A Beat the Clock Challenge on tonight’s SmackDown decided the order for the Women’s title matches at SummerSlam.
Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s Championship defense against Asuka at Sunday’s pay-per-view will take place prior to Asuka challenging Sasha Banks for the Raw Women’s Championship. Banks defeated Naomi in 3:39 in their Beat the Clock Challenge match on SmackDown tonight. Bayley then lost her Beat the Clock match against Naomi with 1:44 left.
Asuka appeared after the Beat the Clock Challenge and cut a promo vowing to become the empress of every title. She laid out Banks with a kick and then attacked Bayley. Bayley bailed and initially went past Banks but then came back to check on her.
Asuka won a triple brand battle royal on SmackDown last Friday to become Bayley’s SummerSlam challenger. Asuka had already defeated Bayley on Raw in a match where the stipulation was that Asuka would challenge Banks at SummerSlam if she won.
Corey Graves interviewed Banks and Bayley on SmackDown tonight and asked about dissension between them and which match would happen first at SummerSlam. Naomi then interrupted them, setting up the Beat the Clock Challenge.
Here’s the updated list of announced matches for SummerSlam:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defending against Randy Orton
Universal Champion Braun Strowman defending against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defending against Asuka
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defending against Asuka
Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits defending against Andrade & Angel Garza
United States Champion Apollo Crews defending against MVP
Street fight: Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins
No DQ, loser leaves WWE match: Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville