WWE has announced a change to the card for tonight’s SmackDown.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Zelina Vega & Carmella will now face Sasha Banks & Naomi in a non-title match on SmackDown tonight. It was originally announced that Banks would be taking on Vega in a singles match on the show.
Vega & Carmella defending their titles against Banks & Naomi and Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan in a triple threat match has been announced for WrestleMania 38 night two on Sunday, April 3. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that a fourth team is expected to be added to that match.
“While not yet announced, the women’s tag title match as of this week was scheduled as a four-team match,” Meltzer wrote. “The fourth team would involve Natalya but they had not decided on her partner as of the last word, although it’s very possible that decision will be made this week.”
On last week’s SmackDown, Naomi defeated Carmella in a singles match.
Ripley & Morgan were added to the Women’s Tag Team title match at WrestleMania after they defeated Vega & Carmella in a non-title bout on Raw this Monday.
Tonight’s SmackDown is being held at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Big E & Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus & Ridge Holland is also set for the episode.
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Tuesday News Update
WWE
Bron Breakker & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode will open this week’s NXT.
Logan Paul was on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour and talked about being part of WrestleMania. “I say yes to things that sound kind of fun, and they wanted me to compete at WrestleMania,” he said. “I like The Miz. I’ve had him on our podcast. We’re both from Ohio and we’ve always just gotten along.” He also mentioned that he would be going to Florida for training.
Matches for Main Event this week has Veer Mahaan facing a local competitor and Austin Theory vs. Apollo Crews.
Sami Zayn on Twitter: “Today marks my 20th anniversary as a pro wrestler. A sincere thank you to everyone who has played a part in this amazing journey of mine. I’ve loved it all. You can celebrate this little guy’s unlikely success story by donating today to http://SamiForSyria.com.”
The company has applied a new trademark for ‘Royal Rumble’ and has also applied for the term ‘WWE Priority Pass’.
Corey Graves and Carmella spoke to DAZN about their new reality show, as well as their relationship. “I don’t think anyone wants the relationship to start out the way ours did. It was a fallacy,” he said. “The facts have come out since then. It was an angry reaction and heat of the moment. Social media doing what it does. Luckily, that’s all been debunked by this point. But to start any relationship at literally the worst possible scenario. Talk about fighting from the ground up. That to me, like I said from the early goings, the fact that she didn’t run screaming into the hills, which she would have had every right to do going I don’t need this headache. I don’t need this drama. I’m the most beautiful woman in all of WWE. I can have any guy I want. But for some reason, she stuck with me, and from that point forward, I realized it’s a cliche that she’s a ride or die, but I was like this is this is my person, and I’ve gone over and above since then to protect and continue to grow this relationship from for that very reason.”
Cain Velasquez is slated to be arraigned on charges of attempted murder tomorrow in San Jose.
Chris Dickinson vs. Matt Cardona has been announced for night 2 of Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6.
H8 Club (Matt Tremont and Nick Gage) will defend the GCW Tag Team titles against the Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner and Matthew Justice) at GCW Astronaut on March 12.
Hulk Hogan on Twitter announced that he is divorced from his second wife, Jennifer McDaniel. “Yo Maniacs just for the record,the Facebook and Instagram posts are of me and my girlfriend Sky,I am officially divorced, sorry I thought everyone already knew,love my Maniacs4Life.”
‘Kobra Kai’ and ‘Karate Kid’ star Martin Kove is the guest on this week’s The Sessions with Renee Paquette.
Moose and Mickie Jamers were guests on WDRB in the Morning this past Friday to talk about Impact’s upcoming Sacrifice event on March 5.
NJPW’s website has comments from former wrestlers and personnel who appeared on their 50th Anniversary Show this morning, including Riki Choshu, Akira Maeda, Keiji Mutoh, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Hattori, and former ring announcer Kero Tanaka.
Liger has been added to this year’s WrestleCon set to take place during WrestleMania weekend.
Zamariah Loupe, best known as ZZ from the 2015 season of Tough Enough, was profiled by Vice. He is now an alligator trainer.
Carmella and Queen Zelina have accepted the challenge from Naomi and Sasha Banks for a Women’s Tag Team title match at WrestleMania 38.
On tonight’s Raw, Carmella and Zelina said they accepted the challenge Naomi and Banks made on SmackDown this past Friday. The two were talking about Carmella and Corey Graves’ reality show on YouTube. Zelina remarked that all they talked about was sex. Carmella said if you thought that was something, when they retain the titles at WrestleMania, she planned to “celebrate” with her fiance in the ring.
After Banks defeated Shotzi on SmackDown Friday, Naomi entered the ring and announced they were going after the Women’s Tag Team titles.
