Tag: smackdown live results

WWE SmackDown live results: Two championship matches

Posted on by Colin McGuire

A pair of title matches are set to take place on tonight’s WWE SmackDown from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

On the heels of defeating DIY for a shot at the WWE Tag Team titles, The Street Profits will face off with champions The Bloodline tonight. It will feature Jacob Fatu wrestling for the first time since SummerSlam. He returned last week and helped lay out Roman Reigns.

The United States Championship will also be defended as LA Knight squares off against Santos Escobar. This is Knight’s first defense of the belt since winning it from Logan Paul at SummerSlam.

Also, after a quick social media exchange, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will be a guest on the Grayson Waller Effect. Rhodes is set to defend his title against Kevin Owens at Bash In Berlin next weekend.

After recently aligning herself with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Unholy Union, Blair Davenport will team with them to take on Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair & Naomi. The Unholy Union successfully defended their tag titles on Raw this Monday, defeating Damage CTRL.

Join us for live coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– The show began with a video recapping last week’s Bloodline developments. Video of the Bloodline entering the building then aired. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller were introduced and The Grayson Waller began.

The Grayson Waller Effect with Cody Rhodes

This was fairly formulaic, but it did the job. This long, slow walk towards Waller and Theory breaking up has more than overstayed its welcome – so much so, that to me, it’s almost already come back around and is beginning to be mildly interesting again. I could do without teasing tension between Cody and KO in the main event, just because it feels so predictable. Hey, here’s an idea: Owens fully turns on Cody and goes full-on bad guy. That’d be fun. Speaking of fun, I got a kick out of seeing Jericho on a WWE video package the weekend of All In.

Waller introduced Cody and Cody came out to a loud pop. Cody tried to pose on the top rope and Waller cut everything off, telling Cody it was an interview and Cody needed to sit down. Cody grabbed a microphone and said “So …” but Waller finished with “Washington, D.C., what do you want to talk about?” Waller said everything in the WWE is about Cody Rhodes. The crowd chanted Cody’s name. Waller said, “These idiots don’t know the real you,” while referencing the crowd. Waller asked Cody what kind of friend Cody is and mocked him.

Cody jumped in and asked Waller if he thought he was a bad friend. Cody referenced Kevin Owens and said Owens could and has beaten everyone on the SmackDown roster. Cody said Owens has been fighting the Bloodline since before Cody came back. Cody said Owens has not stopped fighting and he followed that up by saying he has never used Owens. Cody asked Waller if Waller could say the same thing and insinuated that Waller was using Austin Theory. Cody called Theory “Magic Mike,” which was funny, and told Theory that Waller was using Theory and everyone is waiting for Theory to do something about it.

Waller chimed in and said they would never turn on each other. Waller said he prepared something for Cody to watch and introduced a video package on Kevin Owens. The video package chronicled all the times Owens turned on his friends. That package included, among others, his program with Chris Jericho. Back in the ring, Waller said that didn’t look like a good friend to him, and just like that, Owens’s music hit and Owens walked out with a mic. Owens soaked in “KO” chants.

Owens said they are trying to convince Cody he’ll turn on him, but Owens said everyone in the video had it coming – except for Kofi Kingston. Owens said everyone knows what’s going to happen … and eventually Nick Aldis will make a tag match with the four. Aldis walked out and Owens asked Aldis if he could make a tag match for tonight. Aldis said it’s a done deal and the main event will be Kevin Owens & Cody Rhodes vs A-Town Down Under. Owens asked Aldis if he could still punch Waller right now and Aldis told Owens to make it quick. The four briefly brawled until the heels retreated and Cody’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

LA Knight defeated Santos Escobar to retain the U.S. title [9:05]

This was ostensibly a home game for Knight, who once called Hagerstown, Maryland, home, and Hagerstown, Maryland, isn’t all that far from Washington, D.C. That said, it was nice to see him get the win in front of (presumably) his family and friends. There was very little suspense about the outcome because this was Knight’s first title defense and … well, come on. Still, both guys showed up for work and Escobar can look to run it back without the rest of LDE being banned from ringside. All the crowds love LA Knight anyway; they loved him a little more tonight.

As the introductions began, Berto and Angel pulled Knight to the outside and attacked him before the bell rang. Escobar stood in the ring, smiling. As a result, referee Jessika Carr sent Berto, Angel and Elektra Lopez to the back. The bell finally rang and Escobar leapt at Knight, but Knight moved and rolled Escobar up for a two-count. Escobar went right back on the offensive and slammed Knight for a two-count. The show then went to a break.

Back from that break, Knight landed a neck-breaker to take control. The two went to the outside and Knight slammed Escobar onto the commentary table repeatedly. Knight cleared off the table, but Escobar threw Knight into the table. Escobar then went to the barricade and hit a double-knees onto Knight, onto the commentary table. Escobar went to the top rope and landed a frog splash on Knight inside the ring and got a two-count out of it. Escobar went to work on Knight’s shoulder/arm. Escobar went for an elbow drop, but Knight moved and before long, followed that up with an inverted atomic drop.

Knight hit a running clothesline and a neck-breaker before stomping a mud hole in Escobar. Knight then landed a clunky Side Effect for a near-fall. Knight set up for a BFT, but Escobar countered with a super-kick. The two battled on the second rope until Knight pushed Escobar off and hit an elbow from the top. From there, it was the BFT and the end.

**********

– Carmelo Hayes cut a promo in a barber shop and was talking trash until Andrade barged in and challenged Hayes to a match next week.

– Legado Del Fantasma were fighting backstage and Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews walked into the scene. Escobar said he would not tolerate disrespect and he would talk to Aldis to “sort this out next week.”

Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair & Naomi defeated Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn & Blair Davenport [9:35]

This was better than I expected it to be, though I’m not even quite sure I know what I expected it to be. Good work from all women involved. The pretzel-like submission that Fyre worked midway through the match on Belair was fantastic – and Belair sold it accordingly, too. Cargill gets just a tiny bit better each time she’s out there and this was no exception. There’s a lot to be said about the way WWE has used her since she came over from AEW, but things kind of/sort of feel like they are starting to work with her. Naomi getting the win was a nice touch. Davenport taking the loss, meanwhile … eh. She could use some booking love on Friday nights.

Belair and Dawn began the match with Dawn getting the best of Belair early on. Belair came back with a slam and a springboard moonsault. Belair kicked Dawn and Dawn rolled to the outside. From there, Belair landed a splash on Dawn on the outside and the show went to a commercial break. Back from the break, Blair Davenport had tagged in and was working over Belair. The three heels landed an impressive sequence of triple-team moves on Belair for a two-count.

Dawn ran in and taunted Cargill. With the referee distracted the heels posed for the crowd. Dawn was the legal woman for a split second until Fyre tagged in and the two front-suplexed Belair. Fyre worked a submission on Belair until Belair worked her way out of it with a back-breaker. Dawn tagged in and cut off a hot-tag attempt, but Belair wasn’t having that and landed a vertical suplex on Dawn and got the hot tag to Cargill.

Davenport tagged in as well, but Cargill took out all three heels, complete with a powerbomb and fallaway slam. The heels fought back, but Naomi tagged in and hit a cross-body on Davenport and Dawn. Naomi then landed dueling draping DDTs on Davenport and Dawn. Cargill then kicked the hell out of Fyre. Things broke down and went to the outside, where Belair took everyone out with a cross-body. Back inside the ring, Naomi hit a split-legged moonsault on Davenport and got the win for her team.

**********

– A Bash In Berlin video aired and Natalya narrated it. The Hart family was featured heavily in the video – including Bret, Owen and the British Bulldog.

– The Bloodline made their entrance. Jacob Fatu was in a walking boot. Solo Sikoa had a microphone and said, “Washington, D.C., acknowledge me.” Sikoa said he had a lot to talk about and he asked the crowd, who was booing him loudly, to keep it down. Sikoa said their “O.T.C. is D.O.N.E.” The crowd still chanted “OTC!” Sikoa said whoever wins the title match at Bash – Cody or KO – Sikoa has next. Sikoa said he will bring the undisputed title back to his family. “We want Roman!” chants broke out. Sikoa reminded everyone that Roman wasn’t there. Sikoa then said there is something wrong with the tag team titles. Sikoa told Fatu to step up. Sikoa told Fatu to give Sikoa his title. Fatu went to hand it over, but Sikoa told Fatu to give it to Tanga Loa. Fatu obliged. “You can’t wrestle!” chants began and it was very, very funny. Fatu was promoted as the “personal enforcer” for Sikoa. Fatu and Sikoa embraced and Fatu screamed he loved Sikoa repeatedly. The Street Profits walked out and mocked the Bloodline. Dawkins yelled that the Profits want the smoke and walked to the ring for their title match.

– LA Knight cut a promo backstage and talked about how he was home. Knight said he was going to cross the ocean and defend his title in an open challenge at Berlin next weekend.

The Bloodline (Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles [9:12]

I don’t know what the hell the deal is with Jacob Fatu and if he’s injured, or how much he’s injured, or if this is all a work, or if … whatever. But him throwing around super-kicks like that – I like it. I also like the fact that somehow, someway, we don’t really know for sure one way or another what the deal is with Fatu. I guess we’re supposed to assume that he isn’t cleared to wrestle because he’s not a tag champion anymore … but if he wasn’t cleared to wrestle, how can he get away with all the physicality? Whatever it is, this adds a nice wrinkle to the act and this match was pretty good. The “You can’t wrestle!” chants beforehand had me cracking up, but Tonga Loa was fine here. I’m interested to see how these tag champs work out. #DIY still being involved in an unexpected – but welcome – development. Does the Bloodline hold on to these belts until the Lucha … oh, never mind.

Guerrillas of Destiny … er … the Bloodline had control early over Dawkins. Ford ultimately tagged in and landed a standing moonsault on Tonga for a two-count. Ford followed that with a clothesline and another two-count. Loa tagged in and the two hit a combination neck-breaker on Ford. Loa kept control until Ford landed an enziuri and tagged in Dawkins. The Profits worked over the Tongans and Dawkins hit a Sky High before tagging on Ford, who hit a frog splash on Loa for a two-count that was broke up by Tonga. Tonga tagged in and on the outside of the ring his some type of modified Cross-Rhodes on Ford on the outside. The show went to a break.

The show returned and Loa and working over Ford inside the ring. Ultimately, Loa went for a pop-up move on Ford, but Ford countered with a DDT. Dawkins received the hot tag and Tonga tagged in. Dawkins went on a tear and Tonga was the recipient. Dawkins landed a Silencer and tagged in Ford, who helped out with a pop-up neck-breaker. Dawkins tagged in again and shoulder-blocked both Loa and Tonga on the outside of the ring. Ford followed that up with the leap over the ring post spot. Still, Fatu ran over and super-kicked both Profits with his walking boot. As a result, Tonga covered Dawkins for the win.

After the match, the Bloodline worked over the Profits, but #DIY’s music hit and Gargano and Ciampa ran out. The Bloodline got the better of them with Fatu landing his pop-up Samoan Drop on Ciampa. Sikoa then hit the Samoan Spike on Gargano and Ciampa. To end things, the Bloodline stood tall.

**********

– Cody and KO were talking backstage. Owens said they want to shut Waller and Theory up. Owens referenced the video from before where Owens turned on all his friends and Owens told Cody he’s not that guy anymore. Owens said he didn’t ask for the tag match to set Cody up. Cody said he’ll just take Owens at his word and be ready for what happens next.

– Saxton was shown backstage and B-Fab walked out of the trainer’s room. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell showed up and were concerned. Everyone was scared about what condition #DIY and the Profits were in.

– A Michin vignette aired and it was very good.

– Pretty Deadly was shown gluing on pink diamonds onto Nia Jax’s crown, which was messed up last week by Michin. Tiffany Stratton asked Jax if there was anything she could do for Jax and Jax said she could start by fixing Jax’s crown. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven were shown talking around the corner from Jax and they speculated about Stratton cashing in on Jax eventually. Jax shut Niven and Green up and said she was in no mood tonight. Next week, Michin and Jax will wrestle in a street fight for the WWE Women’s Championship.

Cody Rhodes & Kevin Owens defeated A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller & Austin Theory) [11:38]

Like I said earlier in this recap, I was hoping for a hard turn from KO, but it was not to be. Still, this was all right. Not terribly offensive. Not terribly inspiring. Pretty much the kind of WWE television main event one would expect on their way to a PLE. At some point, Waller and Theory’s run on SmackDown like this is going to have to be studied. They keep showing up. They keep working main events. They keep losing. They keep … seem lesser than the main event? That sounds harsh, but I’m not sure how else to put it. Either way, it always works, even if it working means it’s also kind of boring. For now, it’s on to the go-home show.

Cody and Waller started the match. Cody had control early and tagged in Owens, who chopped Waller and tagged Cody back into the match. Owens quickly tagged back in and the babyfaces had the upper hand, continuously working over Waller. Theory tagged in and hit a rolling dropkick on Owens. Theory pummeled Owens as the show went to its final commercial break.

The show returned, and Owens and Waller were battling on the top rope. Owens got the best of it, punched Waller off the top and hit a frog splash. Owens got the hot tag to Cody and Cody unleashed on Waller, complete with a Disaster Kick. Waller went to the outside and Cody tried to run the ropes, but Theory cut Cody off. As a result, Waller landed a rolling Flatliner on Cody for a two-count. Theory tagged in and kept control over Cody.

While Theory worked a head-lock on Cody, Owens fired up the crowd. Before long, Cody managed to hit a Cody Cutter to even things out. Cody went for a hot tag, but Theory cut Cody off with a back-drop and a two-count. Waller tagged in, but Cody took care of the heels and crawled towards Owens. Cody got the hot tag to Owens and Owens clotheslined both heels on the outside of the ring. Owens also hit a pair of Sentons on the heels. Back inside the ring, Owens landed a Cannonball and a Swanton Bomb on Waller, but Theory broke up a pin attempt. Cody then hit a Cross-Rhodes on Theory and Owens followed that up with a pop-up powerbomb on Waller for the win.

The commentary team ran down the Bash In Berlin card. Owens looked like he was going to hit Cody with the belt, but instead gave Cody his belt back. The show closed after that, and it was a bit of a fun way to end things.

WWE SmackDown live results: Roman Reigns appears

Posted on by Colin McGuire

After returning to WWE SmackDown for the first time in months last Friday, Roman Reigns is set to appear for the second week in a row.

Reigns will be on tonight’s SmackDown from the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. He returned to WWE programming at SummerSlam, out for vengeance against Solo Sikoa. Reigns then attacked Sikoa and his new version of The Bloodline last week. We’ll see where the story takes us next tonight.

A celebration for new WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax is also set. It will be hosted by women’s Money in the Bank briefcase holder Tiffany Stratton.

DIY are facing off against The Street Profits for a shot at the WWE Tag Team titles. Both teams won matches last week to earn their spots in this number one contender’s bout.

Having recently aligned herself with Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn, Blair Davenport will go one-on-one with Naomi tonight. Plus, Kevin Owens (who will challenge Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at Bash In Berlin later this month) will take on Grayson Waller.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– A video recapping last week’s Bloodline developments opened the show.

– Footage of Solo Sikoa walking backstage aired. Tiffany Stratton was in the ring and she was flanked by Pretty Deadly.

The Nia Jax Championship Celebration

This was fun. Campy. But fun. Kind of. I’m intrigued by the Stratton/Pretty Deadly pairing. The more you see it, the more it makes sense and the longer this segment went on, the more I wanted more of it in the future. We’ll see, I suppose. I’m a little surprised that the tension between Jax and Stratton is already palpable – I was convinced we’d get weeks of them getting along swimmingly before things started to fall apart, but I’m not complaining if WWE is going to expedite the inevitable match between Jax and Stratton. In the meantime, Michin gets some shine and that’s a good thing.

Stratton introduced Jax and Jax made her entrance. Jax was brought out by men carrying a throne on which Jax was sitting. The ring had pink balloons and a carpet in it. Jax was given a microphone and the crowd booed her. Jax told Stratton she “shouldn’t have.” Tiff said she just wanted to give back and Jax said it was … “an awful lot of pink.” Jax said it wasn’t her style because her style is destruction and she proved that at SummerSlam when she destroyed Bayley. Jax said she was a woman of her word when she said she’d take the title from Bayley. Jax said not only is she the Queen Of The Ring, but she’s also the new WWE Women’s Champion.

Jax said everyone should bow down to her and Pretty Deadly actually did bow down. Jax said what better way to start than with Tiff. Jax told Stratton she wanted her to bow down and Stratton said Pretty Deadly will sing a song and then they will all bow down to Jax. Pretty Deadly introduced “Pretty Deadly: The Musical,” and performed “Ode To The Queen.” Out of nowhere, Michin ran in with a kendo stick and beat the hell out of everybody, including Jax. Michin was left alone with Pretty Deadly in the ring and Michin wore those guys out with the stick. Michin grabbed the bottle of champagne in the ring to end the segment.

**********

– Backstage, Jade Cargill, Naomi and Bianca Belair were shown talking backstage. Carmelo Hayes walked into the frame and asked them if they were going to pull up to his after-party after he beats Andrade. The women reminded Hayes that Andrade was two up on him. From there, Andrade made his entrance for the first match.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Andrade [9:38]

I liked this a lot. The post-match brawl was great, too. These are two guys who took a random pairing for a random match on a random SmackDown and boy, have they turned it into something. This was up there with their first encounter (their second match thus far is probably my least favorite), and at first glance, I’d probably even say this was the best of the three. Some of the near-falls had me and both Andrade and Melo seem to have no problem laying it in on each other, which makes these matches that much better – especially under a WWE guise. I’m looking forward to match No. 4.

Hayes retreated to the outside to begin the match. Things picked up when Andrade went to the top and Hayes crotched Andrade, who landed inside the ring. Hayes then beat Andrade down. Andrade came back with a hard chop, but Hayes responded with a springboard turnaround clothesline for a one-count. Hayes ran the ropes and then into a dropkick from Andrade. Hayes rolled to the outside and Andrade landed a moonsault from the middle rope onto Hayes on the outside. Hayes tried to climb the ropes, but Andrade cut Hayes off and Andrade went to the top, but Hayes pushed Andrade from the top to the outside floor. Hayes posed and the show went to a commercial break.

Back from the break, the two were battling on the top rope and Andrade hit a Spanish Fly from the top for a good near-fall. Andrade got the audience hyped … and ran into a super-kick from Hayes. Still, Andrade came back with two suplexes only to have Hayes counter a third attempt and turn it into a cutter for a two-count. Hayes went to the top, but Andrade moved. The two traded pin attempts and Hayes hit a knee to Andrade’s head, but Andrade came right back with a very good-looking back elbow and another very good near-fall. The crowd chanted “This is awesome!”

Andrade went to the top and missed a moonsault. Andrade went for The Message, but Hayes countered with a roll-up and actually got the win. After the match, Hayes gloated and Andrade tried to leave the ring, but Hayes pulled him back and the two brawled on the mat. Officials ran out to separate them, but Andrade eventually broke away and hit a splash on Hayes as the crowd chanted “Let them fight!” Loudly.

**********

– Solo Sikoa was shown sitting backstage and Tama Tonga presented Sikoa the Ula Fala. Tonga said he would rip Roman Reigns apart later, but Sikoa said he’s the Tribal Chief now and if Roman takes the Ula Fala back, that will mean Reigns is the Tribal Chief and therefore, Sikoa and Tonga would be forced to acknowledge Roman. Sikoa held the Ula Fala to his face to end the short segment. Naomi then made her entrance.

– A video profiling Giovanni Vinci aired. Boy, what growing a half-goatee and wearing a suit can do for someone’s pro wrestling career.

Blair Davenport defeated Naomi [6:49]

I … I … I don’t know about that. The finish was flat and came out of nowhere. The women also didn’t feel in sync for a lot of the match. I … I don’t know. I’m all for giving Davenport some wins to establish her on SmackDown, but I don’t know if this did much to help her, if only because the match felt so cold. There has to be a better way to set up and then execute that knee, if that knee is going to be her finisher on the main roster because the final three seconds of this match went over like a fart in church (as Jim Ross would say). It’s a shame, too, because this was a homecoming for Naomi and it would have been nice to see things go better than this for her.

Roxanne Perez was shown in the crowd because being in Orlando is pretty much a home game for WWE anymore. Davenport pushed Naomi to start the match and the two brawled from there. Davenport went for a clothesline, but Naomi slid through it and hit a Rearview. Davenport rolled to the outside. Naomi followed and landed her split splash onto Davenport. Naomi threw Davenport back into the ring and climbed to the top to hit a cross-body for a two-count. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Davenport had the edge, hitting a back-breaker. There was a clunky moment, but ultimately, Naomi took Davenport down with a head-scissors takedown. The two then hit dueling cross-bodies to reset the match. Naomi fired up and worked Davenport over with some kicks and another split splash for a two-count. Naomi landed a dropkick in the corner and went for a split-legged moonsault, but Davenport cut her off and countered with a stomp. Davenport then knee’d Naomi and got the win kind of/sort of out of nowhere.

**********

– Grayson Waller was shown warming up backstage with Austin Theory. Waller complained about Kevin Owens and wouldn’t you know it, Owens showed up and tapped Waller on the shoulder. Owens said everything Waller said was right (including the fact that Cody gave Owens a title match). Owens noted how Waller said it will be an easy win for Waller. Owens laughed and said things like, “Yeah! Sure! An easy win for you! Let’s go do it!” And then Owens walked away.

– A graphic honoring Afa Anoa’i appeared on the big screen in the arena. “Thank you, Afa!” chants broke out. A video chronicling Afa’s career then aired.

– NXT Champion Ethan Page was shown in the crowd before the Owens/Waller match.

Kevin Owens defeated Grayson Waller [4:38]

The weird part about this match was that it dawned on me about two minutes into it that we don’t really ever get to see Waller wrestle singles matches seriously anymore. I haven’t seen that between-the-legs splash thing in ages and yet he pulled it out here. Waller and Theory continue to be fodder for the biggest babyfaces on the roster, but as I’ve said for months, I continue to wonder when this thing is going to blow up. At this point, I’m starting to think never. Still, this match was fun for what it was/while it lasted. For being a sub-five-minute match, this had a lot of good energy and Owens seemed inspired, which helped. In all, a nice turnover segment.

Owens jumpstarted the match with a running kick, but Waller tried to come back to no avail. Owens set up for a Cannonball in a corner, but Waller rolled to the outside. Owens went to the outside and clotheslined Waller before throwing Waller into the barrier wall. Owens chopped Waller and rolled Waller back into the ring before jawing at Theory. With Theory yelling at Owens, Waller attacked Owens and set up a chair in the crowd to sit in it. Owens came right back and dragged Waller from the crowd back to ringside, but Waller got up, punched Owens, threw Owens into a ring post and hit a DDT on the outside for a two-count back inside the ring.

Waller went to the second rope and hit an elbow on Owens for a two-count. Waller set Owens up for a super-plex, but Owens fought out of it and landed a Swanton for a two-count. Before long, Waller went for a rolling move on Owens, but Waller rolled into a Stunner. Owens fired the crowd up and landed a pop-up powerbomb to get the win.

After the match, Owens threw Waller outside and ran Waller into the Prime cart. Owens lifted Waller, but Theory made the save. From there, Waller and Theory tried to get their revenge on Owens with chairs. Cody’s music then hit and Cody ran out. Owens and Cody beat Waller and Theory down with their chairs. With the heels gone, Owens picked up Cody’s belt and looked at it. Owens then gave the belt back to Cody and left.

**********

– Sikoa was shown backstage and he spoke with Tonga. Sikoa said tonight, Roman needs to acknowledge Sikoa. The crowd chanted “OTC!”

– Titus O’Neil was shown in the crowd.

– A Legado Del Fantasma vignette aired. Santos Escobar said Berto and Angel were demeaned week after week. Escobar told them not to forget who they are. Escobar said LDF is not just a name; it’s a legacy. Escobar said next week, he will take the U.S. title from LA Knight. Escobar then toasted to sending that “piece of trash” back to the trailer park he came from. Santos said “Everybody sayin’ Es. Co. Bar.” On cue, LA Knight’s music hit in the arena. Knight came out to a huge pop. Knight talked about how all Escobar is doing is trying to be like Knight. Knight said he won’t forget where they are next week – the nation’s capital. Knight said he doesn’t have time to be worried about Escobar and next week, he will put Escobar on his ass. Knight closed with his “LA Knight, Yeah!” phrase.

– Michin was shown walking out of Nick Aldis’s office and ran into Piper Niven and Chelsea Green. Green said they were going to do what Michin did, but it was too fun to watch the car crash that was the show’s opening segment. Michin said because of what Michin did, she got a Women’s Championship match against Nia Jax. Out of nowhere, Jax appeared and attacked Michin until Aldis reprimanded Jax, who then walked away.

– Trick Williams was shown in the crowd.

