The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament continued Friday night on SmackDown but not as initially expected.

With Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons unable to compete as advertised against Natalya and Sonya Deville, former NXT Women's tag team champions Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne of Toxic Attraction stepped in to fill the void.

Would the championship duo advance in the competition, poised to add another set of titles to their resumes?

Find out now with this recap of the August 19 episode, which also featured a face-to-face showdown between Drew McIntyre and undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns ahead of their Clash at the Castle main event.

Match Card

• Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns face-to-face
• Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament: Natalya and Sonya Deville vs. Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jane)
• Fatal 5-Way Match to Determine the No. 1 Contender to the Intercontinental Championship: Madcap Moss vs. Ricochet vs. Sami Zayn vs. Happy Corbin vs. Sheamus
• Viking Funeral for The New Day

Ronda Rousey Kicked Off SmackDown

Despite being suspended, Ronda Rousey again appeared Friday night, kicking off the 1,200th episode of SmackDown by cutting a promo in which she vowed she would not leave until her suspension was lifted.

Adam Pearce sent security after Rousey, who proceeded to wipe them out one by one, culminating with an arm breaker on one of the guards. Police arrived on the scene and Rousey was arrested on the spot, led out of the arena and thrown in the back of a cop car.

This is exactly how Rousey should have been booked rather than the one-dimensional, uninteresting babyface she had been since returning at the Royal Rumble. She is a rebellious badass, unafraid to beat down anyone who stands between her and what she wants.

The audience is reacting favorably to it, too.

Rousey is as over as she has been since her first run with the company four years ago and is, arguably, the top babyface on SmackDown not named Drew McIntyre. That is a drastic turnaround from how she was viewed by fans as late as a month ago.

If there is a downside to this, it is that Liv Morgan stands no chance of being the babyface in any feud with Rousey when she is presented in this way, and that is disappointing for a performer who, as well as her fans, has waited so long for this SmackDown Women's Championship run.

Grade

A

Top Moments

• Pat McAfee name-dropped Jim Cornette, recalling it was the legendary manager who called the SmackDown pilot with Michael Cole back in April of 1999.
• McAfee covered up a mic issue by claiming management was trying to cut Rousey's mic. It was a little thing that made up for the shrillness of the audio.
• "Don't make me choose violence," Rousey threatened.

Women's Tag Title Tournament Match: Toxic Attraction vs. Natalya and Sonya Deville

Natalya and Sonya Deville may have prepped to battle Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons Friday night, but after Shawn Michaels' blockbuster announcement earlier in the day, they instead found themselves opposite former NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin of Toxic Attraction.

Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky appeared prior to the bell, sitting ringside and heckling the commentary team in the process.

Toxic Attraction controlled the match, forcing Deville on the defensive until a hot tag to Natalya sparked a comeback for the makeshift tandem. A distraction by Bayley and Co. took Deville out of the equation, and a blind tag from Dolin to Jayne allowed the heels to score a rollup victory on The Queen of Harts for the victory.

A solid match that forced Deville into the mostly unfamiliar role of babyface and showcased Natalya in front of her hometown, it also introduced Toxic Attraction to the main roster fans.

Dolin and Jayne never once looked uncomfortable or out of place despite the bigger stage, and the argument can be made that Triple H and the creative forces should be plotting to bring them and Mandy Rose up permanently as soon as NXT booking allows for it.

Ironically enough, to advance further, they will have to defeat a woman who has proved problematic for Toxic Attraction in the past: Raquel Rodriguez.

Backstage, Sami Zayn joined Roman Reigns in his private locker room, where he proceeded to rat on Jey Uso for being difficult to work with in recent weeks (to which Reigns agreed) and informed The Tribal Chief that the tag champs will not be in attendance because of issues at the border.

The segment, which also featured Reigns implying the Intercontinental Championship would look nice in The Bloodline and asking Zayn to deliver a message to Kevin Owens, was fantastic stuff.

Zayn works so well with top guys. We saw it with Reigns here and in the past with Brock Lesnar. He's adaptable, able to do serious and funny when the situation calls for it and can back up any of these segments with his work between the ropes.

Despite all of that, he is still somehow underrated based on just how good he consistently is.

Result

Dolin and Jayne defeated Natalya and Deville

Grade

B

Top Moments

• "Ding dong! DING DONG! DIIIIIING DONGGGGG!" Bayley exclaimed, rekindling her side rivalry with Michael Cole.
• The commentary team provided the backstory for Bayley's presence in relation to Deville's match, claiming she and her cohorts believe the Pride Fighter did not do enough to further the women's division when she was a WWE official. Little details like that greatly enhance the product and help fans invest better in the stories being told.
• The blind tag from Dolin to Jane, and Natalya's ignorance of it, was a clever finish. 

Hit Row Interrupted Maximum Male Models; Fatal 5-Way No. 1 Contender's Match

Hit Row interrupted the latest from Maximum Male Models, clearing Max and Maxine Dupri and ma.çé and mån.sôör̃ from the squared circle and performing a live concert of their new single, "We're Back."

This was a fine use of Hit Row and let them showcase talent beyond the squared circle, which should help endear them to fans still unsure of whether to accept the new act on Friday nights.

After the break, Karrion Kross and Scarlett cut a pre-taped promo in which the former claimed Drew McIntyre was chosen by the powers that be over him and, deep down, even The Scottish Warrior knows they were wrong.

The presentation, with the hourglass emptying just as he made his final exclamation, and the intensity on display from Kross made this a great bit of business that put over his motivations and served as an ominous reminder that he is still a player to be watched in the main event scene.

