A triple threat tag match is set for the first SmackDown of 2020.
WWE has announced SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Lacey Evans & Dana Brooke for tonight’s SmackDown. This is the first match announced for the show.
After Banks taunted Evans’ daughter the week before, Evans appeared on A Moment of Bliss with Bliss and Cross last Friday. Evans and Brooke then teamed together against Bayley & Banks. Evans hit Bayley with the Woman’s Right after Banks ducked out of the way. Banks sent Evans shoulder-first into the ring post, then got the win by submitting Brooke with the Banks Statement.
Tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. WWE will follow up on Daniel Bryan defeating The Miz and Baron Corbin in last week’s number one contender’s triple threat match. Bryan will challenge “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble on January 26.
Another name has joined the list of wrestlers to recently sign a new contract with WWE.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated that was published today, Dana Brooke revealed that she’s signed a new five-year deal: “I just signed a new five-year deal in WWE, and part of my goal is to build my own personal brand. And women empowerment is a key in the success of my career and a key for WWE. We can do what the male wrestlers have done over the years, and now women are finally being given that chance. That also means that I get the chance to show what I can do, and I really believe that 2020 is going to be the year that people see a different side of me.”
After losing to SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley last Friday, Brooke is facing her in another non-title match on SmackDown tonight.
It was also revealed this week that The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E & Xavier Woods) and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) have signed multi-year extensions with WWE.
Another non-title match involving one of SmackDown’s champions has been made official for tonight.
After the match was set up on Twitter, WWE has confirmed that SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley will face Dana Brooke on tonight’s SmackDown. It’s a rematch from last week, where Bayley defeated Brooke after a backstage interview with Bayley had been interrupted by Elias and Brooke.
Brooke tweeted to set up tonight’s match: “Last week wasn’t about stepping up to YOUR level @itsBayleyWWE, it was about showing #Smackdown and the @WWE Universe what I am capable of. How about another go, champ? #wwe”
Bayley then responded: “Well there’s your first mistake, trying to impress the @WWE universe. And even though you don’t really deserve another shot with me, I’ll allow it. Just not for my championship.”
Lacey Evans has been feuding with Bayley and Sasha Banks, but they weren’t involved in a match at last Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.
Tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. A non-title match between SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) and Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro (w/ Sami Zayn) has also been announced for the episode.
WWE has added SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. Nikki Cross, Carmella & Dana Brooke to the lineup for next Friday’s show. Cross won a six-pack challenge last week to become the number one contender to Bayley’s title, though WWE hasn’t announced when Cross will be getting her title shot.
Cross pinned Rose in the six-pack challenge, which also included Deville, Carmella, Brooke, and Lacey Evans. On last night’s SmackDown, Cross defeated Rose in a singles match.
Bayley and Sasha Banks were on commentary for Cross vs. Rose. Cross had a staredown with them after the match.
Next Friday’s SmackDown is taking place the day after Crown Jewel. The KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York is hosting SmackDown, with Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin, The Revival vs. Kofi Kingston & Big E for the SmackDown Tag Team titles, and a Miz TV segment with Bray Wyatt also announced for the show.
The Big Takeaway: Mojo Rawley grabbed a rare win against Zack Ryder in the opener, while Sarah Logan bested Dana Brooke in what will likely be their last Main Event match for a while.
The commentary team now seems set, with Dio Maddin and Mickie James joining lead announcer Byron Saxton.
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Mojo Rawley defeated Zack Ryder (5:09)
Ryder joked with Curt Hawkins on Twitter this past week, as they continued to find themselves undrafted and unconsidered by the WWE writing staff. After night two they, like Rawley, were re-drafted to Raw in the supplementary picks.
There was no sign of Hawkins at Ryder’s side this week, but the indication was that they were drafted as a pair.
The bout was a usual Rawley match: he bullied and dominated Ryder until Ryder got the shine by reversing a suplex into a neckbreaker. Ryder hit the flying forearm and Broski Boot, but Rawley kicked out.
It took two attempts and some more near falls before Rawley won with the Alabama slam, but this turned out okay in the end.
Sarah Logan defeated Dana Brooke (5:05)
Just like on the men’s roster, there is nothing like the draft to remind you of your place in the pecking order. And in the women’s division, Sarah Logan and Dana Brooke are clearly right down near the bottom.
These two have had quite a run of bouts on Main Event, stemming from their match a few months ago when Brooke was busted open and the match had to be stopped. For those keeping count, their series is tied at 4-4 after this match.
