A tag team match has been added to this Sunday’s Stomping Grounds card.
Two members of the New Day, Big E and Xavier Woods, will face off against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. This stems back to the weeks following WrestleMania, where Kevin Owens replaced Big E as a member of the New Day until he turned his back on the team, laying out Kofi Kingston. Owens, alongside on again/off again friend Zayn have continued the feud in recent weeks.
Despite not being a part of tonight’s wildcard rule list, The New Day appeared tonight on Raw to take on Baron Corbin, Zayn and Owens in a six man tag match. It was mentioned just as the match was starting that this tag match was added to Stomping Grounds.
The other member of The New Day, WWE champion Kofi Kingston, will face Dolph Ziggler in a cage match on Sunday in a rematch from Super Showdown.
Stomping Grounds will take place at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington.
Before Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler’s rematch at Stomping Grounds, Ziggler will be facing off with Xavier Woods on Tuesday’s go-home edition of SmackDown.
WWE has announced Ziggler vs. Woods for Tuesday’s SmackDown, with the match stemming from Kingston vs. Ziggler at Super ShowDown. After Ziggler superkicked Woods outside the ring, Woods kicked Ziggler when the referee wasn’t looking. Kingston then hit Trouble in Paradise and pinned Ziggler to retain the WWE Championship.
Kingston is defending the WWE title against Ziggler in a steel cage match at Stomping Grounds in Tacoma, Washington on June 23.
The New Day (Kingston, Woods & Big E) defeated Ziggler, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in a six-man tag match on SmackDown this past Tuesday.
A Moment of Bliss segment has also been announced for Tuesday’s go-home show. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley will be Alexa Bliss’ guest ahead of their title match against each other at Stomping Grounds.
Tuesday’s SmackDown is taking place at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.
The build to Stomping Grounds continues as SmackDown takes place from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California tonight.
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler at Super ShowDown, and they’ll meet in a rematch at Stomping Grounds in a steel cage on June 23. Before that takes place, The New Day takes on Ziggler, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in a six-man tag team match tonight. Big E returns from his knee injury and competes for the first time since April.
Last night on Raw, Shane McMahon celebrated defeating Roman Reigns in Saudi Arabia. Reigns is scheduled to appear tonight to address McMahon and his loss.
Alexa Bliss and Lacey Evans defeated Raw Woman’s Champion Becky Lynch and SmackDown Woman’s Champion Bayley in a tag team match on Raw. Bayley hopes to bounce back after being pinned by Evans last night.
Plus, 24/7 Champion R-Truth appears on the show as well.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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SmackDown started with The Miz forced to host an edition of Miz TV.. Miz said he’s being forced to follow the script tonight. He read off a card and noted he was forced to read these words.
Miz then introduced Drew McIntyre and purposely screwed up Shane McMahon’s intro. First, he called him the “Breast in the World” and then the “Pest In the World.”
McMahon, McIntyre, and Elias made their way to the ring. They aired a recap of McMahon defeating Roman Reigns at Super ShowDown. McMahon forced ring announcer Greg Hamilton to give him a proper intro.
McMahon pointed out that all great talk shows have a musical guest. Elias then played the guitar. At first, the crowd cheered, but then they chanted, “You Suck.” McMahon reminded the fans that he beat Reigns in the middle of the ring.
Miz noted that all of McMahon’s accomplishments are tainted. He pointed out all the times McMahon got destroyed. They aired Reigns interview from Super Showdown. Reigns said McMahon didn’t earn anything and McIntyre gave McMahon the win. He promised to defeat McIntyre.
McIntyre cut a good promo and promised to defeat Reigns at Stomping Grounds. Miz admitted McIntyre could match Reigns, but it’s too bad he’s McMahon’s lackey. Miz pointed out that McMahon used him to win the tag team belts. He said it’s a matter of time before he turns on McIntyre.
Miz said there’s nothing special about McMahon. McMahon insulted Miz’s family. Miz and McIntyre went face-to-face.
McMahon offered to face Miz in a rematch tonight. First, Miz has to defeat Elias and then has to defeat McIntyre. If he’s successful Miz takes on McMahon.