The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) to become the No. 1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship [15:14]

For my money, this was the best WWE television match this week, and that includes the Intercontinental Championship match on Monday night. These four brought all they could to the table and it was one of those instances where you really do curse WWE for shoehorning in two commercial breaks into a 15 minute match. Whatever that tag title match might end up being will not be as good as this match was. Gargano and Ciampa looked better than normal and the Profits were ready to hang with that spot-heavy style – and then some. Good-to-great stuff from everybody here and the crowd was up for it, too, which made things that much better. It has to be asked: What happens to #DIY now? They had a cup of coffee with the tag titles and we all know they were put together to be broken up … will that break up come soon? For as good as their tag work has been lately, perhaps both Gargano and Ciampa could use a shake up like that.

Ford and Gargano started the match. Lots of reversals, missed moves, counters and attempted gains occurred. The two shook hands after all of it and Ciampa and Dawkins tagged in. Dawkins gained the upper hand and tagged in Ford. Dawkins flipped Ford onto Ciampa and a double Flapjack took down Gargano, who ran in. Outside the ring, Dawkins ran over Ciampa and the Profits celebrated outside the ring. Ford said, “We’ll be back after these messages for another beat down,” and the show went to a commercial break.

The show came back and Gargano had control, taking down both Profits. Gargano hit a spear on Ford for a two-count. Ciampa tagged in, but ultimately things broke down and both Profits slammed Ciampa for a near-fall. Dawkins tagged in and went to the top, but missed a Swanton. Ciampa hit a running knee for a two-count. Gargano tagged in and went for a One Final Beat, but Dawkins caught Gargano and slammed him. Ford tagged in and things broke down again, Ford and Gargano hit stereo suicide dives on their respective opponents on the outside. From there, Ford and Gargano went at it inside the ring, trading super-kicks. At one point, Gargano fell onto Ford for a pin, but Ford kicked out. The show then went to yet another commercial break.

Rejoining things, Ciampa knee’d Dawkins on the apron and Ford hit a Zig Zag on Ciampa. Ford went to the top rope and went for a 450 splash, but Ciampa got the knees up. #DIY then landed a Shatter Machine on Ford, but Dawkins made the save. Things broke down again and #DIY went for super-kicks, but Dawkins pulled Gargano out of the ring and the Profits hit a double-team move to get a good near-fall that was broken up by Gargano. “This is awesome!” chants broke out.

Ciampa and Dawkins traded blows until Gargano tagged in and kicked Dawkins. Gargano back-dropped Ford to the outside. Gargano and Ciampa hit a super-kick/Fairytale Ending combination on Dawkins, but Dawkins kicked out at the last millisecond. From there, Dawkins caught a spear attempt from Gargano and planted Gargano. After that, the Profits hit the Super Blockbuster for the win.

**********

– Next week, Naomi, Cargill and Belair will face Fyre, Dawn and Davenport. Also on tap, LA Knight will defend his U.S. title against Santos Escobar.

The Bloodline segment

Thank God Fatu can still work. Boy, I love that guy. His attack was an honest surprise and I loved it. Walking boot and all. This was a good twist in that you can’t just have Roman come back and dominate things week after week without any pushback. Where they go from here should be a lot of fun, especially considering how it looks like Jacob Fatu isn’t going to miss time, by hook or by crook. Are we closer to Roman calling up some of his old friends for some help? Maybe. Either way, this was a good, hot angle to close this show.

Sikoa stood in the ring with Tonga and said, surprisingly, “Orlando, acknowledge me.” He got booed. “OTC!” chants broke out. Sikoa said, “You don’t want to acknowledge me? Fine. I know one man who needs to acknowledge me. Roman Reigns, you call yourself the Tribal Chief, or OTC, or whatever the hell it is. If you want this Ula Fala back, then bring your ass out here and take it from me.” Roman Reigns’s music hit, the crowd went nuts and Roman walked out.

Reigns stepped onto the apron and got into the ring. Reigns and Sikoa stepped closer to one another. Sikao took the Ula Fala off and handed it to Tonga. Sikoa told Tonga to leave the ring and Tonga obliged. Roman and Sikoa traded blows and Reigns hit a clothesline. Tonga then attacked Reigns, but Reigns came right back with a slam. The action spilled to the outside, where Roman disassembled the commentary table. Sikoa hit Reigns and rolled Reigns back into the ring. Sikoa set up for the Samoan Spike, but Roman moved and hit a Superman Punch. Roman then speared Sikoa. “OTC!” chants echoed and Reigns walked over to the Ula Fala. Reigns picked it up and put it around his neck.

The crowd went crazy and Roman’s music hit, but out of nowhere, Jacob Fatu showed up and super-kicked Roman, complete with walking boot. Fatu hit a hip attack on Reigns and threw Reigns to the outside. From there, Sikoa, Tonga and Fatu landed a triple power-bomb, ala The Shield, on Reigns through the commentary table. Fatu threw Reigns back into the ring and Tonga put the Ula Fala back around Sikoa’s neck. Sikoa, Tonga and Fatu stood tall, raising their fingers over Roman Reigns, to close the show.

WWE SmackDown live results: Roman Reigns appears

Posted on by Marc Quill

For the first time in months, Roman Reigns is slated to appear on WWE SmackDown. The episode is taking place from Tulsa, Oklahoma tonight and will feature SmackDown’s fallout from SummerSlam.

Reigns returned at last Saturday’s PLE, interfering in the Undisputed WWE Championship match between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa. Reigns dropped Sikoa with a Superman punch and spear, which helped Rhodes retain his title.

Also tonight, LA Knight — who won the United States Championship from Logan Paul at SummerSlam — will hold a celebration.

Speaking of the U.S. title, Santos Escobar and Andrade will wrestle in a number one contender’s match. There will also be a WWE Tag Team title contender’s match between DIY and Pretty Deadly.

Jade Cargill vs. Alba Fyre has also been made official for tonight. Plus, The Street Profits are set to take on A-Town Down Under.

Join us for live coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

The show opened with a recap of SummerSlam’s SmackDown matches, including the return of Roman Reigns.

Cody Rhodes Addresses SummerSlam

Cody Rhodes came out and asked what the crowd wanted to talk about. He called the WWE title the “North Star of our industry” and he has been thinking about who he would like to face at Bash in Berlin. Before he could say anything else, Solo Sikoa came out with Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa.

Sikoa said he didn’t care about what everyone wanted to talk about, he wanted to talk about SummerSlam. He demanded Rhodes give him a rematch. Rhodes said let’s talk about SummerSlam, where he couldn’t do it on his own and allowed Jacob Fatu to get injured, where Roman Reigns attacked him for cosplaying him, and where he beat Sikoa. He called Sikoa delusional for wanting a rematch. 

The three Bloodline members started to circle Rhodes when Owens came out with steel chairs. The Bloodline backed off as Sikoa said he was going to find Roman Reigns. Rhodes said he’d be right here waiting for him.

Rhodes turned his attention to Owens and said he didn’t want this to be awkward, but wanted to talk to him about something. Rhodes said he’s likely to say no to this, but mentioned earlier about who he’d like to face at Bash in Berlin, saying he’d like to face Owens. Owens said he appreciated that, but he needed to earn a title match, saying he wasn’t the guy. Rhodes pointed out that the crowd saying he deserves it, and every time he needed someone in the trenches, Owens was in there with him. Rhodes said that Owens can say no all he wants, but he is going to Nick Aldis and will explain all the reasons why Owens deserves a title match. Rhodes said he’d see Owens at Bash in Berlin as Owens shook his head.

**********

WWE Tag Team Championship Contender’s Match: The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) (w/ B-Fab) defeated A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)

Before the Street Profits made their entrance, they were interviewed in the Gorilla Position. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins said that ever since the real Tribal Chief in Roman Reigns returned, the Bloodline has been shaking in their boots. They wrapped up by saying that they wanted the smoke and A-Town Down Under was in the way.

Dawkins and Theory started off in the ring, as the latter got the advantage after Waller distracted Dawkins in the corner. A-Town Down Under exchanged tags as Waller threw Ford into the barricade at ringside. Dawkins’ attempt at momentum was stalled when he got sent into the ring post. Waller continued the attack at ringside before he and Theory taunted B-Fab. This allowed Ford to hit A-Town Down Under with a plancha as SmackDown headed to a commercial break.

SmackDown resumed with Theory hitting a dropkick on Dawkins as he tagged in Waller. Their attempt at a double team was foiled by Dawkins, who managed to get the hot tag from Ford.

Ford dazzled with his impressive offense as he took it to both Theory and Waller. After a near-fall, Ford tried for his frog splash, but Waller escaped as he and Theory hit a double rolling elbow on Ford.

At ringside, Dawkins pounced Waller into the timekeepers’ area, which left Theory alone with the Street Profits. Ford and Dawkins got the pin and win after a double-team super Blockbuster on Theory.

A hot opener, with the crowd rightfully excited for the Profits’ high-flying offense. They’ll face the winner of DIY versus Pretty Deadly later tonight.

**********

– Backstage, Cody Rhodes was discussing with Nick Aldis about giving Kevin Owens an Undisputed WWE World Title match. Owens entered the room and continued to protest until Aldis brought up that he was discussing potentially giving the title shot to Roman Reigns. Owens pointed out that the rematch clause hadn’t been enforced in years and that there were other people in the locker room that deserved a title match over Roman.

This led to Aldis making it official for Bash in Berlin: Cody Rhodes versus Kevin Owens for the Undisputed WWE World Title.

– We got a recap of Roman Reigns’ return at SummerSlam, with headlines being shown ahead of his comeback to SmackDown later tonight.

– A recap of Nia Jax winning the WWE Women’s Championship from Bayley at SummerSlam was shown. This was followed by Tiffany Stratton talking with a production member about making everything perfect for Jax’s World Title celebration. Pretty Deadly popped up and offered to unveil their musical during the celebration. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven then appeared as they said that pink wasn’t Jax’s favorite color. Green made fun of Stratton’s outfit, calling it “tacky time”. Green and Niven then suggested that Stratton might be wanting to cash in Money in the Bank on Jax. Stratton blew the two off with a “toodles” as she walked off.

– The Progressive Match Flo recapped the Women’s Tag Team Championship match between Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair versus Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn, as well as Blair Davenport’s appearance to help the Women’s Tag Champs.

**********

Jade Cargill (w/ Bianca Belair) defeated Alba Fyre (w/ Isla Dawn)

Fyre started by trying to lift up Cargill, but to no avail. Cargill used her strength to lift Fyre by her arm before starting her offense. Fyre stayed on top of things by hitting a tornado DDT on Cargill for the two count. Fyre then paid tribute to AJ Lee with a Black Widow submission, but Cargill fought out of it right away with a superkick. She finished things with Jaded on Fyre for the one, two, three.

Blair Davenport blindsided Cargill after the match as Fyre and Isla Dawn joined in on the attack. Naomi ran in to even the odds, as Cargill and Belair recovered and helped her clear the ring of the heels.

The match was a bit too short, but Cargill and Fyre did get their stuff in given the limited time they had to work with. The post-match with Davenport and Naomi nicely sets up a potential six-woman tag match.

**********

– WWE took a victory lap regarding Roman Reigns’ return, boasting that it did 104 million views across all social medias, making it the most viewed SummerSlam moment of all time. We then got a recap of LA Knight’s SummerSlam U.S. Title victory.

LA Knight’s U.S. Championship Celebration

Knight entered to the ring to a fantastic ovation from the Tulsa crowd and a brand-new entrance theme. Lou Ferrigno was shown in the crowd watching SmackDown this evening.

Knight started off with a “let me talk to ya,” as he said that it must’ve felt extra sweet to defeat the former champion in his hometown. Knight said that the champion deserved to get stomped out, and that not long ago, he once said that we’d be calling him champion, and now that’s come true. He knows that holding the U.S. Title makes him a marked man and that he’s ready to move on to the next, “hit it and quit it”. Before he could continue, he was interrupted by Santos Escobar and Legado del Fantasma.

Escobar congratulated Knight on the win, before he said that the crowd sucked. He said it was time to get real, because this “LA Knight as a Champion” thing was nothing more but a fleeting moment, nothing more but an opening act to Escobar’s own U.S. Title reign. Escobar declared that he was the one who deserved to be United States Champion, with everyone saying “Es… Co… Bar… Si!”

Knight responded by saying that Escobar deserved to get the brakes beat off of him again, but he’d have to qualify first against his upcoming opponent. That didn’t matter to Knight though, because he said that whoever he’d end up facing for the U.S. Title, they’d end up knowing what everyone else knows: that it’s LA Knight’s game (yeah).

– A vignette for Giovanni Vinci was shown, promising that he was coming to the SmackDown roster soon.

**********

United States Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match: Santos Escobar (w/ Angel & Berto) defeated Andrade

The match started during the commercial break, as we returned with Andrade flooring Escobar with a clothesline. He followed that up by vaulting over the top rope onto a recovering Escobar at ringside. Angel and Berto got involved while the referee was tending to Andrade. Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews appeared to even the odds by going after Angel and Berto.

Andrade tried to go to the top rope, but Escobar knocked him from his perch to the ringside floor below. Back in the ring, Escobar slammed Andrade with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and worked over his arm with an armbar.

Andrade’s attempt to regain momentum was stalled when Escobar met him at the top rope. The two were in a dogfight, but Andrade got the better of Escobar with a sunset flip powerbomb, as SmackDown weirdly took a commercial break at this point in the contest.

We returned to the action with Andrade fighting out of an Escobar resthold as he began his offensive comeback. With Escobar trapped in the corner, Andrade attempted an attack. Escobar escaped to ringside, but he got taken down with an apron moonsault from Andrade.

The subsequent crossbody from Andrade only got a two-count. Andrade then did his own homage to Eddie Guerrero with the Three Amigos suplexes. That again got a near-fall.

Escobar rolled out to the apron to avoid an attempted diving move from Andrade as we got anoterh fight between the two. Escobar stunned Andrade long enough to hit an amazing poison rana for the two-count. Escobar and Andrade exchanged a superkick and a dropkick, before Andrade hit a moonsault.

Andrade looked to have the match won, but Carmelo Hayes provided a distraction. However, Andrade managed to hit his elbow for the two-count. Elektra Lopez had the referee distracted, which allowed Hayes to pull Escobar out of danger. This gave Escobar the right opportunity to roll Andrade up with a handful of tights for the pin.

Fantastic match between these two talented competitors, as we got continued set up for Escobar’s U.S. Title match against LA Knight, as well as Andrade’s feud with Carmelo Hayes.

**********

– The duo of Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa addressed losing the WWE Tag Titles last week to the Bloodline, as they promised to do whatever it took to regain their gold.

– A touching video tribute to Kevin Sullivan, who passed away today, was aired just before SmackDown went to break.

– Next week on SmackDown: Naomi vs. Blair Davenport, and Nia Jax’s Womens’ Championship Celebration.

– A-Town Down Under entered Nick Aldis’ office to complain about their recent fortunes, as Grayson Waller versus Keivn Owens was booked for next week by Aldis after the SmackDown GM took Austin Theory’s blurting out a potential match with KO as an idea. A flustered Waller was left alone by both Aldis and Theory.

WWE Tag Team Championship Contender’s Match: #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) defeated Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson)

Gargano and Wilson started off for their respective teams, but we soon got a standoff between #DIY & Pretty Deadly in the middle of the ring. Gargano and Ciampa gained the upper hand as they sent Wilson to the outside onto his own partner.

Wilson and Prince stopped #DIY’s attempts at a dive with stereo upper cuts, but they couldn’t avoid a second dive from Gargano and Ciampa. SmackDown went to break on DIY doing their signature clapping on the apron.

We returned with Gargano getting the tag on Ciampa, who proceeded to clean house on both Prince and Wilson by himself. Ciampa and Gargano hit a nice double team powerbomb on Prince for the near-fall.

Things broke down in the ring, which led to Pretty Deadly hitting a double-team chickenwing slam, but that wasn’t enough as Gargano broke up the count. Prince and Wilson tried for another double team move, but Gargano stopped them with a spear. The Shatter Machine, followed by Meet in the Middle on Prince from Gargano and Ciampa, and that’s it, over. #DIY will face off against the Street Profits for a shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship.

Short but sweet. It’s always nice to see Pretty Deadly get a match, and I do enjoy Gargano and Ciampa as a team. Their match with the Street Profits for a shot at the Bloodline should be fun to see.

**********

– At the gorilla position, Solo Sikoa was awaiting to make his entrance, as Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga informed him that Roman Reigns hadn’t arrived yet. Sikoa said that Reigns would be here soon. The Bloodline then made their way down the ring.

Roman Reigns Returns to SmackDown

– With the ula fala necklace around his neck, Sikoa demanded the Tulsa crowd to acknowledge him, but got loudly booed instead. He said that he was the Tribal Chief now, and that if Roman Reigns called himself the Tribal Chief, and if he wanted the ula fala back, he should come and get it from him.

The moment had finally arrived as Roman Reigns entered to a massive ovation from the crowd. Sikoa told Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga to confront Reigns, but they got beaten down in short order. Reigns used the steel steps to batter both Loa and Tonga down, which left Sikoa all alone in the ring.

Reigns entered the ring and faced off with Sikoa as the fans chanted for him. Reigns and Sikoa didn’t waste any time as they went after one another. Reigns floored Sikoa with a Superman Punch and had him in position for the Spear. Tonga and Loa pulled Sikoa before he could get hit with the Spear.

Reigns looked at the ula fala and was about to put it on, but Loa and Tonga attacked from behind, which allowed Sikoa to recover the ula fala. Loa and Tonga’s beatdown of Reigns didn’t last long, as he managed to fight back, hitting a Superman Punch on Tonga. He sized up Loa in the middle of the ring for a Spear, before he headed out of the ring and hit a Spear on a dazed Tonga through the barricade.

The crowd cheered as Reigns grabbed a steel chair and attacked Loa again and again with it. While Sikoa taunted from the stage, Roman stood tall in the ring to end SmackDown, the crowd’s “O.T.C.” chants playing us off for the week.

**********

WWE SmackDown live results: SummerSlam go-home show

Posted on by Colin McGuire

On the eve of SummerSlam, the main event’s participants will go face-to-face on tonight’s SmackDown from Cleveland, Ohio.

Cody Rhodes is set to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Solo Sikoa on Saturday. Tonight, the two will meet face-to-face for one final confrontation before the PLE. Sikoa and The Bloodline have attacked Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens multiple times over the last month on the way to SummerSlam.

The Bloodline’s Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu are taking on WWE Tag Team Champions DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) for the belts tonight. Fatu & Tonga won a number one contender’s gauntlet last week to earn the title shot.

A Women’s Tag Team title match with Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill challenging Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn is also set for the episode. Plus, Logan Paul will receive a Cleveland homecoming before defending his United States title against LA Knight at SummerSlam.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Corey Graves welcomed everyone into the show as a shot of the Cleveland Browns Stadium was shown.

– Logan Paul pulled up backstage in a Prime truck. Paul shook hands with SmackDown GM Nick Aldis. Cody Rhodes’s music hit and we went to the first proper segment.

The Cody/Bloodline segment

This was all right. I could be in the minority, but for me, this match just hasn’t clicked for me. Still, I can see WWE trying – and Sikoa, especially, has gained something in all of this – but I can’t buy into Cody losing at SummerSlam, even if it is now going to be a Bloodline Rules match. Speaking of that, Sikoa noted how Cody keeps talking about his WreslteMania match being a Bloodline Rules match … but has he? I don’t seem to recall Cody bringing that up a ton in this build, but maybe my brain is fried. Either way, the Bloodline Rules makes tomorrow’s main event at least a little more intriguing.

Cody soaked in “Cody!” cheers and then asked Cleveland what they wanted to talk about. Cody said he wanted to talk to Solo Sikoa and Sikoa’s music hit. Out walked Sikoa, who was alone. Loud “We want Roman!” chants began. Sikoa pointed to the crowd and Sikoa said, “Cleveland, Ohio, acknowledge me.” The crowd chanted “Solo sucks!” Cody said he saw a chip on Solo’s shoulder and what Solo has done hasn’t been easy. Cody said from a distance, he almost admires what Solo has been able to do. Cody said tomorrow night at SummerSlam, the bell is going to ring and when it rings … Solo cut Cody off and asked him if he was done.

Solo said Cody was wasting his time. Cody said he wasn’t done and Solo was a self-appointed Tribal Chief while Cody is the actual WWE Champion. Cody named-dropped Randy Orton and Kevin Owens and said if he loses to Solo, he can’t repay his debt to Randy and Kevin. Cody said he wants to pay them back with Solo’s blood. Cody referenced beating Roman at WrestleMania in a Bloodline Rules match. Solo called Roman a weak Tribal Chief. Solo said Solo is not weak, Solo is dangerous. Solo said he’s going to show Cody how dangerous he is at SummerSlam. The crowd started a “What?” chant and Jacob Fatu began walking through the crowd. Tama Tonga appeared as well. Tonga Loa followed suit.

In the midst of this, Sikoa asked Cody if he wanted the match Saturday to be a Bloodline Rules match. Cody spoke to all the members of the Bloodline and called Fatu a mean name. Cody accepted making tomorrow’s match a Bloodline Rules match. Solo asked Cody if he knew what Solo could do before SummerSlam. Solo said tonight, the tag titles come back to the Bloodline while tomorrow, Cody’s title comes back to the Bloodline, too. Cody said he won’t have to fight Solo’s family; all he’ll have to do is defeat the Tribal Chief and since the Tribal Chief isn’t there, he’ll settle for the wannabe. Cody’s music hit and the segment ended.

**********

– A Carmelo Hayes vignette aired and he spoke about Andrade. Melo said all Andrade does is quit and switch teams. Melo said the next time he and Andrade wrestle, Melo will win because when Melo shoots, he doesn’t miss. Andrade then made his entrance for a match against Hayes.

Andrade defeated Carmelo Hayes [16:06]

It would have made sense for Hayes to win and even the series but I had a gut feeling we might get another Andrade win. I like it. As for the match, I prefer their first bout, but that could also be because it kind of came out of nowhere. The expectations here were higher, and I’m not sure they lived up to it. Still, they made use of the increase in time they got and some of the near-falls towards the end were a lot of fun. The first match felt like a sprint; this felt a bit bloated. How will No. 3 go?

The match opened with a fury of action, topped off with some tough chops exchanged. Andrade got the upper hand with a dropkick and went for a vertical suplex, but Hayes countered into an inside cradle for a one-count. Andrade returned the favor for a two-count. Andrade went for his finisher, but Hayes pushed him away and rolled to the outside. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Hayes ran Andrade into the ring steps on the outside. Hayes put the boots to Andrade. Back inside the ring, Hayes hit a super-kick for a two-count. Hayes then worked on Andrade’s arm. Andrade worked his way out and landed a chop, dragon-screw and a forearm. Andrade went for a double-knees, but Hayes moved. Andrade went for a springboard move, but Hayes cut him off. Hayes followed up with a suplex and and went to the top, but Andrade cut him off. Andrade hit a super-plex from the top and both guys were down as the show went to a break.

Back from the break, Andrade fired up and pushed Hayes over the top to the outside. Andrade followed that up with a moonsault from the second turnbuckle onto the outside. Inside the ring, Hayes hit a Spacebuster out of nowhere. Andrade came back with a back elbow and the double moonsault spot, which resulted in a good near-fall. Andrade worked a figure-four until Hayes got to the ropes for a break. Hayes came back with a pair of super-kicks. Hayes went to the top, but Andrade moved. Hayes went for a roll-up but Andrade countered with one of his own and got the surprise win.

**********

– Legado Del Fantasma was shown backstage and Santos Escobar was chewing out his faction. Escobar said their fortunes will turn by beating Apollo Crews tonight.

Santos Escobar defeated Apollo Crews [3:33]

This was sort of a nothing match, but it continues to be nice to see Crews and Corbin get some TV time. I can’t say this makeshift feud feels particularly interesting, but it does give everyone involved something to do and there’s something to be said for that.

Escobar attacked Crews with a boot to begin the match. Baron Corbin appeared at ringside to cheer Crews. Escobar hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two-count. After a minute or so, Crews came back with a belly-to-belly suplex and followed that up with a series of clitheslines. Corbin hit Angel on the outside of the ring. Inside the ring, Crews hit a standing moonsault for a two-count. Crews went to the top and someone grabbed Corbin from under the ring. Escobar landed a Phantom Drive on Crews inside the ring for the win.

**********

– Cargill & Belair were interviewed backstage. Belair said they had been waiting for their match with Fyre & Dawn. Belair said they will walk out with the tag belts.

The Logan Paul segment

Meh. Maybe it’s on me tonight because I feel like I might be being too negative on this fine evening, but this does not feel like a big deal go-home show. I expected more from these two, and if the crescendo was going to be Knight driving off with Paul’s truck … maybe do something sinister to Paul’s truck to punctuate the whole thing? Oddly, Paul didn’t get the response I think everyone involved was looking for in his hometown. The crowd started hot, but the more he talked, the more he lost them. Conversely, the Knight pop was there to begin with, but it didn’t hold as he roamed around backstage. Everything just felt less than what it could have been.

Paul said “Cleveland, I’m home,” and the crowd booed loudly. Paul said he had never met a guy so eager to take a belt off him and it turns out Knight isn’t Paul’s type. Paul said Knight is delusional if he thinks he’s going to beat Paul in his hometown. The crowd chanted Knight’s name. Paul said he inspires and represents Cleveland. Paul said, “I am Cleveland.”

Paul said he’s had two title defenses in 273 days. The crowd was a bit subded as Paul said he can’t relate to the audience because he actually made it. Paul introduced the people he had in the ring, whom he called “Cleveland’s finest.” Aldis chimed in saying the people in the ring weren’t important, but Paul said Aldis doesn’t know anything. Paul unveiled a banner of himself and it was defaced with a big “Yeah!” LA Knight’s music then hit and Knight walked out.

Knight taunted Paul as the crowd said “Yeah!” Knight said they were 24 hours away from Paul losing his title. Knight called Paul out for being from a suburb of Cleveland and not actually Cleveland. Knight said he’s going to give Paul a gift – another banner. Knight walked to the back and ran into Pretty Deadly, who were going over their musical. Knight walked away from them and asked people if they had a banner. Knight found the Prime truck Paul came to the venue in. Knight drove off in the Prime truck as Paul threw a fit to end the segment.

**********

Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair defeated The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn) via DQ [7:33]

I’m not a fan of these types of finishes, but I didn’t expect to see one here. Also on the plus side, this inserts Davenport into an important program and I’ve been wondering of SmackDown would ever get around to doing that. So, I can’t complain too much. Also worth nothing: Cargill is getting better. It’s hard to see, because we don’t see her work that much, but her selling has improved a lot during this run with Belair and she feels like a more complete wrestler than she was. Good for her.

Fyre and Dawn tried to jumpstart the match, but Cargill and Belair countered it with stereo fallaway slams. Cargill and Dawn began the official match and Cargill had control before she tagged in Belair, who went for a suplex, but Fyre ran in to break it up. Things broke down and all four women were in the ring. Cargill and Belair landed stereo guerrilla press slams and the show went to a break.

The show returned and Fyre was working over Cargill. Fyre kicked Cargill in the midsection and hit a backstabber. Dawn tagged in and landed a splash for a good near-fall. Cargill came back with a double suplex on Dawn and Fyre and then Belair received the hot tag. Belair hit a double cross-body and took out both opponents. Belair landed a moonsault on Fyre for a two-count and Cargill ran in. Cargill and Dawn fought on the outside and Fyre rolled up Belair for a two-count. Out of nowhere, Blair Davenport showed up and ran Cargill into the ring steps to end the match. The heels took out both Cargill and Belair after the match, throwing Cargill over the commentary table.

**********

– Tiffany Stratton was shown crying over her MITB briefcase. Nia Jax showed up and gave Tiff her own MITB briefcase on the condition Stratton doesn’t cash in. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven showed up and Green blamed Stratton for Green not winning the MITB ladder match. Stratton said green isn’t Green’s color and left. We then went back to the ring for the main event.

The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga) defeated #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) to win the WWE Tag Team Titles [9:15]

This was shorter than I expected, but the outcome was, indeed, expected. Good for Jacob Fatu, though, who’s been through it and now has WWE gold around his waist (or Sikoa’s shoulder). That said, I’m a bit tired of WWE playing hot potato with their tag belts, so I could go for a nice long title run from Fatu and Tonga. The match was fine, but nothing particularly memorable outside of Fatu popping up after taking a Poison-Rana. When it comes to Gargano and Ciampa … hey, at least they got a title run, right?

Tonga and Ciampa started the match with Tonga getting the best of it. Tonga threw Ciampa into a ring post and Ciampa was down on the outside of the ring as the show went to its final commercial break. Back from break, Gragano received a hot tag and Gargano took Fatu and Tonga out with a fury of moves. Gargano hit a spear on Tonga for a two-count. Ciampa tagged in and landed an Air Raid Crash on Tonga for a good near-fall.

Ciampa chopped Tonga, but Fatu got in a blind tag and ran right into Ciampa. Fatu hit a hip attack on Ciampa and tagged in Tonga, who hit a splash. Tonga went for a cover, but Gargano broke it up. Outside the ring, Fatu ran at Gargano, who was up against the ring steps, but Gargano moved and Fatu ran into the steps. Gargano tagged in and #DIY hit a Shatter Machine. Solo Sikoa hopped on the apron and hit a Samoan Spike on Ciampa as the referee was distracted. Tonga tried to capitalize, but Gargano kicked out of a pin attempt.

Fatu and Tonga beat down Gargano and give the world the No. 1 pose. Gargano came back with a series of super-kicks on everyone. Tonga was taken out by a suicide dive from Gargano. Gargano then hit a Poison-Rana on Fatu, but Fatu got right back up and hit his pop-up Samoan Drop. Fatu landed a moonsault and the implant DDT for the win. The Bloodline posed as Sikoa held the tag titles on his shoulders to close the show.

WWE SmackDown live results: Tag team gauntlet match

Posted on by Colin McGuire

New number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team titles will be determined on tonight’s SmackDown as six teams compete in a gauntlet match.

The teams slated to vie for the title opportunity are The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins), Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews, Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince), The Bloodline’s Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa, The OC’s Anderson & Gallows, and Legado Del Fantasma’s Angel & Berto.

The winners of the match will take on champions DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) for the belts at some point in the near future.

Also set for tonight, LA Knight goes one-on-one with Santos Escobar. The match was set up last week when Escobar reminded Knight that Escobar was not pinned in a triple threat match earlier this month between Knight, Escobar and Logan Paul.

WWE Women’s Champion Bayley will team up with Michin to take on Tiffany Stratton & Nia Jax as well. Bayley is slated to defend her title against Jax at SummerSlam next weekend.

Tonight’s show was taped last week in Omaha, Nebraska. Our coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– The show opened with a video recapping last week’s developments between Cody, Kevin Owens and The Bloodline.

– Nick Aldis was shown backstage with The Bloodline. Aldis told them they’d have to forfeit their spot in the tag team gauntlet match due to an eye injury to Tonga Loa. Solo Sikoa said Jacob Fatu could step in for Loa and Aldis agreed. Sikoa told Fatu to bring the tag titles “home.”

– LA Knight was shown walking backstage and Knight spoke to a camera walking with him. Knight said he was going to teach Santos Escobar some history and did his “LA Knight” gimmick before walking through the curtain for the first match.

LA Knight defeated Santos Escobar [9:40]

A standard match. On one hand, it’s refreshing to see SmackDown open with a match instead of a promo. On the other, the match was just sort of there. The Paul attack felt inevitable, so at least it was short lived. What’s happening with Escobar? He’s kind of faded into midcard purgatory since his feud with the LWO finished up. I know he’s carrying the Legado Del Fantasma flag, but for that matter, what’s happening with Legado Del Fantasma? Maybe they get a reset after SummerSlam.

Escobar ran at Knight to start the match, but Knight moved and eventually took control by working Escobar’s arm. With Escobar in a corner, Knight worked a series of punches until Escobar pulled Knight down, onto the top turnbuckle. Now with control, Escobar hit some chops and a snap suplex. Escobar worked a weird offshoot Sharpshooter briefly and before long, Knight was draped over the second rope, where Elektra Lopez slapped Knight. Escobar followed that up with a 619 on Knight. The show then went to its first commercial break of the night.

When the show returned, Escobar landed a double knees for a two-count. Knight tried for a comeback with a swinging neck-breaker, but Escobar got right back on the offensive and toyed with Knight, hitting a series of strikes on Knight. Escobar walked into an elbow from Knight and Knight proceeded to stomp away on Escobar. Knight followed that up with a running knee and a DDT. Knight hit a powerslam and both wrestlers were down. Lopez stood on the apron and Logan Paul ran down, only to receive a clothesline from Knight. Knight then telegraphed a Phantom Driver attempt and hit the BFT for the win.

After the match, Paul attacked Knight until Knight fought back and stomped on Paul repeatedly. Escobar then hit Knight with a knee and shook hands with Paul. The heels worked over Knight and Paul hit a frog splash on Knight to close the segment.

**********

– A video recapping Blair Davenport attacking Naomi aired. From there, Byron Saxton interviewed Naomi backstage. Naomi said she didn’t know what Davenport’s issue was with Naomi. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair walked into the frame and told Naomi that Davenport would get what’s coming to her. Cargill and Belair walked toward the ring.

– Paul was shown walking backstage and ran into Saxton. Paul said he gave Knight a taste of what he’s going to do at SummerSlam. Paul then said he got a phone call earlier and on that phone call, Paul learned he’s going to receive a surprise at SummerSlam. Paul ended by saying Knight will face “the pride of Cleveland” at SummerSlam and mocked the “Yeah!”

The Cargill/Belair segment

Belair spoke first and said she was going to cut to the chase: She wanted to know where Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn were. Cargill started to talk and Fyre & Dawn’s music hit. The tag champs attacked Cargill and Belair from behind instead of coming down the entrance way. Before long, the babyfaces took control and Cargill slammed Fyre onto Dawn. Cargill and Belair posed and celebrated to end the segment.

**********

– The Street Profits were shown backstage and Terence Crawford showed up. Crawford said he’d be watching later when the Profits compete in the gauntlet match.

– Tiffany Stratton and Nia Jax were shown talking in the locker room. Jax said she’d get Stratton a new briefcase. Stratton hugged the briefcase Bayley beat up on last week’s episode.

The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga) defeated Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews, The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins), Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince), The O.C. (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) and Legado Del Fantasma (Berto & Angel) to become the No. 1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship (38:40)

Once Fatu was inserted into the match, replacing Loa, you had to know it was going to be The Bloodline getting the win. That’s OK. You have to think they’ll dethrone #DIY at some point next weekend, be it on SmackDown or at SummerSlam, and that feels like the right call, if only because it might help elevate those tag titles – tag titles that have lost a whole lot of prestige in recent months. As for this match, it played out how one might think it would. The Profits get the most shine/time, but ultimately come up short. The other teams were just kind of there. And The Bloodline goes over. There was some good action shoehorned in there, but nothing really notable. As an aside, that back suplex Crews took early on was nuts. He seemed to be OK coming out of it, but man. That was scary.

LDF and Borbin & Crews started the gauntlet. Angel and Corbin started the match after LDF jumpstarted the match. Corbin had control until Angel tagged in Berto and the action spilled outside. Berto landed a Tope on Corbin and the show went to a commercial break. Back from that commercial, Berto lifted Corbin, but Corbin fought his way out of it, eventually hip-tossing Berto into the turnbuckles. Crews and Angel tagged in and fired up, complete with a series of German Suplexes on Angel.

Crews hit a splash on Angel and went to the top, but leapt into a knee from Angel. Angel landed a backbreaker for a two-count. Corbin and Berto fought outside while Angel hit a running knee on Crews. Corbin ultimately tagged in and landed End Of Days on Angel to eliminate LDF.

Legado Del Fantasma (Angel & Berto) were eliminated at 6:01.

The Street Profits made their entrance as the next team in the match. Ford and Crews began and Crews took Ford down with a dropkick. Ford came back with a nasty back suplex that could have killed Crews. Dawkins tagged in, but Ford and Corbin tagged in soon after. Corbin punched Ford to the outside of the ring and Crews threw Corbin over the top onto the outside, where Ford and Dawkins took the brunt of Corbin’s splash. The show then went to another commercial break.

The show returned and Ford jumped from the top only to run into a boot from Corbin. Both guys ended up down and Dawkins received the hot tag. Crews tagged in as well. The two traded enziguris and Dawkins went for a cover after a suplex. Things broke down and Crews and Ford hit stereo suicide dives on their opponents on the outside. Back in the ring, Crews went to the top, but Dawkins moved when Crews tried a frog-splash. Ford tagged in and the Profits hit their finisher on Crews to eliminate Crews and Corbin.

Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews were eliminated at 14:11.

Pretty Deadly was the next team out and they went for quick cover attempts on Dawkins. Ford tagged in and Prince got a blind tag. Prince then chop-blocked Ford to give Pretty Deadly control. Wilson tagged in and the two worked over Ford’s knee. Ford tried to fight his way out of the Pretty Deadly corner, but Prince cut Ford off and the heels went back to work on Ford’s knee. Dawkins received the hot tag eventually and hit an enziguri on Prince, which led to a two-count.

Wilson tagged in and Dawkins ran into a DDT from Wilson for a near-fall. Prince then tagged in and Pretty Deadly took turns hitting back elbows on Dawkins. The two landed a gut buster on Dawkins, but Ford broke up a pin attempt. Dawkins then lifted Prince and tagged in Ford, who hit a Blockbuster from the top to eliminate Pretty Deadly.

Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson were eliminated at 20:42.

The O.C. walked out as the next team and the show went to another commercial break. When the show got back, Anderson had control over Ford. Gallows tagged in and slammed Ford. Anderson tagged in and slammed Ford and got a two-count for his efforts. Gallows tagged in and worked a chin lock. Before long, Anderson and Gallows were on the outside after Anderson slipped off the apron. Dawkins tagged in and hit a dive onto both heels, nearly running into the commentary table. Quickly, Anderson hit a spine-buster on Dawkins and tagged in Gallows. Anderson went to run at Dawkins, but Ford grabbed his leg and Dawkins rolled up Anderson to eliminate The O.C.

The O.C. (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) were eliminated at 28:32.

The Bloodline’s music hit and they walked to the ring as the final team to enter the match. The show went to a commercial break and when it got back, The Bloodline were dominating Dawkins. At one point, Dawkins was draped over the second rope and Solo Sikoa choked Dawkins. Fatu tagged in and went to work on Dawkins, complete with a finger-chewing moment. Fatu went for a dive at Dawkins and Dawkins moved so Fatu ran into the ring post.

Ford received the hot tag and Tonga tagged in. Ford hit a spinebuster on Tonga and a super-kick to Fatu. Ford went to the top and landed a splash on Tonga for a good near-fall. Tonga came back with a super-plex from the second rope. The action broke down and Ford jumped over the corner ring post to take out everyone on the outside. Back in the ring, Ford went to the top, but missed a frog-splash. Fatu tagged in and it looked like some miscommunication happened between he and Ford. After a few seconds, Fatu hit his pop-up Samoan Drop. Fatu then landed a moonsault from the top and got the win.

**********

– The Commentary team was talking and Grayson Waller & Austin Theory showed up through the crowd. Waller called out Terence Crawford for costing them the match against Cody and KO last week. Theory demanded Crawford come to the ring. Crawford came out through the walkway. Waller said last week, Crawford disrespect he and Theory and as such, Crawford owed Waller and Theory an apology. Waller said Theory would knock Crawford out. Theory walked toward Crawford and Crawford knocked Theory out. Waller exited the ring and Crawford posed for the live crowd.

The Cody Rhodes segment

Cody reflected on winning his title at WrestleMania. Cody called the Bloodline a bunch of wild animals and because of them, Cody is sitting alone because The Bloodline took out his friends, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Cody said he will head into SummerSlam a champion and he will have to bring his fire and passion to make sure the title doesn’t slip back into the hands of The Bloodline. Cody said Solo Sikoa will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Cody said he used to think Solo wasn’t ready, but he’s not sure about that anymore. Cody challenged Sikoa to meet him in the ring next week and go face-to-face.

**********

– Next week, Fyre & Dawn will take on Belair and Cargill for the Women’s Tag Team Championship. The Bloodline get their shot at #DIY for the WWE Tag Team Championship. There will also be a Logan Paul homecoming segment.

– Andrade was interviewed backstage and Carmelo Hayes walked into the frame. Hayes said just because Andrade won last week, it isn’t over. Hayes said it won’t be over until Hayes wins. Andrade offered one more match and Hayes walked away.

Nia Jax & Tiffany Stratton defeated Bayley & Michin [12:44]

They tried. They really did, with the Michin injury angle and the comeback and the glorified handicap match. But there really wasn’t much to this. What makes the Jax/Bayley match interesting, of course, is Jax’s relationship with Stratton, but there was no tease for anything between Jax and Stratton here and instead, we got a lot of rest holds and 12-plus minutes of heel dominance. I’ll tell you this: We all expect Roman Reigns to make some type of return at SummerSlam next weekend, and at this point, it can’t go unnoticed that without him regularly popping up on SmackDown, this show has quickly – and I mean quickly – declined in quality. It needs him. Raw is not only the better television show; it’s the better wrestling show, and it doesn’t feel like it was all that long ago when Fridays felt like the biggest day of the week for WWE. Here’s hoping that can change because this was just the latest in a series of below lackluster SmackDowns.

Michin was making her entrance and Jax and Stratton ran out and attacked Michin. Bayley’s must then hit and Bayley ran to the ring with a kendo stick. Michin sold arm pain outside the ring and it looked like the tag match was about to turn into a handicap match. Bayley attacked Stratton to officially start the match, but Stratton came back with a head-lock. Eventually, Bayley got Stratton on the mat and hit a series of strikes. Before long, Stratton ran Bayley into a corner and regained control. Meanwhile, Michin stayed on the outside, selling her arm.

Stratton threw Bayley into a corner, but Bayley went threw the ropes and came back at Stratton with a neck-breaker. Michin hopped back on the apron, but Jax got Michin off the apron and hit a Samoan Drop on Michin on the outside. Inside the ring, Stratton hit a double stomp on Bayley for a two-count. The show then went to its final commercial break of the evening. Back to the show and Stratton worked a stink face on Bayley.

Stratton whipped Bayley into a corner and the camera showed Michin selling more pain on the outside of the ring. Meanwhile, Bayley was the recipient of a back elbow and splash from both Jax and Stratton. Jax was the legal woman in the ring and toyed with Bayley. Stratton tagged in and worked a chin-lock on Bayley. Stratton planted Bayley and Jax tagged in to hit an elbow and come up with a two-count. Jax then worked a modified chin-lock. Stratton tagged back in and went for her back handspring splash in a corner, but Bayley caught Stratton and hit a belly-to-back suplex.

Michin hopped back up on the apron and Jax tagged in to cut Bayley off. Stratton tagged in, but Bayley kicked Stratton away and got the hot tag to Michin, who fired up against Stratton, complete with a Tornado DDT and a suicide dive onto Jax, who was on the outside. Michin went for a shotgun dropkick, but Stratton moved and tagged in Jax, who missed a splash on Michin. Bayley tagged in and hit a running knee on Jax. Bayley went to the top and connected with an elbow from the top for a good near-fall. With the referee distracted, Stratton hit Bayley with the MITB briefcase. From there, Jax his her finish and pinned Bayley for the win.

After the match, the show cut to another Bloodline video. Sikoa said the Tongans will bring the tag titles back to the Bloodline and Sikoa will bring back the world title back to the Bloodline. Sikoa said if Roman Reigns has a problem with that, he knows where to find him (SummerSlam, probably). Sikoa said “Acknowledge me” and the group held up their fingers to end the show.

WWE SmackDown live results: Logan Paul-LA Knight contract signing

Posted on by Colin McGuire

Cody Rhodes is set to kick off tonight’s SmackDown from Omaha, Nebraska. His appearance will come after he was attacked by the Bloodline last Friday and ultimately forced to watch as the faction put Randy Orton through a table.

Rhodes is set to face Bloodline leader Solo Sikoa at SummerSlam on August 3 with the Undisputed WWE Championship on the line.

Also set for tonight, Logan Paul will appear. Last week, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis granted LA Knight a United States title match at SummerSlam as long as Knight could get Paul to sign a contract for the match. Paul is set to respond to Knight’s challenge tonight.

After weeks of interacting, Michin will square off against women’s Money in the Bank briefcase holder Tiffany Stratton. Michin came up on the losing side of her match against Nia Jax last week.

On tap as well is Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade. Hayes is looking for payback after Andrade took him out of the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match two weeks ago.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– A video recapping last week’s Bloodline/Cody/Randy Orton drama opened the show.

– Corey Graves welcomed everyone into the show inside the arena. Cody’s music hit and off we went with the first segment.

The Cody Rhodes segment

Basic stuff. Hard as they try – and it’d be unfair to say that WWE hasn’t at least somewhat heated up the SummerSlam main event between Sikoa and Cody – but the match still doesn’t feel like a Big Show title match and we’re two weeks and one day away from it. So, it’s tough to buy into Cody firing up over Sikoa or the Bloodline as long as Roman Reigns or The Rock isn’t around, and as such, these kinds of promos always feel lacking. Meanwhile, Theory & Waller are great foils and they played their parts well here, but can we get to their split already? At this point, it feels overdue.

Cody walked out not in a suit and instead in one of his American Nightmare shirts with the sleeves cut off. Boxer Terence Crawford was shown sitting in the front row and Cody walked over to him for a fist-bump before hopping into the proceedings. The crowd started loud “Cody!” chants. Cody opened by saying he wants to talk about Randy Orton. Cody said before Orton was a friend, he was a mentor and he wouldn’t be standing there as Undisputed WWE Champion without Randy Orton. A “Randy!” chant began and Cody paused.

Cody talked about feeling guilt that the Bloodline put Orton through a table last week. Cody called Orton family and his brother. Cody said Orton wouldn’t want Cody to talk about guilt and shame and instead, Cody said he wanted to talk to the camera and the man responsible for the attack: Solo Sikoa. Cody remembered how he told Sikoa that Sikoa wasn’t ready before WrestleMania 39. Sikoa paid Cody back by costing Cody the title at that ‘Mania. Cody said “The Enforcer” was a cute nickname, and somewhere Arn Anderson smiled. As Cody kept going on, A-Town Down Under’s music hit and Austin Theory, alongside Grayson Waller, walked out.

Theory noted how Jacob Fatu attacked Theory last week because of Cody. Theory said his cheek was swollen and Cody said that was because Waller kneed Theory in the face. Waller and Theory got on the apron as Waller told Cody he wouldn’t have won his title without Orton and stepped into the ring … but Cody attacked Theory and Waller quickly. The tag team worked the numbers advantage and threw Cody to the outside, oddly enough, near where Crawford was and Crawford gave Cody a chair. Cody took care of Theory and Waller with the chair and Cody’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

– Carmelo Hayes was shown getting his hair worked on in a dressing room. The video was stylized and Hayes spoke to the camera saying he’d beat Andrade.

– Cody was walking backstage and ran into Nick Aldis. Cody asked Aldis if he could take on Waller & Theory in a handicap match later. Aldis responded by saying Cody has until the end of the night to find a partner.

Andrade defeated Carmelo Hates [9:45]

For something that felt sort of thrown together, this was one of the better undercard SmackDown matches in recent memory. Both guys came to prove a point and they did just that. Good stuff. Not really having a feel for who might win added to it, too, because both guys haven’t been lighting the world on fire since hitting the SmackDown roster, so the stakes here felt weirdly higher than I expected. My only complaint was that we lost a couple minutes of it to a commercial break, but SmackDown is going to SmackDown. We can always rely on that.

The action was fast early as the two traded a series of takedowns and pin attempts. Both guys cut each other off repeatedly, but Hayes ultimately took control with a backwards draping springboard leg drop onto Andrade, who was hanging from the second rope. The show then went to a commercial break with Hayes having the advantage.

The show returned and a replay of a Spanish Fly aired as Hayes worked Andrade’s arm. The two ran the ropes and Andrade landed a tough clothesline to reset the match. On their feet, the two traded strikes until Andrade hit a pair of dragon-screw leg-whips. Andrade pumped up the crowd (and the crowd complied) before hitting a running double-knees on Hayes. Before long, Hayes came back with a tilt-a-whirl face-buster.

Hayes and Andrade battled on the top rope and Andrade executed his missed monsault into a standing moonsault sequence that the crowd really seemed to love for a nice near-fall. The two traded more strikes until Andrade got in his spinning back-elbow for another good near-fall. Andrade went to the top and jumped into a First 48, but Andrade kicked out at 2.8. Hayes went to the top and missed Nothing But Net and from there, Andrade hit The Message for the win.

**********

The Bayley/Nia Jax segment

The two were shown on a split screen. Jax cut off Corey Graves, who tried to ask a question. Jax said everyone should start feeling bad for Bayley because Jax is going to put Bayley down at SummerSlam. Bayley said Jax hasn’t changed after all these years. Jax demanded to be called the Queen of the Ring. Bayley said Jax walks around like she owns the place and Bayley recalled how Jax took Bayley out of her SummerSlam match in 2017. Bayley called Jax “big, clumsy and reckless.”

Jax stewed and got silent for a second. Jax said she’s coming for the title because she wants to take it off Bayley. Bayley responded by saying she has bad news for Jax: Bayley said she has changed after all these years herself and she will walk out of SummerSlam with the WWE Women’s Championship. Jax was flustered, tore the mic off her shirt and stormed out of the frame to end things.

**********

– Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair were shown walking backstage and they ran into Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, the latter of whom called Cargill and Belair losers. Both teams wanted to talk to Nick Aldis and stood outside of Aldis’s office. Belair challenged Green to a match and just like that, we went to the ring.

Bianca Belair defeated Chelsea Green [0:56]

The match wasn’t even a minute. That’s all.

Green started the match by slapping Belair in the face and Belair returned the favor. Belair followed that up with a German Suplex. Soon after that, Belair set up for a KOD, but Green worked out of it to roll Belair up … only to have Belair roll Green up for the win. Cargill celebrated with Belair in the ring and Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn popped up on the video screen. The champs said “we’ll see” about a tag title rematch.

