Kelani Jordan is one of the five participants headed to tonight’s NXT Deadline to compete in the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge, competing against Tiffany Stratton, Lash Legend, Blair Davenport and Fallon Henley for a future NXT Women’s title shot.
She earned her spot with a late-November win over Kiana James.
Ahead of the biggest matchup of her young career, I talked with the former gymnast about her time thus far in wrestling and tonight’s big opportunity.
Her fast rise
Given that WWE NXT is a developmental brand, fans have seen a lot of talents grow on the weekly program with Jordan as one of them. While she had primarily had been working on NXT Level Up and the NXT house show loops for the better portion of 2023, she wasn’t on NXT TV until June when she took part in a battle royal.
Fast forward to October, Jordan was named as one of the eight women taking part in the 2023 women’s Breakout Tournament. After wins over Izzi Dame and Arianna Grace to advance to the finals, she got some good crowd reactions and showcased her athletic ability in an eventual defeat to Lola Vice.
Now, she finds herself on the doorstop of a big opportunity.
“It’s so rewarding. It’s amazing because, like you said, about six to seven months ago, I had my first debut match on Level Up. And so now to see how far I’ve come to be on a major PLE, in the Iron Survivor Challenge, the second one ever, it’s so rewarding. I’m just so happy because I never would have thought so. I’m like, ‘Well, if I can do this in six months, imagine the next six months how far I’ll be.'”
Transitioning from gymnastics
Like a lot of the new crop of developmental students at the Performance Center, Jordan excelled at a different sport before pursuing wrestling. Jordan’s athletic background stems from gymnastics.
While she was attending Michigan State in 2022, she was finishing her fifth year in gymnastics when she received a direct message on Instagram from the WWE recruiting account, asking her if she was interested in attending their tryout at SummerSlam.
Jordan says that when she received the message, she was surprised WWE reached out to her. She ended up taking a chance and ended up getting selected by Paul “Triple H” Levesque to further her training at the Performance Center.
“At first, I’m like, ‘Is this real?’ There’s no way that WWE is contacting me and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to go for it.’ So I went down to Nashville, I did the tryout, and thankfully I was blessed with the opportunity for Triple H himself to offer me to come to the Performance Center and start training.
“And that’s how I got into pro wrestling. I never would have thought in a million years that I would be a WWE superstar so being here is so surreal.”
Once she began training, she said that learning how to be safe and rolling in the ring was the easiest part for her to learn, revealing that the most “painful” thing was learning how to hit the ropes.
“So learning how to just control your body with safety, like rolling and stuff, that was the easy part. But hitting the ropes the first time was so painful and just learning how to bump and stuff. That was probably the most painful thing, the most difficult thing ever. Hitting the ropes was the most difficult.”
Given how quickly she has taken to wrestling, Jordan explained to me how her background in gymnastics has attributed to her learning this new sport so quickly.
“I will say it’s very, very different. It’s foreign to me. But then again, the physicality of it helps me a lot because I’m able to catch on to the small details easier, I would say just because in gymnastics, everything is based on perfection. So I have to make sure I know all the details to make sure the margin of error is very small.”
She emphasized that her background in gymnastics has helped her a lot with body control and what she calls “air awareness.”
“I believe that helps me in the ring with like body control and details. Just making sure I’m aware, I have air awareness. So, I believe gymnastics helped me. But then again, it’s so different because I’m not used to having someone hit me or being in the ring with someone else. In gymnastics, it’s just me by myself.”
Key influences
Given that Jordan is so new to the world of professional wrestling, I asked her who are some of the performers she studies. Three very different wrestlers were her answer: Rob Van Dam, Bryan Danielson and Bianca Belair.
“Starting with in-ring wise, I would say RVD is someone whose style I absolutely love. I love also how authentic he is, how unapologetically himself he is. And that’s something that I want to strive to be. I want people to be able to relate to me.
“And then also Bianca Belair: someone because she’s so elegant, but she’s also so powerful and even she has this sass to her where she doesn’t let anyone walk over her.
“And then for promo wise, I love hearing (Bryan Danielson) cut his promos. He’s very energetic and it’s cool to see his evolution of how he started promos to where he was doing promos.”
Team Bianca claimed victory inside WarGames at Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series event.
The team of Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Shotzi defeated the Damage CTRL foursome of IYO SKY, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Bayley to win the women’s WarGames match to kick off Survivor Series after Lynch pinned Bayley after a Manhandle Slam off the ropes through a table.
Belair’s team began the bout with the order of entry advantage following a fan vote in a poll sponsored by Ruffles decided that factor. The match featured many of the expected weapons spots, including IYO SKY reprising her trademark blind crossbody off the top of the cage with a trashcan placed over her body.
Other key moments in the bout included Belair hitting a double superplex on SKY and Bayley as the Damage CTRL duo tried to hold her by her braided hair, Sane hitting her Insane Elbow, Lynch hitting a legdrop off the top through a table, plus Belair spraying Asuka with a fire extinguisher.
Flair and Lynch also embraced in the ring to a big crowd reaction, settling their years-long storyline beef that hit its apex at Survivor Series two years ago with a singles match.
Hulu has revealed when its upcoming WWE-focused reality series will be premiering.
It was announced today that “Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez” will premiere on Hulu on Friday, February 2, 2024. The series follows real-life married couple Bianca Belair (Bianca Blair Crawford) and Montez Ford (Kenneth Crawford) and their lives both inside and outside of the ring.
I was always somebody that was like, ‘I will never do reality TV, I have no desire to do it.’ And I learned to never say never very quickly.
It was different for me because everybody sees my husband – who everybody in the ring is who he is at home, he’s high energy, he’s full of life, full of joy, yelling, screaming, singing.
I’m a little bit more low-key and more reserved, I just chill at home and do my DIY projects. I’m used to having the cameras in my face at work and now they’re in my home. How do I just be normal now? I don’t need to turn it on to be Bianca Belair. It’s a different dynamic!
Belair told People that it will be a “fun-filled” reality show. Her parents and Ford’s mother will play a prominent role in the series.
Belair recently returned to WWE television after a two-month hiatus. At Crown Jewel this Saturday, she’s challenging IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship.
Ford is currently part of a faction with Bobby Lashley & Angelo Dawkins in WWE. The Street Profits turned heel when aligning with Lashley.
Bianca Belair will challenge IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Championship at Crown Jewel.
As announced during Friday’s SmackDown episode, Belair will face SKY for the Women’s title at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view set for Saturday, November 4.
SKY cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Belair at SummerSlam in August to win the title on the same night Belair reclaimed the Championship from Asuka in a triple threat match.
Belair was the victim of a backstage attack from Damage CTRL later that month on SmackDown, leading to a two-month hiatus from WWE programming. Belair made her return on last week’s SmackDown.
Seven matches in total, and five title bouts are set for Crown Jewel which airs at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network.
The updated lineup for Crown Jewel:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against LA Knight
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Drew McIntyre
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Nia Jax, Raquel Rodriguez, Shayna Baszler, and Zoey Stark in a fatal five-way match
Women’s Champion IYO SKY defends against Bianca Belair
United States Champion Rey Mysterio defends against Logan Paul
Belair made her return at the conclusion of last night’s SmackDown, appearing after a WWE Women’s Championship match between IYO SKY and Charlotte Flair. Belair saved Charlotte from a Damage CTRL beatdown.
SKY retained the WWE Women’s Championship with help from Bayley and Dakota Kai. Charlotte seemed like she had the match won after hitting a spear, but Bayley put SKY’s foot on the bottom rope. Charlotte then went after Bayley and attacked her at ringside. With the referee’s attention turned away, Kai gave SKY the WWE Women’s Championship belt.
Charlotte went to hit another spear on SKY — but SKY used the title to give Charlotte a belt shot. Sky then pinned Charlotte to retain.
Damage CTRL attacked Charlotte after the match until Belair ran out to make the save. She had SKY in position for a KOD, but Bayley stopped that from happening. Belair then hit the KOD on Bayley instead.
Belair had been away from WWE television since being attacked by Damage CTRL on the August 18 episode of SmackDown. Belair told the Metro that she was focused on self-care during her hiatus.
“Right now, it was just some self-care,” Belair said. “We did some things with us personally that I’m so excited about, it has to do with the future.”
Bianca Belair made her WWE return after two months away on Friday’s SmackDown.
Belair’s return came in the show-closing segment on SmackDown following the IYO SKY vs. Charlotte Flair Women’s Championship match main event. SKY defeated Flair with interference from Damage CTRL teammates Bayley & Dakota Kai, and Damage CTRL continued to attack Flair after the bell. Belair ran in for the save and stood tall with Flair to end the episode.
Belair last appeared on the August 18 SmackDown show, where an injury angle was shot with Damage CTRL attacking Belair’s leg. The angle was a storyline reason to give Belair time off in what she later described as a break for “Just some self-care.”
The return of Belair seemed imminent this week when she was advertised for the November 4 Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to her in-ring career, Belair and husband Montez Ford will have a reality show on Hulu beginning late this year or early in 2024, and Belair also noted that she is working on publishing a children’s book.
Belair’s return can be seen in the embedded video below.
Bianca Belair could be returning to WWE in the near future.
An official poster released for WWE Crown Jewel on November 4 features Belair along with John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Logan Paul, Roman Reigns, and Rhea Ripley.
PWInsider is reporting that Belair could be back on WWE programming as soon as this Friday’s SmackDown in San Antonio.
Belair hasn’t wrestled since the August 18 edition of WWE SmackDown. She lost the WWE Women’s Championship less than two weeks earlier to IYO Sky at SummerSlam when Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase.
During an interview with Metro last month, Belair addressed her absence from WWE programming, saying she has been working on other projects and also taking time for “self-care.”
“Right now, it was just some self-care,” she said. “We did some things with us personally that I’m so excited about, it has to do with the future.”
A reality TV program starring Belair and Montez Ford titled “The Crawfords” is expected to be released on Hulu by the end of the year. Belair also mentioned wanting to write a children’s book.
“Right now, it was just some self-care,” Belair said. “We did some things with us personally that I’m so excited about, it has to do with the future.”
Belair has been away from WWE programming since shortly after SummerSlam. To explain her absence, there was an angle on the August 18 episode of SmackDown where Belair was attacked by Damage CTRL. They wrapped Belair’s leg in a steel chair and then used another chair to attack her.
Belair told the Metro that she’s also trying to write a children’s book.
“I’m trying to write a children’s book as well,” Belair said.
A reality show starring Belair and her husband Montez Ford will premiere on Hulu at the end of this year or the beginning of 2024. “The Crawfords” is the name of the show.
Belair and Ford were at the New York Stock Exchange last week to celebrate the WWE-Endeavor deal becoming official. Belair told the Metro that it was an honor to be part of that moment.
“It was exciting just to be part of a historic moment. Being able to be there representing WWE was an honor. It’s very exciting because it’s a new chapter,” Belair said.
“Everyone is on the edge of, ‘What’s coming? What’s happening next?’ so I’m just excited for whatever can come out of this and what’s going to come out of this. It’s going to be great.”
Belair won the WWE Women’s Championship in a triple threat match against Asuka and Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam. But Belair’s title reign didn’t last long. IYO SKY cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase immediately after the match and defeated Belair to win the title.
Fightful Select reported on Tuesday that Belair is taking anywhere from under a month to “possibly three months” off. Back at WWE SummerSlam earlier this month, Belair had won the WWE Women’s Championship from Asuka in a three-way match involving Charlotte Flair. However, IYO SKY and the rest of Damage CTRL made their way to the ring, with SKY cashing in and defeating Belair to win the championship for the first time.
Belair & Flair then teamed together to defeat Bayley and SKY in a match on the August 18 edition of SmackDown. However, Damage CTRL attacked the knee of Belair after the match, playing off a knee injury from SummerSlam. In their report, Fightful noted that the knee injury was just a storyline.
It was also noted in Fightful’s report that Belair received praise for her run with the WWE Women’s Championship, noting the media schedule and the community events she would take part in.
After signing with WWE in April 2016, it only took Bianca Belair a few years before making her main roster debut at WrestleMania 36. Since then, she has skyrocketed to the top as one of the top female wrestlers in WWE.
Some of her accolades include winning the women’s Royal Rumble in 2021, main eventing night 1 of WrestleMania 37 in a match against Sasha Banks, and winning ESPN’s Female Wrestler of the Year for 2022. Her match against Banks was rated 4.5 stars by our very own Dave Meltzer.
I spoke to the EST of WWE during her promotional campaign for C4 Energy x WWE and she discussed the status of the women’s division, helping raise the bar, her favorite feuds, and much more.
Raising the bar
Belair said that because she didn’t have a background in wrestling, she knew from the very beginning that she wanted to “bring something different to the table.”
She explained that she did so by always trying to “incorporate some type of powerlifting” and attributing some of her in-ring success to her background in gymnastics. However, Belair made sure to credit the women before her.
“There’s women that were here before me too, and they were doing amazing things…like the Four Horsemen. I have been able to step in the ring with them and create some amazing moments, amazing matches.”
Belair then added that it is “cool” to know she’s one of the first collegiate athletes that was able to come over to the WWE and “really transition to a successful wrestler.”
“Now we have the NIL program behind us, it’s coming through. They are recruiting more collegiate athletes, so to know that I was one of the many that opened the door for that, it means a lot,” she said.
Her favorite matches
Belair shared that she is “very happy” with the reputation she has built — one that includes fans knowing that her matches are going to be good to great with “some feats of strength and athleticism”
When it came to her favorite moments, Belair mentioned main eventing WrestleMania 37 with Sasha Banks (now Mercedes Mone), recalling that that was the first time she and Banks ever touched one another and how “mind boggling” it was to have that kind of chemistry with her.
She then mentioned all the work that she has been able to do with Becky Lynch, calling her match with Lynch at WrestleMania 38 “an amazing match.”
She then went on to say that one of her feuds that isn’t talked about as much is the work she did with Bayley.
“But some match stuff like that aren’t talked about enough are the matches that I’ve done with Bayley like our Hell In A Cell match in front of no audience. And you go back and you watch that match…the creativity, you know what we did in that match. It was, like, really an amazing match.”
Belair also talked about the new WWE partnership with C4 Energy on their line of drinks and pre-workout powder that she has been using since her days in the CrossFit world.
@c4energy and @WWE have collaborated for the first time ever. The C4 Ultimate Energy x WWE collection!!!
I spoke to @BiancaBelairWWE about the collaboration and how she has used it since the CrossFit days!!!
— Denise 'Hollywood' Salcedo (@_denisesalcedo) July 27, 2023
Belair’s next big match is this Saturday at WWE SummerSlam where she will challenge for the WWE Women’s Championship in a triple threat against Charlotte Flair and current champion Asuka.
The WWE Women’s Championship will officially be on the line in a triple threat match at SummerSlam.
WWE has confirmed that Asuka will defend her title against Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair in a triple threat match at the Saturday, August 5 pay-per-view. The PPV is being held at Ford Field in Detroit.
Earlier today, WWE had stated that Asuka’s SummerSlam challenger would be revealed on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Asuka has been feuding with both Charlotte and Belair leading into SummerSlam. They’ve each challenged Asuka for the WWE Women’s Championship on SmackDown over the past few weeks, but both title matches ended without definitive finishes.
Asuka won the Raw Women’s Championship from Belair at Night of Champions this May. The title was later renamed to the WWE Women’s Championship.
While not part of the SummerSlam triple threat match, IYO SKY could potentially end up getting involved in the championship mix. SKY holds the women’s Money in the Bank briefcase and has had her sights set on the WWE Women’s Championship in recent weeks.
This is the third match that’s been officially announced for SummerSlam. The updated card for the PPV is listed below:
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Finn Balor
WWE Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair in a triple threat match
After weeks of asking for a match against Asuka for the WWE Women’s Championship, Bianca Belair will get her shot on tonight’s SmackDown from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The last time Asuka defended her title was against Charlotte Flair on SmackDown two weeks ago. Belair caused that match to end in a no contest.
Tonight will also feature the fallout of last week’s Trial of Roman Reigns. We’ll see if Reigns provides an answer to Jey Uso’s challenge for an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match.
WWE’s United States Championship Invitational will begin with a fatal four-way match involving AJ Styles, Santos Escobar, Butch, and Grayson Waller. Another four-way match is scheduled to take place on SmackDown next week. The winners of the four-way bouts will advance to face each other for the right to become the next challenger for Austin Theory’s United States title.