The Miz defeated Elias (w/Shane McMahon)
Elias was firmly in control and had the early advantage. Miz made a brief comeback, but Elias rocked Miz with a knee for a near fall. Elias attempted Drift Away, but Miz fought out. Elias hit a powerbomb for a close two count. He missed an elbow off the top and Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale for the win.
Drew McIntyre (w/Shane McMahon) defeated The Miz
Back from break, McIntyre was firmly in control, but Miz fought back. McIntyre rolled to the floor and Miz hit a sliding dropkick. Miz hit a DDT for a near fall. He set up for the Skull Crushing Finale, but McMahon distracted Miz. McIntyre rocked Miz with the Glasgow Kiss and hit the Claymore Kick for the win.
After the match, Miz was still down, and McMahon got on the mic. He decided to give Miz his rematch despite not beating McIntyre.
Shane McMahon defeated The Miz
McMahon beat down Miz, but he fought back. Miz went for the Skull Crushing Finale, but McMahon went to the ropes. McMahon then applied the triangle on Miz for the win.
In the back, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville spoke with Ember Moon. Moon said she saw what they did to Carmella last week. Deville promised to do that to Moon, but Rose calmed her down. Rose told her to focus on her match with Carmella later. Rose and Deville left. Moon snapped and threw a trashcan.
The commentators congratulated John Cena for landing a role in Fast and the Furious 9.
SmackDown tag team champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan came down to the ring. Bryan announced that the planet’s tag team champions take on the YOLO County tag team champions AJ Kirsh and Dave Dutra in a unification match. The Yolo belts are made of cardboard. The fans chanted “Yolo.”
Heavy Machinery made their way to the ring and promised to win the tag team titles. Bryan said they hadn’t earned anything. He challenged them to take on the Yolo Country Tag Team champions.
Heavy Machinery defeated YOLO Country Tag Team Champions AJ Kirsh & Dave Dutra
Heavy Machinery dominated the match. Otis hit the Caterpillar. Tucker tossed one of the guys in the air, and Otis caught him. They hit the Compacter for the win.
After the match, Rowan wanted to jump in the ring, but Bryan convinced him not to.
24/7 Champion R-Truth and Carmella walked backstage. Truth talked about all of his title defenses and how it’s draining him. He complained about being the “7/11” champion.
They heard a sound, so Truth jumped into a blue box. Carmella locked the lid but couldn’t open it. A backstage worker told Carmella her match is next. She told Truth to wait there, and she’ll be right back. Truth screamed to let him out.
Jinder Mahal approached and pretended to be Carmella. He ran off to find a crowbar.
Sonya Deville (w/Mandy Rose) defeated Carmella
Deville had the early advantage. She slowed the pace down and locked on a chin lock. Deville hit a running knee on Carmella for a near fall. Deville rolled up Carmella, but she reversed into a submission. Rose put Deville’s leg on the bottom rope to break up the hold. Carmella chased Rose, but Deville rolled her up for two count.
Carmella sent Deville to the floor and hit suicide dive. Carmella tried to re-enter the ring, but Rose stopped her. Carmella took out Rose with a superkick on the floor. As Carmella entered the ring, Deville rocked Carmella with a knee for the win.
Nikki Cross approached Alexa Bliss in the back. Bliss told Cross that there was a lot of hurtful things said about her on social media. Bayley even liked one of the tweets. Bliss got Cross a match with Bayley. She said to see all the bullies that hurt her on social media when she faces Bayley.
The New Day made their way down to the ring. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston pointed out this is the actual return of Big E. Xavier Woods talked about their upcoming match against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Dolph Ziggler. They pointed out that Kingston defeated all three in singles matches.
Kingston promised to defeat Ziggler in the steel cage at Stomping Grounds. He said Ziggler has nowhere to run. Kingston vowed to retain the title.
Ziggler interrupted and said there’s only one reason Kingston is still champion. He showed footage from Super Showdown of Woods helping Kingston retain the title. Ziggler promised to defeat Kingston and win the title. Kingston pointed out that Ziggler didn’t show when he kicked Woods.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn made their way out. Zayn said if it were the other way around the fans would be enraged. He called the fans hypocrites. Big E said they enjoyed watching Seth Rollins beat him with a chair. Ziggler called Kingston the biggest hypocrite. Big E said Kingston’s title run is about proving that he’s the best at what he does.
Kingston promised to kick ass and take names, and he’s starting with Ziggler. Kingston promised to leave Stomping Grounds the WWE Champion.
Kayla Braxton interviewed Bayley backstage. She asked Bayley about Alexa Bliss’ allegations of liking offensive tweets about Nikki Cross. Bayley said to consider the source.
Aleister Black spoke backstage. He said there are so much conflict but no resolutions. He offers both. It’s so simple. You pick a fight with him, and he fights you. He said they wouldn’t fight over trivial things like the love of a man or woman. He asked someone to open the door. He screamed that the door is wide open and to pick up a fight with him.
Bayley sent Cross to the floor and hit a sliding dropkick under the turnbuckle. Bayley attempted the dropkick a second time, but Cross trapped her in the ring curtain and took over.
Back from break, Bayley made a comeback and hit a rolling splash for a near fall. Bliss jumped on the apron and distracted Bayley. Cross used an inside cradle for a two count. Bayley fought back and hit the elbow off the top for the win.
Backstage, Jinder Mahal had crowbar and referee. He couldn’t find the box with Truth. Someone told him the boxes are loading on the truck. Mahal found some more boxes, but they’re going to L.A. Mahal ran to L.A. to find Truth.
Truth is still in one of the boxes. Carmella searched for him in the back but couldn’t find him.
Bray hosted another edition of The Firefly Fun House. Wyatt gave Ramblin Rabbit the floor to speak. Rabbit said it was time to reveal the truth about what’s going on in the fun house. Wyatt attacked Ramblin Rabbit with a mallet.
Kayla Braxton interviewed Apollo Crews. Last week, Andrade attacked Crews before their match. Crews wants to gain some revenge. Zelina Vega interrupted and warned Crews not to anger Andrade. She left, and Chad Gable showed up taking notes.
The New Day defeated Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens
The heels had the early advantage by isolating Xavier Woods. Woods fought back and The New Day hit the Unicorn Stampede. Kingston attempted a splash, but Zayn moved, and Kingston crashed to the floor. Ziggler nailed Kingston with a forearm on the floor.
Ziggler locked on a chin lock and taunted New Day. He caught Kingston with a dropkick, which sent Kingston to the floor. Owens then hit a senton on Kingston. The heels isolated Kingston on their side of the ring.
Woods got the hot tag and ran wild. After a quick exchange, Woods sent Zayn to the floor with a forearm. He followed up with a sliding dropkick taking out Zayn and Ziggler. Woods climbed to the top, but Owens distracted the referee. Ziggler tripped up Woods. The heels isolated Woods again in their corner.
Owens hit a power slam and second turnbuckle moonsault for a near fall. Woods hit a DDT, and Big E got the hot tag. Big E hit three huge belly-to-belly suplexes and a big splash on Ziggler. New Day tried to set up Ziggler, but he fought out.
Zayn made the blind tag. Ziggler went to superkick Kingston but hit Zayn instead. Kingston fought back and hit the Trouble in Paradise on Ziggler. The finish came when Kingston hit Trouble in Paradise on Zayn for the win.
A tag team match has been added to tonight’s Super ShowDown go-home edition of SmackDown.
WWE announced this afternoon that Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods will face Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn on tonight’s SmackDown. Kingston will defend his WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler at Super ShowDown this Friday.
On last week’s SmackDown, Kingston defeated Owens in a singles match.
Kingston traveled to Ghana last week to visit his home country for the first time in 26 years. He was in Ghana from Thursday to Sunday and was accompanied by a WWE film crew.