But with Brooke being drafted to SmackDown and Logan staying put on Raw, this will likely be their last contest for a while. And of all of them, this was probably the pick of the bunch.
The whole match was a total back and forth and it was never clear who would win. But after Logan threw Brooke off the top turnbuckle, she was able to turn her over and lock in a cloverleaf for the win. There’s been some considerable in-ring improvement for both of these performers.
The Big Takeaway: Lacey Evans saw off Dana Brooke in the opener for her third win in a row against Brooke. The team of Titus O’Neil & Heath Slater then defeated Mojo Rawley & Eric Young, leaving Rawley without any kind of a win since May.
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Lacey Evans defeated Dana Brooke (6:00)
Evans and Brooke have had a good little program on Main Event through July and August, with Evans going 3-0 against Brooke. Both Evans and Brooke are certainly improving, but both would benefit from working with stronger opponents.
Of the two, Evans is getting the more even hand. She has been able to work with Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Natalya over the last few weeks, while Brooke has been left to take on Sarah Logan, Nikki Cross, and Ruby Riott.
The match was pretty good, with lots of back and forth, but they did quite a neat finish that let Evans heel her way to the win.
Brooke was looking to lock in a submission hold and dragged her by the leg across the ring. Evans clung on to the apron, which the referee had to pay attention to. While his back was turned, Evans gouged Brooke’s eyes and then landed The Women’s Right for the win. Brooke was left looking completely bereft.
Titus O’Neil & Heath Slater defeated Mojo Rawley & Eric Young (3:28)
Rawley’s WWE career continues to stutter. He debuted a new look back in April, sporting face paint and new ring gear after a series of vignettes were aired on Raw. From there he had a run of matches on Main Event. His last televised appearance was at Super ShowDown back in June.
Here, Rawley was wearing more of the blue-lined face paint and looked a little heavier than in previous months. He didn’t work much in the match and only tagged in for O’Neil’s heat segment, which culminated in him taking a clothesline over the top rope.
Eric Young looked very good, doing a flip over the top turnbuckle and a baseball slide under the ropes in quick succession just before the end. Young took the Clash of the Titus from O’Neil at the end for the pinfall.
Ultimately, this was pretty much what you’d expect from this match with these kind of time constraints.
The Big Takeaway: Lacey Evans saw off Dana Brooke in the opener. The team of Cesaro & EC3 then defeated Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins to leave the latter without a televised win since May.
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Lacey Evans defeated Dana Brooke (5:09)
Evans and Brooke faced off against each other on Main Event two weeks back with the result going in the same direction. This was probably a better match all told, with the ending putting Evans over strong.
Evans spent much of the match working over Brooke’s left arm, but Evans does look to have improved in recent weeks. They did a spot where she mimicked Brooke’s one-handed press-ups, but this was otherwise quite a slow, formulaic match.
The ending looked good, with Evans using a sleeper hold, taking Brooke up to the second rope. When she then released Brooke, Brooke lay prone and Evans waited for her to get to her feet. Evans then came off the top with the Women’s Right for the win.
EC3 and Cesaro tagged together in six-man tag action back in June when they teamed up with Robert Roode. They defeated the Lucha House Party then and looked strong again here.
For Ryder and Hawkins, things seem to have returned to normalcy. They are without a televised win as a team since May and are being used more on this show than they are on Raw, where their appearances have been sporadic since they lost the Tag Team titles in June.
Cesaro looked so smooth and comfortable throughout and Hawkins and Ryder both had spots where they impressed. Hawkins came off the top rope to nail EC3 and Cesaro on the outside and Ryder did a tope on them both before the finish.
It was an all-action finish, though, after they had all hit their finishing moves. Cesaro pinned Ryder with the Neutralizer to give these two their first tag team win together.
The Big Takeaway: A better show this week. Sarah Logan got her win back against Dana Brooke as the pair had their third match in as many weeks. Robert Roode stole a win against Cedric Alexander when he used the ropes to gain the advantage.
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Sarah Logan defeated Dana Brooke (5:45)
They ran the tape from two weeks ago and referenced Brooke’s nasty facial injury, then showed us how Brooke had gotten her revenge on last week’s show. This kind of continuity is entirely rare for Main Event.
The match wasn’t quite as good as last week’s but was still full of decent work. Logan took the lead and has quite an array of moves in her locker. Her submission holds throughout and an impressive gutwrench suplex later on showed off her skill set.