Here are the current cards for both nights of WrestleMania, which will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas:
Night 1 (April 2)
Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship
Rey and Dominik Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul
Night 2 (April 3)
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE and Universal Championships in a title unification match
Also announced:
Queen Zelina and Carmella vs. Sasha Banks and Naomi for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Ahead of the series’ premiere, WWE has released a trailer for “Corey & Carmella.”
The reality show is set to make its debut on WWE’s YouTube channel on Monday, February 28. It will consist of 10 four-minute episodes.
On their Bare With Us podcast last week, Corey Graves and Carmella said that the reality show is in conjunction with WWE and Glass Entertainment Group. It’s something Graves and Carmella have been working on for two years.
Graves and Carmella said they believe the entire series will be uploaded on February 28.
“WWE has been unbelievable about helping us maintain our authenticity as much as we can,” Graves said. “It’s called ‘Corey & Carmella,’ but for those of you that listen to this, you’re going to recognize a lot more Matt and Leah than what you see on Raw or SmackDown or anything WWE.”
Graves (real name Matthew Polinsky) and Carmella (Leah Van Dale) announced their engagement last October. Graves works as a color commentator for Raw, while Carmella is part of the Raw roster and currently holds the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles with Zelina Vega.
A reality show starring WWE couple Corey Graves and Carmella is coming to YouTube later this month.
“Corey & Carmella” will debut on WWE’s YouTube channel on Monday, February 28. Graves and Carmella made the announcement on the latest episode of their Bare With Us podcast.
Graves said on Bare With Us that the project is in conjunction with WWE and Glass Entertainment Group. The couple was first contacted by Glass Entertainment Group and they then took the idea to WWE. Graves and Carmella shot a pilot episode, which has been chopped up into 10 four-minute episodes. Graves and Carmella said they believe they entire series will be dropped onto WWE’s YouTube channel at once, but that’s subject to change.
Graves and Carmella noted that they’ve been working on the project for two years.
“WWE has been unbelievable about helping us maintain our authenticity as much as we can,” Graves said. “It’s called ‘Corey & Carmella,’ but for those of you that listen to this, you’re going to recognize a lot more Matt and Leah than what you see on Raw or SmackDown or anything WWE.”
Carmella said the couple’s podcast is thread throughout the series.
Graves said the project is still in its infancy and there’s a lot of room for growth — it’s launching on WWE’s YouTube channel, and who knows what happens from there.
Graves (Matthew Polinsky) and Carmella (Leah Van Dale) announced their engagement in October of last year. Graves works as a color commentator for Raw, while Carmella is a member of the Raw roster. Carmella & Zelina Vega are the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
WWE’s Carmella has revealed that she recently tested positive for COVID-19.
On her Bare With Us podcast with fiancé Corey Graves, Carmella stated that their podcast recording schedule had been thrown off by COVID.
“You guys, I got the ‘VID. I did. I got it. It got me. I got COVID. I got got,” she said. “About, what, a week and a half ago? Two weeks ago? I woke up super, just not feeling well. Really tired, run down. I took some tests, and I tested positive.”
“And it was like a cold, like a little bit worse than a cold,” she continued. “I was down and out for, like, three, four days, just not doing much. But, on the up-and-up. Feeling better now.”
Carmella said that despite living with Graves, Graves never contracted COVID and was bragging about his immune system. Both said that they had been vaccinated against COVID.
Carmella returned to WWE Raw this week after not appearing on the January 10 episode. She last wrestled on the January 3 Raw, where she and Queen Zelina retained the Women’s Tag Team Championships in a win over Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H.
PWInsider reported this morning that Carmella is working through an undetermined injury, and her appearances on television have been worked around the injury as a result. It was noted in the report that WWE talents pointed out their respect for Carmella for working through it.
Carmella, along with Queen Zelina, are the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They had a match on Raw this past Monday where they successfully defended the titles against former champions Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H.. Zelina worked all of the match, with Carmella never tagging in.
Prior to Raw, Carmella’s last match took place on December 19, where she and Zelina successfully defended the Women’s Tag Team titles against Sasha Banks and Toni Storm at a house show in Des Moines, Iowa. Her last singles match was on November 28 in a losing effort against Liv Morgan at a house show in Charleston, West Virginia.
WWE color commentator/podcast host Corey Graves and former SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella announced over the weekend that they are engaged.
The two began dating in 2019. This will be the 37-year-old Graves’ second marriage and the first for the 34-year-old Carmella (Leah Van Dale). Graves (Matthew Polinsky) has three children with his ex-wife. Saturday was also Carmella’s birthday which is when Graves proposed.
Their relationship has been featured on past seasons of Total Divas. They also co-host the Bare With Us podcast which tackles relationship issues.
Graves signed with WWE in 2011, beginning as a wrestler in developmental. He retired in 2014 after suffering multiple concussions, moving into a host, panelist and commentary role. He was called up to the main roster in 2016 to be a color commentator on Raw and has also spent time on SmackDown.
Carmella signed with WWE in 2016, starting in NXT as part of the Enzo Amore/Big Cass act. She was drafted in 2016 to SmackDown and has been on both brands. She held the SmackDown Women’s title in 2018 for 131 days before losing it to Charlotte Flair in a three-way. She is also a two-time 24/7 Champion.
The first two wrestlers have advanced in WWE’s inaugural Queen’s Crown tournament.
Zelina Vega and Carmella booked their spots in the Queen’s Crown tournament semifinals by winning first-round matches on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. Vega defeated Toni Storm, while Carmella defeated Liv Morgan.
Vega and Carmella’s semifinal match will take place on SmackDown next Friday.
Here’s the full bracket for the Queen’s Crown tournament:
Zelina Vega defeated Toni Storm
Carmella defeated Liv Morgan
Doudrop vs. Natalya
Dana Brooke vs. Shayna Baszler
Doudrop vs. Natalya and Brooke vs. Baszler will both be taking place on Raw. The Queen’s Crown finals will be held at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 21.
The 2021 King of the Ring tournament will also conclude at Crown Jewel. That tournament kicked off with Sami Zayn defeating Rey Mysterio and Finn Balor defeating Cesaro on SmackDown tonight. Kofi Kingston vs. Jinder Mahal and Xavier Woods vs. Ricochet are the other King of the Ring first-round matches.
Tonight’s SmackDown takes place from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The show features the start of WWE’s King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournaments.
Rivals will face off in the opening matches of both tournaments. Rey Mysterio will take on Sami Zayn in the first round of King of the Ring tonight, while Liv Morgan will face Carmella in a Queen’s Crown tournament first-round matchup.
Tonight’s show also includes the official contract signing for the SmackDown Women’s Championship triple threat match at Crown Jewel between champion Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, and Sasha Banks. Last week, Banks defeated Belair when Lynch interfered. After the match, Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair ran out to attack Banks and Belair.
Lynch and Belair were drafted to Raw in the WWE Draft, while Banks and Charlotte went to SmackDown. However, the new rosters won’t go into effect until the night after Crown Jewel, so wrestlers from both brands can appear on either show until then.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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SmackDown Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match Contract Signing
This was a fine opening segment, but they never actually signed the contract.
SmackDown started with Bianca Belair making her entrance for the Crown Jewel contract signing. Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce were already in the ring and introduced the participants.
They recapped Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks from last week and Belair vs. Charlotte Flair from Raw. Belair entered the ring, but Banks stood on the announce table, and Becky Lynch had a table in the aisle.
Lynch mocked Belair for being on a losing streak and insulted Banks. Banks noted everyone’s talking about her, but Belair made fun of her for returning so many times. Belair demanded Lynch and Banks get in the ring. The fans broke into an “EST” chant.
Belair threw a chair out of the ring, and Lynch knocked over her table. Banks then jumped Belair from behind, and a brawl broke out. Banks and Lynch took out Belair and started brawling with each other. Belair then picked up Lynch and Banks for the KOD. Banks slipped out, but Belair hit Banks with Lynch’s legs, and she ended up on the table. Belair then gave Lynch the KOD onto Banks through the table.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Rey and Dominik Mysterio. Rey said winning the King of the Ring is as important as the WWE Championship and added that Zayn winning the tournament would disgust him. Dominik decided to stay in the back for his father’s match.
After the break, Sami Zayn approached Dominik. He thinks Dominik is better than Rey and told him to trust his instincts.
They announced the King of the Ring brackets, including Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn, Cesaro vs. Finn Balor, Kofi Kingston vs. Jinder Mahal, Xavier Woods vs. Ricochet.
They showed Shinsuke Nakamura giving up his crown because of the King of the Ring tournament.
King of the Ring Tournament: Sami Zayn defeated Rey Mysterio (10:08)
Zayn and Mysterio worked hard and had a good match. The finish revolved around Dominik getting involved and costing Rey the win.
They had both thrones and crowns for each tournament set up on the stage.
The bell rang, and Zayn went for the helluva kick, but Mysterio avoided and rolled him up for a near fall. Mysterio was briefly in control until Zayn hit a powerbomb for a two-count.