Back in the arena, Sami Zayn, Ricochet, Madcap Moss, Happy Corbin and Sheamus took to the squared circle for a Fatal 5-Way No. 1 Contender's match in which the winner would challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash at the Castle.

Sheamus overcame a bruised and cut leg to deliver three dozen Beats of the Bodhran, only to be wiped out on the floor alongside Corbin by a red-hot Zayn. The hometown hero delivered a Blue Thunder Bomb to Moss for a quality near-fall as the fans erupted into a chant of his name.

Ricochet unloaded, and four of the five men hit the mat heading into the break while officials checked on Zayn, who appeared to be nursing an injured left shoulder.

The back-and-forth action that dominated the match to that point continued after the commercial break. Zayn made a heroic comeback, only to be robbed of victory by Corbin. From there, Sheamus rocked Corbin with the Brogue Kick for the win.

This was a fantastic match and one of the best free TV ones WWE has produced all year. The pacing was great, and the action was, too, but it was the molten-hot crowd and their love for Zayn that put it over the top.

The hometown hero endured the shoulder injury, fought through it and appeared to have the thing won until that damn Corbin ripped it away from him. The look of heartbreak on his face, his chance to impress Roman Reigns ruined, told the larger story at play.

The crowd may have wanted Zayn, but it is safe to say that Sheamus vs. Gunther on September 2 in Cardiff, Wales, is going to be a banger of a match and one of the most physical we will ever see in WWE.

Great booking, an even better crowd, the underdog storyline and the dastardly heel ruining the desired outcome helped earn this one its grade.

Result

Sheamus defeated Ricochet, Corbin, Moss and Zayn

Grade

A

Top Moments

• The ovation for Zayn was as loud as any pop in recent memory. The fans in Montreal treated him like a conquering hero, and rightfully so. For a guy who has been enormously selfless over the last two or so years, he earned the opportunity to bask in it.
• "Maybe looked like El Generico there," Cole said of Zayn in a statement that never would have been made a month ago.
• The roar for the injured Zayn making his way back to the ring was unforgettable, as was the growl he let out prior to the suplex he delivered to Ricochet.

The Viking Funeral; Liv Morgan vs. Shotzi

The latest chapter in the rivalry between The Viking Raiders and The New Day featured Erik and Ivar attending a special "Viking Funeral," apparently presided over by an unidentified Sarah Logan.

On-location vignettes will always be appreciated, and while the whole Viking thing has not resonated with this writer, at least WWE Creative is trying something different in an attempt to get Erik and Ivar over and accepted as top heels in the tag division.

While Logan is best remembered for her time with Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott in The Riott Squad, it would be interesting to see if her addition to the act as a heater would help get the team over more than it is.

Speaking of Morgan, she made her way to the ring for a match with Shotzi, with whom she had an all-day Twitter exchange.

Shotzi controlled the match prior to and throughout the commercial break as the commentary team questioned Morgan's decision to compete despite an injured left arm. Tenacious and resilient, Morgan fought back and delivered ObLIVion for the pinfall victory.

This was a hard-fought match with some solid storytelling that was abandoned late as Morgan made her comeback with little sign of the injured arm that had hampered her all night long.

Shayna Baszler attacked after the bell and threatened to break Morgan's arm but opted to wait until Cardiff, when she can do it and take the women's title all at the same time.

Baszler, like Rousey earlier in the show, has rediscovered her edge under Triple H, and it is amazing how quickly credibility can be restored. The Queen of Spades looks like an absolute killer and someone who is going to dismantle Morgan in Cardiff.

If she does not, Morgan looks even stronger for having beaten her. It is simple booking and something The Game has excelled in to this point in his tenure.

Result

Morgan defeated Shotzi

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Cole referenced the Twitter exchange between Morgan and Shotzi, but this is one instance where popping it up on the screen would have helped put over the match and given fans a reason to care beyond the champ appearing in it.
• Baszler rocked the Triple H-style leather/jean jacket for the second week in a row.

Roman Reigns and Drew Mcintyre Face-to-Face

Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns hit the ring to a deafening pop and wasted little time calling out Drew McIntyre for some of the comments The Scottish Warrior made in his absence.

This brought out the No. 1 contender, who chastised The Tribal Chief for not being around and went as far as to claim the titleholder is not representing the company or its top prizes like he should be.

The predictable brawl broke out and Zayn reappeared, shoving Reigns out of the way and eating a Claymore Kick from McIntyre. Reigns rocked his Clash at the Castle opponent with a Superman Punch, but McIntyre recovered and delivered another Claymore from out of nowhere to end the segment with him standing tall.

This was a solid segment that addressed the issues between Reigns and McIntyre and, more importantly, saw Zayn prove himself as an honorary member of The Bloodline when The Head of the Table had no one else backing him up.

When Reigns and Co. do inevitably kick Zayn out of the group, the Underdog from the Underground will be one of the most popular stars on the roster thanks to the equity fans have built up in him over the last few months.

Grade

A

Top Moments

• Backstage, prior to the main event segment, McIntyre was preparing when he found a mysteriously placed hourglass, a nod to Kross.
• "I'm not around every week, and that means people come out here and say some stupid stuff," Reigns said as he started his promo, taking exception to McIntyre claiming he has carried the company on his back.
• Reigns entered to a pop rivaled only by Zayn's earlier in the show, backing up his claims moments later that no man is the main event, the man who carries WWE on his back, like The Tribal Chief.
• "There is not a man alive that Drew McIntyre cannot tear apart," the top contender claimed.