Goldberg will appear on SmackDown tonight and respond to The Undertaker ahead of their match in Saudi Arabia on Friday. On last night’s Raw, Undertaker cut a promo where he said that Goldberg is next. Undertaker said he doesn’t want to face the family man version of Goldberg, he wants the unstoppable, mythical icon Goldberg. He said that if Goldberg brings anything less, their first match will be Goldberg’s last.
Tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas. WWE has announced that SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley will be Alexa Bliss’ guest on A Moment of Bliss, and Lars Sullivan will give an “exclusive interview.”
Sullivan vs. The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) in a three-on-one handicap match is set for Super ShowDown.
SmackDown takes place from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island tonight.
Big E returns from injury after being on the shelf for a month. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have a celebration planned for his return, which will kick off the episode.
Kingston will also face Sami Zayn in a non-title match tonight.
New SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley will give an exclusive interview and team with Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch against Charlotte Flair & Lacey Evans. Bayley won the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and then cashed in on Charlotte later that night to win the SmackDown Women’s title. That was moments after Charlotte had defeated Lynch to win the title.
Last night on Raw, Mick Foley introduced the new 24/7 Championship. R-Truth won the title after pinning Robert Roode backstage. Truth is scheduled to appear tonight.
Plus, Roman Reigns vs. Elias and Mandy Rose vs. Carmella are set.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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In the back, Elias approached Shane McMahon in his office. Elias made excuses for losing to Roman Reigns at Money In The Bank. He feels he let McMahon and his family down.
Elias is looking forward to Super ShowDown and promised to be in McMahon’s corner. McMahon turned down the offer but said he’d be in Elias’ corner because he needs him.
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods walked out onto the ramp. They teased Big E’s return. Woods brought out a guy under a black sheet and took it off but it wasn’t Big E. They made fun of him and told him to leave.
Big E then made his actual return to a big pop. There was a huge Welcome Back, Big E banner on the apron. Big E said he missed The New Day and the fans. Woods mentioned Big E’s recent tweeting. Big E said he had to send a tweet to Becky Lynch’s mom. They talked about how attractive Lynch’s mother is. Kingston interrupted them and said he has to be serious now because he’s the champion. Kingston noted he beat Kevin Owens on Sunday to retain the title.
Owens and Sami Zayn’s interrupted. Zayn was furious that Big E was having a return celebration after being gone for six weeks. Zayn pointed out he was gone for months and got nothing like this. The New Day mocked him and gave him the same thing Owens got on Sunday, nothing. Owens walked away.
Zayn called the celebration disgusting. He said Owens lost because he was worried about Zayn. Kingston told Zayn not to let the pancake throwing and hip-swiveling confuse him. He promised to defeat Zayn. Kingston vs. Zayn is official for later tonight.
In the back, Carmella looked for R. Truth. Drake Maverick and Apollo Crews are also looking for him. Maverick was putting up R-Truth Wanted signs. She found Truth wearing a blonde wig. Carmella didn’t know why Truth came to SmackDown. He needs Carmella’s help to hold on to the title.
Ali defeated Andrade (w/Zelina Vega)
Andrade took over after rocking Ali with a huge clothesline for a near fall. Ali fought back and hit a reverse hurricanrana for a two count. Ali went up to the second turnbuckle but Vega jumped on the apron. She distracted Ali long enough for Andrade to recover. Ali went for a cross body but Andrade caught him with a dropkick.
Back from break, Ali caught Andrade with a tornado DDT. He followed up with a suicide dive and immediately hit a second dive. Ali injured his back in the process. As he tried to re-enter the ring, Andrade shoved him off the apron and Ali crashed into the barricade.
Andrade worked over Ali’s back and slammed him into the ring post. He then tossed him over the barricade into the timekeeper’s area. Ali barely beat the count of ten. Andrade hit the running double knees to the back of Ali’s head for a close near fall. Andrade slowly picked up Ali. Suddenly, Ali rolled up Andrade for the win.
In the back, Carmella disguised R-Truth with a hat, blonde wing, and glasses. She gave him a bra but he said he needs help. He always had trouble unhooking them.
They recapped Lars Sullivan’s recent attacks.
