The heels controlled most of the match and beat up Asuka. After getting a hot tag, Sane hit her elbow drop to get the win.
– Roman Reigns defeated Samoa Joe in a street fight
They got one of the biggest reactions of the night — mostly Reigns. This was a hard-hitting match. Joe used a kendo stick, a chair, and hit a uranage on a table for a near fall.
Reigns hit a spear on Joe through another table to get the pin.
– Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Ali to retain his title
Very good match. There were a lot of acrobatics from Ali, but Nakamura retained with the Kinshasa.
– Rey Mysterio entered to a monstrous ovation. He cut a promo in Spanish talking about Eddie Guerrero and the Latin fans. He also mentioned his son Dominick and the segment where Dominick talked him out of retiring on Raw.
– Randy Orton defeated Rey Mysterio
Orton won by hitting an RKO in mid-air when Mysterio jumped from the top rope. The crowd went crazy.
Orton attacked Mysterio after the match, but Mysterio hit the 619 and celebrated with the crowd.
– WWE Champion Kofi Kingston (w/ Big E) defeated Daniel Bryan (w/ Rowan) to retain his title
This was a very good main event. Big E was over and very funny. The fans loved him.
Rowan and Big E both got involved and were sent to the back. Bryan put Kingston in the LeBell Lock, but Kingston reached the ropes. Out of nowhere, Kingston hit Trouble in Paradise and pinned Bryan to retain.
One week after his match against Roman Reigns, Buddy Murphy was again put in a big spot on SmackDown.
Murphy got a win against Daniel Bryan in their match last night. After it was over, Bryan and Rowan attacked Murphy during a backstage interview.
The show ended with Bryan and Rowan supposedly revealing the “real culprit” in the attacks on Reigns. It was someone who looks like Rowan, and the episode went off the air with Reigns looking confused.
Charlotte Flair appeared on a Moment of Bliss last night and challenged SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley for Clash of Champions. Plus, Kofi Kingston got revenge on Randy Orton and The Revival, Sami Zayn formed a partnership with Shinsuke Nakamura, and the King of the Ring tournament continued with the first two matches on the SmackDown side of the bracket.
SmackDown takes place tonight from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Daniel Bryan takes on Buddy Murphy on the show. Last week, Bryan and Rowan forced Murphy to say he was lying about Rowan being Roman Reigns’ mystery attacker. Later, Bryan claimed they conducted their own investigation and know the attacker’s true identity. Bryan said they would reveal the attacker tonight.
The King of the Ring tournament continues with two first-round matches on the SmackDown side of the bracket. Kevin Owens takes on Elias, and Apollo Crews goes one-on-one with Andrade. Samoa Joe and Cedric Alexander advanced to the quarterfinals last night on Raw.
Randy Orton and The Revival defeated The New Day last week. After the match, Orton gave each New Day member the RKO. Orton and The Revival then laid out New Day again on Raw last night. WWE.com is teasing that Kofi Kingston promises to respond to the attacks.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Randy Orton made his way down to the ring to start SmackDown. David Otunga joins the announce team tonight as Corey Graves is still on vacation.
They recapped Orton and Revival beating down Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods last night on Raw. Orton made Kingston watch Revival injured Woods’s knee.
Orton called Kingston stupid repeatedly. He noted Kingston ran from him at SummerSlam. He said he took out the Power of Positivity with the RKO.
The New Day’s music hit and Orton waited in the ring. Kingston attacked Orton from behind and hit the Trouble in Paradise. Kingston brought in a chair and wrapped it around Orton’s ankle.
Kingston climbed to the top and teased jumping on the chair, but The Revival ran out. Kingston fought The Revival off and beat them with the chair. Orton escaped and ran to the back.
They recapped the Roman Reigns attacker angle. Daniel Bryan promises to reveal the attacker’s identity later. On commentary, David Otunga claimed he talked to a lawyer friend, and knows that Bryan has down extensive work.
Tom Philips congratulated NXT for the huge announcement earlier today that it’s coming to the USA Network on September. 18.
Kevin Owens entered Shane McMahon’s office. Owens is trying to remain calm and focus on his King of the Ring match later. Owens noted that being fined $100,000 is on his mind.
Owens pointed out the fine hurts his family. Owens noted McMahon is a good father and knows a fine like that hurts. He asked McMahon to reconsider the enormous fine. McMahon said he’d think about it.
Andrade (w/Zelina Vega) defeated Apollo Crews in a First Round King of the Ring match
This was a good match. Right at the bell, Crews rocked Andrade with a clothesline for a near fall. Andrade fought back and hit the double knees in the corner for a two count. Andrade locked on an armbar in the ropes. He attempted a cross body off the top, but Crews countered with a dropkick in mid-air.
Andrade hit a plancha into a hurricanrana and sent Crews into the rings steps. Back from the break, Crews launched Andrade in the air into double knees. He hit the Olympic Slam for a near fall.
Crews attempted a press slam, but his injured arm gave out. Andrade missed the double knees in the corner. Crews hit a standing shooting star press for a very close near fall.
Crews tried to pull Andrade into the ring, but Vega grabbed Andrade’s leg. Crews tried to go after Vega. Andrade recovered and hit the Hammerlock DDT for the win and advances to the quarterfinals on the SmackDown side.
In the back, Daniel Bryan and Rowan walked a guy in a black hood into a room. Bryan said he knows what he did. Bryan told the guy in the hood not to move from his chair, or he’ll be sorry.
24/7 Champion Elias was walking backstage when he noticed a referee in disguise. He found Drake Maverick hiding and choked him. Elias made Maverick read a note from Shane McMahon. The 24/7 Championship is suspended for the night so Elias can focus on his King of the Ring match.
A Moment of Bliss with Guest Charlotte Flair
Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross came out for a Moment of Bliss. Bliss introduced their guest Charlotte Flair. Bliss noted that Flair requested this time. Flair pointed at the King of the Ring throne and noted that chair’s more her style.
Bliss noted that some people call the SmackDown Woman’s Champion Bayley the face of SmackDown.
Flair noted Bayley’s not marketable like her. Flair pointed out that Bayley and the division is an afterthought.
Bayley walked out and noted Flair’s just making a bunch of excuses. In the end, Bayley’s champion. That means that Bayley is better than her.
Flair pointed out that at SummerSlam, everyone was talking about her, not Bayley. Bayley devalued the belt, and now Flair has to clean it up. Flair challenged Bayley to a match at Clash of Champions and Bayley accepted. Bayley then hit Flair and knocked her out of her chair.
Backstage, Roman Reigns approached Buddy Murphy. Reigns wants to know if Murphy is lying to him or Daniel Bryan.
Murphy said he’s pretty sure he saw Rowan in the hallway. Reigns said if Murphy is lying, he’s going to come back for him.
Buddy Murphy defeated Daniel Bryan (w/Rowan)
Before the match, Bryan called Murphy a liar and promised to reveal the real culprit later. They’re also going to reveal that Murphy had something to do with it too.
This was another good match. Murphy rocked Bryan with a knee for a close near fall at the bell. Bryan fought back and hit Murphy with forearms. Bryan followed up with a kick to the back.
Murphy fired back with hard chops and whipped Bryan into the corner.
Bryan did a backflip out of the corner and landed on his feet. Murphy sent Bryan to the floor and hit a flip dive.
Back from the break, Murphy hit the Meteora for a very close two count. Murphy favored his arm. Bryan applied the Lebell Lock, but Murphy made it to the ropes. The fans broke into a loud “Let’s Go Buddy” chant.
Bryan rocked Murphy with kicks and yelled at him to stay down. Murphy kept getting back up. Murphy fought back, but Bryan trapped him in the tree of woe and hit a dropkick. Bryan followed up with a belly-to-back suplex off the top for a very close near fall.
Murphy hit a superkick in the corner and hit running sit-out powerbomb for a very close two count. Bryan and Murphy traded hard shots in the middle of the ring.
Bryan rocked Murphy with uppercuts. Murphy countered the running knee into a backslide for a two count.
Murphy hit a knee and a kamigoye for another near fall. Rowan jumped on the apron and distracted Murphy. Bryan rolled up Murphy for a near fall.
Murphy rocked Rowan with a superkick and knocked him off the apron. Murphy caught Bryan with a knee and hit Murphy’s Law for the win.
Kayla Braxton tried to interview Buddy Murphy in the back, but Daniel Bryan and Rowan attacked him. Rowan gave Murphy the Iron Claw on a box.
The Revival defeated Heavy Machinery
Before the match, The Revival challenged SmackDown Tag Team Champions New Day for Clash of Champions. The Revival was selling the injuries from Kofi Kingston’s attack earlier.
Tucker caught Wilder in a bear hug and worked over the injured ribs. Tucker tagged in Otis and tossed Wilder into his arms. Otis and Tucker gave Dash, and Dawson delayed standing vertical suplex.
Back from the break, Wilder hit a bulldog on Tucker for a two count. Dawson missed an elbow off the top. Otis got the hot tag and ran wild. He hit the caterpillar on Wilder and set up for the compacter. Dawson made the save and Wilder rolled up Tucker for the win.
Kayla Braxton approached Chad Gable and asked about being the underdog in the King of the Ring tournament. Gable talked about overcoming obstacles in the past. In the background, Shelton Benjamin placed a sign on Gable’s door.
Gable turned around and saw the sign that was placed high on the door. It read, “You must be this tall to enter the King of the Ring.” This got a big laugh from the fans.
Miz TV with Guest Sami Zayn
Miz introduced his guest Sami Zayn and noted he requested this interview time. Zayn pointed out he doesn’t care about Miz or the show but needed the interview time. Miz noted Zayn’s been on a losing streak.
Zayn was trapped in WWE’s greed. Zayn as always fought for causes and what’s right. He realized there are people on SmackDown that need his help.
Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura made his way down to the ring. Miz asked Nakamura why he’d associate with Zayn. Zayn pointed out that Nakamura’s Japanese and Miz asked the question in English.