Plus, Sheamus & Ridge Holland face Pretty Deadly in tag team action. Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
– The show began with Jey Uso walking backstage as Michael Cole voiced over that Jey is on a warpath. We went to the ring, where Bianca Belair’s music hit.
The Bianca Belair/Charlotte segment
The crowd chanted “EST!” before Belair began to talk. Belair said it’s been hard to be patient because she has wanted a rematch with Asuka so badly. Belair mentioned all the hoops she had to go through to get her rematch. Belair said tonight will be her night. Belair said she’s going to show Asuka that patience is a virtue. Belair said she will strut out of there as the new WWE Women’s Champion, but before she could finish her sentence, Charlotte’s music hit.
After Charlotte got in the ring, the crowed graced her with a million “Woooos!” Charlotte said Belair fired Charlotte up and then said Charlotte said she believes Belair will win later tonight and she’s manifesting a win in Flair Country. Charlotte said when Belair wins, she wants to makes sure Belair knows that Charlotte is next in line. The crowd was excited at the thought and Belair said she wouldn’t jinx herself, but Belair said there would be nothing better than Charlotte vs. Belair at SummerSlam for the WWE Women’s Championship. Belair said she’s ready for Asuka before Belair and Charlotte shook hands, solidifying the potential match between Charlotte and Belair next month. Charlotte let out a “Wooooo!” to end the segment.
**********
– The Brawling Brutes were shown backstage. Sheamus hyped up Butch competing in the four-way for a shot at the U.S. Title. Ridge Holland said tonight, Pretty Deadly is going to be eaten alive by he and Sheamus. We went back to the ring, where the Brutes made their entrance.
Pretty Deadly [Elton Prince & Kit Wilson] defeated the Brawling Brutes [Sheamus & Ridge Holland] [10:27]
You just knew that somehow, some way, Pretty Deadly would get the win here. Still, the Brutes looked strong and outside of a commercial break that allowed Pretty Deadly to take control, Sheamus and Holland got the bulk of the offense. Pretty Deadly is growing on me on the main roster. I enjoyed the bit on NXT for what it was, but it’s beginning to translate well on SmackDown. If nothing else, they are very good pest heels and seeing them get cheap wins only helps that perception. Both teams worked hard here and all told, it was a good opening match – especially at a time when SmackDown lately has been very talk-heavy. In a lot of ways, this was refreshing.
Sheamus and Prince began the match. Prince retreated to the outside. As a result, Sheamus pulled Wilson into the ring and beat him up. Prince returned to the ring and went for a hip-toss, but Sheamus blocked it and hit a clothesline. Holland tagged in and worked Prince over with a headbutt and some punches. Holland lifted Prince, but Prince wiggled out of it and chop-blocked Holland to give his team control. Wilson tagged in and the Pretty Deadly guys double-teamed Holland until Holland lifted and back-dropped both of them.
Sheamus tagged in and Sheamus dumped Wilson over the top. Sheamus worked 10 Bells on Wilson and Holland worked a variation of it on Prince until the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, Prince was stomping on Sheamus. Wilson tagged in and kept momentum up with some elbows to Sheamus’s chest. Wilson landed a running uppercut and tagged in Prince. Wilson tagged in quickly and kicked Sheamus in the face. Sheamus lifted Wilson on his shoulders and slammed him, but when Sheamus went for the tag, Prince ran around the corner and pulled Holland off the apron.
Wilson utilized Prince’s help and took Sheamus down. Wilson went to the top, but jumped into a knee from Sheamus. As a result, Sheamus finally got the hot tag to Holland, who landed a wild back-body drop on Prince. Holland took out both members of Pretty Deadly and fired up before hitting a German Suplex on Prince, who landed on Wilson. Holland landed a Fisherman’s Buster on Prince for a two-count. Pretty Deadly went to the outside and Sheamus came off the top onto both Pretty Deadly members. Back in the ring, Holland hit a side-slam on Prince for a two-count. Prince took a top turnbuckle padding off and ran Holland into it. Prince then hit a leg drop from the top for the 1-2-3.
**********
– Grayson Waller was interviewed backstage by Cathy Kelly. Waller recalled how he swam against Edge last week. Waller talked about how The Rock loves him. Waller then said he’s going to face three of the best SmackDown has to offer later and will have his hand raised in victory. Waller closed the interview by saying everything will happen … “if you smell what he’s cooking.”