Mandy Rose (w/Sonya Deville) vs. Carmella (w/R-Truth) Ended Without A Winner
R-Truth came out in his disguise but was still wearing the 24/7 title. Carmella attacked Rose but she rolled to the floor. Carmella pulled Deville into the ring. Rose rolled her up for a near fall.
Suddenly, the B Team and a bunch of wrestlers ran down to beat R-Truth. Truth ran off with Carmella on his back through the crowd. The wrestlers and referee chased them. Truth running off with Carmella on his back was pretty funny.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed the new SmackDown Woman’s champion, Bayley. She said she’s past the hugging and wants every woman in the locker room to bring her A game.
Backstage, R-Truth and Carmella ran into the women’s locker room. Moments later, Truth and Carmella ran out. Truth apologized for running into the women’s locker room. As they left, the group of wrestlers chased after Truth. Zayn watched on as they run after Truth with a look of disgust.
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defeated Sami Zayn in a non-title match
In the back, Big E was on the ground in pain after being attacked by Kevin Owens. Woods and Big E told Kingston to take care of Zayn. During the match, Tom Phillips announced that Woods accompanied Big E to a local medical facility.
Kingston was furious as he made his way to the ring. Zayn had the early advantage and was firmly in control. Kingston fought back and hit a dropkick off the second turnbuckle.
Back from break, Zayn hit a huge superplex for a near fall. Kingston missed Trouble in Paradise. Zayn went for the Blue Thunder Bomb but Kingston escaped and hit the Trouble in Paradise for the win.
After the match, Paul Heyman walked out with the Money in the Bank briefcase. The commentators wondered if Brock Lesnar was there.
Suddenly, Dolph Ziggler made his return and jumped Kingston from behind. Ziggler beat down Kingston. He wrapped a chair around Kingston’s head and threw him into the announce table. Ziggler wrapped Kingston’s head in the chair again and jumped on it. Kingston didn’t move for several minutes.
The medical staff checked on Kingston and took him out on a stretcher. Kingston got off the stretcher and was determined to walk out. The fans gave him a huge reaction and “Kofi” chant.
Roman Reigns arrived at the arena. Suddenly, he could hear Elias playing. He looked up and saw him playing on top of the truck. He promised to defeat him later. Reigns shook his head and walked off.
Raw Woman’s Champion Becky Lynch & SmackDown Woman’s Champion Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair & Lacey Evans
Before the match, Kayla Braxton interviewed Becky Lynch. Lynch isn’t happy that she lost the belt but is happy Bayley has it. Lynch promised to come after Bayley when they’re done with Flair and Evans.
Bayley missed a knee in the corner and Flair rocked her with a boot to the back of the head. The heels isolated Bayley on their side of the ring. Lynch got the hot tag and connected with a missile dropkick. She followed up with a forearm off the second turnbuckle.
Flair fought back and hit a big boot. She rolled up Lynch for a two count. Lynch countered into the Dis-arm-her but Evans broke it up. Bayley got the tag. Flair went for the Figure Four but Bayley used an inside cradle for the win.
In the back, R-Truth and Carmella tried running out but Jinder Mahal attacked him. He rolled Truth up for a near fall. Truth fought back and ran off. The B Team jumped Truth but they argued over pinning him. Truth fought back. Truth and Carmella ran off. The B Team chased after him.
Dolph Ziggler walked out to explain his reason for viciously attacking Kofi Kingston. He said this goes back to when Kingston took Ali’s place at Elimination Chamber. Ziggler said it should have been him. After eleven years, Kingston became an overnight success and it should’ve been Ziggler.
Ziggler sat at home when Kingston defeated Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania. The fans respect Kingston and it should be him. Ziggler promised to defeat Kingston for the WWE Championship at Super ShowDown.
Roman Reigns defeated Elias (w/Shane McMahon)
McMahon introduced Elias as the greatest acquisition in SmackDown Live history. Reigns was firmly in control and rocked Elias with right hands. McMahon distracted Reigns and Elias took over. He sent Reigns into the ring post.