Zayn called Nakamura an artist and poet. Zayn said they understand each other. Zayn is now going to speak for Nakamura. Miz tried to ask Nakamura a question, but he pointed at Zayn. Nakamura jumped Miz from behind and beat him down. Zayn pulled Nakamura off and backed him into the corner. Zayn pretended to check on Miz but held him up for Nakamura to hit the Kinshasa.
In the back, Daniel Bryan and Rowan entered the locker room. They approached the guy in the hood. Bryan was furious and noted he called Roman Reigns.
Kevin Owens entered Shane McMahon’s office. McMahon asked Owens to apologize for attacking a referee. McMahon’s considering lifting the fine, but if Owens touches another official, he’s fired. Owens stuck out his hand for a handshake, but McMahon’s not quite there yet.
Elias defeated Kevin Owens in a First Round King of the Ring match
Owens had the early advantage and sent Elias to the floor. Owens attempted a dive, but Elias walked off. Owens and Elias brawled on the floor. Elias sent Owens into the steps to briefly take over. Owens fought back and hit a cannonball in the corner.
Suddenly, Shane McMahon’s music hit and he walked down to ringside. Back from break, Elias was firmly in control with a chin lock. McMahon watched the match from ringside. During the break, Owens hit a frog splash off the apron to the floor.
Elias rocked Owens with a knee for a two count. He slowed the pace down with a chin lock on Owens. Owens fought back and attempted a pop-up powerbomb, but Elias avoided.
Elias hit a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. Owens and Elias fought on the top turnbuckle. Owens shoved him off and attempted a Swanton bomb, but Elias got the knees up.
Owens sent Elias to the floor and hit a cannonball off the apron. Suddenly, McMahon jumped up and took off his shirt revealing a referee’s shirt.
McMahon entered the ring, and the original referee stepped out. Owens went for the stunner, but Elias pushed off. Owens almost ran into McMahon but stopped. Elias rolled up Owens and McMahon made a fast three count for the win.
In the back, Roman Reigns entered Daniel Bryan’s locker room. Bryan noted that he said Rowan didn’t do it and nobody believed him. He then revealed the real culprit and pulled off the hood, revealing a guy that looked identical to Rowan. Reigns looked at both Rowan and the “real culprit.”
One week after his match against Roman Reigns, Buddy Murphy will be facing Daniel Bryan on SmackDown.
WWE has announced Bryan vs. Murphy for Tuesday’s show. The match was set up by Murphy issuing a challenge via Twitter and Bryan accepting it.
Murphy tweeted: “Last week on #SDLive, @WWERomanReigns and I went face to face & left it all in the ring. If @WWEDanielBryan has an issue with me, he can meet me in the same place I met Roman! Challenge issued.”
Bryan then responded: “Imagine getting beat up by a large man for accusing him of something he had nothing to do with, and then challenging the much smaller friend of the man who beat you up. #SocialMediaToughGuys #ChallengeAccepted #SDLive”
Reigns defeated Murphy on SmackDown earlier this week. Later in the show, there was a segment where Bryan and Rowan confronted Murphy backstage. Rowan beat down Murphy until he would say that he lied when he accused Rowan of being the person who attacked Reigns. At the end of the show, Bryan and Rowan told Reigns they’ve been conducting their own investigation and will reveal the real culprit this coming Tuesday.
Murphy faced Apollo Crews on the SummerSlam pre-show, with Rowan attacking Murphy and causing a disqualification.
Tuesday’s SmackDown is taking place at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Kevin Owens vs. Elias and Crews vs. Andrade in King of the Ring first round matches are also set for the show.
It appears that Asuka & Kairi Sane are finally getting their shot at the Women’s Tag Team titles.
WWE has announced that Peyton Royce & Billie Kay will defend their titles against Asuka & Sane on tonight’s SmackDown. Asuka & Sane getting the title shot was set up when they defeated Royce & Kay in a non-title match at a house show in Tokyo, Japan last month.
There was an angle on last week’s SmackDown where Royce & Kay avoided having their match against Asuka & Sane that night by claiming that Kay was too sick to wrestle.
WWE is also hyping a segment for tonight where Daniel Bryan will make an announcement that “will change the course of his career and shake SmackDown LIVE to its core.”
Bryan & Rowan lost the SmackDown Tag Team titles at Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, with Big E & Xavier Woods defeating Bryan & Rowan and Heavy Machinery in a triple threat match. Bryan cut a post-show promo where he said he has to aim higher and go where he hasn’t gone before.
Tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Shane McMahon will host a “town hall meeting” after Kevin Owens called out Shane last week for taking up TV time from other wrestlers and calling himself the best in the world. Ember Moon and a partner will also team against Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville.
UPDATE: Daniel Bryan was listed for the battle royal at first but has since been replaced by Sami Zayn.
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Brock Lesnar’s next challenger will be determined on tonight’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced an “All-Star Top 10 Battle Royal” for tonight’s show. It will feature wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown, with the winner challenging for Lesnar’s Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, Cesaro, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Big E, and Randy Orton will be the participants in the battle royal.
SummerSlam is taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 11.
Lesnar cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at Extreme Rules to win the Universal Championship from Rollins. Rollins had been champion since winning the title from Lesnar at WrestleMania 35 in April.