– A video recapping last week’s Tribal Court segment aired. Footage from Money In The Bank was part of it. Michael Cole announced that Jimmy Uso is injured and will be out for the “foreseeable future.” Cole said today marks the 1,048 day as champion.
– Backstage, Charlotte ran into Adam Pearce and Charlotte told Pearce she’s leaving the arena because she feels good about the match later. Bayley and IYO SKY came into the frame and said Charlotte isn’t the only one who feels good as they pounded on SKY’s MITB briefcase. Charlotte, who was still around, said on second thought, she’s going to stick around.
**********
Bayley defeated Zelina Vega [2:02]
This was fine for what it was, but nobody thought this was going more than three minutes – which was sad because those two could have had a pretty good match if they were just given a little bit of time. The Shotzi post-match angle was interesting and I can’t say I’m not interested to see where this Shotzi/Bayley program goes. Good for Shotzi for getting some booking love.
Bayley jumpstarted the match and ran Vega to the outside, where she worked over Vega on the commentary table. The two fought on the apron and Vega fought for control, rolling Bayley inside the ring and hitting a Meteora for a two-count. Vega landed a swinging neck-breaker for a two-count. Bayley fought back and grabbed Vega’s flip-fop. Bayley ran into a Codebreaker and Vegan drove Bayley out of the ring with the flip-flop. Instantly, Bayley got back into the ring and hit the Rose Plant for the win.
After the match, a video from Shotzi appeared on the big screen. Shotzi said Bayley probably thinks she has control over Shotzi. Shotzi grabbed a razor and said she’s in control. Shotzi shaved her head and laughed uncontrollably. Shotzi put the hair in her mouth. Bayley looked a little concerned.
**********
The Jey Uso/Bloodline segment
Jey stood in the ring for a bit before saying anything. Jey said growing up, he and Jimmy were inseparable. The crowd gave him the “What?” treatment, but everyone seemed to be in on it and it felt more fun than patronizing. Jey said if Jimmy is sad, he’s sad and so on and so forth. It ended with Jey saying if Jimmy is hurt, Jey is hurt, too. Jey said he’s going to disrespect Roman Reigns and he’s going to spank Solo Sikoa. Jey said they’re looking at the real head of the table and his name is Main Event Jey Uso. The crowd cheered until they heard Paul Heyman’s voice.
Heyman introduced himself and said Sikoa is the enforcer of the Bloodline as they both walked toward the ring. Heyman said Sikoa was there to enforce peace. Heyman said that next week, Jey and Roman will go face to face and discuss the rules of engagement. Heyman followed that up by saying tonight, they just wanted to have a chat about things. Heyman said Jey is sounding more and more like a tribal chief every single day. Heyman said Sikoa is right in that Jey has no self-awareness. Heyman said Jey doesn’t have the conscience needed to be a right-hand man. Heyman said what happened to Jimmy is all Jey’s fault.
Heyman said Jey was the one who confronted Roman Reigns and Jey was the one who wanted to be the leader. Heyman spoke to Jimmy into the camera and said the only reason Jimmy is in the hospital is because of Jey Uso. Heyman said Jey’s father and mother will never forgive Jey for what he did to Jimmy. Heyman said both he and Reigns will never forgive Jey. Sikoa put his hand otu for the microphone. Heyman put it in Sikoa’s hand. Sikoa said what happened to Jimmy is all on Jey. Sikoa said he’ll never forgive Jey and threw down the mic.
Jey threw an elbow at Sikoa and eventually landed a super-kick on Sikoa, which left Jey alone with Heyman in the ring. The crowd rose up for the altercation. Before Jey could get his hands on Heyman, Sikoa returned to the ring and beat Jey down. Sikoa went for the Samoan Spike, but Jey countered and worked a ground-and-pound on Sikoa before actually hitting a super-kick on Heyman. Jey landed a suicida on Sikoa, who was on the outside. The crowd went nuts. Left in the ring was Jey, Heyman and a chair. Heyman begged Jey not to do anything. Jey picked up the chair, but Sikoa ran in and Jey hit Sikoa with the chair instead of Heyman. Sikoa rolled to the outside and he, along with Heyman, left to go to the back.