Back from break, Reigns connected with a flying clothesline. He followed up with a big boot. He set up for the Superman Punch but McMahon grabbed the leg. Elias then hit a flying knee in the corner. Reigns fought back with a big right hand.
Elias regained control and hit a powerbomb for a close near fall. They traded shots in the middle of the ring. Reigns hit the Superman Punch but McMahon put Elias’ leg on the bottom rope.
Reigns hit the Drive-by on McMahon. Elias took advantage and hit a big elbow for a very close near fall. Elias pulled off the top turnbuckle pad, which distracted the referee. McMahon put the guitar in the ring. Elias went to use it but Reigns hit the spear for the win.
McMahon attacked Reigns after the match. He teased hitting Reigns with the guitar but Reigns hit the Superman Punch. Reigns picked up the guitar and backed McMahon into the corner.
Suddenly, Drew McIntyre appeared and hit the Claymore Kick on Reigns to end SmackDown.
WWE set things up for WrestleMania 35 with a couple of developments on last night’s SmackDown.
Kofi Kingston will officially challenge for Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship at WrestleMania after Big E & Xavier Woods won his way into the match. Big E & Woods took part in a tag team gauntlet match, defeating Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev, Cesaro & Sheamus, The Usos, and Daniel Bryan & Rowan.
The Usos forfeited their match and cut a promo wishing New Day luck.
Charlotte Flair will be the SmackDown Women’s Champion heading into her WrestleMania main event triple threat match against Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch. Charlotte submitted Asuka with the Figure Eight last night to win the title.
Two matches have been made official for tonight’s SmackDown.
Cesaro will face Xavier Woods and Jey Uso in a triple threat match, which comes in advance of Cesaro & Sheamus defending their SmackDown Tag Team titles against The New Day and The Usos in a triple threat match at WWE TLC on December 16. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton has also been announced for tonight.
The Usos defeated Cesaro & Sheamus in a non-title match on last week’s SmackDown. The New Day defeated Cesaro, Sheamus & Big Show in a Thanksgiving Feast Fight on the November 20 episode, and last week’s SmackDown included video of an angle where Cesaro and Sheamus blamed Big Show for that loss, Big Show punched Cesaro, and Sheamus said they’d be better off without Big Show.
There was a segment on last week’s SmackDown where Jeff Hardy was celebrating his 20th anniversary with WWE before being interrupted by Samoa Joe. Orton continued his feud with Rey Mysterio by laying out Mysterio for the second straight week.
Tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. Daniel Bryan appearing on Miz TV has been announced for the show. There will also be a contract signing ahead of Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka’s tables, ladders, and chairs match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at TLC.
More matches and segments have been announced for tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Rusev vs. Xavier Woods and Becky Lynch vs. Peyton Royce have been added to the show. Both Rusev and Lynch won matches last week, with Rusev winning a gauntlet to become WWE Champion AJ Styles’ challenger for Extreme Rules and Lynch submitting Billie Kay.
The Bludgeon Brothers will also appear on Miz TV, and WWE is hyping that at least two of the cast members from Netflix’s GLOW will appear. Britt Baron (who plays Justine) and Sydelle Noel (who plays Cherry Bang) tweeted videos where they said they were going to add glow to the show and sent messages to Naomi, referencing her “feel the glow” catchphrase. Season two of GLOW will be uploaded to Netflix this Friday.
Tonight’s SmackDown is taking place at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. As was previously announced, Jeff Hardy will be defending the United States Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura on the episode.
Though it wasn’t in the ring, wrestlers from WWE and NJPW faced off at E3 this afternoon.
The New Day played The Elite in a team battle on Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, with New Day winning 2-1. Kofi Kingston defeated Nick Jackson and Xavier Woods defeated Matt Jackson, while Kenny Omega defeated Big E.
Woods and Omega, who are friends and both avid gamers, were originally announced as facing each other before their partners were added. New Day having Big E go against Omega then led to Woods vs. Omega, which was part of a bet where the loser’s team was supposed to eat habanero peppers. Omega won that 5-4.