This is the third time that Lesnar has held the Universal title.
Lesnar is set to appear on tonight’s Raw. The Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York is hosting the episode.
After announcing a SmackDown Tag Team title match for Extreme Rules earlier in the day, another team was added to the mix on this week’s SmackDown.
Heavy Machinery defeated Kevin Owens & Dolph Ziggler in the main event of Tuesday’s show. The stipulation was that the winning team would be added to the SmackDown Tag Team title match at Extreme Rules. It will now be Daniel Bryan & Rowan defending their titles against Big E & Xavier Woods and Heavy Machinery in a triple threat match at the pay-per-view.
Heavy Machinery vs. Owens & Ziggler was set up during tonight’s opening segment. Owens and Ziggler argued on the KO Show and both wanted a title shot against WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. Shane McMahon responded by having them team together in a match where they could earn a Tag Team title shot.
After their loss, Owens attacked Ziggler and gave him a stunner. Ziggler had accidentally hit a superkick on Owens at the end of the match, which led to Heavy Machinery hitting The Compactor on Owens to get the win.
Bryan, Rowan, Big E, and Woods were on commentary at the start of Heavy Machinery vs. Owens & Ziggler. New Day started a brawl with Bryan and Rowan. Bryan hit a running knee on Big E, then Rowan slammed Woods through an announce table.
Bryan defeated Big E in a singles match earlier on tonight’s SmackDown after Rowan interfered.
The updated card for Extreme Rules is listed below. The PPV is taking place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 14:
The Undertaker & Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre in a no holds barred match
Universal Champion Seth Rollins & Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defending against Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans in an extreme rules match (winners-take-all stipulation with both titles on the line)
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Samoa Joe
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defending against Alexa Bliss
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan defending against Big E & Xavier Woods and Heavy Machinery in a triple threat match
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak defending against Tony Nese
The SmackDown Tag Team titles will officially be on the line at Stomping Grounds.
WWE has announced that SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan will defend their titles against Heavy Machinery (Tucker & Otis) at Sunday’s pay-per-view. The show is taking place at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington.
Heavy Machinery defeated The B-Team (Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas) on tonight’s SmackDown. Bryan and Rowan were on commentary for the match, with Bryan pushing that Tucker and Otis are legitimate athletes but are too focused on joking around.
Bryan & Rowan’s program with Heavy Machinery began on the May 28 episode of SmackDown. They accepted a challenge from Heavy Machinery but refused to face them that night.
The updated lineup for Stomping Grounds is listed below:
Universal Champion Seth Rollins defending against Baron Corbin (special guest referee to be announced)
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Dolph Ziggler in a steel cage match
Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defending against Lacey Evans
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defending against Alexa Bliss
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
United States Champion Samoa Joe defending against Ricochet
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan defending against Heavy Machinery
The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Universal Champion Seth Rollins and SmackDown Tag Team Champion Daniel Bryan faced off in the main event of Raw’s go-home show for Stomping Grounds.
The non-title match originally ended in an almost immediate disqualification when Rowan interfered and The New Day, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, The Revival, and The Usos got involved, but everyone was banned from ringside and Rollins vs. Bryan was restarted. After Rollins won, Baron Corbin attacked him with a steel chair to close the show.
That was revenge for Rollins taking out all of Corbin’s potential special guest referee picks for Sunday’s pay-per-view throughout the night. Rollins will defend his title against Corbin at Stomping Grounds, but WWE has yet to announce who the referee will be.
Ricochet also won a fatal five-way number one contender’s elimination match last night and will challenge for Samoa Joe’s United States title at Stomping Grounds.
Date: June 17, 2019 Location: Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA
The Big Takeaway —
There was a show-long story where Seth Rollins used a steel chair to attack anyone who accepted Baron Corbin’s offer to be the special referee for their match on Sunday, including one guy who didn’t actually agree to it. Rollins beat Daniel Bryan in the main event, which was their first match in four years, and the first time Rollins beat Bryan in a singles match. Corbin attacked Rollins with a chair to end the show and we never found out who the referee will be.
Show Recap —
Elias kicked off the show. He said he asked his friend Anthony Davis why he would move to Los Angeles and Davis answered that he was a piece of garbage who wanted to be surrounded by other pieces of garbage and the people in LA were more toxic than the air.
Elias said he was invited by Baron Corbin to be here tonight. He took off his coat to reveal a referee shirt and announced he would be the referee at Stomping Grounds. As he spoke, Seth Rollins showed up and attacked him from behind with a steel chair. Rollins hit Elias repeatedly with the chair.
This seemed to eliminate Elias as the referee on Sunday. Rollins issued a warning to anyone who was considering siding with Corbin and accepting his offer. Rollins left.
The Miz came out for the opening match and gave Elias a Skull Crushing Finale. Bobby Lashley came out next and gave Elias a spear while looking in Miz’s direction. Cesaro came out next, shrugged his shoulders, and gave Elias the big swing. Ricochet was next and gave him a Codebreaker. Finally, Braun Strowman entered and gave him a powerslam.