Zayn rolled out of the ring, but Mysterio hit a flip over the top rope and caught Zayn with a hurricanrana. Mysterio regained control and paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero. The fans broke into a loud “Eddie” chant. However, Zayn recovered and sent Mysterio shoulder-first into the ring post. Dominik made his way down to ringside.
Back from the break, Zayn went for the helluva kick, but Mysterio avoided it. He followed up with a code red for a close near fall. They fought on the top rope, and Zayn knocked him down. Mysterio recovered and hit a springboard hurricanrana for another near fall.
Mysterio missed a springboard crossbody, and Zayn went for the blue thunder bomb. Mysterio counted with a hurricanrana and set up for the 619. Zayn avoided it and hit the blue thunder bomb for a near fall.
Zayn pulled off the top turnbuckle pad and backed Mysterio into the opposite corner. Dominik picked up the pad and tried putting it back on the turnbuckle. Mysterio then hit a senton on Zayn to take back over. Rey noticed Dominik and yelled at him to get off the apron. Zayn then pushed Mysterio into Dominik and rolled him up for the win.
After the match, Zayn put on the King’s cape and celebrated his win. Zayn advances in the King of the Ring and takes on the winner of Cesaro vs. Finn Balor.
They aired a Hit Row video to promote their upcoming debut.
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee discussed the new SmackDown roster, which starts October 22.
They recapped the Seth Rollins and Edge feud. Kayla Braxton interviewed Rollins and asked if he crossed the line by breaking into Edge’s home last week. Rollins admitted that’s what most people believe. He claimed he’s been the bigger man and challenged Edge to determine the better man. Rollins noted Braxton doesn’t have any power, so he doesn’t know why he’s talking to her. He’s going to find somebody with power instead.
They revealed the rest of the Queen’s Crown Tournament brackets, including Zelina Vega vs. Toni Storm, Carmella vs. Liv Morgan, Doudrop vs. Natalya, and Dana Brooke vs. Shayna Baszler.
Queen’s Crown Tournament: Zelina Vega defeated Toni Storm (2:13)
This was an okay match. They didn’t get a lot of time and didn’t get a reaction from the crowd. Cole and McAfee pushed that Storm is a wild child of the ’80s because her mother grew up on that music.
Storm had the early advantage, but Vega fought back with a Thesz press. Vega followed up with a knee and slowed the pace down. Storm fought back with forearms shots and climbed to the top rope, but Vega pulled her off. Storm went for a backslide, but Vega countered with a code red for the win.
Vega advances to the semi-finals and meets the winner of Carmella vs. Liv Morgan.
Roman’s Message To The Beast
Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman were good in the segment. They recapped the Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar feud.
Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and The Usos made their way to the ring. They got a big reaction from the fans. Reigns demanded that San Jose acknowledge him and the fans gave a mixed reaction with a lot of cheers.
Reigns pointed out that Paul Heyman’s job was to make sure The Usos stayed on SmackDown, and he did. Therefore, he wants the fans to acknowledge Heyman. The fans erupted in boos. Reigns told Heyman he loves him but wants him to tell the truth. The fans broke into a loud “Suplex City” chant. Reigns laughed and said, this isn’t Suplex City; it’s the Island of relevancy.
Reigns demanded that Heyman admit he’s behind Lesnar being a free agent. Heyman was scared and said he’s in a tough position. Heyman began talking about his history with Reigns’s family. He admitted that he’s been guilty of a lot of things, but he’s not stupid. Heyman said pulling the trigger on a scheme on Reigns now is stupid. He noted if he were going to pull off a scheme, it would be to leak Reigns’ strategy at Crown Jewel.
Heyman began to promise that Reigns is going to beat Lesnar at Crown Jewel. Reigns took the mic and told him to look into the camera and say it to Lesnar. The fans broke into a loud “We want Lesnar” chant. Heyman told Lesnar that he met his match in Roman Reigns. He promised that Reigns would beat him and retain his title at Crown Jewel. He said that’s not a prediction but a spoiler.
In the back, Seth Rollins entered Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville’s office. Rollins wondered if Edge is showing up tonight. Pearce noted Rollins broke into Edge’s home last week. Rollins promised to go to the ring later tonight to challenge Edge. He then gave a picture of Edge and Beth Phoenix to Pearce to give back to Edge.
Queen Crown Tournament: Carmella defeated Liv Morgan (1:33)
Carmella and Morgan didn’t have a good match. They only got about a minute, and the match revolved around Carmella’s mask.
Before the match, Carmella put on her mask to protect her face. Morgan jumped Carmella at the bell, but Carmella fought back. She locked on the code of silence, but Morgan grabbed at the mask to break the hold.