After the “rivalry” between the teams was played up all broadcast, Woods called it a day they’ve been working towards for the past three years. Omega said he and Woods set out on a path to bring the worlds of pro wrestling and video games together. He said they shouldn’t be against each other and should work towards a common goal — and this competition between people from two different companies was the result. Both Woods and Omega referred to it as step one.
The Elite and The New Day have signed on for a match…but it won’t be in the ring.
It was officially announced today on WWE’s website that Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E will face Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks in a Street Fighter V team battle exhibition. It will be held inside developer Capcom’s booth at the 2018 Electronic Gaming Expo in Los Angeles, California.
Woods and Omega have been building a feud with one another on social media for years over their video gaming skills, particularly when it comes to Street Fighter V. The two faced off in a exhibition match two years ago at CEO 2016 where Omega defeated Woods. For this match, they built up feud via a contract signing on the Street Fighter V Twitter account where Woods accused Omega of not having any friends. Of course, this was all before Dominion where the Young Bucks and Omega reunited.
The bout will take place this Thursday, June 14, at 1 pm PDT. It will be streamed on Capcom’s Twitch account.
Date: January 16, 2018 Location: Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, TX
The Big Takeaway —
Not only did both US title semifinal matches take place, but the finals did as well. Bobby Roode challenged Jinder Mahal to the match after they each won tonight, and Daniel Bryan made it official. Roode won the title clean in the main event. (Shane McMahon was there as well and there were no issues with the two this week.)
Also, Jey Uso appeared despite his arrest on Sunday.
If you missed it, this was the worst Smackdown show in quite a while.
Show Recap —
The New Day came out to start the show. Tom Phillips announced that the finals of the US Title tournament would happen next week. I was amazed to see a WWE show might actually start with a wrestling match, but New Day made sure to cut a promo first.
They had a podium set up in the ring draped in the American flag and pancakes sitting on top. They mocked Jinder Mahal and reminded the crowd how much he hates them. Woods said he would become United States champion. This was one of the weakest New Day segments in a while.
US Title Tournament Semi-Finals Match: Jinder Mahal (w/Singh Brothers) defeated Xavier Woods (w/Big E & Kofi Kingston) (18:01)
This match actually went through two commercial breaks. Mahal had the heat from the very beginning. The Singhs got a little too close to the action at one point, so Big E whipped pancakes at them like frisbees.
The crowd chanted “we want pancakes” as Mahal and Woods botched a spot by the ropes. Mahal went to give Woods a back body drop to the outside but he just sorta fell on the top rope instead.
After the second break, Woods headbutted Mahal off the ropes and hit a missile dropkick, then followed with clotheslines and a forearm. Woods then hit an enziguri and shining wizard for two. The Singhs got on the apron so Big E and Kingston chased them up the ramp.
Woods hit a back suplex but Mahal dodged his springboard elbow drop attempt. Mahal then slid Woods into the bottom rope like Enzo Amore to knock him out and followed with the Khallas for the win. This sucked.
Baron Corbin cut a promo backstage where he held the camera himself, kind of like the old Shield promos. He said the Royal Rumble would have no distractions or Smackdown politics and anyone who got in his way would be eliminated. Corbin said it was his time to main event WrestleMania. This was fine.
They announced Goldberg would be inducted into the Hall of Fame by showing us how many news outlets wrote articles about it.
Renee Young interviewed AJ Styles. Styles said his match at the Rumble was a 3-on-1 handicap match because he counted Kevin Owens as two people. He said the “yep” movement made them sound like muppets and gave them the nickname “Kami” (Cammie). Styles said the idea of those two being champion made him sick, but he would overcome another obstacle and reminded us this was his house.
They aired a video of the Smackdown woman cutting quick promos about the Rumble match in selfie videos. And here’s what they said: Carmella said the Rumble would be fabulous, Natalya said it would take cat-like reflexes to win, Tamina said she would make everyone believe they could fly by throwing them over the ropes, Lana said she would crush the competition, Naomi said everyone would feel the glow, Ruby Riott said nobody could stop her, Sarah Logan said she doesn’t run from anything, Liv Morgan said she would live (liv) forever, and Becky Lynch said she would be the last woman standing. This was no good.
