bashed him over last week’s debacle and claiming he was looking at the biggest misstep by not having the biggest rising star in WWE history at next week’s SummerSlam event. Knight then stated that if he wants that match to mean something, then he should have Knight in it. The Brawling Brutes came in and interrupted leading to some trash talk banter between Sheamus and Knight. Pearce then stated that both of them will be in the Battle Royal but first they will face off against each other in a singles match at next week’s SmackDown show.

OH? YEAH!

We've got ourselves a #SummerSlam Battle Royal and a certain someone wants in!#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/QLrjvNx78M

— WWE (@WWE) July 29, 2023

Updated card for SummerSlam 2023:

• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Tribal Combat match – Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns (c)
• WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (c)
• WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat match – Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (c)
• WWE Intercontinental Championship – Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther (c)
• Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
• Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
• Ricochet vs. Logan Paul
• SummerSlam Battle Royal match – LA Knight vs. Sheamus vs. TBA