Queen of the Ring Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Sol Ruca vs. Jade Cargill
Charlotte Flair took one step closer to accomplishing one of the few achievements missing from her otherwise sparkling resume Friday night as she advanced in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Flair defeated Jade Cargill, Lyra Valkyria, and Women's Intercontinental Champion Sol Ruca in a four-way match.
Going into the bout, Jade Cargill and Michin had defeated Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown on June 5. Sol Ruca had defeated Lyra Valkyria on Raw on June 8.
The match was action-packed and held together by Flair and Valkyria's excellent ring work. It highlighted both Ruca and Cargill's strengths, with Cargill dominating the middle portion of the lengthy contest. The finish capped off with the right woman going over to set up a marquee match with Liv Morgan in the semifinals.
The segment opened the show strongly, hampered only by Cargill's wig mishap, which she addressed on Twitter after the match. Whether Cargill should be losing with consistency at this point, especially considering what happened later in the broadcast, remains an open question surrounding the booking.
Result: Charlotte Flair defeated Jade Cargill, Lyra Valkyria, and Sol Ruca.
Non-Title Match: Paige and Brie Bella vs. Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley
Women's Tag Team Champions Paige and Brie Bella battled Fatal Influence's Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid in a non-title match. Paige and Brie Bella had last defeated The Irresistible Forces at Saturday Night's Main Event on May 23. Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid had lost to Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley on SmackDown on May 22.
Fatal Influence's championship aspirations took a hit Friday as not even the presence of Jacy Jayne at ringside could help Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid earn a win over Paige and Brie Bella. Capitalizing on the distraction that Jayne's ejection caused, Paige secured the victory for the women's tag team champions by catching Henley with a small package.
The match was fine for the most part, with a few good spots and a big win for the underutilized champions. The booking placed both sides in a difficult spot, as neither the champions nor their prospective challengers could afford a loss, yet the match was booked anyway. When even cheating does not help Henley and Reid win, their path toward challenging Paige and Bella in an actual title match carries little momentum.
Result: Paige and Brie Bella defeated Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley in a non-title match.
Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn's Issues Intensify
The tension between Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn escalated on SmackDown. Cody Rhodes had last defeated Gunther at Clash in Italy on May 31. Sami Zayn had last defeated Matt Cardona on SmackDown on May 29.
Sami Zayn, wearing a shirt that read "The Last Real Good Guy," called out Cody Rhodes and asked for an apology after an accidental tope suicida left him lying last week. He did not get one. Instead, a rapidly intensifying verbal back and forth ensued, culminating with an exchange of slaps and Zayn stomping out of the arena.
Zayn remains positioned as a compelling heel who believes wholeheartedly that he is justified in his actions, and to an extent, he is. He genuinely did not do anything wrong to warrant the crowd turning on him, though the dynamic has shifted since then. His self-righteous approach could talk him into another massive babyface run, probably at the expense of Rhodes, if WWE is not careful with the direction of the angle.