**********

The LA Knight/Logan Paul contract signing

This was good and surprisingly stiff. The match had some heat already, but these two pulled no punches in this verbal exchange. I wasn’t able to grab all the one-liners in real time so if you can go back to watch the segment, I’d suggest doing it because it’s worth it. The story that Knight has given his life to wrestling while Paul could take it or leave it is compelling because it’s probably not all that far from the truth. Calling Knight by his real name actually packed a tiny punch in this situation, too, which doesn’t happen much anymore because it happens too much across all companies. I liked this a lot. Both guys were very good.

Nick Aldis stood in the ring and introduced LA Knight. The crowd, still, even after all this time, was very much into LA Knight. Paul then made his entrance and the crowd boo’ed the hell out of him. “LA Knight!” chants broke out. Paul lobbed a lot of insults at Knight and asked the crowd why he should give Knight a shot at the U.S. title. Knight got a microphone said maybe Paul was right and maybe Paul should take a walk … but then Knight recounted how he walked down the aisle a year ago and told Paul where he could stick his bottles of Prime.

In the meantime, Knight pointed out, Paul became U.S. champion. Knight called Paul the man as long as he holds the U.S. title. Knight said he thought he’d ask for a shot at it and Paul said no. Knight said he took things into his own hands and showed up at Paul’s house. Knight said none of it led to Knight getting what he wanted, which was the U.S. title. Paul cut Knight off and called him by his government name, “Shaun” (from Hagerstown, Maryland, as a matter of fact). Paul said Knight’s existence is defined by what Knight does in the ring but that’s not the case for Paul. He followed that up by saying the last name “Paul” is in the zeitgeist.

Paul said Knight doesn’t move like Paul and Knight is not “him” and for someone who defines himself by what happens in the ring, he hasn’t done anything noteworthy in the last 20 years. Paul made the comment that Knight isn’t The Rock, which at this point, felt dated. Knight said Paul was a fraud and said Paul’s brother would jump in the ring with Mike Tyson, but Logan doesn’t have the balls to step in the ring with Knight. That fired up Logan up and Logan signed the contract. Logan said after SummerSlam, he’ll take everything from Knight and Logan did the “Yeah!” catchphrase. Paul threw the contract at Knight and Aldis had to separate Knight and Paul.

Paul went to leave the ring and Knight picked up the contract. Knight turned his back and Paul ran back into the ring to attack Knight. The two battled and Knight nearly hit the BFT, but Paul got out of it and left the ring. Knight’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

– A Tiffany Stratton “Pink Bubblegum” video aired.

– Knight was shown walking backstage and ran into Santos Escobar, who reminded Knight that he was in the match at MSG a few weeks ago and Escobar did not get pinned. Knight said he has some free time and if Escobar wants to get in touch with Knight, Escobar’s mom has his number. Escobar kind of/sort of set up a match between he and Knight for next week.

Michin defeated Tiffany Stratton [8:05]

Michin is in this weird place in WWE Land. She never really gets a credible win – as in, on her own – but she does benefit from getting important victories, to the point where she even got a world title shot against IYO SKY some months ago. That said, it was nice to see her get a win here, but the story was Bayley and Jax, as that’s the place to which we are building in two weeks at SummerSlam. I’d be shocked if the Stratton/Jax story doesn’t take a major turn that night in Cleveland. But we’ll see.

Michin had control early and landed a a Cannonball for a one count. Stratton rolled to the outside and Michin ran after Stratton until Michin ran into Jax, who stopped Michin. Stratton took advantage of that and hit her cartwheel into an Alabama Slam on the outside. The show then went to a commercial break. The show returned and Stratton had control inside the ring. Stratton hit a double knees for a near-fall. Stratton followed that up with a back elbow and a makeshift pop-up powerbomb. Stratton tried the Alabama Slam again, but Michin fought out of it and hit a back elbow.

Michin fired up and landed a series of kicks, ending the fury with a neck-breaker. Michin then hit a Tornado DDT for a two-count. Stratton came back with a running kick to Michin’s chest and got a two-count out of it. Stratton put Michin on the top turnbuckle, but Michin countered with a shotgun dropkick off the top. Stratton rolled to the outside and Michin ran the ropes … until she was cut off by Jax. Stratton took advantage of that with a rolling Senton. Bayley appeared out of nowhere and threw Jax into the timekeeper’s area.

Bayley hit Jax with the MITB briefcase. Bayley then broke the briefcase open and beat the hell out of the briefcase for some reason. The result of all of this was Michin rolling Stratton up for the win. After the match, Bayley rolled the beat up briefcase back into the ring. Bayley and Michin celebrated outside the ring.

**********

– The Bloodline were shown in a dark room. Solo Sikoa said life is so good when you are the Tribal Chief. Sikoa said life is also busy because of that because he doesn’t have a moment to himself. Sikoa wondered who would step up and be Cody’s partner later, which, by proxy, would disrespect the Bloodline. Sikoa said if you are on Cody’s side, you are against the Bloodline. Sikoa said tonight better a handicap match or someone will pay the price.

– Next week, a six-team No. 1 contender match will happen for the WWE tag titles. Bayley & Michin will take on Jax and Stratton. Plus, there will be Knight vs. Escobar.

– Cody was shown walking backstage and Kevin Owens walked into the frame. Owens said he’d see Cody out there and we got the camera shot following Owens to the ring as Owens’s music hit.

Cody Rhodes & Kevin Owens defeated A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) [11:59]

Different week, same story, when it comes to inserting Kevin Owens into the Randy Orton role from last week. I said this earlier, but I’ll say it again: I understand and appreciate WWE’s attempt at building the new Bloodline (Wolfpack 2.0, as I like to call them) as menaces and Sikoa has certainly gained some things by being put in this role. But … it just doesn’t feel SummerSlam main event worthy to me yet. It might never get there, actually. In the meantime, I do think these angles are doing some good for Sikoa, Loa, Tonga and Fatu (especially Fatu, who looks every bit the star we all thought he’d look if he ever made it here). I just don’t think it’s Undisputed WWE World Champ Match Worthy. On the other side of things, it’s too bad for Theory and Waller. They’re good at being the Guys To Always Lose, but come on, WWE. Let’s break these two up and start another story by now. Please?

The action spilled outside early and Theory grabbed Owens by the beard at one point. Waller held Cody before long and Theory pounded on Cody. Waller was the legal man and Waller worked over Cody until Cody fired up and got the first hot tag to Owens. Owens came in and stomped a mud hole in Waller. Everyone went back outside the ring and Owens landed clotheslines on Waller and Theory. Back inside the ring, Owens hit a Cannonball on Waller. Owens then went to the top and went for a Swanton, but Waller got the knees up and tagged in Theory, who hit a rolling dropkick on Owens.

Waller tagged in and landed an elbow on Owens for a two-count. The show then went to its final commercial break. When the show came back, Waller and Owens battled on the top rope until Owens hit Waller off the top and followed that up with a Swanton. Cody then received the hot tag and started beating the hell out of Theory. Waller got a blind tag, but Cody hit a DDT on Theory. Waller ran in and landed a rolling Facebuster for a two-count.

Theory tagged in and Waller nearly hit Theory, but Owens landed a Stunner on Waller and Cody hit the CrossRhodes on Theory for the win. Cody and KO celebrated until the Bloodline’s music hit and out came the Bloodline. Owens and Cody battled with the Bloodline outside the ring. The two set up to put Sikoa through a table but Jacob Fatu cut everything off and took out Owens while Cody watched the Bloodline work over Owens, which included multiple hip attacks from Fatu.

As Tonga and Loa held Cody, Fatu hit a flying headbutt on Owens. The Bloodline lifted Cody and they triple-powerbombed Cody through the announce table. Tonga put a chair around Owens’s neck and ran Owens into a ring post. The Bloodline posed with their fingers in the air over Cody as the show went off the air and the crowd chanted “We want Roman!”

WWE SmackDown live results: Money in the Bank fallout

Posted on by Jeremy Peeples

SmackDown’s Money in the Bank fallout goes down tonight from the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Solo Sikoa pinned Cody Rhodes in last Saturday’s main event, all but confirming him as the next challenger for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The six-man tag match saw the new-look Bloodline of Sikoa, Tama Tonga & Jacob Fatu defeat Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens. Fatu starred in the match as he made his WWE in-ring debut.

It’s expected that Rhodes vs. Sikoa will take place at SummerSlam on August 3. We’ll see if WWE makes that official.

New Ms. Money in the Bank Tiffany Stratton is set to celebrate her victory. With the briefcase in her possession, she could be a problem for WWE Women’s Champion Bayley, who has a title defense against Nia Jax scheduled for SummerSlam.

Tonight, Jax goes one-on-one with Michin. A WWE Tag Team title rematch between DIY and Grayson Waller & Austin Theory has also been announced. Plus, Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews face Legado del Fantasma’s Angel & Berto.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

The Money in the Bank main event is recapped to start the show off and felt like an all-action war that should have been a no DQ match to start out with. Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa were put over the strongest in the video package – including Cody Rhodes. We saw Cody enter the building along with DIY arriving with Ciampa’s kid and a giant orange Dunkin’ outfit.

Tiffany Stratton MITB Celebration

Stratton came out as Corey called her the center of the universe before a highlight reel of her offense at MITB. She bragged about being the youngest Miss MITB ever and complained about Trish showing up when it’s her time. Tiffy Time, in fact. Bayley came out and fans somehow popped for her theme despite its intro lacking any punch to it or matching her at all. They bring up Tiffy Time entirely too many times across the board before Bayley told her that she’ll make her fail and be the first Miss MITB to fail.

Nia Jax came out for this parade of promos and told Bayley that she beat her seven years ago and says that it’s BBL Bayley time while Bayley is now her victim too. Jax and Stratton attacked Bayley before Michin made a save with a kendo stick. Backstage, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven demanded to see Nick Aldis. Chelsea has added Joel Gertner-esque gigantic neck brace.

Nia Jax defeated Michin

Jax bullied her in the corner to start before sending her down and doing the stink face knocking an eyelash off of Michin. Jax got a long cobra clutch before tossing her around in a Biel. Jax does the Ace Ventura butt cheek mockery towards Bayley before dominating Michin on the floor. Michin landed a second rope rana on Jax before a corner cannonball got 2. Tiffany put a kendo stick in Nia’s reach, but Bayley attacked Stratton and Michin got a tornado DDT for 2. Jax landed a Samoan drop and the banzai drop ended it.

Post-match, Stratton attacked Bayley with the case and she and Jax attacked her. Nia was sucking wind hard here and Stratton teased a cash-in before Jax looked offended at her and Stratton just opted not to cash in to avoid pissing her off more. Solo Sikoa talked about how the peak of the Bloodline had all the gold – but Roman’s reign put an end to that. This new era is more violent, more powerful and this family will rule for decades as long as he’s the Tribal Chief. Baron Corbin came out to team with Apollo Crews against Angel and Berto before WWE thanks Toronto for MITB and Heatwave and Byron chatted with Andrade about his future before Carmelo interrupted him.

Berto and Angel defeated Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin

Crews dive to the floor before Corbin dominated mid-ring and they brought up WWE Speed with Corbin this week. Corbin hit a suplex/cutter to Berto before a brawl broke out. Corbin ran to Crews and Crews helped toss him over the top to the floor! Angel locked him into a Gory special before Berto flipped in for an ill-timed blockbuster for two. Berto nailed a disaster kick for two on Corbin. Corbin ate a superkick, but recovered and hit a death valley driver! Crews ran in and ran wild with a pump kick to Angel alongside a jumping lariat. Crews sent Angel to suplex city before Corbin took out Escobar. Escobar kneed Crews before the Wing Clipper ended it. This match greatly exceeded any expectations going in – Corbin shined brightly as did Crews to a lesser extent.

Chelsea Green, with her giant Joel Getner neck brace and Piper Niven told Pretty Deadly to wait for them to finish talking with Nick before they pitch Pretty Deadly The Musical. LA Knight told them that they’d be with them when he’s done and he walked out before an ad break. Before he could come out, WWE hyped up Bad Blood and Orton sat next to Cody Rhodes looking absolutely gigantic next to him and said he’ll have his back tonight – but Kevin Owens won’t because he’s with his family right now and no matter what, Orton has Cody’s back.

LA Knight came out and played promo bingo saying yeah, wanting to talk to ya and eventually stated that he has a signature from himself (yeah), and Nick Aldis (yeah) for SummerSlam – but he needs Logan Paul’s signature on it (yeah). Knight said that he’ll beat Logan Paul – not because he isn’t good, but because he’s better and that’s a fact of life (yeah). A Blair Davenport hype video showcased her as a bully heel before a match with Naomi after a video recap of Cena announcing his retirement tour at MITB.

Naomi defeated Blair Davenport

Naomi landed a series of kicks and a legdrop before executing a rope run, then a slide into a chinlock. Davenport escaped and hit a double stomp before sending Naomi’s shoulder into the post on the floor. Naomi landed a spinning jawbreaker before hitting a series of ridiculous-looking kicks and a facebuster for two. Davenport hit a tree of woe stomp to the arm before a cradle series resulted in several two count exchanges. Naomi landed a flash cradle for the win in a surprising result. DIY’s title win is recapped in a video that in a vacuum, made it look like an all-time great moment had occurred. Carmelo Hayes faces off with Andrade next week and Logan Paul will be live. Naomi celebrated with Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair and they reveal that Aldis isn’t here, much to the Chagrin of Chelsea and Niven who barge in. Blair Davenport played a plucky face against Naomi saying she’s the better person now before Naomi gets distracted by Chelsea and beaten up by Davenport.

DIY retained the WWE Tag Team Titles against A-Town Down Under

The faces took down the heels with stereo calf kicks. Waller clubbed away on Ciampa in the corner before Theory tagged in and stomped Ciampa. Gargano tagged in and hit a DDT/neckbreaker combo on them. A Gargano slingshot spear got two on Theory. Ciampa got an O’Connor roll and Waller hit a rolling thunder flatliner that got two. Ciampa avoids Meet Me in the Middle and got two and Waller ate a shatter machine! Meet Me in the Middle hits for the win and DIY retains!

Jacob Fatu ran down and took out the tag champs to seemingly set up a tag title win from himself and Sikoa if Sikoa loses at SummerSlam. Fatu laid out Ciamp with a BME and shined to an absurd degree before The Bloodline came out. Solo Sikoa demanded that the crowd acknowledge him, leading to a rundown of their beatings and a “we want Roman” chant that only grew louder as Sikoa pointed out that he took out his own brother Jimmy and the Wiseman. He gave Cody a chance to acknowledge him and Cody came out.

Cody stated that he has to talk to Aldis, but he wants to make Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa for the title at SummerSlam. However, he’d prefer to not wait until then before getting circled by the Bloodline before attacking Cody. Fatu laid out Cody with a superkick and Orton came down for a save. Orton landed the draping DDT to Sikoa before getting taken out by Fatu – who may wind up being his SummerSlam opponent. Fatu and Sikoa tied up Cody in the ropes to attack him before the Tongans took out Orton on the floor with the steel steps. Fatu landed a kneeling superkick to Orton before the Tongans set the announce table up as Fatu and the Tongans Shield triple powerbomb Orton through the table and Sikoa Samoan Spiked Cody.

The Ua Fala was placed on Sikoa before a recap aired of the beating with Cody being forced to watch it all tied to the ropes. This was a strong closing angle and they’ve struck gold with Jacob Fatu being unhinged – but Sikoa being able to tame him a bit despite Sikoa himself being so unstable that even Paul Heyman can’t control him.

WWE SmackDown live results: Money in the Bank go-home show

Posted on by Colin McGuire

Money in the Bank weekend kicks off tonight with Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena hosting SmackDown.

In advance of Saturday’s PLE, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens will address The Bloodline. Rhodes, Orton & Owens are teaming up together against three members of The Bloodline at Money in the Bank. It’s yet to be confirmed which three of Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa & Jacob Fatu will be in the match.

The WWE Tag Team titles will be on the line tonight as DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) take on champions A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) for the gold. After weeks of feuding, the teams brawled last week as part of a backstage segment during which Waller jumped Gargano after Gargano suggested Waller never truly cared about Theory.

Also on tap for SmackDown, former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill face off against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– The show opened with a shot of Toronto as Corey Graves welcomed everyone into things. Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes were shown walking backstage. A photo of Paul Heyman being powerbombed through a table last week was shown. Jey Uso’s music hit and Jey ran out to a hot crowd.

The Men’s MITB Participants Segment

This was as formulaic as it gets in WWE. Nothing surprising about it. Nothing particularly entertaining. Nothing that sells anyone on anything happening this weekend (which is a shame). Prayers up for Andrade, who received a reaction that felt akin to an usher yelling about selling beer in the aisles. Good for WWE for trying to turn him into something after coming back over from Evil AEW; it hasn’t worked yet. Here’s hoping he has a noteworthy performance in the men’s MITB match this weekend and he can get going from there.

The crowd chanted “Yeet!” before Jey spoke. Jey made a joke about being let into Canada, which would have been funnier if he didn’t make it earlier in the day at the MITB press event. LA Knight’s music hit and Knight walked to the ring with purpose. The crowd chanted Knight’s name before Knight spoke and when Knight spoke, he said … you guessed it … “Let me talk to ya.” Knight said Jey was the odds-on-favorite to win the MITB match and how Knight last year was the favorite to win the match. Knight said the way he’d show Jey respect tomorrow was by not showing him respect at all. Knight noted how tomorrow, all of Toronto will say “Yeah!” and the two engaged in a stare down before Jey said “Yeet.” Knight responded with “Yeah!” Jey took off his sunglasses and said “Yeet!” Knight took off his sunglasses and then … Carmelo Hayes’s music hit and Hayes walked out.

Hayes said he’s “that guy” and Toronto did not want to hear all “that yeet and yeah.” Hayes said the last time he saw Knight, his head was up Logan Paul’s behind. Hayes tried to call out Jey, but Chad Gable’s music hit and Gable walked out with a microphone. Gable said he’s been living in his own personal hell throughout the last three weeks. The crowd chanted “You suck!” Gable talked about how the Wyatt Sicks were after him for reasons he doesn’t understand. Once Gable made it to the ring, Andrade’s music hit and Andrade walked out with a microphone.

Andrade mocked everyone for having the dream of winning MITB. Andrade said dreams don’t win matches – and especially MITB matches. Out of nowhere – surprise! – Drew McIntyre’s music hit and Drew walked out to a fairly impressive pop from the live crowd. The crowd immediately started a “CM Punk!” chant. Drew said he expected better from Canada and noted how Punk’s family is always with him due to the bracelet he stole from Punk. Drew said the violent he inflicted on Punk, he will inflict upon the other guys in the MITB match.

Drew called Andrade “EL Idiot” as he walked into the ring. Drew said he feels bad for Gable. Drew said Melo has a bright future but he is not HIM. Drew called out Knight and said it won’t be “yeah.” Instead, it’ll be “No.” Drew asked Jey how he got across the border anyway. Andrade then attacked Drew and things broke down. Before long, Jey and Knight teamed up on McIntyre and double-clotheslined Drew over the top. Knight and Uso stood tall to end the segment.

**********

– Jackie Redmond interviewed Bayley backstage and asked her what it would take to win the MITB ladder match. Bayley said it’s one of the most rewarding matches in WWE. Chelsea Green showed up and said Bayley is irrelevant and Bayley wouldn’t be the champion if Green hadn’t been kicked out of Bayley’s match against Piper Niven. Out of nowhere, Niven attacked Bayley and ran her into road cases.

– Bayley was shown coming out of Nick Aldis’s office and it turns out, Bayley will face Piper Niven later.

The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated Pretty Deadly (Hit Wilson & Elton Prince) [9:45]

Where have Pretty Deadly been? This wasn’t the best way to reintroduce them, but hell, the Profits looked good. And I’m happy that the Profits are getting pushed on some level. I do wonder what’s next for both teams. This match felt like little more than a placeholder.

Ford had control early against Prince. Dawkins tagged in and the Profits landed a hip toss on Wilson, who had tagged in. Prince fired up and tagged in before long and went after Dawkins, but Dawkins came back with a leaping elbow. Prince and Wilson took Dawkins down with a series of moves before the show went to a commercial break. Back from break, Prince was working over Dawkins. Wilson tagged in and that’s where Dawkins battled back and the two found themselves in a makeshift headbutt on each other. Dawkins then got the hot tag to Ford, who ran in and took out both members of Pretty Deadly.

Ford landed a standing moonsault for a two-count on Prince. Ford went to the top, but Prince cut Ford off. From there, Pretty Deadly hit a super-duper-plex on Ford. Dawkins came off the top instantly onto Wilson for a good near fall. With Pretty Deadly on the outside, Ford landed a running flip dive. Back inside the ring, Wilson was the victim of a Ford frog-splash and that was good enough for the win.

**********

– Grayson Waller and Austin Theory were shown talking backstage and Waller hyped up Theory, reminding him that Theory being with Gargano meant nothing. Waller said if they aren’t on the same page, they need to catch up.

Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair defeated Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell [4:08 of TV time]

There wasn’t much to this, and we only got four minutes of it. Still, the ending in-ring interview had me thinking a turn was coming. Maybe soon? The Cargill/Belair team seems too good to be true to last for as long as it already has. At this point, it’s little more than a countdown.

Cargill had control once the match was joined in progress. Quickly, LeRae and Hartwell had control and performed a double-team move on Cargill. Hartwell gave Cargill a stiff elbow and posed before working on Cargill’s arm. Ultimately, Hartwell and Cargill hit boots on each other and both women were down. Belair got the hot tag and went to work on both LeRae and Hartwell. Belair threw LeRae onto Hartwell and hit a springboard moonsault on LeRae.

Cargill tagged in, but LeRae rolled up Cargill for a near-fall. Cargill came back with pump kick and Cargill and Belair hit their finishers on LeRae and Hartwell for the win. After the match, Cathy Kelley interviewed Cargill and Belair in the ring. Belair said their goal is to get back their tag titles. Cargill chimed in and noted how it’s inevitable that they get their tag titles back. The two posed to end the segment.

**********

The Cody/Randy/KO segment

All of the best feelings and positive wishes to Kevin Owens and his family. He’s already one of the best promos in WWE, but putting the real world slant on it here sure did pack a punch. If he doesn’t work the show tomorrow night, nobody could blame him, but if he does end up out there, you can’t help but root for him to put on a hell of a performance.

Cody started things out with his “So … what do you want to talk about,” line. The crowd erupted. Cody shouted out the 16,000 people at SmackDown or Sami Zayn’s comedy show on Thursday night. Cody said WWE and Toronto are “just a good fit.” Cody said everyone has heard enough from Solo Sikoa and the “modern Bloodline.” Cody said he and his buds are ready for a fight. Orton chimed in and said the fight will end with the three most dangerous letters in sports entertainment, “RKO.”

Owens went to talk, and the crowd got loud. Owens started to talk but the crowd cut him off with the “Ole!” chant. Owens said on Monday he got a call from his dad and his mom had to be rushed to the hospital. Owens talked about how he had been by his mom’s hospital bed all week watching her fight like hell. Owens said his mom is still fighting like hell in her hospital bed. Owens said he could have stayed home, but it would have been a problem for his mother. Owens recalled how his mom wanted him to go in there and leave it all in the ring. Owens said if his mom knew he missed a show because of her, she’d be pissed. Owens said his mom would want Owens to beat the Bloodline’s asses more than ever before. Owens slammed the microphone to end the segment.

**********

Bayley defeated Piper Niven [7:39]

This was more fun than the men’s MITB match entrants spot that opened the show. Jax and Michin popping up was a little unexpected, but welcome. The match itself deserved a little more shine if only because this was a Big Deal match on a PLE very, very recently. But, for what it was, it accomplished enough.

IYO SKY was shown sitting in the audience. Niven had control early until Bayley worked a headlock and the action spilled outside. From there, Niven ran Bayley into a ring post and the show went to break. Back from that break, Zoey Stark and Lyra Valkyria were shown the crowd. Tiffany Stratton walked down the aisle as the match continued to unfold. Inside the ring, Bayley worked a sleeper hold until Niven slammed Bayley to break things up and the match reset.

The MITB women’s wrestlers brawled on the outside as things got chaotic. Stratton went to the top and hit her moonsault on everyone. Inside the ring, Niven went for a splash, but Blayley moved and landed the Roseplant for the win. Bayley screamed “f— a—” and the camera caught it. Nia Jax appeared out of nowhere and took out Bayley after the match, complete with a leg drop. Michin ran out and cleared the ring of Jax with a Keno Stick. Bayley and Michin stood tall to end the segment.

**********

– Next week, Michin vs. Nia Jax will happen. Also, Corbin & Crews vs. Angel & Berto will go down. The main event entrances then took place.

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) defeated A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship [14:19]

This was great. All the callbacks, all the fun, all the mess. It’s hard to be mad at this. And good for Gargano and Ciampa for getting the win and actually winning those titles – something a lot of people argued should have happened sooner. But this worked, and this worked well. Good for everyone involved. I continue to wonder how Theory and Waller split for good and I would have thought the title drop would have been it. But maybe the story will be better for it being longer. We’ll see. In the meantime, a very good main event and a fun title change.