Suffice it to say, this was a more fun than usual way to start Raw.
5-Way elimination match: Ricochet defeated The Miz, Bobby Lashley, Cesaro and Braun Strowman (14:19)
The match began after a break. Samoa Joe watched from ringside.
Strowman dominated everyone early on. After Cesaro gave him a death valley driver, Strowman gave Cesaro a powerslam, then powerslammed Lashley onto Cesaro. Strowman then pinned Cesaro to eliminate him. (It was at this point I realized this was an elimination match. They were previously calling it a fatal 5-way.)
Soon after that, Strowman gave Lashley another powerslam to eliminate him. Cesaro and Lashley were both eliminated within the first 2:20 of the match.
Strowman did laps around the ring, running over Miz and Ricochet. Cesaro and Lashley attacked Strowman at this point. Lashley gave him a spear and Cesaro gave him a Neutralizer. Ricochet followed with a 630 splash and pinned Strowman (with help from Cesaro and Lashley) for the elimination. Strowman laid out everyone before leaving.
After a break, Ricochet nailed a flip dive on Miz. Miz later spiked Ricochet with a DDT for two. Miz followed with It Kicks but Ricochet turned a Figure Four attempt into a schoolboy for two. Miz then applied the Figure Four but Ricochet reversed it. Miz reversed back into the Figure Four but Ricochet got a rope break.
Miz tried a springboard move but Ricochet caught him with a Codebreaker followed by a 630 splash for the pinfall win. Ricochet faces Joe for the US Title on Sunday.
As Ricochet celebrated, Joe attacked him from behind. Ricochet fought back and gave him a Fosbury flop.
They plugged Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan and noted that Rollins has never defeated Bryan one-on-one. They showed Bryan and Rowan arriving to the building, then showed Becky Lynch walking around backstage.
They showed a picture of Rollins and Lynch kissing on the red carpet at the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Becky Lynch promo
Lynch came out to a good reaction. She called out Lacey Evans. Lynch called Evans dopey and warned her she would get what she deserved the next time they came within striking distance. Lynch offered to kick her ass all over Los Angeles.
Evans came out. Lynch mocked her for speaking so slowly. Evans continued speaking and got “what” chants from the crowd. Evans said she’s been through things that even Lynch couldn’t understand. Evans noted that they were in Hollywood and said there should be a movie about her. Evans mentioned that she was a former U.S. Marine, unlike Lynch.
Evans said the division deserved someone like her as champion. Lynch said she knew her story, but it didn’t matter, because she was still a steaming pile of trash. Evans said Lynch was beatable. As she slowly entered through the ropes while cutting her promo, Lynch grabbed her and gave her an Exploder. Lynch’s music played, she put on Evans’ hat and left.
The Revival were all dressed up and joined Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a VIP lounge where they drank champagne.
Charly Caruso told Corbin that Elias no longer wanted to be the special referee and wondered if he was scrambling for a replacement. Corbin already had a replacement in mind and would reveal it on the Kevin & Sami Show tonight. Rollins showed up and nailed him with the chair. Rollins said he had more work to do.
Daniel Bryan promo
Bryan and Rowan came out on the stage. Bryan understood why the McMahons wanted him here as a wild card tonight, “because this place sucks.” Bryan was referring to both Monday Night Raw and the city of Los Angeles. He called LA the smog capital of America filled with impotent people. Bryan said they were here to lift them up and excite them.
Bryan would excite them by beating Seth Rollins and prove that one-half of the Smackdown tag team champions was better than the entire Raw roster. It was also a message to the Raw tag teams. “Prepare to be excited!” The Viking Raiders came out for their match and had a brief staredown with Bryan and Rowan.
The Viking Raiders defeated Russ & Randy Taylor (0:33)
Viking Raiders won with the Viking Experience.
They cut to the front row where a bunch of fans/plants were booing the Viking Raiders. Among them were R-Truth and Carmella in disguise. Instantly after they were shown on camera, the 24/7 title division sprinted out to ringside. Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins were among them. Truth hid under the ring, but when someone went after him, they found Titus O’Neil randomly hiding under the ring instead. This allowed Truth and Carmella to escape through the crowd.
Heath Slater showed up at Shane’s VIP party. Slater told Shane that his kids were getting older, everything was getting more expensive, and asked for a raise in his contract. The Revival laughed at him. Shane thought it took guts for him to ask and understood what it was like to have kids. He said no and told him to leave.
Shane then nodded at McIntyre who followed Slater out of the room. Slater was on the phone with someone breaking the bad news. McIntyre pulled cash out of his pocket for Slater. Slater declined, then McIntrye dropped the cash. Slater went to pick it up for him, then McIntyre attacked him. As he beat down on Slater, Revival and Shane came out to pull him off.
As they did this, Scott Dawson pocketed some of the cash, which got a laugh out of the crowd. They returned to the party and Dash Wilder picked up the rest of the cash.
The Kevin & Sami Show / The Sami & Kevin Show
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were already in the ring. Owens apologized to Zayn because he requested new graphics and set but none of it was ready. He angrily yelled, “Thanks a lot, Bob!” Owens introduced Corbin.