Brooke was plucky throughout, trying to get an advantage whenever she could, but ultimately Logan had her beat. Just as they did last week, they did another spot where Brooke took a nasty looking turnbuckle bump, playing up that Logan was a threat.
Logan normally uses the Kentucky Knee, but here she finished Brooke with a flying knee to the back as Brooke was kneeling down. Presumably, this feud must continue.
Robert Roode defeated Cedric Alexander (5:36)
Roode and Alexander have also had a few matches together over the last few weeks on Main Event. They work well together, but are being utterly wasted on this show, particularly in Roode’s case.
Alexander did a tope through the ropes and looked like he had Roode beaten until he got caught with a spinebuster. Roode went for the Glorious DDT, but Alexander countered with a springboard enzuigiri.
As Alexander was about set up for the frog splash, he couldn’t get Roode down, so he slid under the ropes through Roode’s legs. Roode caught him and sat down, using the middle rope for leverage, stealing the win. He made out of there like a bandit.
Roode has won two straight now against Alexander, but Alexander would probably benefit from a rebrand and a new gimmick. His in-ring work is strong, but he essentially just comes out smiling and sticks his thumb up. Main Event would be an easy place for them to experiment with him.
The Big Takeaway: Dana Brooke defeated Sarah Logan in a rematch from last week where Brooke had suffered a nasty facial injury. The main event saw the random team of EC3, Cesaro & Robert Roode see off the Lucha House Party in under three minutes.
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Dana Brooke defeated Sarah Logan (6:13)
Whether this show will reap any of the benefits of Paul Heyman becoming executive director on the Raw side of things remains to be seen.
The fact WWE acknowledged last week at all here is certainly a positive. Quite rightly, they did a rematch and made a much better go of it. Brooke was smiling and fired up throughout and they kept doing spots where she would get her face bashed.
The finish saw Logan with Brooke on the apron again. She went for the running knee that caused the stoppage from last week, but Brooke had it scouted. Brooke countered and then landed a Swanton Bomb from the top rope for the win.
Cesaro, EC3 & Robert Roode defeated The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik) (2:40)
This, however, was a negative. If this show does see any changes, it would certainly benefit if they didn’t throw together arbitrary tag matches where the entrance times out-strip the running time of the match.
The first minute was EC3 getting dominated by the pace and tenacity of the Lucha House Party — before the ring filled and the LHP cleared it, posing in unison. And then we went to a break. Yes, a commercial break, in a three-minute match.
I can also confirm that wrestling took place during the commercials.
The last minute was everyone hitting their finishers but failing to get the pinfall. The finish was Cesaro hitting a European uppercut on Metalik as he came off the top rope. As usual, the timing looked fantastic.
The Big Takeaway: Dana Brooke got busted open when she was kneed and posted on the apron by Sarah Logan. Robert Roode made his first appearance on Main Event since November, defeating Cedric Alexander in a good match at the end of the show.
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Sarah Logan defeated Dana Brooke (4:03)
So, as most people will know, this match had a lot of publicity this week because it caused Brooke’s facial injury. The spot that caused Brooke to be busted open came about two minutes into the match after they had done some fairly solid back and forth.
Both of these performers have improved of late, but what led to Brooke being completely bloodied was partly because the spot was ill-conceived and partly because of a few mitigating factors.
Logan had Brooke in a chinlock at the ropes and the referee called for a break, so Brooke went out on to the apron under the ropes. Logan followed Brooke and kneed her in the face, which caused Brooke to turn around and take a posting.
From seeing the tape back, it was a combination of two things that meant that the spot went wrong: the force of the knee and the proximity of Brooke to the post. It was clear that Brooke had underestimated how close she was to the post.
Logan sat on the ropes, not entirely sure how to react as the ref dealt with the blood.
They threw up the “X” and raised Logan’s hand, but she couldn’t hide her concern for Brooke. Logan then swaggered out of the ring and back up the ramp.
Robert Roode defeated Cedric Alexander (6:50)
Roode hasn’t been on Main Event since the back end of last year when he and Chad Gable were tagging together. He looked in tremendous shape as he defeated Alexander here.
In contrast to the opening match, this was a good, solid wrestling match between two strong performers. Their different styles worked well together and, although it’s a crime that Roode is on this show at all, they put on a good match.
Alexander took a ton of the offense throughout. He flipped around and grounded Roode down, getting close to winning on several occasions. It was only in the last minute that Roode was able to turn things around.
