It was pretty obvious that Vince McMahon had made some big changes to this week’s “SmackDown” when just one of the four previously announced matches actually happened. That said, it’s hard to complain about the booking when it leads to big wins for rising talent that need to be established, particularly as heels. LA Knight probably would have won the planned triple threat against Butch and Santos Escobar, but it means a little more to see him get a clean victory over Rey Mysterio. Pretty Deadly’s win over the Street Profits wasn’t as free from shenanigans, but the trickery involving the bralette hung a nice little narrative on the match, which was probably the best of the night. And while Grayson Waller has yet to wrestle on the main roster, he continues to secure his position as a regular part of the show and did great work with Prince and Wilson before the Profits’ arrival.

Meanwhile, Solo Sikoa continued to be built up as an unstoppable monster, which he accomplished not by winning a match, but by driving his thumb into Ridge Holland’s windpipe, instantly reducing him to choking death rattles, and then beating Sheamus — a man with a healthy reputation for toughness — so badly that the match was called off by the medical staff. It’s been a rocky road for a lot of the talent Paul Levesque has called up, repackaged, or re-hired in the last year, but “SmackDown’s” evil youth movement is only getting stronger.