Zayn removed himself from consideration as the referee because of what Rollins did to him last week and because of what Rollins has already done tonight. Owens also removed himself from consideration out of solidarity to Zayn.
Owens and Zayn gave Corbin a drumroll as he revealed his special referee: EC3. EC3 came out on the stage and was attacked by Rollins with the chair. Rollins left.
As Corbin contemplated what to do next, he was interrupted by the New Day. They placed a jacket over EC3’s dead body. Zayn said he checked the lineup and noted that New Day weren’t wild cards tonight.
Kofi Kingston said he was the WWE Champion which meant he goes where he wants, when he wants, and that meant his boys go with him too. Owens warned him that if Dolph Ziggler didn’t take the title from him, Owens would do it himself. Kingston reminded Owens that he lost at Money in the Bank. Kingston said he was ready for Ziggler, who had nowhere to run, and would leave Stomping Grounds as champion.
Corbin heard enough and challenged them to a six-man tag. Xavier Woods was willing, but they needed an official to approve it. Woods and Big E picked up EC3’s dead body, held the mic to his lifeless face, and Kingston’s voice accepted the match. I found this amusing.
AJ Styles was with the trainer backstage when they were interrupted by Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, who were dressed as doctors. Styles was happy to see them and recalled that it was three years ago when they debuted at Staples Center and beat up the Usos. Styles mentioned the battles they had upon arriving.
Anderson and Gallows thought he was about to call them the best tag team in the world, but Styles actually said it was the Usos. Styles told them they’ve gotten too comfortable and wondered when they were last on TV, let alone the last time they won a match. He told them to get serious. Anderson got in Styles’ face and said they would beat the Usos tonight.
2-out-of-3 falls six-man tag match: WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods & Big E defeated Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (12:17)
New Day won the first fall at about 3:40 when Woods pinned Zayn with a schoolboy.
After a break, the heels worked over Big E. Big E gave Owens a belly-to-belly suplex and made the hot tag to Kingston who hit Corbin with strikes and flying crossbody for two. Kingston followed with a boom drop but after Zayn distraction, Corbin gave Kingston a Deep Six. Woods and Big E broke up the cover, then they were sent from the ring by Owens and Zayn.
Kingston ducked a Corbin clothesline and he nailed Zayn by accident. Owens stuck up for his friend and superkicked Corbin. Owens and Zayn left. Kingston then gave Corbin a Trouble in Paradise for the pinfall win. New Day won two straight falls. The crowd liked New Day.
Backstage, Alexa Bliss had a gift for Nikki Cross. It was an invitation to join her in a title match against the IIconics tonight. Cross was excited and wondered how she pulled this. Bliss knew that she was upset about not getting a title shot despite beating Peyton Royce, so she worked her magic to get the shot. Bliss said WWE would finally have a woman’s champion who knew how to treat the fans. Cross didn’t know what she meant. Bliss mentioned something about Bayley and quickly moved on.
Paul Heyman promo
Heyman admitted to not being comfortable in the ring with Rollins running around attacking people with a chair. He made it clear that he was not the special referee, then said you’d have to be a “dumbass” to accept the spot considering what Rollins has been doing.
Heyman said Rollins and the LA Lakers had something in common–they both traded away their balls. The Lakers traded their Ball to get a new playmate for LeBron James to disappoint the fans, and Rollins traded his balls for a steel chair.
Heyman noted that Rollins had a match tonight against a formidable opponent in Daniel Bryan, and just maybe Brock Lesnar was here tonight. The crowd lightly cheered, then Heyman said maybe he wasn’t here and the crowd lightly booed. Heyman said maybe Lesnar would be there on Sunday or next Monday. He said nobody knew when Lesnar would be there, including the soon-to-be former Universal Champion Seth Rollins.
Backstage, Corbin offered Eric Young the role as referee. Young said he’d think about it. After Corbin left, Young then bumped into Rollins. Young assured him he wasn’t going to accept, he was just tired of talking to Corbin. Rollins said they’ve known each other for a long time and wasn’t worried about it. Young was relieved–then Rollins clobbered him with the chair from behind and nailed him with it repeatedly.
The Usos defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (2:40)
Styles was shown backstage watching on TV, rooting for his buddies. Anderson was in control but wasted too much time gloating. He tagged in Gallows, but they were fought off by the Usos. Both Usos gave Gallows superkicks for the pinfall win. Styles was disappointed.
Roman Reigns was shown walking around aimlessly backstage.
They showed a Twitter video by Hulk Hogan from a few days ago where he wished the USA women’s soccer team luck against Chile. There was a line where he said they would “wipe Chile off the face of the map.”
Roman Reigns promo
Reigns said SSD was not a good week for him, but he didn’t have any excuses for us, because excuses aren’t entertaining. What was entertaining was him whooping some ass. He challenged Shane to be a man for the first time in his life and fight him tonight.
Shane appeared on the screen and had Mike Rome introduce him. Shane told Reigns there was no shame in losing to the best in the world. McIntyre then cut a promo on Reigns about their match. Reigns was likely as bored as the rest of us because he abruptly left and walked to the back. The Revival tried to cut him off but he laid them both out.