**********
Santos Escobar defeated AJ Styles, Butch and Grayson Waller [12:35]
It depends on the style you like, and I’ll fully admit that WWE rolls by its own rules, but for a WWE four-way, this was really very good. Waller played his part almost perfectly as the chicken-s!#$ heel who tried as hard as he could to take advantage of whatever advantageous situation presented itself, Styles was very good as The Guy Who Was The Favorite To Win, Butch was Butch and Escobar was forgotten. Naturally, then, Escobar winning was a curious call, but I’m all in if this means we can get the guy going on the main roster. The LWO has worked well enough, but it feels like we’re coming up on the end of the line and if this win means Escobar will have a shot at being a solo player, I’m all for it. I can do without the stupid big screen distraction finish, but outside of that, this was very good.
Austin Theory sat in on commentary. Waller started by punching Butch and rolled to the outside to jaw at Theory. Butch went after Waller. Inside the ring, Escobar worked over Styles with some chops until Styles put Escobar over the top to the outside. Butch and Styles squared off in the ring and traded pin attempts until Waller went for a double pin on them both, but only got a two-count. Styles and Butch fought until Escobar came off the top and took them both out. Waller took Escobar down, but Escobar came back with a boot to the face. Waller came back and ran into a German Suplex from Butch. Everybody exchanged shots on each other until everyone was down and the show went to break.
Back from break, Butch was doing the finger spot on Waller. Waller dumped Butch to the outside in response and Styles hit a sliding forearm on Waller. Styles hit a knee to the back of Waller’s neck and went for a pin but Butch broke it up. Escobar came back into the fold and flipped Butch onto Styles, who pinned Butch for a two-count. Escobar came right back and took down Styles before going to the top rope. Waller cut Escobar off and Butch hit Waller with an enziguri. Styles woke up, too, and all four guys were in a corner. Ultimately, Escobar landed a sunset flip, triple-power-bomb on the other three from the top rope.
Escobar hit knees on everyone else after they got to their feet. Escobar landed a Phantom Driver on Waller for a two-count. Waller rolled to the outside and the three babyfaces stood in the ring, trading strikes. Cole said the crowd was chanting “This is awesome,” but if they were, boy, that didn’t come up well on TV. Eventually, Waller lifted Butch, but Butch worked out of it and kicked the back of Waller. Waller threw Butch to the outside, but was ultimately the recipient of a moonsault from Butch. Escobar followed that up with a splash, but quickly, Styles set Butch up for a Styles Clash inside the ring. On the big screen, Karrion Kross appeared to stop Styles. Styles ran to the back and Waller hit a rolling stunner on Butch, but immediately after that, Escobar came off the top to hit a splash on Waller and pinned him.
**********
– Back from break, Styles was backstage talking to The OC, saying Kross was right and their feud wasn’t over. The show then cut to the Street Profits, who were standing next to a limo. Wouldn’t you know it: Bobby Lashley stepped out of the limo and embraced the Profits. The Profits got into the limo and Lashley left with them.
– Rey Mysterio cut a remote promo, ostensibly announcing himself as a participant in next week’s four-way for the other half of the U.S. title invitational. Cameron Grimes cut a similar promo and said he was going to the moon. Sheamus popped up and did the same.
– La Knight’s music hit back in the arena and the crowd went bonkers (I mean, come on, WWE. I know you’re hearing this week after week). Knight stopped before talking and the crowd chanted his name. Knight said all of a sudden LA Knight’s everywhere. Knight said he’s the best decision WWE ever made. Knight said the worst decision it made was to make a U.S. title invitational. Knight said he’s coming for that title. Knight said one way or another, they’re going to call him a champ someday. The crowd was all too happy to agree. We’re going to get Mysterio vs. Sheamus vs. Knight vs. Grimes next week as the other half of the US title invitational.
**********
Asuka defeated Bianca Belair via DQ [9:01]
If you thought we were getting a clean finish here, I have some beachfront property in Iowa that I’d love to sell you. Still, the match was all right for what it was. Belair and Asuka only seem to be getting better together and I’m interested to see if we’re headed more toward a four-way than a three-way at SummerSlam. Bayley and SKY are laying it on thick and we are less than a month away. Time will tell. I’m all for the women being put in the highest profile spots SmackDown has; I’d just love it if the booking was better. Good for Belair and Asuka for working hard; this just could have been so much more.