Roode caught the charging Alexander and nailed him with a spinebuster for two. Then Alexander came back. He blocked Roode’s DDT attempts, but Roode knocked him off the top rope and was able to hit the Glorious DDT for the win.
The ending of Super ShowDown brought a scary end to what was an embarrassing night for WWE.
Goldberg vs. The Undertaker reinforced the amount of risk that exists when you put two 50-year-old wrestlers against each other. The match was laid out exactly as it should have been and was on its way to being good, but things fell apart when Goldberg got knocked out.
Goldberg (who already had a mark on his forehead going into the match) got busted open when he went for a spear into the corner and rammed his head into the post less than three minutes in. From there, things only got worse.
A look at Undertaker vs. Goldberg, Naito vs. Ibushi and why referees and doctors need to be stopping matches when talent is legitimately hurt is the lead story in the new issue of the Observer. Look at how small independents are ahead of the game when it comes to precautionary measures involving talent this past week.
Read complete coverage of New Japan Dominion, WWE Super Showdown and UFC 238, with business notes, poll results, match-by-match coverage and star ratings for the pro wrestling shows.
Look at the injury situation and risks, look back at the Undertaker vs. Mick Foley Hell in a Cell match and what resulted from that, and the heyday of All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Look at what happened with the attempt to put on a women’s match in Saudi Arabia, the silliness of TV coverage in the past and not allowing women to wrestle there, and more behind the scenes at the show.
Also look at the upcoming G-1 Climax tournament and who to expect to be in it, TV coverage in the U.S. expanding, the newcomers to G-1, who is out from last year, the new Super J Cup tournament, a history of the Super J Cup, G-1 announcement plans and New Japan going to Australia.
Look at a wrestling television show being voted on for a nomination for a major award, John Cena’s future, FS 1 talk show on wrestling, HHH working in Japan and latest cards, and a Sasha Banks update.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
Additional notes by Joseph Currier
WWE
SmackDown takes place tonight at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. A match between Xavier Woods vs. Dolph Ziggler has been announced. Alexa Bliss will also host the latest episode of A Moment of Bliss with special guest Bayley.
205 Live will have Drake Maverick deciding Tony Nese’s challenger for Stomping Grounds. Oney Lorcan is also set to face Ariya Daivari.
Dana Brooke’s match against Sarah Logan was stopped during Main Event tapings last night after she busted her head taking a running knee.
On the Steve Austin podcast, Tony Khan said that a tag team tournament to crown the first AEW tag team champions will be the focus of the television show when it launches in the fall. Khan also mentioned that a women’s tag team championship will be introduced down the line once the women’s singles title is established.
Despite Scarlet Bordeaux being granted her release, PWInsider reports that Killer Kross will remain with the company.
Bordeaux tweeted today: “I couldn’t be more excited to just be a free agent for a while. With that being said, promoters I’m looking to fill July 6th and July 19th! [email protected]”
Rod Smart was found safe today after being reported as missing. He originally hadn’t been seen since 6/12. He’s most famous for his stint in the XFL, wearing the “He Hate Me” jersey on the field.
Sami Callihan won’t be returning to MLW. He lost a loser leaves town match to Mance Warner this past week, but plans were to bring him back under a mask. Court Bauer said on Twitter that Callihan caused extensive damage to the venue during their match.
Sports Illustrated has an article on Nyla Rose being AEW’s first transgender wrestler.
Donald Cerrone has been medically suspended indefinitely following his match against Tony Ferguson. He needs to provide CT scans of facial bones and MRI of the head before he can be cleared.
Dana White told Brett Okamoto that the Contender Series shows are free to the public starting today.
Okamoto also reports that Kron Gracie won’t be fighting at UFC 242. UFC tried to get him on the card, but things didn’t work out.
Scott Holtzman will fight Dong Hyun Ma at UFC on ESPN 5. No location has been set.
The Big Takeaway: EC3 won this week, beating No Way Jose in a fairly dull match. Sarah Logan then made her Main Event debut, losing in a solid — but short — tag team bout with Tamina against Dana Brooke & Natalya.
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EC3 defeated No Way Jose (5:30)
No Way Jose was still sporting his new look. EC3 made a deal of telling the conga line to get lost before the match while he swaggered into the ring.
EC3 grabbed a rare win here. The match was really nothing much to speak of. Jose lacks that sleekness that the more accomplished workers have on the main roster and they were kind of clunky in the last few minutes.
Jose went up to the top rope but was toppled by EC3, who then put him on his shoulders. He hit Jose with a neckbreaker before finishing him with the One Percenter.