Reigns entered the VIP room and attacked Shane and McIntyre. Reigns put McIntyre through a table, then Shane ran away all the way to ringside. Reigns chased after him, leaped over the barricade and knocked him down. Reigns then gave him a superman punch and spear. Reigns grabbed a mic and told Shane to crawl to the back and tell McIntyre he’ll whip his ass on Sunday.
Caruso approached Bayley who was hanging out with Naomi and Natalya. Caruso asked Bayley about a social media post suggesting that Bayley wouldn’t take a picture with a fan because the fan wore a Nikki Cross shirt. Bayley said that was obviously set up by Bliss. Bayley left do deal with Bliss. Natalya wondered if Bayley really wouldn’t take a picture with a fan.
Renee Young thought that this implication was hot steaming garbage, which is the second time a variation of that line was used tonight.
The IIconics defeated Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championship
The IIconics cut a promo before the match and they made more jokes about LeBron and the Lakers. Even Corey Graves commented on how tired this was getting. Renee gave the Toronto Raptors a shout-out. (I was an hour late for work today because of the Raptors parade.)
Bayley watched from ringside. Bliss was knocked off the apron and got face-to-face with Bayley. Bliss shoved Bayley down. Suddenly, Billie Kay rolled up Cross for the pinfall win. This didn’t even get on camera, because they cut back to ringside where Bayley shoved down Bliss. They quickly moved on from this and didn’t show any replays. This sucked.
Backstage, Bliss apologized to Cross. Cross put the blame on Bayley, who crushed her dream. Cross told Bliss she would be in her corner for her title match on Sunday. Bliss nodded and the crowd cheered. (So Bliss’ plan worked and the fans are behind her.)
Firefly Fun House
Bray Wyatt said he knew what it was like to not belong. That’s why he built this place, so they could all be together. All of the puppets showed up, including the Vince puppet. Bray said people worship what they fear, and fear was power. A radio dial turned and a few different songs played, including a cover of the Muscle Man Dance. Bray then appeared in his creepy outfit as a child’s voice said “follow the leader.” This finished with Bray saying “let me in.”
Bryan asked Caruso why nobody had the common sense to just take the chair out of Rollins’ hand. Bryan said Rollins was not a better wrestler than him, and while Rollins might be the beast slayer, he’s never beaten him.
Rollins was shown walking backstage with the chair. Lynch walked by, they acknowledged each other, and he kept walking.
Non-title match: Universal Champion Seth Rollins defeated Daniel Bryan (w/Rowan) via DQ (1:12)
Bryan wore black with dark green. Rollins wore his Avengers: Endgame tights. Rollins gave Bryan a suicide dive. He tried one on Rowan but Rowan caught him and slammed him on the apron for the DQ. The crowd booed as Bryan gave Rollins a running knee.
New Day ran down the save Rollins. Owens, Zayn and the Revival ran down to attack them. The Usos followed to make the save and took out the heels with dives. The brawl continued as officials tried to break it up.
Mike Rome announced that the match would be restarted one-on-one with no one allowed at ringside.
Non-title match: Universal Champion Seth Rollins defeated Daniel Bryan (8:00)
Bryan sent Rollins to the outside and shoved him against the steel steps. Bryan followed with running dropkicks in the corner, but Rollins avoided the last one and nailed a clothesline, followed by a slingblade. Bryan avoided a curb stomp and they traded rollups. They then traded strikes.
Bryan missed a kick, then Rollins went for a Pelé kick, but Bryan dodged, grabbed his leg and applied an ankle lock. Bryan then turned that into a German suplex, sending Rollins out of the ring. Bryan followed with a flying knee off the apron.
Bryan went to the top but Rollins ran up and nailed a superplex. Rollins tried to follow with a Falcon Arrow but Bryan countered into the LeBell lock until Rollins got a rope break. Bryan hit Yes Kicks and went for the running knee, but Rollins caught him, hit a buckle bomb and superkick for a nearfall.
Rollins tried a frog splash while selling his shoulder, but Bryan countered into the LeBell lock. Rollins slipped out and used a schoolboy for two, then hit an enziguri and curb stomp for the pinfall win.
As Rollins backed up the ramp, Corbin attacked him from behind with a steel chair. Corbin hit him two more times with the chair, and the last shot appeared to catch Rollins on the back of the head. The referee quickly checked on Rollins as Corbin dragged him into the ring. Corbin gave him an End of Days then held up the title belt. No referee announcement.
Final Thoughts —
The show started out well and you could tell they were making an effort to have the top babyfaces more in control than we’re used to seeing. The show quickly started to drag, though, and the crowd was quiet by the end. Also, Bryan and Rollins initially had enough time to have a 15-plus minute match, but because of the angle they did, they got 8 minutes instead.
WWE has announced the reason for Daniel Bryan’s appearance on tonight’s Raw.
Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. Bryan in a non-title match is set for the episode. It’s the go-home show for Stomping Grounds, and Rollins is set to defend his title against Baron Corbin at Sunday’s pay-per-view.