Morgan hit a kick for a near fall, but Carmella got her foot on the bottom rope. Carmella avoided the Oblivion and hung Morgan on the top rope. She then hit a superkick for the win.
Carmella advances in the tournament and takes on Zelina Vega in the semi-finals.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Mace, who makes his debut in two weeks. She noted Mace got separated from his tag team partner, T-Bar. Mace said he isn’t coming to SmackDown to compete. He’s coming here to annihilate.
They aired a video promoting Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III tomorrow night.
Happy Talk
This wasn’t a good segment. The heels told a bad joke and beat down Kevin Owens in a short segment.
Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss made their way to the ring to host Happy Talk. Moss told a bad joke. He asked what instrument is found in the bathroom. The answer: A tuba toothpaste. That joke needed a rimshot.
Kevin Owens music interrupted and ran to the ring. Owens got in little offense before the heels beat him down. The whole segment needed a rimshot.
In the back, Naomi barged into Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce’s office. Naomi was furious that she’s not in the Queen’s Crown Tournament and wanted to return to Raw. Deville’s not done with Naomi and challenged her to a match for next week.
King Of The Ring Tournament: Finn Balor defeated Cesaro (9:46)
Balor and Cesaro had a good hard-hitting TV match.
Cesaro gained the early advantage with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a near fall. He then whipped Balor into the corner for another near fall. Cesaro backed Balor in the corner and rocked him with uppercuts.
Balor fought back and hit a double foot stomp. He then set up for a dive, but Cesaro jumped back in the ring and hit a pop-up uppercut for a close near fall.
Back from the break, Balor regained control and stomped down Cesaro. Cesaro fought back with a series of uppercuts, but Balor bounced out of the corner and hit a sling blade. Balor ended up on the apron and rocked Cesaro with a kick to the head. He climbed to the top rope, but Cesaro cut him off with a vicious uppercut.
Cesaro followed up with a superplex for a two-count. Cesaro immediately locked on a cross face, but Balor countered into a near fall. Cesaro then went for the giant swing, but Balor reversed. He sent Cesaro to the floor and hit a huge flip dive. Balor followed up with the shotgun dropkick and hit the coup de grace for the win.
Balor advances in the King of the Ring and takes on Sami Zayn in the semi-finals.
In the back, Becky Lynch was complaining to Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce about Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks. They made her sign the Crown Jewel contract to prove she’s better than Belair and Banks.
Seth Rollins Segment
This was a good show-closing segment. It set up Edge vs. Rollins in a Hell in a Cell, most likely at Crown Jewel.
Rollins wasted no time and demanded that Edge come to the ring and accept his challenge. The fans broke into a brief “Edge” chant. Rollins wondered what happened to Edge. He then remembered that he ended Edge in Madison Square Garden with a curb stomp.
Rollins said Edge remaining silent is his way of admitting that Rollins is better and not Edge lite. Rollins noted Edge is not only disappointing him and the fans but also his family. Suddenly, Edge arrived backstage and made his way to the ring.
Rollins jumped out of the ring and grabbed a chair, but Edge hit him with a spear first. Edge tackled Rollins over the announce table and threw him around. He then broke off a piece of the chair and went for the cross face.
Rollins caught Edge with an elbow and escaped from the ring. Edge grabbed the mic and challenged Rollins to a Hell in a Cell match. Rollins’ face went from a smile to a look of shock. The fans broke into a brief “Yes” chant.
Next Week: They’re promoting SmackDown on FS1 as Supersized featuring Brock Lesnar. Also, Sasha Banks goes one-on-one with Becky Lynch. Zelina Vega takes on Carmella in a Queen’s Crown Tournament semi-final match. In a King of the Ring semi-final match, Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn. Plus, Naomi goes one-on-one with Sonya Deville.
Rivals are set to face off in the opening matches of WWE’s King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournaments.
Both tournaments will kick off on this Friday’s SmackDown. WWE has announced that Rey Mysterio will face Sami Zayn in a King of the Ring first-round match on the episode, while Liv Morgan will take on Carmella in the first round of the Queen’s Crown tournament.
WWE hasn’t revealed any of the other King of the Ring or Queen’s Crown participants. The finals of both tournaments are expected to take place at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 21.
WWE’s most recent King of the Ring tournament prior to this took place in 2019 and was won by Baron Corbin.
This is the inaugural Queen’s Crown tournament.
This Friday’s SmackDown is being held at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. WWE has also announced that a contract signing for Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, and Sasha Banks’ triple threat SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Crown Jewel will take place on the episode.
A match between Liv Morgan and Carmella has been made for Extreme Rules.
