Last week's SmackDown Live concluded with one of the more pleasant surprises we've seen on WWE television in quite a while, with the reunion of Team Hell No taking place as Kane returned to save Daniel Bryan from the clutches of the Bludgeon Brothers. On this week's SmackDown, the two were officially reunited with one another as a team for the first time in five years, and they picked up right where they left off -- bickering with each other and all while being forced to tackle top-notch competition. 

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Team Hell No off to a victorious start

Renee Young opened SmackDown in the ring by welcoming, together for the first time in five years, Team Hell No. Bryan said that while their relationship may be rocky sometimes, when they step in the ring together, they're an unstoppable unit. Kane followed that up by saying that no matter what, Bryan always has a demon watching over him. Bryan questioned whether Kane truly has always had his back, calling back to their 2014 feud -- just before Bryan was forced to relinquish the WWE undisputed championship -- where Kane tried to end his career, and on top of that, abduct his wife Brie Bella. After they bickered back and forth for a bit, The Usos made their way out to mock the fact that Bryan and Kane were essentially gifted a shot at the tag team championship at Extreme Rules. Next out was general manager Paige, who announced that the main event of Tuesday's show would see Team Hell No go against Jimmy and Jey Uso with the stipulation that if The Usos emerge victorious, they will be added to the tag team title bout at Extreme Rules. 

Team Hell No def The Usos via pinfall: Team Hell No will still have the tag team championship opportunity all to themselves at Extreme Rules after Kane got the pin after a chokeslam to Jey Uso. Following the victory, the Bludgeon Brothers made their way out to the ramp for a stare down with their challengers to close the show. 

Yep, it's official: Bryan and Kane as Team Hell No is still one of the more entertaining acts in the company, in the ring and out of it. This was a solid showing for them in their first bit of action as a team in five years, and now you really get the feeling their showdown with Harper and Rowan in less than two weeks could be one of the better matches on the card when the dust settles.. Grade: A-

Rusev sends a vicious message to AJ Styles

Styles returned after a one-week absence to a chorus of dueling "AJ Styles!" and "Rusev Day!" chants. The WWE champion noted that he was well aware of everything Rusev said last week, but this is still the house that AJ Styles built. Rusev and Aiden English made their way out to the ring, where the title challenger at Extreme Rules proclaimed that he's ready to move into the house that he built by earning the WWE championship. 

AJ Styles def. Aiden English via submission: Despite an early distraction from Rusev, Styles picked up the easy win with the Calf Crusher. Immediately following the win, Rusev pulled Styles out of the ring and attacked him, connecting with a Machka Kick on the outside. Rusev rolled Styles back into the ring and slapped on the Accolade for good measure. 

They've done a good job thus far of presenting Rusev as a credible threat to Styles' WWE championship, and the post-match beat down helped in that regard this week. But you have to scratch your head at WWE once again altering someone's role simply to fit a certain situation; you know, sort of what was just pulled with Nia Jax on Raw heading into her feud with Ronda Rousey. Rusev has been teetering toward the babyface side as of late as his organic popularity grew, and even shook hands with Styles after he was victorious to become the No. 1 contender a couple weeks ago. Now, all of a sudden, he's back to being the dastardly heel? There would be no harm whatsoever in just letting the two characters as they were face off for the WWE title in front of what will be a hot crowd in Pittsburgh. Grade: C-

What else happened on SmackDown?

  • United States Championship --  Jeff Hardy (c) def. The Miz via pinfall to retain the title: Hardy, patriotic face paint and all, held another United States championship open challenge in honor of Independence Day. Miz would be revealed as the man to answer that call. Hardy defeated Miz with the Swanton Bomb after Miz was caught attempting to steal the win with his feet on the ropes. 
  • SAnitY ruins the New Day pancake eating contest: Advertised for Tuesday's SmackDown was the New Day holding their first annual Third of July Pancake Eating Contest. The contest barely got underway when SAnitY's music hit and they blindsided New Day with a sneak attack in the ring. They annihilated the popular trio, finishing things off in the ring by putting Xavier Woods through a table. 
  • Asuka vs. James Ellsworth ended in a double countout: Asuka was physically dominating Ellsworth, which caused Carmella's lackey to hightail it away from the ringside area with Asuka in pursuit, causing the countout finish. They made their way back toward the ring, and when they did, the SmackDown women's champion laid out Asuka once again. Later in the evening, Paige informed Ellsworth he will face Asuka again next week, only this time the ring will be surrounded with female lumberjacks as a result of how things unfolded on Tuesday night. 
  • Becky Lynch def. Peyton Royce via submission: Lynch earned the win after making Royce tap to the Dis-Arm-Her. You're starting to get the feeling that, after all this time, there is a solid plan in place long-term for Lynch who continues to rack up wins. It's about time.