Things broke down quickly and the teams brawled. Action spilled to the outside, where Ciampa and Gargano hit stereo splashes and the show went to a commercial beak. Back from tha tbreak, Gargano had control over Theory. With the help of a distraction, Theory elbowed Gargano and changed the course of things. Waller tagged in and landed a splash on Gargano before working an arm-bar. Theory tagged in and kept control over Gargano.

The action spilled outside, where Waller was taken out by a Cleveland Destroyer by Gargano. Back inside the ring, Gargano and Theory exchanged blows. Theory hit a neck-breaker on Gargano and got a two-count. The show then went to its final commercial break. The show returned and Gargano ran into a knee from Waller. From there, Waller accidentally hit Theory. In a great spot, #DIY landed a Shatter Machine on Waller for a good near fall.

The four wrestlers brawled in the ring, Gargano taking the burnt of the strikes. Ciampa inserted himself with a back-breaker and tagged in Gargano and the two hit a Meet Me In The Middle. Waller looked to be out, but Theory put Waller’s leg on the rope for a break. Gargano sunk in a cross-face and Ciampa did the same to Theory. Waller ultimately tapped out, mimicking the finish to their NXT match with The Revival in the same city #DIY won the tag titles all the way back then. Gargano and Ciampa posed in the aisle as pyro fired off.

A Bloodline vignette aired and Solo Sikoa talked about he was the Tribal Chief. Sikoa said he is the Tribal Chief now and Sikoa challenged Roman to take his title from him. Sikoa said he is coming for Cody Rhodes and Cody will acknowledge him. The show then ended with the new Bloodline posing.

WWE SmackDown live results: Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony

Posted on by Marc Quill

WWE returns to New York City tonight as SmackDown takes place live from Madison Square Garden.

The World’s Most Famous Arena will host a Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony. Last Friday, Solo Sikoa’s new version of The Bloodline continued to take shape with Jacob Fatu making his WWE debut and destroying Cody Rhodes. Sikoa has now introduced Fatu, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa into The Bloodline — and he believes his role as Tribal Chief is a permanent one. There was an interaction last week where Sikoa told Paul Heyman that Roman Reigns won’t be returning.

Three members of The Bloodline will face Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens in a six-man tag match at Money in the Bank on Saturday, July 6.

Qualifying for Money in the Bank continues tonight with three triple threat matches: Logan Paul vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar; Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae; and Naomi vs. Blair Davenport vs. Indi Hartwell.

So far, Jey Uso, Carmelo Hayes, Andrade, and Chad Gable have qualified for the men’s MITB ladder match. IYO SKY, Chelsea Green, and Lyra Valkyria have qualified for the women’s ladder match.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– After the WWE signature, a shot of the Manhattan skyline was shown, followed by different shots of LA Knight, Logan Paul, and Jade Cargill arriving at Madison Square Garden. We then went to a live shot of inside MSG, and the sold out crowd filling the World’s Most Famous Arena.

– A recap of last week’s SmackDown, as it related to the arrival of Jacob Fatu, was then shown.

– Paul Heyman was waiting backstage for the arrival of the “new” Bloodline (sans Jacob Fatu), as the fans chanted “We Want Roman” in the background.

Bloodline brawl with Rhodes, Owens, Orton

As Solo Sikoa and company were walking down, the Titantron showed Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens arriving. The trio wasted no time and faced down Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa. The two groups began brawling all around the ringside area and the arena.

Owens got onto a railing and leapt onto a prone Tonga Loa through a table. In the ring, Rhodes and Orton clotheslined Sikoa out of the ring. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis and a whole corps of security and officials came down to ringside to separate everyone as SmackDown headed to break.

SmackDown return with Aldis talking to Orton, Owens, and Rhodes as he tried to get them to leave the ring. One of the security officials approached Orton and got an RKO. The remaining security swarmed into the ring and got promptly beaten down by Orton, Owens, and Rhodes. Two different security officials got hit with a Stunner from Owens and a Cross Rhodes from Rhodes, respectively.

Owens got the mic and shouted that the Bloodline were dumber than they look if they were going to wait until Money in the Bank for a fight. Orton then added that he, Owens, and Rhodes were going to put the Bloodline down for good.

Rhodes hyped up Orton and Owens, as well as the sold out MSG crowd when he got his turn to speak. He said that he should’ve been defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against a worthy opponent inside MSG, but he’s instead stuck fighting the Bloodline.

As Rhodes was talking, Aldis marched out with some NYPD officers,. Rhodes finished off by calling Sikoa a “seat filler”. The NYPD officers and security officials escorted Rhodes, Orton, and Owens out of the ringside area.

Fantastic and hot brawl to kick things off in front of a sold-out MSG crowd.

**********

– After a recap of moments ago, Kayla Braxton tried to ask Nick Aldis about everything that’s gone down, but was snubbed as Orton, Rhodes, and Owens were led back to their vehicle to leave the arena.

Money in the Bank Qualifier: Tiffany Stratton defeated Candice LeRae and Jade Cargill

Cargill started off by trying to fight LeRae and Stratton off, but soon fell victim to a double team from the two. Double suplex by Stratton and LeRae on Cargill, as they continued on the attack.

Cargill recovered and took both LeRae and Stratton with suplexes and superkicks. Cargill then lifted LeRae above her head and threw her onto Stratton at ringside. Nia Jax came down to confront Cargill, but was intercepted by Bianca Belair as SmackDown went to break.

SmackDown returned with Stratton and LeRae teaming up against Cargill, until LeRae took down Stratton with a clothesline. LeRae spiked Stratton with a DDT, but Cargill broke that up.

Stratton trapped LeRae and Cargill in separate corners as she tried to go for separate splashes. LeRae avoided calamity, but got sent into a Spinebuster by Cargill.

The action spilled outside as Cargill was targeted by Nia Jax. With the referee distracted by Bianca Belair and Jax’s standoff, Indi Hartwell snuck up on Cargill and sent her into the ringpost. Belair chased Hartwell out of the ringside area.

Inside the ring, Stratton kicked out of a LeRae pinfall attempt and ended up getting the victory with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.

A fun little triple threat match, and Stratton getting the win was the right call. Look for her to be a favorite next week in Toronto.

**********

– Backstage, Naomi and Bayley talked about the former’s MITB qualifier when Blair Davenport showed up to taunt Naomi about her chances of winning the qualifying match.

– Michin was in the office of Nick Aldis, as she asked for a match against Nia Jax. Aldis said he’d think about it, as the Street Profits showed up, wanting to fight the Bloodline. Aldis told the two that their match wouldn’t be happening as he promised the Bloodline time for their Ceremony later tonight. Pretty Deadly then appeared to hype themselves up for a possible “Pretty Deadly: The Musical”. The Street Profits then decided that they wanted to fight Pretty Deadly instead, leading to the match being made.

– The Progressive Match Flo recapped the goings on with Logan Paul and LA Knight, particularly what went down on last week’s SmackDown between the two.

– Backstage, Solo Sikoa was informed by Paul Heyman of Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens’ removal from MSG. Heyman then asked where Jacob Fatu was, with Sikoa telling him that Fatu was too dangerous to be in the building. Sikoa said that he was going to officially make Heyman his wiseman tonight.

Money in the Bank Qualifier: LA Knight defeated Logan Paul and Santos Escobar

During LA Knight’s entrance, Jalen Brunson from the New York Knicks was shwon in the crowd to a massive ovation that rivaled Knight’s.

Logan Paul showed up with mic in hand, talking about how he was ready to perform in Madison Square Garden. He said he had in his corner someone who understood how to win in MSG, bringing out Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers with him.

Haliburton stared down Jalen Brunson as he and Paul amde their way down to the ringside area.

Knight went after Paul as the bell rang, as he attacked him in the corner. Escobar tackled Knight, with Paul joining in on the attack. The two continued to team up against Knight, battering him with blows. Escobar took Knight down with a hurricanrana, but got sent to the outside by Paul.

Paul hit a suplex on Knight as Tyrese Haliburton cheered on at ringside. Knight got Irish whipped, as he took Escobar down with a sliding dropkick outside the ring before he continued to attack Paul inside the ring.

Modified facebuster by Paul on Knight was then followed by a vaulting press to the outside. Paul had no time to celebrate because Escobar took him down with a suicide dive, which led us to the commercial break.

We returned to SmackDown with Knight sending Paul’s face into the announce table before Escobar cut him off. Back in the ring, Knight attempted an avalanche Samoan drop, but got countered into an avalanche hurricanrana instead. Paul entered the ring and sent Escobar onto Knight with the modified facebuster, which became a pinfall attempt. Paul frantically broke up the count.

Paul and Knight then began to brawl it out in the ring. Meltdown by Knight on Paul. His attempted elbow was stopped by a running knee from Escobar. Knight countered a Phantom Driver with a slam as he hit his signature elbow on him instead.

Knight stomped away on Paul and got hit with a Phantom Driver by Escobar in the fracas. Paul broke up the count at two while the MSG crowd chanted insults at the Indiana Pacers. Escobar and Paul fought in the corner and Knight intercepted with a super belly to belly suplex on Escobar. Paul took advantage and got a swanton bomb for a very close two count.

Tyrese Haliburton was handed the brass knuckles by one of Logan Paul’s associates. Jalen Brunson hopped over the barricade and teased a fight with Haliburton before referees broke it up.

Inside the ring, Knight hit Escobar with the BFT, as Paul tried for a roll-up. Knight turned that around and got the pin on the United States Champion.

Post-match, Haliburton and Paul surrounded Knight in the ring, but Jalen Brunson entered the ring with a chair and stood alongside Knight. Haliburton and Paul backed off after a tense standoff, which left Knight and Brunson to celebrate in the ring.

I had fun with this triple threat match and the added story with Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton made for some entertaining hometown action that should go over really well with the MSG faithful.

**********

– Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews were shown watching at ringside as they laughed at Escobar’s loss. Carmelo Hayes appeared to brag about potentially winning Money in the Bank. He said that people should put their money on Melo.

– Corey Graves and Wade Barrett cued up an emotional video package in tribute to Leati Sika Anoa’i, one half of the legendary Wild Samoans and the father of Roman Reigns, who passed away earlier this week.

**********

– A slideshow of great WWE moments that happened at Madison Square Garden was followed by a promo from Andrade, where he said that winning Money in the Bank was his destiny. He said that he wouldn’t just be taking the briefcase, but he’d be taking everything.

Money in the Bank Qualifier: Naomi defeated Indi Hartwell and Blair Davenport

Naomi started off with a dropkick to both Hartwell and Davenport. Hartwell tried for a sneaky rollup pin while they teamed up on Naomi. The action resumed with Hartwell using Naomi as a bludgeon against Davenport before she hit a powerbomb.

Things broke down at ringside as Davenport and Hartwell began to fight amongst themselves. Double stomp by Davenport on Hartwell sent us to a break in the action.

SmackDown returned from commercial with all three women in the ring. Naomi got a unique neckbreaker on Hartwell while Davenport was prone in between Hartwell’s legs. Naomi was on fire, as she floored Davenport and Hartwell with a series of splashes.

Hartwell hit simultaneous spinebusters on Naomi and Hartwell, as she tried to stack them for the pin and win, but to no avail. The three competitors began to trade blows with one another, which ended with Hartwell getting the better of her foes. Rope-assisted piledriver by Naomi took Hartwell out momentarily, but she managed to revover to throw Davenport into the steel steps.

Jade Cargill made her way to the ring to get some revenge on Hartwell for earlier. She struck Hartwell with some hard punches before she tossed her into the ring and Naomi got the victory with her finisher.

Probably not as strong as the two other Money in the Bank qualifying matches tonight, but still not bad, all things considered.

**********

– The big Money in the Bank weekend in Toronto next week was hyped, as well as a set of matches for SmackDown next week: Street Profits versus Pretty Deadly, Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair vs. Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae, and A-Town Down Under defending their WWE Tag Titles against DIY.

– Backstage, Johnny Gargano & Tommasso Ciampa were interviewed about the match next week, but Austin Theory interrupted them. Grayson Waller snuck up on DIY and attacked the two, with Theory being whisked away.

**********

Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony

The Bloodline — Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa — made their way out next for the Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony after a recap of the chaos that opened SmackDown.

Paul Heyman started off with his usual spiel, but Sikoa cut him off before he could continue. The fans yet again chanted “we want Roman”. Sikoa took the mic and introduced the newest member of the Bloodline, Jacob Fatu, which meant that he lied to Heyman about Fatu supposedly not being in the building earlier.

Fatu got a grand entrance as he made his way down the ring, and SmackDown went to the final commercial break of the evening.

Back on SmackDown, as Sikoa did Roman Reigns’ “Acknowledge Me” spiel to a chorus of boos. He asked Tama Tonga to acknowledge him, which he did. Likewise with Tonga Loa. Jacob Fatu was next to acknowledge Sikoa, as he told him that he loved him like a brother.

Sikoa then turned his attention to Heyman as he demanded acknowledgement. He had the ceremonial ula fala in his hand and gave it to Heyman, asking him to put it on.

Heyman outright said “I acknowledge that… you are not my Tribal Chief,” to a loud reaction from the MSG crowd. Sikoa hit a Samoan Spike on Heyman as Fatu hit a diving splash on Heyman. The Bloodline took Heyman and put him through the commentary table with a Shield-style powerbomb.

Fatu put the ula fala around Sikoa’s neck as the Bloodline stood over the broken body of Paul Heyman and raised up their hands in their signature taunt to end SmackDown.

**********

Very impactful closing segment that should likely be the last straw in heralding Roman Reigns’ return to set things right against Solo’s rogue Bloodline. The electric New York crowd made this all the more exciting. Despite being a heel, there’s some good sympathy in the Bloodline targeting Paul Heyman and beating him down, espeecially with pulling off this angle in the heart of ECW country.

I found myself enjoying this episode of SmackDown a fair bit, and the WWE certainly put on an entertaining show for the MSG crowd.

WWE SmackDown live results: CM Punk appears in Chicago

Posted on by Colin McGuire

After costing Drew McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship at Clash at the Castle, CM Punk is slated to appear on tonight’s SmackDown live from his native Chicago.

Punk has been out since the Royal Rumble, when he tore his triceps, but he’s repeatedly found ways to terrorize McIntyre during his time away from the ring. The most recent example of such came last Saturday when Punk donned a referee’s shirt and refused to count to three when it appeared McIntyre was about to win the title in Glasgow.

Punk has said that he will provide a health update on tonight’s show.

Also on tap, Cody Rhodes responds to The Bloodline’s attack on him at Clash at the Castle. Rhodes took the beating after retaining his Undisputed WWE Championship in an “I Quit” match against AJ Styles.

Three Money in the Bank qualifying matches will take place. Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller vs. Andrade and Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga vs. Carmelo Hayes will be tonight’s men’s qualifiers, and there will be a women’s qualifier with Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green vs. Michin.

Plus, after weeks of bickering, LA Knight is scheduled to confront United States Champion Logan Paul.

Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– A video recapping CM Punk’s involvement at last weekend’s Clash at the Castle began the show. From there, we got footage of Drew McIntyre quitting WWE on Raw.

– Corey Graves welcomed everyone into the show, noting how they were in Chicago. “CM Punk!” chants were heard from the crowd. Cue Living Colour. Punk made his entrance.

The CM Punk segment

This was very good. Very, very good. Promos that open episodes of SmackDown are hit or miss anymore, but everything here was pitch perfect. The crowd. Punk. Heyman. The Bloodline. Cody. Very good stuff all around. The only question now will be … can the crowd stay hot for the rest of the show now that they’ve seen their hometown hero out there already? My guess is yes because Chicago crowds tend to always be some of the best in the United States, but we’ll see. In the meantime, will tonight perhaps mark another Bloodline debut? As I write this in real time, I know no inside baseball information. But something feels like it’s up.

Punk sat cross-legged in the middle of the ring as the crowd chanted his name. Punk was given a microphone and the crowd’s chants grew louder. Punk said it’s great to be alive in Chicago on a Friday night. He played up the pressure of it being live TV. Punk talked more about pressure and wondered if he could handle pressure. Punk referenced 2011 when he said he would walk out WWE Champion. Punk asked the crowd if he embarrassed Chicago and the fans repeatedly yelled “No!” Before long, Punk brought up McIntyre and said he kicked both Punk and Chicago. Punk outlined three options, stay down, turn the other cheek or essentially kill Drew’s career. Shockingly, it was the third option that Punk chose.

The talk turned to Drew quitting. Punk said Drew couldn’t take the pressure and Punk made bad things happen to Drew. Out of nowhere, Paul Heyman’s voice appeared with the “Ladies and gentlemen” line and the crowd gasped before beginning a loud “ECW!” chant. Heyman walked to the ring and said he was running late. Heyman noted how Punk sat next to Heyman’s children when Heyman was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Heyman remembered how he said Punk is his best friend. The crowd began a “We want Roman!” chant, which was awfully loud.

Heyman entered the ring and hugged Punk. The crowd erupted. Heyman teared up and said he needed that hug. Heyman said that he heard on the radio that Chicago is CM Punk’s town. Heyman noted how that pissed off Solo Sikoa. Heyman described Sikoa as the head of the table, but only begrudgingly. Heyman said he was out there to tell Punk that if he doesn’t leave, Sikoa and the Bloodline will come for Punk. Heyman pointed out the extra security there and said Sikoa and his guys are taking things too far. Heyman asked Punk to “please get the hell out of here right now.” Those words inspired more “CM Punk!” chants.

Punk asked if Heyman was serious about Punk leaving. Sikoa’s music hit and he walked to the ring with Tonga Loa & Tama Tonga. Sikoa said Punk had two options. One, Punk pays his respect to the Bloodline or two, they make sure Punk never gets cleared to wrestle again. Punk turned to Heyman, who said if Punk leaves, he wants a favor: For Punk to take Heyman with him. “Yes!” chants began. Punk said he acknowledges the fact that he sees a bunch of “fake-ass Usos” in front of him and a phony Tribal Chief. Punk squared up as the Bloodline got in the ring. Cody Rhodes appeared out of nowhere with a couple baseball bats and the Bloodline retreated.

Cody grabbed a microphone and said he’s already beaten one head of the table, so Sikoa should go backstage. Cody challenged Sikoa to a match later. Cody’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

– Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair were shown talking backstage. Cargill said she needed to talk to Nick Aldis about a rematch for their tag titles. Belair’s music hit and she made her entrance for the show’s first match.

– Cody vs. Sikoa was made official for later in the show. Cody was shown walking backstage and he ran into Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Orton asked Cody if he really wanted to face Sikoa later. Cody told them to trust him. Owens said the Bloodline always has a plan. Cody said he knows that, but he has a plan, too.

Chelsea Green defeated Michin & Bianca Belair in a triple threat to qualify for the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match [7:25]

A very fun TV match with a surprising outcome. I love the decision to have Green steal the win. If nothing else, it creates the notion that perhaps these MITB qualifiers aren’t as much of a slam dunk as they seem on paper. Green constantly acting surprised at everything she does also kind of cracks me up more than it should. Presumably this means Cargill won’t qualify for the MITB match either next week, so are we finally getting to the part where Cargill and Belair break up?

Michin and Belair teamed up on Green to start the match and Green rolled out of the ring. From there, Michin and Belair went one-on-one for a minute. Green returned to the ring and punched Belair, but Green was quickly dispatched. The action spilled outside, where Belair punched Michin and Michin punched Belair. Out of nowhere, Green landed a suicide dive and acted surprised. The show then went to a commercial break with Green standing tall.

The show returned and Green was the recipient of a tandem back suplex from the top rope. Belair and Michin got to their feet and exchanged strikes until Belair caught Michin and lifted her. Michin countered with a sunset flip and ultimately, Eat Defeat. With Belair on the outside, Green rolled up Michin for a two-count. Green slapped Michin and Michin headbutted Green. From there, Michin hit a Styles Clash on Green and may have won the match if Belair didn’t break up the pin. Belair hit a released German Suplex on Michin and followed that up with a KOD. But wouldn’t you know it – Green threw Belair out of the ring and stole the pin for the win. The crowd went nuts.

**********

– Bayley was shown standing backstage and Blair Davenport approached Bayley. Davenport said she will cash in her MITB briefcase on her after she wins it.

– Sikoa was shown talking to Heyman in the Bloodline room. Sikoa told Heyman to tell the Tongans something, but the audio cut out. Heyman looked nervous and Sikoa said if he tells Heyman to do something, Heyman better do it. Sikoa said that he and Heyman also need to have a talk later.

– A video recapping the Grayson Waller/Austin Theory/#DIY developments from last week aired. Waller was interviewed backstage by Kayla Braxton. Theory was at home so Waller said he would win the MITB qualifying match in Theory’s honor. #DIY walked in the frame and the garage door behind them opened up. A bloody CM Punk was shown laid out as Drew McIntyre stood over Punk. McIntyre fireman-carried Punk from the outside through the backstage and to the ring. McIntyre threw Punk on the ground in the entrance way and kneeled down to take Punk’s friendship bracelet from Punk’s wrist. Nick Aldis appeared and engaged in a shoving match with McIntyre. WWE officials appeared and Punk did a stretcher job. The show went to a break with no commentary.

– Aldis accompanied Punk to an ambulance and told Punk it would be OK after the show returned from break. Punk was not responsive as the ambulance drove off.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Tama Tonga & Randy Orton in a triple threat to qualify for the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match [9:33]

I like it. Just when I was about to make some snarky comment about how Hayes’s entrance wasn’t televised and he’s going to become the latest NXT call-up to stall out once they make it to The Dance … well, look at that. An Orton win seemed too predictable and you had to think the Bloodline would play some sort of role in him not going over, so Hayes as the one who advances to the MITB ladder match is a nice wrinkle, both for Hayes and the actual ladder match itself. Here’s hoping he has a good showing and it can kickstart some momentum for the former NXT champion. As for this match, it was fine. Nothing to write home about, but nothing offensive (save for that odd face-buster from Tonga on Orton). All told, it was a solid television triple threat.

Hayes’s introduction was not televised. Orton stared town Tonga and the heels attacked Orton to start the match. Tonga shoved Hayes so he could stomp Orton and that led to the heels arguing. The action spilled outside, where Orton set up for a back suplex on Tonga, but Hayes stopped Orton. Tonga returned the favor for Hayes. Tonga and Hayes took turns attacking Orton … until Orton inevitably hit that signature back suplex – the first on Tonga and the second on Hayes – onto the commentary table. The show quickly went to a commercial break.

Hayes and Tonga were battling inside the ring as the show came back. Tonga momentarily got the better of Hayes, until Hayes planted Tonga and got a two-count. Tonga came back with a back-breaker, but Orton reappeared and broke up Tonga’s pin attempt. Orton hit a snap powerslam on Tonga and a super-plex on Melo from the second rope. Tonga broke up a pin attempt and worked a sleeper hold on Orton until Orton worked out of it. Tonga hit a clunky facebuster on Orton but Hayes broke up the pin attempt. Hayes and Tonga then started to fight again. Orton came back into the mix and landed a stereo draping DDT on Hayes and Tonga at the same time.

Orton set up for an RKO, but Tonga Loa ran out to distract Orton. As a result, Hayes rolled up Orton and got the win. Hayes posed on the commentary table after the match.

**********

The LA Knight/Logan Paul/Santos Escobar segment

I have no idea how they stretch Paul vs. Knight out to Summerslam if that’s the plan, but the summer is young. For now, the promos, despite Knight still being super over with the live crowds, are starting to get a bit repetitive. And Paul can only be a chicken-s@#* heel for so long with so many people before that starts getting old, too. We’ll see.

Knight told Paul to come to the ring, but nothing happened. Knight recalled how he told Paul he wanted the U.S. title. Knight said Paul no-showed Chicago. Knight said time is running out and next week, after the MITB qualifier between him, Paul and Santos Escobar, Knight will come looking for Paul. Escobar’s music hit and Escobar walked out with a microphone. Escobar said the truth is Knight is delusional and called Knight a desperate fanboy. Escobar said next week, Knight would be wise to remember he’s dealing with Escobar. Knight noted how he beat Escobar each time he met him. This soon led to Escobar eating a BFT.

Knight started to talk into the camera and Paul showed up to attack Knight. From there, Paul knocked Knight out and yelled at the camera while holding his phone.

**********

Andrade defeated Kevin Owens & Grayson Waller in a triple threat to qualify for the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match [9:56]

Good for Andrade. Everything I said about Carmelo Hayes before this, apply it to Andrade as well. He’ll be a sneaky-good addition to the MITB match. Speaking of the current match at hand, it was probably the best of the three MITB qualifiers on this night. The Owens knee story gave things a little more drama and Waller is very good at being Grayson Waller in these types of situations. He probably won’t win, but he always makes you guess a little bit. Good action and a good outcome.