On tonight’s episode of SmackDown, Morgan teamed with Toni Storm to take on Carmella and Zelina Vega. The match lasted under two minutes before Carmella went face first into the turnbuckle, complained that her nose was broken, and walked away for the count out loss. Morgan told Carmella that she was tired of her running away and wanted a match at Extreme Rules. Later, after it was shown that her face was fine, Carmella accepted the match.
The two have been feuding on and off since June, when the two wrestled a series of matches that eventually led to Morgan being a part of the Money in the Bank ladder match in July. Nikki ASH ended up winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, cashing in the following night on Raw and winning the Raw Women’s Championship.
Extreme Rules will take place Sunday, September 26 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against “The Demon” Finn Balor
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bianca Belair
United States Champion Damian Priest defends against Sheamus
Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against The Street Profits
A match that was supposed to take place on tonight’s SmackDown at Madison Square Garden was cut due to time issues.
John Pollock of Post Wrestling reported that Zelina Vega & Carmella were scheduled to face Liv Morgan & Toni Storm in a tag team match on SmackDown in New York City tonight, but the match was cut for time.
During the show, Vega posted pictures of her gear for tonight’s SmackDown and wrote “nevermind.” Carmella and Morgan also appeared to make references to the match being cut, tweeting “…”
Vega (real name Thea Trinidad Budgen) and Stephanie McMahon took part in a special screening of WWE’s “Never Forget: WWE Returns After 9/11” documentary prior to tonight’s SmackDown at Madison Square Garden. The documentary, which marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and is focused on the post-9/11 episode of SmackDown, premiered on Peacock and WWE’s digital channels today. Trinidad’s father, Michael Trinidad, died in the attacks.
A SmackDown Women’s Championship rematch is set for next week.
On Saturday’s episode of Talking Smack, it was announced that Bianca Belair will defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella next Friday. Belair retained her title by defeating Carmella on last night’s SmackDown.
Carmella posted a video after last night’s match where she complained about only having six days to prepare for it. Carmella also complained about Belair using her hair in the match.
An interview with Belair responding to Carmella aired on Talking Smack. Belair agreed to give Carmella a rematch next week and told Carmella to be careful what she asks for.
Belair was originally scheduled to defend her title against Bayley in an “I Quit” match at Money in the Bank, but that match had to be pulled from the show when Bayley suffered a torn ACL during training. It was announced last week that Belair would instead be defending her title against Carmella on last night’s SmackDown. Belair is no longer wrestling at Money in the Bank.
Next Friday’s SmackDown is taking place from two different locations. There will be multiple matches taking place at the Rolling Loud music festival in Miami, Florida, with the remainder of the show being held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Here’s the updated lineup for the episode.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Carmella
The final SmackDown from the WWE ThunderDome takes place tonight and features two Money in the Bank qualifying matches.
Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin will determine the final two participants for this year’s men’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Ricochet, John Morrison, Riddle, Drew McIntyre, Big E, and Kevin Owens have already qualified for the match.
Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Carmella, and Zelina Vega have been announced for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match thus far.
Carmella and Vega were announced for the women’s MITB match by Sonya Deville on SmackDown over the past two weeks. Liv Morgan, who is trying to get her own Money in the Bank spot, confronted Carmella and Vega after those announcements and defeated them in matches. WWE has yet to confirm if Morgan will be in Money in the Bank.
Plus, the build to Roman Reigns and Edge’s Universal Championship match at Money in the Bank will continue tonight.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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They recapped Edge returning two weeks ago and attacking Roman Reigns. It also included Jimmy Uso calling out Edge last week.
Jimmy Uso tried to enter Roman Reigns locker room, but Paul Heyman stopped him. Heyman noted Reigns is getting ready to go to the ring, but he’ll deal with Uso later. Heyman promised him that Reigns is going to give him the attention he deserves. Uso walked off, and Heyman gave him an evil grin.
After the opening video, Reigns was standing behind the curtain. Heyman approached and told him it’s time. They headed towards the ring.
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee noted it’s the final SmackDown from the ThunderDome. They pushed that Reigns vs. Edge at Money in the Bank is their first singles match.
Roman Reigns Segment
They piped in fake boos and loud “Roman sucks” chants. Roman noted there’s a lot of stuff he didn’t like about last week. He’s furious that Edge claimed he’s scared of him. Reigns mentioned he had a few seconds of fear when Edge had him in the cross face with the bar. Reigns said to ask any fighter and mentioned Brock Lesnar.
Reigns said he used the few seconds of fear to beat Edge and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania. Reigns then turned his attention to Jimmy Uso.
