WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From September 25

Before we head to Chicago for Worlds Collide this weekend, WWE made a stop by Indianapolis for this week's SmackDown.

Here's a look at what WWE advertised for Friday's show:

CM Punk vs. Gunther vs. Finn Balor (MITB Qualifier)

Charlotte Flair vs. Giulia vs. Lash Legend (MITB Qualifier)

Fatal Influence vs. Chelsea Green, Paige and Tiffany Stratton

Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin (United States Championship, Steel Cage)

Let's take a look at what happened on this week's SmackDown.

Last time in action: Trick Williams defeated Baron Corbin (SNME, September 6)

When the USA Network went live in the arena about 10 minutes before the show started, Randy Orton interrupted Michael Cole and said he is going to interview him before the end of the show. It then suddenly cut back to a commercial and the end of the show that aired before SmackDown.

When the show finally started, we saw the cage being lowered for the United States Championship match between Williams and Corbin. Cole called this the final chapter of their story.

They started the match with a flurry of punches, so there was no wasting time with lockups or headlocks. Trick Willy was the first to take control, but Corbin used the cage to his advantage.

This has been a hot and cold feud, but Corbin and Williams have developed good chemistry as opponents. They clearly know each other's strengths, and the fact that they have a lot of physical similarities makes it an even contest.

Cage matches used to be a big attraction in WWE, but these days, it can feel more restrictive than anything else. There is only so much you can do with the cage, so giving fans anything fresh is almost impossible. That being said, this wasn't a bad match.

Corbin played a great bully, and Williams had the crowd behind him whenever he had the upper hand. This match won't set the world on fire, but it was a decent way to get the show started with something other than a talking segment.

Corbin kicked the cage door into Lil Yachty's face at ringside, but it came back to bite him when Yachty slammed it back in his face as he tried to escape. Williams was able to put him away to retain the title in the end.

Putting something semi-interesting in that little pre-show segment was a nice change of pace. It's usually just a shot of the crowd.

The sound completely cut out about 30 seconds before the first commercial break.

The superplex from the top of the cage was a cool spot.

Charlotte Flair vs. Giulia vs. Lash Legend

Last time in action: Giulia lost to Michin (Main Event, August 14), Legend won a tag match with Nia Jax (SmackDown, August 24), Flair lost a six-woman tag (SNME, September 6)

The second match of the night was another women's MITB qualifier with Giulia, Flair and Legend fighting for one of the remaining spots.

Legend came into this bout with the biggest power advantage, and Giulia was definitely the underdog due to her size, but the nature of a triple threat match evened the playing field and made it feel like any of them could win and it would be believable.

This was a pretty typical three-way. We got to see every combination one-on-one, and we saw several moments that included all three competitors. They did a good job making it feel less predictable than a lot of matches, but there wasn't much to it overall. It was a solid match that gave all three women some good moments.

Flair being the only former world champion of the three made her the easy choice, as well as the predictable choice, so the more interesting outcome was either of the two other woman winning. Thankfully, that is exactly what happened.

The final few minutes were the best part of the match. Legend ended up spoiling the win for Giulia and hitting her finisher to qualify for MITB.

Result: Legend defeated Giulia and Flair

Paige, Chelsea, Nikki and Tiffany had a backstage segment. Nikki vowed to win the title from Chelsea.

The fact that WWE hasn't done more with Giulia is a travesty. She is one of the best workers they have.

The modified Tower of Doom spot looked good. They had a unique setup instead of the usual suplex.

Michael Cole sat backstage with Randy Orton for the interview Orton forced him to do. Cole said he wasn't sure what to do, so Orton asked him about his interview with Cody Rhodes last week.

Orton did almost all of the talking. He spoke about Rhodes and what he has done in his career. He claimed Cody has changed many times in his career, but Orton said he has always been the same person.

The Viper said he wants that 15th championship, and if he has to go through Rhodes to get it, then he will.

The way this segment started was great. Cole felt uncomfortable, and Orton felt like he might snap at any moment. As the interview went on, Orton got louder and angrier, but he stopped feeling like he might attack Cole, which took some of the intensity away from the proceedings.

Blake Monroe vs. Giulia was booked for next week during a backstage segment. If the match actually happens, it will be a miracle.

Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton and Paige vs. Fatal Influence

Jacy Jayne. Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley took on Green, Stratton and Paige in a six-woman tag match this week.

This bout featured every champion in the SmackDown women's division, but the only thing on the line was bragging rights.

Reid is still early in her career, but the other five women have all established themselves as talented performers, so this match had some fun moments sprinkled in.

Green, as usual, was especially entertaining. She has carved out a rare niche for herself as someone who can be both a comedic wrestler and somebody WWE can rely on for a strong in-ring performance. The crowd loves her, and she seems to be able to adapt to any opponent.

This wasn't a high-stakes match, but that almost worked to its advantage because either team could have won and nobody would bat an eye at it.

This wasn't the most exciting match of the night, but the crowd was enjoying it, and everyone put in a good effort. Nikki Bella showed up and interfered, which allowed Jayne to pin Paige for the win.

Result: Fatal Influence defeated Green, Stratton and Paige

Fatal Influence will face three stars from AAA at Worlds Collide tomorrow in Chicago.

Green is the funniest champion in WWE right now. She barely has to try and she is still hilarious.

Last time in action: Balor vs. Gunther vs. Owens ended in a No Contest (SmackDown, August 24), Punk lost to Sami Zayn (SmackDown, Sept. 11)

Cody Rhodes came to the ring to talk about what is going on with Orton, as well as his quest to regain the WWE title. As he was leaving, Punk made his entrance for the main event against Balor and Gunther for a spot in the MITB match.

Gunther went after Balor as soon as the bell rang, but Punk was not about to be ignored and threw himself in the fight.

Unsurprisingly, this was the best thing on the entire show. Punk was good, but Gunther and Balor were the interesting combo. It feels like WWE is building a singles feud between them. They focused on each other more than Punk in this match.

Everyone got a chance to come close to winning before Punk stole the win from Balor by covering Gunther right after he hit the Coup de Grace. The final few minutes were especially enjoyable.

Punk and Rhodes shared a long look as they passed each other in the aisle.

Balor needs to bring the Demon character back again. It really set him apart from everyone else.

The two-man Boston crab on Gunther was a fun spot.

Friday's SmackDown was an eventful episode. We got a steel cage match for the U.S. title, a couple of MITB qualifiers, and a few segments that advanced various feuds.

Was this the strongest episode of SmackDown? Not by a long shot, but it was a decent way to spend a couple of hours on a Friday night.

Punk, Balor and Gunther stole the show, but Williams and Corbin kicked the night off with a cage match that the crowd seemed to enjoy.

Money in the Bank is always one of the most interesting PLEs of the year because WWE has the chance to give someone surprising a push with the briefcases. Let's hope this year's winners make the most of the opportunity.