During Owens’s entrance, Owens was attacked by the Bloodline until Randy Orton appeared with a chair and ran the Bloodline off. Owens’s knee was messed up and Owens limped to the ring. Early in the match, Andrade hit Waller with a spinning elbow and got a nice near-fall. The action spilled outside, where Owens hit a Swanton. The three fought on the apron. Andrade somehow hit a Sunset Flip over the top and into a powerbomb on Waller and the show went to a commercial break.

The show returned and the three were battling inside the ring. Waller briefly had control until Andrade sent Waller into a turnbuckle. Andrade had a brief time to shine until Owens got to his feet and the two brawled. Waller returned and planted both guys, but couldn’t steal a pin. Waller yelled “A-Town Down” and lifted Owens, but Owens worked out of it. Waller took Owens out by kicking his knee. Andrade chopped the hell out of Waller and the two battled on the second rope until Owens popped up and slammed both opponents. Owens went to the top and landed a Swanton on Andrade which led to a good near-fall.

Owens ultimately hit a Stunner on Andrade and went for the pin, but Waller broke it up. Waller kicked Owens’s knee and went for a rolling move on Andrade, but Andrade caught Waller and hit his finisher to get the victory.

**********

– Michin was shown backstage and Tiffany Stratton walked in. Stratton tried to hit Michin, but Michin blocked it and punched Stratton. Nia Jax then showed up and ran Michin into a dresser.

– Next week, there will be three MITB qualifying matches. Candice LeRae, Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton will compete against each other. Naomi, Indi Hartwell and Blair Davenport will be the wrestlers in the second qualifying match. And then there will be the aforementioned Logan Paul, LA Knight and Santos Escobar qualifying match.

Solo Sikoa and Cody Rhodes fought to a no contest [1:40]

Oh goodness gracious, I’ve never seen Jacob Fatu look this trim. Wowzers. That guy looked incredible. His booking was great, too. It was precisely the shot of energy the Bloodline Wolfpack 2.0 needed to get things going. I’m not sure I can fully get on board with Fatu falling into the same Crazed Samoan persona his cousins have taken on since coming over to WWE – and I say that only because Fatu is a great promo and an even better interview, if you’re ever lucky enough to sit down with him for a chat – but I’ll reserve judgment on that for another day. For now … wow. I’m very glad to see him finally make it to this stage, but I’m even happier to see him look healthier than he’s ever looked in a wrestling ring and kick the snot out of people in a way only he can. Hey. I’m a fan of the guy. What can I say?

Cody made his entrance first, which screamed “Angle Alert.” Well, that and the fact there was only eight minutes left in the show. Sikoa and Heyman talked backstage. Heyman CM Punk is very personal to him and even Roman Reigns said Punk is off limits. Heyman called Reigns the Tribal Chief and that didn’t sit well with Sikoa, who noted how Roman Reigns is “not coming back,” whatever that means. Sikoa then walked to the ring and left Heyman dumbfounded. Graves said they’d stick with the match for as long as it took.

After the bell rang, Cody and Solo stood in the ring and stared at each other. Sikoa ran at Cody and the action spilled outside quickly. Cody hit a suicide dive and ran Sikoa into the ring steps. Cody set up for a Crossroads, but Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa ran in to attack Cody. Randy Orton’s music hit and Orton, with Owens, ran to the ring. The six wrestlers brawled as Heyman looked dejected. The babyfaces had the upper hand and were left alone with Sikoa after taking care of Tonga and Loa. They cornered Sikoa and Sikoa smirked. From there, a slimmed down Jacob Fatu appeared and gave Owens a Samoan Drop on the ring steps. Fatu speared Orton through the barricade. Cody tried Fatu, but that led to Fatu slamming Cody onto the ring apron. Fatu put Cody onto the commentary table and climbed to the top rope to hit a splash onto Cody, putting Cody through the table. A “Holy S*@!” chant broke out. Sikoa hugged Fatu and both guys raised their fingers. Loa and Tonga returned to the ring and did the same. The four Bloodline members posed with their fingers in the air to end the show.

WWE SmackDown live results: Cody Rhodes seeks payback

Posted on by Colin McGuire

After AJ Styles attacked Cody Rhodes to end last week’s SmackDown, Rhodes says he will look for payback on tonight’s show from Louisville, Kentucky.

Styles’ attack came after he faked a retirement announcement in the middle of the ring. As part of his attack on Cody, Styles gave Cody a Styles Clash from the ring steps onto the floor. The altercation is expected to lead to a Rhodes vs. Styles match for the Undisputed WWE title at Clash at the Castle.

Also on tap for tonight, Solo Sikoa will officially anoint Tonga Loa as a member of The Bloodline. Loa debuted at Backlash last month as he helped Sikoa and Tama Tonga defeat Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.

Jade Cargill will take on Indi Hartwell after the two had a brief altercation in a backstage segment last week. Hartwell took issue with Cargill, who with her tag team partner Bianca Belair, injured Candice LeRae at Queen & King of the Ring.

Apollo Crews will go one-on-one with Angel, whose interference led to a Crews loss last week against Andrade. And Johnny Gargano will take on Grayson Waller.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– A video recapping the AJ Styles/Cody Rhodes developments from last week began the show.

– Cody Rhodes looked angry as he paced backstage and Corey Graves welcomed everyone into the show. Solo Sikoa’s music then hit and out came The Bloodline.

The Anointment of Tonga Loa

This was pretty basic outside of Heyman, who always does great work in these segments. I wonder where Randy Orton is because I couldn’t help but think he was about to run out for the save but for the second straight week, he was nowhere to be found. I can’t say I’m a fan of these longer names for Tonga Loa. If you’re going to rebrand them … well, rebrand them. These new monikers feel gratuitous. Heyman retreating quick once Owens’s music hit was a nice touch as well. This has to lead to a six-man tag for later in the show, but for now, it was a fine opening segment.

Paul Heyman spoke first and said he must set the record straight. He then said until Roman Reigns comes back, Solo Sikoa will sit at the head of the table. Sikoa soaked in boos. “We want Roman” chants began. Heyman said a double proclamation will occur and explained that Tama Tonga will be known as only “Tama Tonga The Right Hand Man.” Heyman turned his attention to Tanga Loa and said the story of the Bloodline will never be complete without “The Infamous Tanga Loa.” Heyman said, “With that, Louisville, thank you and goodnight.”

Sikoa then began talking and some boos got loud. “Solo sucks” chants began. Sikoa told Heyman he should thank Loa and Tonga for saving Heyman from Kevin Owens last week. Heyman did so sheepishly. Tonga said they could have let Owens kill Heyman, but they saved Heyman “by orders of the Tribal Chief.” Heyman said he wanted to return the favor and got there early to do what a wiseman does. Heyman said all he had been hearing is that Owens is looking for a piece of any and every member of the Bloodline. Owens’s music then hit and Owens walked out.

Owens ran into the ring and took down Tonga. Owens briefly had control over the three Bloodline members, but the Bloodline members quickly got the upper hand. The Street Profits’ music then hit and the Profits ran out for the save. Owens grabbed a chair and hit everyone in the Bloodline with it. The Bloodline then retreated up the entrance way to end the segment.

**********

– Heyman was shown walking backstage and Sikoa stopped Heyman saying Heyman needed to make a six-man tag for later. Sikoa said if Heyman doesn’t do it, Heyman will face Tama Tonga in the locker room later.

Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair defeated Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae [6:30]

Not much to this, though it does continue to feel like we are walking towards a triple threat for the women’s tag belts at Clash at the Castle. This is a complete armchair observation, so take it as such, but Cargill doesn’t really look happy. Or, well, she didn’t here. She also doesn’t wrestle much in her team’s matches. Belair takes the bulk of these things and then Cargill gets the shine to finish things up. Is she really that not ready to swim in the deep end on her own yet? She’s a better heel and the sooner she gets to that in WWE, the better it will be for everyone involved. Until then, she feels/looks discontent.

Belair and Hartwell began the match. Instantly, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn – along with Baszler and Stark – walked to ringside. LeRae tagged in and Belair eventually landed a moonsault for a two-count. Hartwell and LeRae took control with a double-team move and the show went to a commercial break. Back from that break, LeRae had control, but quickly tagged in Hartwell, who stopped Belair from getting the hot tag … but not for long because Cargill eventually received the tag and took out Hartwell and LeRae with a series of moves including a splash and some suplexes. Cargill hit a superkick on Hartwell, but LeRae broke up the pin attempt. Belair then disposed of LeRae and the champs landed their finisher for the win.

After the match, the four women at ringside jumped Cargill & Belair. Baszler held one of the tag belts while Dawn held the other. The four women then attacked each other until Cargill and Belair returned to the ring and took everyone out.

**********

– Cody was shown fuming backstage again, waiting for Styles to arrive. GM Nick Aldis walked over to Cody and tried to calm Cody down, but Cody was still pretty heated. Aldis walked away.

– Sarah Schreiber was backstage. She interviewed Apollo Crews, who started to talk and was instantly jumped by Angel and Berto. The rest of Legado Del Fantasma ran in until officials broke things up. LA Knight walked into the frame and asked Aldis where Logan Paul was. Aldis said Paul was playing Tetris and Knight was all fired up. Carmelo Hayes walked in. Aldis made Knight vs. Hayes as a match made for later in the show.

Grayson Waller defeated Johnny Gargano [8:15]

This was very good. Or, well, it was very good based on the pretense that my expectations weren’t that high. That’s not meant to be disparaging to either guy, but between the wild bump Gargano took and the wild offshoot Destroyer Gargano hit towards the end of the match, this was better than the typical SmackDown match that typically airs halfway through the night. The march towards Waller and Theory breaking up continues with how Waller pulled Theory into harm’s way. I have high hopes for both guys when it comes to when we get there.

Gargano came out hot, but Waller cut him off and worked some knees. Gargano came back with a bunch of hard chops to Waller’s chest. Eventually, Waller stopped Gargano’s momentum with a back-breaker and the action ultimately spilled outside, where Waller landed a nasty Sliced Bread on Gargano. Like, really nasty. The show then went to a commercial break.

Back from the break, Gargano worked a comeback up inside the ring and landed a springboard spear for a two-count. Waller came back with a a pair of slams and a two-count. The two got to their feet and traded elbows until that evolved into boots and kicks and knees. Gargano, out of nowhere, landed a modified destroyer and Waller rolled to the outside. Gargano went for a splash, but Waller pulled Austin Theory in harm’s way and Theory took the move. Back in the ring, Waller hit his finisher on Gargano and got the win.

**********

– Cody was shown waiting backstage again. Aldis walked in with a gang of officials and Aldis said Styles was going to be there any second. Aldis told everyone to relax and the show went to break.

The Cody/AJ Styles segment

I’m into the idea that this will be an I Quit Match. I also think that means we’ll get World Beater Cody as he takes out Styles, Gallows and Anderson, somehow, all by himself. But, hell. This is pro wrestling. Go with it. I could do without angry Cody. I understand they’re trying to heat this thing up in short order, but Cody is really hard to believe sometimes and him looking like he wants steam to pour out of his ears doesn’t always translate to believable animosity. Still, the match next weekend should be good.

The show returned and Cody was still pacing backstage. Styles pulled up with the Good Brothers and they taunted Cody. Cody walked away and towards the ring. Cody walked into the arena without his music (or any music, for that matter). Cody asked for a microphone and yelled “AJ Styles, get your ass to this ring right now!” Cody said they didn’t need security. Styles’s music hit and Styles walked out with Gallows & Anderson.

Styles had a microphone and told Cody to give Styles what he wants. The crowd chanted “AJ Styles!” Styles said he wanted a championship match at Clash at the Castle. Cody told Styles he’s got it, but it won’t be a regular match; instead, it will be an I Quit Match. Cody then fought through the WWE officials and jumped at Styles, but other officials stopped Cody. As Cody was being held, Styles jumped at Cody and hit Cody. Cody mean-mugged to end the segment.

**********

– Cargill & Belair were shown coming out of Aldis’s office backstage. Belair said they wondered what their match at Clash at the Castle will be. Sure enough, it’ll be a triple threat between them and Fyre & Dawn and Baszler & Stark.

LA Knight defeated Carmelo Hayes [8:32]

They did all they could to protect Hayes and I can’t blame them for that. Knight going over in a type of flukey way didn’t do Knight any favors, but I have to think this means the next stop for him will be Logan Paul. The only question then will be, does Knight finally get some WWE gold? That jury is still out. As for this match, it wasn’t bad. Hayes continues to shine during the main roster opportunities he receives and that’s a good thing for the future of WWE. If he’s not going to work with Knight from here on out, though, what’s next for him?

The two jawed at each other after the bell rang. Hayes beat down Knight once the action began. Knight fought back a little and capped it off with a strong clothesline. Knight threw Hayes over the top rope and the two fought outside the ring. Knight repeatedly slammed Hayes’s head off the commentary table. Hayes ran at Knight and Knight back-dropped Hayes onto the commentary desk. Knight posed on top of the table and the show went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Hayes had control inside the ring. Hayes hit a springboard clothesline for a two-count. Hayes went to the top, but Knight cut Hayes off. Knight then set up for his running-up-the-turnbuckle spot, but Hayes moved. It didn’t matter because Knight threw Hayes back into the ring and landed a running knee to the side of Hayes’s head. Hayes followed that up with a face-buster and got a two-count.

Hayes hit a chop and a series of strikes. Knight answered with a chop of his own. Knight slammed Hayes but then missed the Megastar Elbow. Knight tried to suplex Hayes, but Hayes rolled Knight up for a two-count. Hayes and Knight traded blows until Knight finally landed the pop-up powerslam and Megastar Elbow. Knight set up for the BFT, but Hayes rolled Knight up … but then Knight rolled Hayes up for the win.

After the match, Knight said he’d bring SmackDown to Paul.

**********

– Backstage, Tiffany Stratton talked to Nia Jax, saying they should team up. Jax walked away and straight into Michin, who threw a drink in Jax’s face. The women then brawled.

– A video chronicling the Bayley/Chelsea Green stuff from last week aired.

The Bayley/Piper Niven/Chelsea Green segment

Umpf. Tough crowd. Needlessly mean crowd, actually. Bayley, Niven and Green tried, but this thing died on the operating table before the surgeons even got into the room. The “What?” treatment has long overstayed its welcome, but damn if it’s not especially annoying when a crowd does it merely only because they’re bored. Niven, Green and Bayley deserved better. It wasn’t the most perfect promo pro wrestling television has ever seen, but Niven was a surprisingly compelling long promo and Green was her usual entertaining self. Bayley did a good job lifting up Niven, too. Here’s hoping that Scottish crowd gets way, way, way up for this match next weekend.

Bayley stood in the ring alone with a microphone. Bayley noted how she will face Piper Niven at Clash at the Castle. Bayley barely got another word in and out walked Green and Niven. Green had a microphone and said Bayley talks a big game for being a big loser. Green then called the fans losers. Green said Bayley was a loser in Saudi Arabia and a loser last week and she’ll be a loser when “little Miss P. finishes you.” Bayley mocked Green for being a mouthpiece and said Niven doesn’t need Chelsea. Bayley said she respects Niven, but not Green. Bayley said she appreciated Niven since she saw her at the Mae Young Classic.

Bayley said it will mean more than just a title match for Niven. Bayley said it will mean everything to Niven and she knows how that feels because she has lost in front of everyone she loved. Bayley said she’ll have fun beating Niven. Niven grabbed the microphone from Green and Niven said she’s going to beat the breaks off Bayley in front of her home country. Niven said Bayley knows nothing about her and her journey. Niven said the MYC was in 2017 and the crowd gave Niven the “What?” treatment. Niven said she’d been wrestling since 2008 and she was a trailblazer. Niven said she won titles in the UK, Europe and Japan. Niven said she was a world champion since before she stepped through the WWE door. Niven said she’d stand over Bayley as the new WWE Women’s Champion at CITC. The heels’ music hit and Niven and Bayley engaged in a stare down to end the segment.

**********

– Logan Paul sent in a message and said he needed an actual challenge, so he’s going to compete in the World Tetris Championships. Paul said he competes with the best in the world and Knight has done nothing to merit his attention. Paul called Knight a hillbilly and told Knight to “go back to the mid-card, where he belongs.”

– Niven and Green were shown walking backstage and they ran into Aldis, who was talking to Naomi. Naomi warned Green to keep her name out Green’s mouth. Naomi got in Green’s face and Aldis stopped everyone, saying he didn’t have time for it. Aldis made a match between Naomi and Green for next week’s SmackDown. Also next week, Michin will face Nia Jax. The Grayson Waller Effect will take place with guests #DIY.

Kevin Owens & The Street Profits defeated The Bloodline (Tama Tonga, Solo Sikoa & Tonga Loa) via DQ [9:42]

Boy, they really are doing their best to get over this Bloodline Wolfpack gimmick. Constantly standing tall and making these guys out to be animals, no matter the crowd response, is certainly a choice. I’m not quite sure it’s where they want it to be quite yet, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think they might be running out of time to get there. Anyway, this was a fine enough six-man tag to end the show. Owens is always a lot of fun and beyond his enthusiasm, the guy can bump with the best of them. Does this lead to a Randy Orton return spot next week? Or will we finally somehow get Jacob Fatu inserted into the mix? Here’s hoping for the latter.

Dawkins and Tonga began the match and Dawkins got the best of things to start things off. Ford tagged in and hit a shoulder block before working over Tonga until Tonga fought back and tagged in Loa, who slammed Ford. Tonga tagged back in and had control for a quick second until Ford hit a clothesline and back body-dropped Tonga over the top to the outside. Sikoa tagged in and beat down Ford, including throwing Ford into a ring post on the outside. Sikoa yelled out into the crowd and the show took its final commercial break.

Back from that break, Sikoa was continuing his work on Ford, who tried to fight back until Sikoa hit a Samoan Drop for a two-count. Sikoa landed a hip attack on Ford and tagged in Tonga. Tonga slammed Ford and hit a running sliding clothesline. Tonga did it twice over. Owens, during all of this, was doing his best to fire up the crowd on the apron in a way nobody has seen since the 1980s. Ford eventually got the hot tag to Owens, who beat the hell out of Sikoa.

Owens landed a Swanton on Sikoa and went for a Stunner, but Sikoa blocked it. The two traded superkicks and Sikoa clotheslined Owens. Sikoa went for a Spike, but Owens ducked it and hit a Stunner. During the pin, Owens was pulled outside by Tonga and Loa. Everything broke down and everyone brawling outside until Sikoa hit Ford with a chair, causing a DQ finish. The match was over, but the Bloodline continued their work on the Profits. Sikoa speared Ford. The show ended with the three members of the Bloodline power-bombing Owens through the commentary table and standing tall, fingers pointed to the sky.

WWE SmackDown live results: The coronation of Nia Jax

Posted on by Colin McGuire

Nia Jax will be coronated Queen of the Ring on tonight’s SmackDown from Albany, New York.

Jax earned the honor by defeating Lyra Valkyria in the Queen of the Ring tournament finals last weekend. With the victory, Jax is now in line to challenge for the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. Bayley currently holds the title.

Also set for tonight, The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) will take on the former Guerrillas of Destiny, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa. This will be the first time the Bloodline’s Tonga & Loa have teamed together in a WWE ring after their years as a duo in Japan.

Andrade will compete in his first SmackDown match since being selected by the brand in the WWE Draft. He’s going one-on-one with Apollo Crews tonight.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is also expected to make an appearance following his successful title defense against Logan Paul at King & Queen of the Ring. Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– The show opened with a shot of the Bloodline walking backstage. The same was shown for the Street Profits.

– A video recapping last Saturday’s King & Queen of the Ring PLE aired.

Nia Jax’s Queen of the Ring coronation

It really does feel like WWE is doing its best to limit Jax when it comes to promo time, but I wouldn’t mind seeing her given the chance to talk more at this point. We can all probably agree that Jax’s most recent WWE run has been her best and she’s made a marked improvement all around; why not give her the opportunity to get after it on the mic? Either way, this was a little shorter than I thought it would be, but the attack from Niven on Bayley was effective. With Green as Niven’s mouth piece, the build to the inevitable Niven/Bayley title match should be fun.

SmackDown GM Nick Aldis stood in the middle of the ring and said there was no better feeling than when one of your top draft picks comes through in the clutch. From there, Aldis welcomed Nia Jax to the ring. One Jax entered the ring, Aldis said the floor was hers. Jax then put on her crown and took the microphone. The crowd chanted “You suck!” Jax said she wanted everyone to get their facts straight and it was a fact that she was their Queen of the Ring. Jax said as queen, she gets a title shot at SummerSlam. Jax then commanded that Bayley join her in the ring.

Bayley’s music hit and Bayley made her entrance. As Bayley walked down the entrance, Piper Niven and Chelsea Green ran out and attacked Bayley. Or, well, Niven did most of the attacking. The action spilled into the ring and Niven hit a splash on Bayley as Jax looked on, kind of confused. Green told Jax she didn’t have to worry about facing Bayley because by the time SummerSlam comes around, the new WWE Women’s Champion will be Niven. Jax said she didn’t give a damn who the champion will be because Jax will annihilate whomever it is no matter what. Jax’s music hit and Jax left the ring to end the segment.

**********

– Aldis was walking backstage and AJ Styles was waiting for Aldis in Aldis’s office. Styles asked Aldis for some time for him to address his future. Aldis asked Styles if there was something Styles wanted to tell him. Styles said it’s going to be hard enough to do it once, so he’d like to do it in the ring later tonight. The two shook hands.

– Backstage, Bayley was being attended to by a trainer. Naomi walked in and asked Bayley if she could fight tonight. Bayley said she could, so a tag-team match appeared imminent.

Tommaso Ciampa defeated Austin Theory [9:43]

Well, this is sort of fun. #DIY teased a break up and now Waller and Theory appear to have tension. All four guys in both teams could benefit from getting a true singles run, but the question has to be asked: Will WWE simply just start invested in any true tag teams? Or are tag teams just simply over and done for? Anyway, the match was an OK TV bout and Ciampa did a very good job selling his neck pain. I guess this means #DIY gets a tag title shot? Meh. The whole thing screams meh.

The two locked up to begin things. Ciampa had control early until Grayson Waller got mildly involved and Theory took control with a modified suplex onto Theory’s knee. Theory hit a series of elbows and ran at Ciampa, but Ciampa got a knee up to briefly take control … until Ciampa missd a dive. From there, Theory landed a draping neck-breaker on Ciampa onto the outside. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Theory was in control, working a chin-lock. Theory went for a rolling move, but Ciampa hit Theory with a boot. Ciampa fired up and hit a leaping clothesline before landing a reverse DDT for a two-count. Ciampa sold neck pain and stomped away on Theory until Ciampa set up for the FairyTale Ending, but Theory countered into a suplex for a good near-fall. Theory tried A-Town Down, but Ciampa stopped Theory and the two traded chops and big boots. Ciampa then hit a running knee and both men were down. Theory jawed at Wade Barrett at ringside, yelling that Theory is only relevant because of the Grayson Waller rub. Theory looked confused as he listened to Waller and Ciampa rolled Theory up for the win.

**********

– Aldis was shown talking to Blair Davenport backstage and Naomi walked in, demanding a tag match later. Davenport was angry Naomi interrupted her time with Aldis. Davenport said Naomi will eventually know who she is and walked away. Aldis made the tag match official and LA Knight then walked into Aldis’s office. Knight asked Aldis if Styles was going to retire and Aldis said he didn’t know. Knight said he was looking for Logan Paul was and he couldn’t find him. Knight and Aldis sat down to talk and the show went to a commercial break.

– Video highlights of Cody Rhodes vs. Logan Paul in Saudi Arabia from last weekend aired.

– Knight was shown walking out of Aldis’s office. Kayla Braxton approached Knight and asked him what he talked about with Aldis. Knight said there wasn’t much to say; it was only that Logan Paul wasn’t there this week. Knight spoke to the camera and said he wanted the U.S. title. Carmelo Hayes walked into the frame. Hayes mistakenly called Paul “Knight” and Knight funnily corrected Hayes. Hayes talked some trash and left to end the segment.

Andrade defeated Apollo Crews [7:06]

Hey, good for Apollo Crews for getting nearly 10 minutes on TV. That’s about all there is to say about this. The match wasn’t much of anything, and I could do without an Andrade vs. Fantasta feud; in fact, things might actually be more interesting if Andrade just joined the faction. But I digress. Andrade has been spinning his wheels since returning to WWE and it felt like a lot of us had a lot of high hopes for him. Right now, he’s lost in the shuffle (some may even say buried), but here’s hoping creative has something good for him because he’s got talent.

Things were even at first until Andrade hit a dropkick. Andrade landed a belly-to-back suplex for a one-count. Andrade went to the top, but was distracted by Angel, who walked out (footage of Angel offering Andrade a spot in Legado Del Fantasma and Andrade turning him down aired before the match). Crews kicked Andrade off the top to the outside of the ring. Crews followed that up with a moonsault and the show went to a commercial break.

Upon return, Andrade hit a high cross-body from the top on Crews and both guys were down momentarily. Back on their feet, Crews and Andrade traded blows until Andrade got in a flying forearm. Andrade hit a running double knees for a two-count. Crews came back with a German Suplex. Crews lifted Andrade and dropped him before hitting a standing moonsault for a two-count. Angel got on the apron and Crews ran at him. The distraction was enough for Andrade to follow that up with a spinning back below and his finisher for the win.