Uso made his way to the ring. Uso pointed out that he called out Edge for him, but he was on vacation. Reigns noted he didn’t ask Uso to call out Edge. Reigns wasn’t there last week because he was busy talking to Jey Uso.
Jey Uso’s music hit, and he made his way to the ring. He said he returned for all three of them. Jey told Reigns that his right-hand man is back, but he also came back for Jimmy. He’s here for Jimmy during these dark times. Jey’s ready to be tag team champions again.
Reigns said that’s all he ever wanted. He wants the Usos to be tag team champions and to be the Universal Champion for as long as he wants. Reigns pointed out they just have to do things his way, which is together.
Reigns opened his arms and embraced The Usos. They hugged, and Reigns looked in the camera.
Reigns and The Usos were great in the segment. The hug at the end was perfect.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Baron Corbin. He mentioned his recent financial problems. He promised to win the Money In the Bank ladder match to get back on track.
Money In The Bank qualifier: Shinsuke Nakamura (w/ Rick Boogs) defeated Baron Corbin (10:57)
Corbin and Nakamura had a fine match. It was the same match they’ve had for the last few weeks. It did go a bit long and went through two commercial breaks.
They recapped Baron Corbin’s losing streak and string of bad luck. Big E came to ringside to join Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.
Big E invited McAfee to sit with him on his couch. They made a ton of jokes about Corbin’s hairline. Big E pointed out that he’s never had a shot at the World title.
They showed footage from earlier today of Nakamura and Boogs driving around in Corbin’s car.
Corbin jumped Nakamura as he made his entrance. Boogs made the save for Nakamura.
The match started during the commercial break. Corbin was firmly in control as he dropped Nakamura on the top rope. Nakamura fought back and hit an enziguri. He followed up with a running knee in the corner. He then hit a sliding knee for a near fall.
Corbin regained control and hit a back suplex for a near fall. Nakamura knocked Corbin to the floor. Corbin suddenly hit Boogs at ringside. Nakamura rolled out of the ring, but Corbin gave him a brainbuster on the announce table.
Back from the break, Corbin went shoulder-first into the ring post. Nakamura was firmly in control until Corbin hit the deep six for a near fall. Corbin tried to place Nakamura on the top rope. Nakamura fought back and locked on a triangle. Corbin tried to fight back and hit a powerbomb, but Nakamura held on. Corbin made it to the ropes to break the hold.
Nakamura went for the Kinshasa, but Corbin countered with a clothesline. The finish came when Nakamura hit a series of knees and the Kinshasa for the win.
Nakamura qualifies for the Money in the Bank ladder match. After the match, McAfee and Big E rocked out to Nakamura’s music.
In the back, Jimmy apologized to Jey for everything he said before. Jey accepted the apology because they’re family. Jey wondered if they should try to take out Edge before Reigns does.
Non-title match: Shotzi & Nox defeated WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya & Tamina (3:14)
Before the match, Tamina and Natalya noted they were told they’re taking on a mystery team. They demanded the mystery team come to the ring. Shotzi and Nox from NXT made their debuts.
They referred to Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox as Shotzi & Nox throughout the match. They didn’t mention the mystery team until right before the break.
This was a fine tag team match. They didn’t get a lot of time.
Nox and Shotzi had the early advantage, but the champions took over. Tamina rocked Shotzi with a hard clothesline and elbow drop for a near fall.
Natalya went for a pin, but Nox broke up the pin attempt. She followed up with a cannonball on Tamina in the corner. Natalya rocked Nox with the discuss clothesline to take her out of the match.
Shotzi took over on Natalya and hit the ball pit for the win.
In the back, Megan Morant interviewed Edge. He promised to call out Roman Reigns later tonight. He wondered if Reigns had the guts to answer his challenge without The Usos.
Sonya Deville Announces Bayley’s Replacement
Sonya Deville came out and announced that Bayley suffered an injury during training. She’ll be out for nine months. Earlier today, Bayley discussed her injury and not being able to take on Bianca Belair at Money In The Bank. She was wearing a huge knee brace and blamed the fans for her injury.
Deville wished Bayley luck and hopes she recovers soon. She noted that Bayley’s out of the title match at the pay-per-view.
Deville announced that Belair would no longer defend the title that night. Instead, she defends the title next Friday on SmackDown. Deville introduced Belair’s opponent Carmella.
Carmella came to the ring and noted she’s the most beautiful woman in the WWE. Liv Morgan interrupted.
She was furious that Carmella’s getting the title shot. Morgan got in Deville’s face and accused her of favoritism.
Deville yelled at Morgan to shut her mouth and listen. She announced that Morgan takes Carmella’s place in the ladder match. Morgan hopes Carmella wins the title so she can cash in on her.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair came out. Belair doesn’t know if Bayley’s faking her injury or not. Belair can wait to settle their problems when she heals. Belair then told Carmella that she’d see her next week.