Bayley was shown with IYO SKY as two people who bought a ticket before the match began. Belair had the upper hand early. SKY and Bayley yelled at the two from the front row. Asuka tripped Belair to gain back control. Belair ultimately struck back and the two were down on the mat. In the meantime, Charlotte presented a ticket for the show, too, and sat at ringside as the show went to its final commercial.
The show returned and Belair had control, hitting a suplex and a standing moonsault for a two-count. With the two on the top, Asuka ultimately hit a shotgun dropkick from the top for a two-count. Asuka ran at Belair and Belair moved, eventually landing a spine-buster for a two-count. Asuka went for the Asuka Lock, but Belair rolled through and got a two-count out of it. Belair was on the apron, but Belair lifted Asuka and hit a KOD on Asuka on the commentary table.
Bayley and SKY and Charlotte hopped the barricade. Charlotte took out Bayley and SKY ran Charlotte into the ring post. Charlotte then speared Belair, which resulted in a DQ win for Asuka. SKY hit Charlotte in the head with her MITB briefcase. Bayley and SKY tried to cash in, but Asuka hit Bayley with the mist to stop all of it, the cash in didn’t happen and Asuka walked up the ramp. The show ended with all the women looking frustrated as Asuka smiled her way away.
The WWE Women’s Championship will be on the line on the July 14 SmackDown episode.
As announced during this week’s show, Asuka will defend the WWE Women’s title against Bianca Belair on next week’s SmackDown. The match stems from an angle this week where Belair attacked Asuka in the ring in a wild brawl segment that also featured Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and women’s Money in the Bank contract holder IYO SKY.
After Belair attacked Asuka, Bayley and SKY continued the attack, but were interrupted by Flair. Belair attacked Bayley, leaving Flair, SKY, and Asuka in the ring. Flair then laid out SKY with a big boot, allowing the Women’s Champion to escape before SKY had the opportunity to cash in her contract.
Belair defeated Asuka at WrestleMania in a match for what was then known as the Raw Women’s Championship. Belair was drafted to SmackDown in the WWE Draft, then Asuka defeated Belair in a rematch at Night of Champions. The Raw Women’s Championship was then rebranded as the WWE Women’s Championship after becoming exclusive to SmackDown.
Next week’s SmackDown lineup:
WWE Women’s Championship: Asuka defends against Bianca Belair
For the first time in more than a year, the Raw Women’s Championship has changed hands.
Asuka put an end to Bianca Belair’s title reign by defeating her at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Belair was champion for 420 days before dropping the title to Asuka.
An innovative use of blue mist led to Asuka getting the victory over Belair. Before Belair went for the KOD, Asuka spit the mist into her own taped up fingers. Belair picked up Asuka for the KOD, but Asuka raked Belair’s eyes with the mist. With Belair blinded, Asuka hit two kicks and pinned Belair to win the Raw Women’s Championship.
Belair vs. Asuka was a rematch from WrestleMania 39. Asuka lost that first meeting but returned to WWE programming two weeks ago and resumed her feud with Belair.
Though she’s the Raw Women’s Champion, Asuka is a member of the SmackDown roster. Both Asuka and Belair moved to SmackDown in the WWE Draft.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley was selected by Raw in the WWE Draft. Ripley retained her title against Natalya at Night of Champions.
Belair had been Raw Women’s Champion since winning the title from Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022.
The Raw Women’s Championship match has been confirmed for Night of Champions.
WWE revealed on Thursday that Bianca Belair will defend her title against Asuka on the show in a rematch from WrestleMania 39.
An angle to set up the match took place on SmackDown last week from Belair’s hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Asuka interrupted Belair’s Championship Celebration segment and spewed a toxic mist into the champion’s face. Belair was later shown in the back receiving medical attention.
Belair was drafted to SmackDown but still holds the Raw Women’s title. The SmackDown Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley, is assigned to Raw. In previous years, WWE has held title exchange segments involving the champions switching belts. However, this has yet to happen with Ripley and Belair.
WWE Night of Champions, Saturday, May 27, 1 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defend against Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Asuka
Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Championship tournament finals: Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles
Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther defends against Mustafa Ali