EC3 and Jose were both entrants into the battle royal on Friday at Super ShowDown, but this win for EC3 broke up a streak of five straight losses.
Dana Brooke & Natalya defeated Sarah Logan & Tamina (3:16)
It was back in late January that Sarah Logan last got a win — and it was against the same team of Dana Brooke & Natalya that defeated her here. That night, she had tagged with Liv Morgan and things looked very different for Logan.
Logan last appeared on The Shield’s Final Chapter in April and has largely been a bit-part player this year. But she was good here and worked well together with Natalya when they got a little ring time. Brooke also looked to have really improved.
Brooke and Natalya cut the ring in half working over Logan. They hit stereo baseball slides on her on the outside before we went to a break. Logan had Natalya in a modified Calf Crusher when we returned and then they filled the ring.
Natalya took out Logan with a discuss clothesline and then they set up Tamina for their finisher, which was Brooke coming off Natalya’s shoulders with a beautiful swanton. This was pretty decent, but then when Natalya is involved, it often is.
Raw’s Money in the Bank participants will be facing off on the episode, which is the go-home show for the pay-per-view. The men’s Money in the Bank ladder match wrestlers will be in singles matches, with Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre and Ricochet vs. Baron Corbin set.
Naomi, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, and Dana Brooke are Raw’s women’s Money in the Bank ladder match participants. They’ll be facing each other in a fatal four-way match on Raw.
Two segments have also been announced for Monday’s episode. Becky Lynch and both of her Money in the Bank challengers will take part in a double contract signing ahead of the PPV. Lynch has two matches at Money in the Bank, defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Lacey Evans and defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair.
SmackDown’s Roman Reigns appearing on Miz TV is set for Monday. Reigns will face Elias at Money in the Bank, while Miz will take on Shane McMahon in a steel cage match. Shane and Elias have been aligned during the build to Money in the Bank.
Monday’s Raw and Tuesday’s SmackDown are both being taped at the O2 Arena in London.
Natalya, Dana Brooke, Naomi, and Alexa Bliss will be Raw’s participants in next month’s women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
That was confirmed during a Moment of Bliss segment on tonight’s episode of Raw. Bliss saved the announcement of herself for last, with Naomi then challenging Bliss to a match. Bliss said she wasn’t in the right attire and wasn’t even wearing her own shoes. Bliss eventually agreed to the match.
The story of Naomi and Bliss’ match was that Bliss kept having to tie her shoes. Her shoes came off at the end, then Naomi hit the Rear View and a split-legged moonsault to win.
Bliss was the winner of last year’s women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. She cashed in later in the pay-per-view, defeating Nia Jax to win the Raw Women’s Championship.
Braun Strowman, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, and Baron Corbin have been announced as Raw’s wrestlers for the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match. SmackDown’s participants for the two matches will be revealed on tomorrow night’s episode.
The XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut is hosting Money in the Bank on May 19. Here’s the updated card for the show:
Universal Champion Seth Rollins defending against AJ Styles
Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defending the SmackDown title against Charlotte Flair
Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defending the Raw title against Lacey Evans
Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match (Braun Strowman, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA)
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match (Natalya, Dana Brooke, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA)
– The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik) defeated Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers
Metalik got the win after hitting a springboard elbow drop.
– Elias did a performance and started to sing “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. When the ring announcer jumped in for Gaga’s part, Elias said that he was going to cover that part and to leave the ring.
Elias made fun of Green Bay, then Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins interrupted him. Elias laid out Hawkins, The Ascension arrived, and Elias bailed.
– The Ascension defeated Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins
Viktor pinned Hawkins to get the win.
– Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley defeated EC3 and Apollo Crews in a triple threat match to retain his title
Lashley won after hitting a spear.
– Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival defeated Bobby Roode & Chad Gable to retain their titles
Scott Dawson pinned Gable while holding the ropes. They had a very good match, with a “This is awesome” chant breaking out.
– Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey defeated Dana Brooke to retain her title
Pretty quick match. Despite telling fans to suck it, Rousey got one of the biggest pops on the show.
– Natalya defeated Tamina
Natalya got the submission with the Sharpshooter. Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan attacked her after the match, with Sasha Banks and Bayley then making the save.
– WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley defeated The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) to retain their titles
Banks submitted Morgan with the Banks Statement.
– Braun Strowman defeated Baron Corbin in a no DQ match
Ambrose, Strowman, and Rousey got the biggest pops of the night.