WWE announced last Friday that Bryan would be making an appearance on tonight’s Raw as part of the Wild Card rule. The reason for it wasn’t stated then, with WWE noting that the appearance was “not by choice.”
There will be a special guest referee for Rollins’ match against Corbin at Stomping Grounds. Corbin gets to pick the referee in storyline, but WWE has yet to reveal who it will be.
WWE.com teased that Corbin could play a part in Rollins’ match against Bryan: “How will Rollins fare against The Planet’s Champion, who comes to the red brand as one of SmackDown LIVE’s Wild Cards? And how might Corbin, who will no doubt be watching the action closely, be a factor in this match?”
Bryan & Rowan are the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. They don’t have a match for Stomping Grounds announced as of now.
Tonight’s Raw is taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Braun Strowman, The Miz, Ricochet, Cesaro, and Bobby Lashley will face off in a fatal five-way match tonight. The winner will challenge for Samoa Joe’s United States Championship at Stomping Grounds.
An appearance by Daniel Bryan is set for Monday’s Raw.
WWE.com announced today that Bryan will be appearing on Monday’s episode. It’s taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California and is the go-home show for Stomping Grounds.
WWE.com wrote about Bryan’s appearance: “SmackDown Tag Team Champion and ‘Planet’s Champion’ Daniel Bryan has been chosen to be one of the four Wild Card Superstars to appear on Raw this coming Monday in Los Angeles. The former SmackDown General Manager has long been loyal to the blue brand, and since this Wild Card appearance is not by choice, one can only wonder what Bryan will have to say to the ‘fickle’ WWE Universe on Raw.”
Bryan & Rowan are the current SmackDown Tag Team Champions and have been involved in a feud with Heavy Machinery. Bryan & Rowan also lost a non-title match to The Usos on the Money in the Bank pre-show last month.
WWE is advertising that Baron Corbin will announce who he’s choosing as the special guest referee for the Universal Championship match at Stomping Grounds on Monday’s Raw. Corbin is challenging for Seth Rollins’ Universal title at the pay-per-view and gets to select his own special guest referee in storyline.
Rollins vs. Corbin is a rematch from Super ShowDown. Rollins rolled up Corbin to retain in that match after Corbin argued with referee John Cone.
Four WWE wrestlers are not expected to travel to Saudi Arabia next month.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful first reported that Kevin Owens told WWE that he did not want to go back and perform in the country. Dave Meltzer has since confirmed this.
John Pollock of Post Wrestling additionally reported that Sami Zayn and Aleister Black would not be appearing on the show. Zayn, who is of Syrian descent, also didn’t appear at the Greatest Royal Rumble last year due to tensions between Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Dave Meltzer reported this morning on Wrestling Observer Radio that Daniel Bryan would also not be appearing at Super Showdown. Bryan didn’t go to last year’s Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, though did appear at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
WWE’s decision to continue running events in Saudi Arabia has garnered much controversy in the wake of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder last year inside a Saudi consulate in Turkey. Despite outside pressure, WWE has continued to promote events taking place in Saudi Arabia but hasn’t mentioned the country’s name in advertising.
Their next show in Jeddah, Super Showdown, will take place at the King Abdullah International Stadium on June 7.
WWE has announced a pre-show match for Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan will take on The Usos on the Money in the Bank pre-show. It doesn’t appear that Bryan & Rowan’s titles will be on the line in the match.
After The Hardys vacated the titles, Bryan & Rowan became SmackDown Tag Team Champions by defeating The Usos last week.
Bryan, Rowan, Shane McMahon, and Elias attacked Roman Reigns and The Miz in the opening segment of tonight’s SmackDown. The Usos made the save for Reigns and Miz, and Shane announced a four-on-three handicap match for later in the night. As a stipulation of it, Miz’s steel cage match against Shane at Money in the Bank would’ve been canceled if Miz got involved.
Shane got the win for the heels in the handicap match. Miz then came out with a chair and stopped Shane, Elias, Bryan, and Rowan from beating down Reigns and The Usos.
The Usos moved to Raw in the Superstar Shake-up but have been on the past two episodes of SmackDown as part of the Wild Card rule. They’ve also been in a storyline with The Revival on Raw.
The XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut is hosting Money in the Bank on Sunday. Here’s the updated card:
Universal Champion Seth Rollins defending against AJ Styles
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Kevin Owens
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 (Ricochet, Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Ali, Andrade, Randy Orton)
Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match (Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Natalya, Dana Brooke, Bayley, Mandy Rose, Ember Moon, Carmella)
Roman Reigns vs. Elias
The Miz vs. Shane McMahon in a steel cage match
United States Champion Samoa Joe defending against Rey Mysterio
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese defending against Ariya Daivari
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan vs. The Usos (pre-show)
One of the most interesting matches in round one of the Greatest Kayfabe Tournament takes place today and you, the listeners, voted and picked a winner.
On a new DragonKingKarl podcast, I discuss the careers and history of former NWA and ECW World Champion Terry Funk and his opponent, modern era star, one of the greatest mat wrestlers in history, and multi-time WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan.
Two of the greatest from two different eras collide today in this look at Funk and Bryan.