After the match, Santos Escobar walked out and appeared to appreciate Andrade. Andrade walked toward Fantasma and instead of stopping to say hello, walked past the faction. Escobar appeared angry and Escobar stared at Angel.

**********

– Solo Sikoa was shown talking to the rest of the Bloodline backstage and Paul Heyman walked in to tell Sikoa he’s been doing a lot of thinking about how he could better serve Sikoa. Heyman talked about how Roman Reigns preserved the family through violence. Heyman said he sees Sikoa recruiting a lot of violent men into the Bloodline, but he doesn’t see strategy at all. Heyman said the strategy has to be that when Roman comes back, they have Cody Rhodes in check. Sikoa said “we” have Cody in check and he doesn’t even know it. Heyman asked Sikoa who “we” is, and Kevin Owens’s music hit inside the arena. Sikoa told Heyman he had to go out there and fix it now.

– Andrade was shown in the locker room and Angel tried to talk to him. Out of nowhere, Apollo Crews showed up and attacked Angel.

The Kevin Owens/Bloodline segment

Boy, oh boy, Heyman is good. Shoot. Owens is good, too. Great, actually. They’re both great. I don’t mind this Bloodline story dragging only because Heyman is so entertaining as the guy who nobody will listen to but obviously seems to know best. As for if I truly view Sikoa, Loa and Tonga as awe-inspiring fear-inducing giants … that’s another story (but one Jacob Fatu may hopefully be able to change). This was the best segment of the night (to this point). Very, very good stuff all around.

Owens sat on a top rope in a corner and thanked the crowd. Owens said last week, he went all the way to Saudi Arabia to make sure he had Randy Orton’s back. Owens said over the last few years, Orton has had Owens’s back. Owens offered a side comment about how Orton didn’t really lose the KOTR finals because his shoulder wasn’t down. As Owens spoke, Heyman did his “Ladies and gentlemen” line and walked out alone without music. Heyman said he was out there to talk to him because he feels like there is a mutual interest he could serve.

Heyman got in the ring and the crowd chanted “We want Roman!” Heyman said he didn’t think there was a person who wanted Roman there more than Heyman wanted Roman there. Heyman said Reigns has great respect for Owens and anything they went through together was because Reigns viewed Owens as a threat to his championship. Heyman said Sikoa has no respect for Owens and Sikoa has been recruiting bloodthirsty “thugs” looking for an excuse to take Owens out. Heyman told Owens that if he keeps calling out Sikoa’s name, those guys are going to “do something really bad about it.” Heyman asked Owens to back off the Bloodline.

Owens asked Heyman if he really is trying to help Owens. Owens asked Heyman how he could think Owens would trust Heyman. Owens said he wasn’t falling for it and Owens said he believed Heyman was still pulling all the strings. Owens asked Heyman if Heyman wants to make sure everyone fears Sikoa and his guys. Owens said the Bloodline gave Owens everything they had and Owens is still standing. Owens said that was Jey, Jimmy and Roman – guys he respects. Owens said Sikoa and his guys are not the Bloodline and Owens promised he will keep fighting those guys. Owens said he didn’t want or need Heyman’s help.

Heyman said maybe he’s not trying to help Owens and instead, he’s trying to save Owens. Heyman referenced their kids and mocked the idea of himself ever redeeming himself. Heyman said, “Oh, let’s not listen to the Hall of Fame Wise Man” and kind of flipped out. Heyman screamed, “Why won’t anybody listen to me!” and accidentally hit Owens. The crowd chanted their requisite cuss phrase and the show’s audio went out. Owens stepped toward Heyman and out came Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. The Street Profits appeared and stood next to Owens. The six guys brawled with Sikoa and Owens brawling through the crowd. Dawkins hit a splash on Loa and Tonga to send the show to a break.

**********

The Bloodline (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) [12:09 of TV time]

The former GOD looked all right in their SmackDown tag debut. Some of those shots from Tonga were stiff and those were the pleasantly surprising moments. Loa wasn’t as featured as much, but he held his own fine enough. Nobody tripped over their own two feet and Loa didn’t have another viral (for all the wrong reasons) moment. So no harm, no foul. All told, it looks like the Profits have become the WWE Main Roster Gatekeepers, because those guys don’t win much, but they always seem to be featured when it comes to introducing a new team. In the meantime, the countdown to Jacob Fatu continues, I suppose.

The match was joined in progress and the Profits had control until Tonga came back, eventually hitting a pair of sliding clotheslines on Ford. Loa tagged in and slammed Ford. Tonga tagged in and landed a springboard elbow on Ford for a two-count. Ford got the hot tag to Dawkins before long and Dawkins hit his series of splashes and clotheslines and an enziguri for a two-count. Loa tagged in and landed a stiff clothesline and a Saito Suplex before throwing Dawkins to the outside, where Loa toyed with Dawkins. Tonga hit a leaping clothesline and the show went to a break.

When things returned, Tonga was beating down Dawkins. Heyman looked concerned at ringside. Tonga went for an elbow and Dawkins moved, inevitably getting the hot tag to Ford after suplexing Tonga. Ford took out Loa and Tonga with a combination of strikes and suplexes. Dawkins tagged in and Dawkins lifted Loa onto his shoulders. Ford hit the Blockbuster from the top for a two-count. Tonga tagged in and after Ford went to the top to hit a Frog Splash, Tonga ran in to hit his finisher on Ford for the win.

**********

– Highlights of the women’s tag team title match from the King & Queen of the Ring PLE aired. Cargill and Belair were shown walking backstage and they ran into Indi Hartwell, who said Candice LeRae is hurt because of Cargill and Belair. In response, Cargill and Belair essentially told Hartwell to go away.

– Kayla Braxton was backstage with Michin and asked Michin about Styles potentially retiring. Michin began to talk, but Nia Jax interrupted Michin and wondered why people are talking about Styles. Jax told Michin not to step to her, but wouldn’t you know it – Michin stepped to Jax. The segment ended.

Chelsea Green & Piper Niven defeated Naomi & Bayley [8:27]

A fine television match and it earns bonus points for Green and Niven getting a meaningful win. While it felt they’d get it, I had to wonder, considering the star power on the opposite side of them. But naturally, Green gets the fluke(ish) pin on Naomi while Niven and Bayley continue to try and heat up their (what feels like it will be short) feud. It’s wild to think Clash at the Castle is only two weeks away.

Bayley and Green began the match and Green quickly tagged in Niven. Bayley went at Niven, but Niven slowed Bayley down and tagged in Green. Bayley hit a suplex on Green and tagged in Naomi, who dominated Green. Bayley tagged in and the two clotheslined Green over the top rope. Naomi then hit a suicide dive on Green on the outside. Bayley attacked Niven on the outside. Naomi and Bayley hugged as the show went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Niven was working over Bayley inside the ring. Green then tagged in and punched Bayley. Bayley landed some punches back, but Green forced Bayley back into her corner. Niven tagged in and Bayley ultimately worker her way away from Niven to tag Naomi as Green tagged in. Naomi spiked Green, went to the top and hit a cross-body on Green. Naomi dropkicked Niven off the apron and got the crowd behind her. Naomi dropkicked Green and landed the split-legged moonsault on Green for a two-count.

With Green and Niven on the outside, Naomi hit a splash on them. Green was inside the ring and Naomi went to the top, but Niven pushed Naomi off the top. Bayley went after Niven, but Niven cut Bayley off and ran Bayley into the ring steps. Inside the ring, Naomi landed a hip attack on Green, but Niven hit a splash on Naomi and Green covered Naomi for the win.

**********

– Next week, Jade Cargill will face Indi Hartwell. Johnny Gargano will go up against Grayson Waller. Apollo Crews and Angel will wrestle. And Solo Sikoa is set to anoint Tonga Loa.

– AJ Styles was shown walking backstage and LA Knight approached Styles. Knight said, “If the rumors are true … respect.” Cody then appeared and shook Styles’s hand. Styles whispered something into Cody’s ear. Styles ran into Gallows and Anderson and Styles thanked them for going with him to the ring.

The AJ Styles segment

A swerve that was never really a swerve. Styles did his best to sell it throughout the night, but I never quite bought into the idea of him retiring. Either way, I like the ruthlessness of the angle. I don’t even mind WWE going back to Styles vs. Cody after freshening it up in this way. With Gallows and Anderson behind him, this should be a fun heel run for Styles, who was in need of a spark. Is this Clash at the Castle or Money In The Bank?

Styles looked forlorn in the ring and said he’s been thinking about having to go to the back of the line after losing to Cody at Backlash. Styles said he understood that, but he just couldn’t bust his body anymore and he couldn’t work his way back from the back of the line. Styles stopped himself mid-sentence and the crowd cheered him. Styles said his son graduated high school this past week and he got to be there. Styles talked about the graduation party and it was beautiful. It hit him, he said, and wondered how many of those types of parties he missed. Styles said maybe he should stay at home and be a phenomenal father.

Styles asked Gallows and Anderson to join him in the middle of the ring. Styles said he couldn’t have done it without them. Styles said they are better than friends; they are brothers. Styles put up the “Too Sweet” and Gallows and Anderson complied. The three hugged and Styles was teary. Styles said before he goes, he wanted to call out Cody, whose music hit and Cody walked out to the ring. Styles said he wanted to look Cody in the eyes and tell him he had one of his greatest matches ever with Cody in France. Styles said if he was ever going to have one last match, that was it. Styles said it was still the house that AJ Styles built … and he called Cody out there to hand Cody the keys.

Cody noted how the two exchanged text messages after Backlash and Cody raised Styles’s hand across the ring. In a move everyone could see, Styles eventually clotheslined Cody and attacked him outside the ring. Styles then gave Cody a Styles Clash off the ring steps onto the floor outside the ring as Gallows and Anderson held off officials trying to stop Styles. The show ended quickly after that.

WWE SmackDown live results: King & Queen of the Ring go-home show

Posted on by Colin McGuire

One day before the first WWE Saudi Arabia Premium Live Event of 2024 is held in Jeddah, the final King & Queen of the Ring semifinals will take place tonight on SmackDown.

In the King of the Ring semifinal, Randy Orton will square off against Tama Tonga. The winner of the match will meet Gunther in the KOTR finals on Saturday.

In the Queen of the Ring semifinal, Bianca Belair will go one-on-one with Nia Jax to determine who faces Lyra Valkyria in the Queen of the Ring finals on Saturday.

WWE has confirmed that both tournament winners will receive title shots at SummerSlam.

Also set for tonight, Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul will have their final confrontation before their Undisputed WWE Championship match at the PLE.

After a confrontation backstage last week, WWE Women’s Champion Bayley will take on Chelsea Green.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– Corey Graves welcomed everyone into the show as shots of Jeddah aired.

– Bianca Belair and Nia Jax were shown walking into the building from earlier in the day. Footage of Paul Levesque announcing that the KOTR & QOTR winners will receive title shots aired. Bianca Belair’s music hit and Belair made her entrance for the first match.

Niz Jax defeated Bianca Belair to advance to the finals of the Queen of the Ring Tournament [11:15]

A very good opening match. It makes sense that Jax went over, but in the meantime, Belair showed great fight. The fact that they told the story of Belair’s knee throughout the tournament gave Belair somewhat of an out. Either way, this was a good win for Jax and I don’t think Belair lost anything in the loss. Plus, Belair got her share of offense in, and played the part of plucky underdog very well. Jax becomes Queen of the Ring, right?

The two locked up early and Jax threw Belair to the mat. Jax threw Belair around until Belair hopped on Jax’s back, but Jax ran Belair into a corner. Eventually, Belair tried to work corner punches, but Jax countered until Belair returned to the top and hammered away at Jax for an early advantage. Jax ran at Belair but Belair moved and Jax ran into a ring post. With Jax outside, Belair landed a springboard cross-body over the ropes as the show went to a commercial break.

Once the show returned, Jax had control and pulled out a tiny crown to put on her head. Jax toyed with Belair and worked Belair’s knee. Jax landed a Samoan Drop for a two-count. Eventually, Belair went to the top and hit a cross-body for a two-count. Belair followed that up with a series of forearms, but Jax took Belair down and went back to work on Belair’s knee. With Jax on the top, Belair lifted Jax for an impressive powerbomb and got a good near-fall out of it.

The crowd chanted “This is awesome!” Belair tried to lift Jax for a KOD, but Jax fought out of it and went back to Belair’s knee. Jax climbed the ropes again, but Belair caught Jax and lifted Jax for a KOD, but this time, Belair’s knee buckled and the women fell. Jax then hit a Samoan Drop and her finisher and got the win.

After the match, Jax was interviewed by Kayla Braxton. Lyra Valkyria was at ringside and Jax told Lyra she was going to buzz through Lyra to become Queen of the Ring on Saturday. Jax said she will be both queen and champion after she starts by buzzing through Lyra.

**********

– Backstage, Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae were taunting Belair for losing until Jade Cargill walked in and saved the day. Cargill said she was going to go talk to someone about it.

The Grayson Waller Effect with Carmelo Hayes & LA Knight

This was simple, yet effective. Pretty much everything one might hope from a Grayson Waller Effect segment. The insertion of Hayes was fun and him working a program with Knight makes a lot of sense for both guys at this point. I still don’t understand why the Waller Effect isn’t a regular segment on SmackDown because that guy is very good at what he does, but what do I know?

Waller and Austin Theory hosted. The crowd chanted “STD” I think? Theory started to introduce LA Knight, but Carmelo Hayes’s music hit and Hayes walked out. Hayes said it sounded like they were describing Hayes and that’s why he walked out. Hayes called himself the hottest new superstar on SmackDown. Theory looked unhappy about it, but Hayes said “guys like them” should stick together. Waller and Theory agreed that Knight does suck after all. Hayes said they have to be the ones to show the veterans how it’s done. Theory brought up Bobby Lashley and said the only advice he gives is how to lose. Hayes said those guys are jealous and egomaniacs.

Hayes said speaking of egomaniacs … LA Knight. The crowd erupted in “LA Knight!” chants. Waller said Knight can’t win the big one. The three heels took pot shots at Knight and Knight’s music hit. As a result, the crowd went nuts as Knight trotted to the ring. Knight wrecked the Grayson Waller Effect set. After Knight’s music ended the crowd chanted “LA Knight!” Knight did the “Let me talk to ya!” line and said he’d keep it short and sweet. Knight confronted Hayes and said if he keeps knocking on his door, he’ll bite the hell out of Hayes.

Knight went to leave the ring, but Hates attacked Knight, who quickly fought back. Theory and Waller immediately joined in and stomped on Knight. The Street Profits’ music then hit and the tag team ran down for the save. I have a hunch this will turn into a six-man tag.

**********

– A Blair Davenport vignette aired.

The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated Austin Theory, Grayson Waller & Carmelo Hayes [9:11]

Give the people what they want! Oh, wait. Wrong show. This was a fun six-man tag that was predictable in all the right ways. I’m interested in seeing how Knight and Hayes work together (presuming they still have more left in their program) before Knight (again presumably) moves onto Logan Paul. With Hayes and Knight, it’s one of those programs that could help both guys involved, so hopefully WWE can thread the needle. Time will tell. In the meantime, I can’t name a single city in this world that doesn’t pop hard for LA Knight … still … after all this time … and despite WWE’s best efforts to change that.

Turns out, my hunch was right. Who woulda thunk? Hayes and Montez Ford began the match. Ford had control to begin, but the two traded wrist-locks until Ford hit a dropkick and danced. Dawkins tagged in and Hates gained control by landing a face-buster. Knight and Theory tagged in and the crowd went crazy for Knight. Waller tagged in, but Knight kept the upper hand until Dawkins tagged in and hit a series of moves on Waller. Dawkins tried a splash, but Theory pulled Waller out of the way. With Dawkins on the outside, the heels posed and the show went to a commercial break at about the four-minute mark.

Back from that break, Hayes was working over Dawkins. Hayes went for a springboard move, but Dawkins caught him with a back suplex. On the outside, Knight took out the heels and got on the apron to receive the hot tag. Knight stomped a mudhole in Waller and clotheslined Hayes. Knight landed a flying tackle and pop-up powerslam on Waller. Knight followed that up with an elbow for a two-count. Things broke down and all six wrestlers hit their signature moves on each other. Waller went for a rolling move, but he ran into a BFT. Knight and Hayes fought over the commentary desk. Ford, meanwhile, hit the frog splash on Theory for the win.

**********

The Cody Rhodes/Logan Paul segment

This was pretty standard, though Cody showed good fire as the segment went home. I can’t find it in me to care much about this match because there’s no way in hell Cody is dropping that belt to Logan Paul a month and a half after he won it, but you can’t fault both guys for trying to turn up the heat on the story.

Paul walked down the aisle with a microphone and called Cody a victim. Paul said he had facts for Cody and said all the bleach much be getting to Cody’s brain. Paul said he’s a better athlete and entertainer than Cody. Paul received the “What?!” treatment. Paul eventually got into the ring and Cody told Paul that his experience would lead him to believe Paul is just a scared kid and that Paul fears that someone will see Paul as a fraud. Cody said he has seen how good Paul is, but Paul has a case of imposter syndrome. Cody said Paul probably had brass knucks on him.

Cody told Paul to prove he’s not a liar. Cody asked a ringside referee to check Paul out to see if Paul has brass knucks on him. The referee first checked Cody and Cody was clean. The referee then checked Paul and the referee found the brass knucks in Paul’s pants pockets. Paul responded by noting the knucks were for his protection and not for the match tomorrow. Paul said he does not need brass knucks to beat Cody. Cody said the knucks were the difference because it was a crutch for Paul. Cody said his title is his whole life and the crowd chanted “Cody!” Cody said he didn’t think of Paul as a You Tuber; instead, Cody said he thinks Paul is a pro wrestler. But until Paul respects the wrestling business, he will never be on Cody’s level. Cody’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

– Byron Saxton interviewed Randy Orton backstage. Orton said Tama Tonga is vicious, but unfortuantely for Tonga, Orton is unhinged and tonight, Tonga will get hit with the three most dangerous letters – R, K. O.

– Bayley was shown walking backstage and she walked by Nia Jax, who told Bayley to keep her title clean. Bayley then made her entrance.

– The Street Profits were shown backstage and #DIY walked into the frame. #DIY poured out the Profits’ cups and the show went back to the ring.

Bayley defeated Chelsea Green [4:44]

The match wasn’t much to write home about, considering how it was less than five minutes and split by a long commercial break, but I’m all for it being more of an angle to set up Niven vs. Bayley. It’s about time Niven got some booking love and it’s a lot of fun that it comes against Bayley, who also happens to be the WWE Women’s Champion. While the match was a big load of nothing, it set up some intriguing things for what might be next.

Green knocked Bayley down early. Green went to the top and hit a dropkick from the top rope for a two-count. Bayley came back with a jaw-breaker, but Green countered by kicking Bayley’s head into the ring steps. The show then went to a commercial break at the minute mark. When things returned, Green still had the upper hand and landed a Rough Rider for a two-count. Green ran at Bayley, but that turned into a powerbomb/Rose Plant combo for Bayley to get the win.

After the match, Piper Niven attacked Bayley. Niven stood tall to end the segment after hitting a series of Sentons.

**********

– AJ Styles was shown in Nick Aldis’s office. Styles said he was one second from beating both Cody and Randy Orton. Styles asked for one more chance – either against Logan Paul or Cody Rhodes. Styles said he needed it. Aldis said he knew Styles wanted to be WWE Champion. Aldis said if it was personal, he’d say yes, but right now, he couldn’t give Styles what he wanted. Instead, Styles had to earn his chance and that takes time. Styles said Aldis knows Styles doesn’t have time. Aldis said he can’t help Styles. Styles then walked out of Aldis’s office.

– A vignette featuring Andrade aired. Andrade spoke in Spanish with subtitles and talked about his destiny. Andrade said he knows who he is and what he wants.

– Backstage, Legado Del Fantasma spoke about the video, but weirdly, as Santos Escobar was speaking, the segment cut off and the show went to the commentary team (or at least this happened during my feed). A video recapping last week’s KOTR matches aired.

– Paul Heyman, Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga were shown backstage. Tonga yelled at Heyman. Sikoa grinned. Randy Orton’s entrance then commenced. To the main event, we went.

XXX

Randy Orton defeated Tama Tonga to advance to the finals of the King of the Ring Tournament [11:09]

If it wasn’t so predictable, this would have been better than good. Still, this was the best Tama Tonga match he’s had since coming to WWE. Good on both Orton and Tonga for that. All told, it was a good match that both guys clearly worked to make stand out. Gunther vs. Orton means for the KOTR final means Gunther wins … unless Cody vs. Orton means a better SummerSlam main event, right? This is fun.

Tonga jumpstarted the match with an attack on Orton. Tonga then walked into a fallaway slam from Orton. Orton followed that up by running Tonga into ring posts, shoulder-first. Orton went to the second rope and worked a series of punches in Tonga’s head before throwing Tonga outside the ring. Orton went to suplex Tonga onto the commentary table, but Tonga countered by chop-blocking Orton. The show went to its final commercial break as Orton favored his knee.

The show returned and Tonga continued to work Orton’s leg. Tonga went for a frog splash, but Orton moved and things reset. Orton teased the draping DDT, but Tonga fought out of it. From there, Tonga kept focusing on Orton’s knee. Tonga worked a sleeper hold until Orton backed Tonga into a corner … but Tonga wouldn’t let go. It wasn’t until Orton hit a back suplex that the hold was broken. Orton landed a bunch of clotheslines and a snap powerslam. Tonga came back by back-body-dropping Orton over the top.

On the outside, Orton suplexed Tonga onto the commentary table. Twice over. Back inside the ring, Orton hit the draping DDT. Orton set up for the RKO and went for it, but Tonga pushed him away. Almost instantly, Orton landed the RKO for the win. After the match, Sikoa attacked Orton until Kevin Owens’s music hit and Owens rna into beat the hell out of Sikoa until Sikoa ran away. The babyfaces stood tall to end the show.

WWE SmackDown live results: Cody Rhodes & Logan Paul contract signing

Posted on by Colin McGuire

About one week before their champion vs. champion match, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and United States Champion Logan Paul are set to meet for a contract signing.

Rhodes and Paul will both be appearing live on tonight’s SmackDown from Jacksonville, Florida. They’ll make their title match official for WWE King & Queen of the Ring, which is taking place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, May 25.

Also set for tonight are King & Queen of the Ring quarterfinal matches. Carmelo Hayes will face off against Randy Orton, while LA Knight goes one-on-one against Tama Tonga.

On the women’s side of things, Bianca Belair will compete against Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill will take on Nia Jax. Belair and Cargill are the newly crowned WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. If both win tonight, they’ll be in line to face each other in the Queen of the Ring semifinals.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– A video hyping the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments aired to open the show. The video chronicled everything that has happened thus far in both tournaments.

– LA Knight and The Bloodline were shown arriving to the building earlier in the day. Jade Cargill and Nia Jax – as well as Randy Orton and Carmelo Hayes – got the same treatment.

Bianca Belair defeated Tiffany Stratton to advance in the Queen of the Ring Tournament [13:15]

This was one of the best opening SmackDown matches of 2024. These women went out there to put on a show and they did just that. The near-falls towards the end of it had the crowd biting on every second and these two showed that they have really good chemistry. Even better, they were given time to cook and at nearly 15 minutes, there was barely a move or minute wasted. Good stuff all around. Run this back in a year or two with 15 more minutes and a handful of rematches under their belts for a major title and that will be special.

The crowd was hot as the bell rang. Belair backed Stratton into a corner and posed. The two traded pushes before Stratton slapped the hell out of Belair. Stratton followed that up by taking Belair down via Belair’s braid. Belair fired up, slapped Stratton and repeatedly slammed Stratton. Belair went for a scissors move, but Stratton kicked Belair to get the upper hand. Belair hit a moonsault while selling knee pain that began in Belair’s previous QOTR match.

With Stratton on the outside, Stratton grabbed Belair’s braid and whipped Belair to the apron, draping Belair’s bad knee. Stratton ran Belair into the ring steps knee-first and Stratton posed as the show went to a commercial break at about the four-minute mark. The show returned and Stratton kept working Belair’s knee until Belair kicked Stratton to the floor with her good leg. Stratton tried to pull Belair to the ring post, but Belair used her momentum and slammed Stratton into the ring post.

With both wrestlers back in the ring, Belair fired up and hit a series of slams on Stratton. Belair capped her run off with a kind of modified spinebuster. Belair looked to set up for Jaded, but that led to the two exchanging roll-ups. Belair went for the KOD, but Stratton countered it and landed a double stomp for a nice near-fall instead. Stratton went for a splash in a corner, but Belair caught her and hit a high German Suplex for another nice near-fall. “This is awesome!” chants ensued.

Belair tried to drag Stratton into the ring and Stratton grabbed the apron. With the referee distracted, Stratton got a thumb to the eyes to gain control. Stratton followed that up with a sliding elbow for a good near-fall. Stratton tried the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, but Belair cut Stratton Off on the top rope, lifted her for the KOD and got the win.