In the back, Paul Heyman told Roman Reigns that Edge is going to call him out and that he questioned his manhood.
They aired a vignette hyping Toni Storm’s upcoming debut.
Money In The Bank qualifier: Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro (18:17)
Cesaro and Rollins had a good match. They both worked hard and told a good story.
Kevin Owens joined Pat McAfee and Michael Cole on commentary.
Cesaro caught Rollins in mid-air and hit a backbreaker to gain the early advantage. Cesaro followed up with a flying cross body for a two-count. Rollins rolled out of the ring and was furious.
Back from the break, Rollins slammed Cesaro face-first on the announce table to take over. He then shoved Cesaro into the stairs. Rollins slowed the pace down with a chin lock.
Cesaro escaped, and they fought over a backslide. Rollins landed on his feet and rocked Cesaro with a kick to the back of the head. Cesaro fought back with uppercuts, but Rollins cut him off.
In a crazy sequence, Cesaro climbed to the top rope, but Rollins cut him off. Rollins hit a superplex and rolled through. He went for the falcon’s arrow, but Cesaro counted with a suplex over the top rope to the floor.
Back from the break, Cesaro had Rollins in the giant swing. Rollins escaped the sharpshooter, but Cesaro came back with an uppercut. Cesaro pulled Rollins out of the corner into a sit-out powerbomb. Rollins pulled out the turnbuckle pad, and the referee just looked at the pad instead of making the count.
Cesaro attempted the uppercut off the second rope, but Rollins countered. Rollins then dropped Cesaro on the exposed turnbuckle, which busted him open. Rollins tried to win by count-out, but Cesaro made it back in the ring. Rollins then knocked Cesaro back to the ringside and gave him a DDT on the ramp.
Rollins jumped back in the ring and tried to win by count-out, but Cesaro made it back in the ring. Rollins went for the curb stomp, but Cesaro countered with the sharpshooter. Rollins slipped out, but Cesaro hit an uppercut. Cesaro fell to the mat, and Rollins hit the curb stomp for the win.
Rollins qualifies for the Money in the Bank ladder match.
In the back, The Usos approached Edge’s locker room door. Jimmy went to knock on the door, but Jey told him to wait until Edge leaves.
Back from the break, Jimmy got impatient waiting, so they ran into Edge’s locker room, but he wasn’t there. Jey noted Edge’s lucky they didn’t find him.
Kayla Braxton interviewed Seth Rollins. He celebrated qualifying for the ladder match. Rollins noted he cashed in on Roman Reigns once before. He still thinks he should be getting the title shot at Money In The Bank. Rollins said he might cash in at Money In the Bank this time.
Edge showed up to confront Rollins. Edge noted while Rollins complained; he went and took the title shot. Edge promised to call out Reigns. Rollins was furious as Edge walked away.
They recapped Otis destroying the Street Profits. In the back, Chad Gable noted it doesn’t matter if it’s the Street Profits, Edge, or Roman Reigns. Otis added they’ll destroy everyone.
Edge Calls Out Roman Reigns
Edge mocked Roman Reigns and The Usos for reuniting earlier in the night. Edge showed still shots of Reigns and Jimmy in the cross face.
Reigns, Paul Heyman, and The Usos watched backstage. Edge demanded Reigns come to the ring right now. Reigns stood up and told The Usos to stay in the back. He wants to handle this one on his own.
Reigns gave Heyman the title and told him to stay in the back too.
Reigns slowly walked to the ring. In the back, Jey thinks it’s a trap, so The Usos headed to the ring.
The Usos made their way to ringside. Reigns was unhappy they showed up and said he wants to handle this without them. Reigns slowly entered the ring and faced off with Edge.
Edge and Reigns started brawling in the ring. Suddenly, Rey Mysterio’s music hit. Rey and Dominik ran out and attacked The Usos. The Usos recovered and beat down The Mysterios.
Edge hit a DDT on Reigns and set up for the spear. Jey grabbed Edge’s leg, and Jimmy hit a superkick. The Mysterio’s jumped back in the ring and hit double 619 on The Usos. Edge then hit the spear on Jey.
Edge broke off a piece of the chair and gave Uso the cross face with the bar. Reigns ran away and watched from the ramp. Edge also applied the cross face on Jimmy. Reigns slowly walked away to end the last SmackDown from the ThunderDome.
Next Week: SmakDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Carmella. In a fatal four-way, Kevin Owens takes on Shinsuke Nakamura, Big E, and Seth Rollins.