After the win, Cathy Kelley interviewed Belair in the middle of the ring. Belair said her knee wasn’t 100 percent, but she was going to keep showing up and showing out. The crowd chanted “EST!” Belair said nothing will stop her from becoming Queen of the Ring.

**********

– Logan Paul was shown backstage and he ran into LA Knight. The two stared at each other for a second before Paul was grabbed by GM Nick Aldis to go talk.

– A video profiling WWE personalities hanging out with members of the US Navy and Corey Graves noted how it was Military Appreciation Month.

– Byron Saxton interviewed Jade Cargill backstage. Cargill called Nia Jax a beast and an irresistible force, but to Cargill, Jax was “just in her way.” Belair walked into the frame and the teammates talked about the possibility of standing across the ring from each other in the next QOTR round. Cargill then walked away.

– A video recapping last week’s Bloodline developments aired. The Bloodline were then shown backstage. Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman spoke and Heyman asked Sikoa if he had talked to Roman Reigns today. Sikoa said “all the time” and walked away.

– LA Knight was interviewed backstage. Knight said the Bloodline doesn’t look the same these days and he’s going to move on to win the KOTR. Carmelo Hayes walked into the frame and said he wanted to give Knight the ability to welcome him to SmackDown. Knight talked about how people didn’t know who the first draft pick was the year Tom Brady was drafted, taking a shot at Hayes bragging that he was the first draft pick. Knight did his catchphrase and told Hayes to “go play somewhere; I’m busy.” Entrances for the next match then began.

Tama Tonga defeated LA Knight to advance in the King of the Ring Tournament [8:48]

The writing was on the wall for Knight losing once Knight had his tiny moment with Logan Paul backstage (and not to mention the interaction with Carmelo Hayes). Take the loss to put over the Bloodline; move into a post-PLE program with one of WWE’s brightest active mainstream stars. The match itself was OK. I wasn’t expecting much – neither guy has a reputation for consistently producing in-ring classics – but none of it was terrible. The Bloodline has an odd problem right now because I’m not so sure the Solo Sikoa era is working when it comes to getting over all that well. It’s too early to cast judgment, but here’s hoping Jacob Fatu’s inevitable debut gives the whole thing a shot in the arm.

The crowd was mega-hot for LA Knight, chanting his name loudly before the bell rang. Knight began with a fury of punches and an elbow that took Tonga down. Tonga tried to work a sleeper hold, but Knight quickly countered that. It didn’t matter, though, because Tonga hit a tough clothesline. Knight responded with a clothesline of his own. Knight hit a back body-drop and stomped a mud hole on Tonga. Sikoa walked onto the apron and got Knight’s attention. Tonga Loa did the same until Knight intimidated them off the apron. Tonga took advantage of that and ran Knight into a ring post. Tonga followed that up with a stiff clothesline on Knight, who was on the outside of the ring. The show then went to a commercial break at about the three-minute mark.

The show returned and “We want Roman!” chants were loud as Tonga kept control over Knight inside the ring. Tonga went to the top and tried a splash, but Knight moved and followed that up with a series of strikes and a cross-body before clotheslining Tonga over the top rope. Knight slammed Tonga’s head on the apron repeatedly. Back inside the ring, Knight hit his powerslam, elbow drop combination. The crowd chanted “BFT” but Loa pulled his brother outside the ring. Knight dropkicked Loa and found himself in a stare down with Sikoa. As soon as Knight returned to the ring, Tonga hit his finisher on Knight and got the win.

**********

– Knight was shown walking backstage and he ran into Hayes again. Knight and Hayes jawed at each other beofre things were broken up by Charles Robinson.

The Cody Rhodes/Logan Paul contract signing

Eh. On one hand, it’s hard to fault WWE for pulling away from the champion vs. champion angle here. Paul doesn’t seem ready to lose his U.S. title because the act is working and we don’t need another pseudo double-champion at the top of the WWE ladder. On the other hand, this all but eliminates any question to the finish at the PLE next weekend. Paul’s not walking out of there with that Undisputed belt and at least the champion vs. champion format felt like it brought a tiny bit of intrigue. Either way, this was a quality segment. The crowd was white-hot for Cody and had a lot of fun at Paul’s expense. Cody, for his part, showed great fire and Paul even held his own as the obnoxious heel he is. This was fun if nothing else.

The crowd was nuclear hot for Cody, who soaked it up. Cody grabbed a mic and did the “Duval” thing for Jacksonville and then asked everyone what they wanted to talk about. Cody said he loves Jacksonville and everyone should know that (Hey! E.W.). Cody asked Paul if he knew that it was the War Games 1992 anniversary and that the match took place in Jacksonville. Cody touted how he is a fan of pro wrestling while Paul is not a fan. Cody called Paul a tourist who only makes viral memories. Cody said it’s time for Cody to become a WWE Grand Slam Champion.

Paul started to respond and the crowd drowned him out with boos. Paul asked Cody if he was stalling because he didn’t come to listen to Cody talk. Paul said he came to sign a contract. Paul said it was a horrible crowd and he was going to sign the contract. Paul looked at the contract and said there was “one little thing.” Paul then tore up the contract as the crowd chanted “He can’t read!” Paul said he agreed to wrestle Cody for only the Undisputed WWE Championship. Paul said he did not agree to put his title on the line. Paul brought his lawyer, which presented a new contract. Paul tried to hand Nick Aldis the new contract and told Aldis to “get this done.”

Aldis said this wasn’t what they agreed to. Aldis called it bad business and it’s unprofessional and Aldis said he won’t stand for it. Paul’s lawyer asked Aldis if he was threatening his client. Cody chimed in and said Aldis is doing a great job. The crowd cheered. Cody asked Aldis if he could have the ring with Paul and he’d bring Aldis the paperwork later. Aldis left the ring. Paul said he signed the contract so it’s done and the match is made. Paul said Cody hasn’t done anything to deserve a shot at his U.S. title and it was funny. Paul told Cody to sign the contract and threw it at Cody.

Cody stood up and got terse with Paul. Cody said the honeymoon with Paul is over. Cody noted how Mike Tyson will knock Paul’s brother out in eight days. Cody signed Paul’s contract and took out Paul and his crew. From there, Cody powerbombed one of Paul’s stooges through a table. Cody threw the U.S. title at Paul, who was on the outside of the ring. Cody’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

– Cathy Kelley interviewed Niz Jax backstage. Jax interrupted Kelley and said everyone says Jade Cargill is so strong and impressive. Jax said Cargill will not be the Queen of the Ring because Nia Jax will be the Queen of the Ring. Jax’s music hit and Jax walked to the ring with a camera following her from behind.

Nia Jax defeated Jade Cargill via DQ to advance in the Queen of the Ring Tournament [2:12]

Umpf. I didn’t like this at all. Two minutes and a dumb finish that took nearly a minute to see through. Not much more to say.

Jax took Cargill down quickly to start things out, but Cargill bounced back quickly and slammed Jax. The action spilled outside, where Jax threw Cargill down in front of Cargill’s daughter. Jax told Cargill’s daughter that her mom sucks. The women got back into the ring, but Cargill ran Jax back outside of it. Cargill ran at Jax, but Jax moved and Cargill ran into a ring post. Jax then roughed up the commentary table and threw some chairs. Jax raised a chair, but Cargill caught the chair and hit Jax with the chair. That marked the end of that. The two continued to fight after the bell and the crowd chanted “Bullsh–!” As a result, WWE, in its infinite PC wisdom, censored the show for a bit. Jax and Cargill had to be separated as the segment ended.

**********

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) defeated Legado Del Fantasma (Humberto & Angel) [8:37]

There wasn’t much to this, but it’s nice to see Gargano and Ciampa getting some booking love. Will this be the time said love sticks? Only time will tell, but I continue to fall on the side that says it would be nice to see them get a tag title run at some point on the main roster. Plus, Waller and Theory do almost nothing for me as tag champs (pull the trigger on their split already … maybe?). Perhaps this was only to set up a tag title match next Saturday, but even if that’s so, good on Gargano and Ciampa for getting a TV win.

Austin Theory & Grayson Waller sat in on commentary. Gargano and Humberto started the match and Humberto quickly had control until he took Humberto down and tagged in Ciampa. From there, Ciampa cleaned house on both LDF guys. Ciampa and Gargano landed stereo suicide dives on LDF, who were on the outside. Back inside the ring, Ciampa was running the ropes and Angel held the top rope, sending Ciampa to the outside. The show went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Ciampa was beating down Angel until Humberto tagged in and hit the Garza Special. Humberto got a two-count out of it. Humberto and Ciampa tried to suplex each other multiple times until Ciampa got the best of it and suplexed Humberto. Gargano then received the hot tag and took both Humberto and Angel out. Gargano landed a slingshot spear on Humberto and went to the top. Santos Escobar distracted the referee as Elektra Lopez grabbed the leg of Gargano. The referee ejected the rest of LDF from ringside, but #DIY hit Meet Me In The Middle for the victory.

**********

– Graves and Wade Barrett talked about the mysterious QR codes that have been popping up. Whatever happened on the WWE Twitch channel this week was profiled.

– AJ Styles was interviewed backstage via Saxton and Saxton asked where Styles goes from here. Styles said next week, he’s going to go to Nick Aldis’s office and he’ll find out where he goes from there (which was odd; why not go now?). Styles walked away and the show went back to the ring for the main event.

– Bayley was interviewed backstage by Saxton and Chelsea Green and Piper Niven cut her off. Green said Bayley was the reason Niven lost last week. Bayley said they should talk “in the ring” next week.

Randy Orton defeated Carmelo Hayes to advance in the King of the Ring Tournament [10:28]

So … we’re either getting Tonga vs. Jey Uso in the KOTR final, or we’re getting Orton vs. Gunther, aren’t we? Either match should be interesting – the former because of the ongoing Bloodline drama and the latter because holy hell, Orton vs. Gunther might be wild – but I can’t say I’m particularly excited to see Orton vs. Tonga next week. Still, this match was fine for what it was. These days, Orton should get credit for showing up on almost every SmackDown to compete in its main event, but at the same time, there is very much a Randy Orton Match Formula and these matches never really stray from that. Either way, Hayes looked strong in defeat and this was a worthy TV main event.

Things started slowly with the two feeling each other out. Hayes targeted Orton’s knee, which was wrapped, early. Hayes slapped Orton and jawed at the crowd. Orton slowly got up and approached Hayes, kicking Hayes and throwing Hayes into a ring post repeatedly. Orton got in a series of European Uppercuts and threw Hayes over the top rope. Orton went for his now-signature back suplex on the commentary table, but Hayes countered it … only to have Orton sweep Hayes’s legs and then hit that back suplex not once, but twice. The table did not break either time. Orton rolled into the ring and the crowd chanted “one more time!” Orton went back outside the ring, gave the crowd what it wanted, and the show went to its final commercial break.

Back from that break, Hayes was working Orton’s knee inside the ring after gaining control during the break. The crowd chanted “Let’s go Randy!” and Hayes ran to kick Orton’s knee, but Orton moved and came back with a series of clotheslines. Orton set up for the snap powerslam, but Hayes grabbed the ropes and Orton clutched his own knee. Soon after, Orton was successful in his snap powerslam attempt. Hayes came back with a First 48, which was good enough for a two-count.

Hayes pounded on Orton’s knee and went to the top rope. Hayes went for Nothing Nut Net, but Orton moved and landed the draping DDT. Orton teased the RKO, but Hayes rolled up Orton for a near-fall. Hayes went for a springboard cutter, but Orton caught him with the aforementioned RKO. That was enough to get Orton the win. After the match, Kelley tried to interview Orton in the ring, but Tama Tonga’s music hit and out came the Bloodline. Orton had a microphone and wondered if the Bloodline was trying to intimidate him. Orton fired up and listed off his credentials. Orton said next week, he was going to introduce his foot “directly up the ass” of Tama Tonga. Orton shouted “RKO” and the show went off the air.

WWE SmackDown live results: King & Queen of the Ring matches

Posted on by Colin McGuire

With two weeks remaining until the King & Queen of the Ring finals in Saudi Arabia, SmackDown’s tournament action gets underway on tonight’s episode from Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles, Angelo Dawkins vs. Tama Tonga, and Carmelo Hayes vs. Baron Corbin are tonight’s opening-round matches in King of the Ring.

Dawkins is replacing Bobby Lashley, who WWE said is unable to compete after suffering an injury during training this week.

On the women’s side of the tournament, three matches are scheduled for tonight’s card. Bianca Belair goes head-to-head with Candice LeRae, Jade Cargill competes against Piper Niven, and Naomi goes up against Nia Jax.

Tonight’s SmackDown also features the fallout from Backlash, which saw Belair & Cargill become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Cody Rhodes retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Styles at Backlash and will make an appearance tonight.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********

– A video recapping Backlash from last weekend opened the show.

– Corey Graves ran down the brackets for the King & Queen of the Ring tournaments. Graves threw it to Smackdown GM Nick Aldis, who was in the ring. Aldis introduced Cody Rhodes and Cody made his entrance.

The Cody Rhodes segment

This was fun. For whatever reason, I never considered Paul to be next up in the line of wrestlers Cody will face as Undisputed WWE Champion, but I like it. Paul played his pest heel role well and Cody did a nice job putting him over as becoming a credible wrestler in such a short amount of time. Plus, the “Logan Paul Levesque Era” cracked me up. No way that match ends with a clean finish in two weeks, right? Also, as an aside, did anyone else have All In flashbacks when they saw Cody and Nick Aldis in the ring together? What a tangled web pro wrestling weaves.

The crowd chanted “Cody!” and Cody soaked it in before Aldis congratulated Cody for his win at Backlash. Aldis said they must turn their attention to the King & Queen of the Ring PLE. Aldis said Cody wants to be a fighting champion and because of that, Aldis had determined his next challenger. Aldis introduced Logan Paul and Paul walked to the ring. Paul grabbed a microphone and Cody said he thought he knew what Paul wanted to talk about.

Paul said he wanted a champion vs. champion match at the PLE to truly kick off the “Logan Paul Levesque era.” The crowd chanted “Logan sucks!” Cody said he liked the challenge from Paul and Paul then cut Cody off as Cody was talking. Paul noted how he is the longest reigning champion in WWE, which was wild. Paul called himself the greatest attraction in the company and said he was a superstar. Paul said “Happy Birthday” to a kid in the crowd. Paul talked about how everyone remembered Paul’s spot with Ricochet at the Royal Rumble that Cody won. Paul also noted how he and Cody debuted on the same night three years ago at WrestleMania.

Paul asked Cody how he could finish the story when it wasn’t even Cody’s story. Paul said he would knock Cody out in the ring on top of his Prime logo and walk out of Saudi Arabia as the Undisputed WWE Champion. Cody responded by calling Paul a dumbass. Cody said he wasn’t going to call Paul an influencer, podcaster or anything like that – instead, Cody put over Paul’s skills as a wrestler and the fact that he won the U.S. title this early in his career. Cody said if he won the U.S. title, it would make Cody a WWE Grand Slam Champion.

Cody called Paul disrespectful, delusional and self-centered. Cody said at King & Queen of the King, Paul will find out where Paul stands within WWE. Cody’s music hit as the two champions held their titles up and engaged in a stare down to end the segment.

**********

– AJ Styles was interviewed backstage. Styles said he had Cody beat at Backlash, but he was distracted. Styles said it should be Styles vs. Logan Paul and Saudi Arabia. Styles said the next time he meets Cody, he will beat him and winning the King of the Ring tournament would be a step in that direction.

Nia Jax defeated Naomi to advance in the Queen of the Ring tournament [10:07]

This was more competitive than I thought it might be, but I’m not complaining. Naomi got some nice spots, but WWE has done a good job protecting Jax since Jax came back to the company, so it felt inevitable that she’d get the win here (speaking of wins and losses, why can’t Naomi string together some wins sometime soon … please?). All told, it was a fine television match and a worthy first-round tournament bout.

Jax had control early and threw Naomi around. Jax hit a splash and an elbow. With Naomi in the corner, Jax ran at Naomi, but Naomi moved and the match turned with Jax running into the ring post. Naomi then landed a suicide dive on Jax, who was on the outside. Jax bounced back with a Samoan Drop on the outside and the show went to a commercial break.

Back from that break, Jax had control and draped Naomi over the top rope. Jax headbutted Naomi to the outside. Naomi eventually went for a sunset flip into the ring, and Jax tried to sit on Naomi, but Naomi moved to even things out. Naomi tried a clothesline and a back elbow, but it was a modified Disaster Kick that took Jax to her knees. Naomi planted Jax onto the apron and landed a split-legged moonsault for a near-fall.

Naomi hit a leaping elbow and lifted Jax onto the top rope. Naomi went to the top and landed a top-rope Frankensteiner for another near-fall. Naomi hit a series of super-kicks until Jax caught Naomi and power-bombed Naomi. Jax executed a leg drop and followed that up with the Annihilator for the win.

**********

– Byron Saxton interviewed Baron Corbin backstage and Corbin talked about how he found himself in NXT. Carmelo Hayes walked into the frame and condescendingly asked Corbin when he got drafted. Hayes gave Corbin advice and said he should have pulled out of the KOTR tournament the way Bobby Lashley did.

– A DIY vignette aired.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Baron Corbin to advance in the King of the Ring tournament [6:31]

Poor Baron Corbin. Fans seem to want to get behind him more often than not anymore, and it really did feel like he got a shot in the arm by teaming with Bron Breakker in NXT … but Carmelo Hayes is The Guy these days, so Corbin’s fate was sealed. Here’s hoping Corbin can get something going on the main roster sooner than later, though. As for the match, it was fun to see Hayes play the plucky heel while Corbin (as a babyface?) came off as the respected veteran well enough. For six-and-a-half minutes, it worked.

Hayes initially jumped out to a quick edge, landing a dropkick to Corbin’s knee and slapping Corbin, but Corbin got angry, landed some strikes and took Hayes out. With Hayes on the outside of the ring, the show went to a commercial break early in the match. The show returned and Hayes landed a springboard clothesline and a facebuster for a two-count. Corbin came back with a Death Valley Driver and a vertical suplex for a two-count.

Ultimately, Hayes hit the First 48 and went to the top, but Corbin moved and clotheslined the hell out of Hayes. Corbin landed a suplex/cutter for a two-count. Corbin then went for an End Of Days, but Hayes rolled through and rolled Corbin up for the win.

**********

– Kayla Braxton interviewed Bayley backstage. Bayley said there were a lot of talented women in the QOTR tournament. Bayley was cut off by Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. Green said Niven was going to kick Jade Cargill out of the tournament. Cargill, meanwhile, was shown walking backstage.

– Randy Orton was interviewed backstage by Byron Saxton. Orton said he has accomplished a lot during his WWE tenure, but he hasn’t accomplished being the King of the King. Orton said Styles is great, but it will feel phenomenal to hit an RKO on him later. Orton then talked to Tama Tonga and said he hasn’t forgotten about how he and the Bloodline took out his friend Kevin Owens. Orton said when he crosses paths with Tonga, it won’t be out of nowhere and he’ll make sure Tonga sees it coming.

Jade Cargill defeated Piper Niven to advance in the Queen of the Ring tournament [5:15]

Well, that’s the most I’ve ever seen Cargill sell, no matter the company, so that’s a good thing. She could spend some more time learning how to take those short-arm clotheslines, but that’s for another day. Despite the clunky moments, it wasn’t a terrible five-minute match. It might not be the best bout of the night, but it didn’t embarrass anybody. Cargill is a star. There’s no denying that. How much further she can get down the road on that star power alone, only time will tell. She’s getting better in the ring, but there continues to be work to do.

The two locked up and jawed at each other quite a bit to start things out. They traded shoulder blocks, but neither wrestler moved when they were on the receiving end of one. Eventually, Cargill took Niven down with a shoulder block, but Niven came right back, caught Cargill and slammed Cargill before hitting a Senton for a two-count. With Cargill draped over the second rope, Green slapped Cargill as the referee wasn’t looking.

Niven slammed Cargill and hit a short-arm clothesline. Niven did it again. Niven went for a third one, but Cargill blocked it and landed an impressive Blue Thunder Bomb for a two-count. Cargill hit a series of splashes in the corner and punched Green off the apron. Cargill teased Jaded, but Niven blocked it and knocked Cargill down before hitting a Cannonball in the corner for a two-count. Niven tried to climb to the top, but Cargill cut her off, hit a pump kick and landed Jaded for the win.

**********

Bianca Belair defeated Candace LeRae to advance in the Queen of the Ring tournament [2:54]

Not much to this. I remain confused as to why the main roster doesn’t want to do any favors for Candace LeRae because she has considerable talent, but this was little more than a squash match. And in a tournament, no less.

Belair had control early despite Indi Hartwell attempting to interfere. LeRae targeted Belair’s knee and spent the middle of the match working on it until Belair fired up and evened things out with a fallaway slam. Belair tried a vertical suplex, but LeRae worked out of it and hit a chop block. Still, with one good knee, Belair caught LeRae and hit the KOD for the win.

**********

– Paul Heyman was shown talking to Solo Sikoa backstage. Sikoa was still angry about how the Bloodline was drafted in the third round of the SmackDown draft. Sikoa blamed Heyman for taking money out of Sikoa’s pocket. Sikoa mentioned how Heyman looked at Jey Uso last week and asked if Heyman was trying to give Jey a signal. Sikoa told Heyman he had spoken to Roman Reigns since WrestleMania while Heyman hasn’t and Roman said Sikoa is now in charge of the Bloodline. As such, Sikoa explained that Heyman is now Sikoa’s wise man. Sikoa told Heyman, “I love you wise man,” and hugged Heyman to end the segment.

– An Andrade vignette aired.

Tama Tonga defeated Angelo Dawkins to advance in the King of the Ring tournament [2:09]

Another match that didn’t have much to it. You have to wonder if this would have gone differently if Bobby Lashley wasn’t injured. Tonga probably would have advanced. But in two minutes? Maybe not. Either way, this Bloodline 2.0 stuff is getting more intriguing as Heyman appears to be reluctantly taking Sikoa’s orders. That Roman Reigns return will be quite the event whenever it happens.

Tonga jumpstarted the match and attacked Dawkins in a corner. Tonga ran at Dawkins, but Dawkins moved and hit Tonga with a fury of clotheslines, punctuated by a flying elbow. Dawkins then hit a shoulder block that took Tonga outside. Dawkins then punched Sikoa before Montez Ford took out the rest of the Bloodline with a splash on the outside. Dawkins then slammed Tonga before Sikoa hit the Spike on Ford on the outside. That distracted Dawkins enough for Tonga to hit his finisher on Dawkins for the win. After the match, Sikoa hit Dawkins with a Spike before the Bloodline left the ring.

**********

– Next week, the contract signing for Cody vs. Paul will take place. Two men’s KOTR matches are on tap while two QOTR matches will go down as well.

Randy Orton defeated AJ Styles to advance in the King of the Ring tournament [17:07]

This was a very good WWE television main event between two of the company’s most notable stars. My fear coming out of Backlash was that Styles might fade back into loss-laden obscurity and it appears we may be headed in that direction after this defeat. Still, he showed good fire, was given a lot of offense and was able to prove that he still belongs near the top of the card in the company. Orton, for his part, looks to be having some of the most fun of his career (with perhaps a heel turn on the way soon? Maybe?). The result here was a worthy SmackDown main event and one of the better matches of the KOTR tournament so far.

The crowd was hot for this, chanting Orton’s name as the match began. Orton clotheslined Styles to the floor and posed on the second rope early in the match as the show went to a commercial break. Back from that break, Orton was punching Styles repeatedly. Styles got a bit of wind and landed a pair of sliding elbows/knees. Orton was on the outside of the ring and Styles went out there with him. Orton responded by dropping Styles on the guardrail. Orton then dropped Styles on the announce table. Orton did it again and bowed to the crowd.

Back in the ring, Styles went to work on Orton’s knee with a dropkick and a running chop block. Orton rolled to the outside and Styles ran around the ring to land another running chop block on Orton’s knee. The show then went to its final commercial break. Styles continued to focus on Orton’s knee when the program returned. Styles was on the first rope and Orton kicked Styles over the top and to the floor. When Styles tried to return to the ring, Orton kicked Styles.

Orton landed a series of clotheslines on Styles until Styles rolled Orton up for a two-count. Orton came back up and hit a European Uppercut, which took Styles to the apron. From there, Styles yanked on Orton’s knee over the second rope. Styles set up for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Orton cut Styles off and knocked Styles off the top rope. Styles worked a Calf Crusher but Orton managed to turn it into a rear chin-lock to get out of it. Orton followed that up with a power-slam and a two-count.

Orton placed Styles on the top rope, but Styles slipped out of whatever Orton had it mind. It didn’t matter because Orton caught Styles for a draping DDT. Orton set up for an RKO, but Styles pushed Orton away. Styles went for a Phenomenal Forearm and hit it this time, but Orton got to the ropes to break up a pin attempt. Styles signaled for a Styles Clash, but Orton pushed Styles away, hit the RKO and got the win. The show almost instantly ended after the pin.