US Title Tournament Semi-Finals Match: Bobby Roode defeated Mojo Rawley (13:15)
Like the earlier match, the heel took the heat almost right away. After 10 minutes, Roode made a comeback after Rawley ran shoulder-first into the post. Rawley cut him off briefly, but Roode nailed a spinebuster and Glorious DDT for the win. A nothing match.
The Singhs attacked Roode after the match and scampered off. Samir might’ve twisted his ankle leaving the ring because Sunil had to help him up the ramp. Mahal told Roode he would win the title next week. Roode grabbed a mic and said they should do the match tonight. The crowd chanted for Roode.
Mahal said no, because they would do it when he decides (even though the match has already been announced, which he just acknowledged a moment ago). Daniel Bryan showed up and announced that the match would happen tonight and the crowd chanted Yes. (Should be noted that Roode is selling a rib injury.)
Like Corbin and the women did earlier tonight, Randy Orton cut a selfie promo about the Rumble. Orton said he likes being surrounded by chaos which makes the Rumble his match and he would win it for the third time.
6-Woman Tag Match: Riott Squad defeated Women’s champion Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Naomi (8:09)
The babyfaces had control before a break, but not after. The Riott Squad worked over Lynch until she made a hot tag to Naomi, who ran wild on Morgan. Charlotte speared Logan to get her out of the ring, but the referee was distracted by something which allowed Riott to hit a Naomi with a kick on the apron, and Morgan followed with a jawbreaker for the win.
Dasha Fuentes interviewed The Usos. Both of them. They wondered how Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin even became a team. They said it must’ve been Tag Team Tinder because Gable has been on the rebound since Jason Jordan left.
Jimmy and Jey claimed Gable and Benjamin couldn’t even tell them apart, when Gable and Benjamin suddenly attacked them from behind. Gable said they knew exactly who the Usos were–former tag team champions. After Gable and Benjamin left, officials ran in to check on the Usos, who got to their feet on their own. After they stood up, they just stood there seething.
They should’ve had the Usos stay down after the beating. There’s no reason why they couldn’t have just chased after Gable and Benjamin other than they exited the frame already.
They aired a long video package for the WWE title match at the Rumble.
Shinsuke Nakamura cut a selfie promo of his own. “Thirty men. One destiny. One winner. Me. Let’s Rumble.”
Shane McMahon came out. Phillips said the Singh brothers were banned from ringside for the US title match, but Shane and Bryan would be out there.
They aired a clip from the Fashion Files where Aiden English (with Rusev) challenged Breezango to a match next week on Rusev Day. Tyler Breeze appeared to be doing his Renee Young impression. Fandango accepted the match on behalf of the Ascension, who were minding their own business in the locker room reading Gluten Free magazine.
Bobby Roode defeated Jinder Mahal to become United States Champion (15:44)
Both guys are wearing blue trunks and knee pads, with black boots and wrist tape (and neither guy wears elbow pads). Roode is really selling his ribs. Mahal worked him over by driving him into the side of the ring and dropping him rib-first on the barricade. Then they went to commercial 3 minutes into this important title match.
After the break, Mahal worked over Roode’s ribs for an hour. Roode eventually hit a blockbuster but Mahal slipped out of a Glorious DDT and they took each other out with clotheslines. Mahal countered another DDT attempt and went for the Khallas, but Roode countered that into the Glorious DDT for the win.
McMahon and Bryan stood and applauded as Roode celebrated. After a replay, they presented him with the title and he posed to end the show.
Final Thoughts —
This was a really bad show. There were two Jinder Mahal matches totalling 33 minutes and 45 seconds. None of the main event acts were featured on the show, outside of one lame promo from AJ Styles and quick backstage promos from Orton and Nakamura (who, to be fair, was busy with the Mixed Match Challenge). The women were presented as one-note characters with nothing interesting to say.
The only positive, I guess, is that Roode won the title. I don’t like Mahal, but even if you’re okay with him as a mid-card champion, it’s too early to give him another title reign after we just endured one. One negative to that reign was it cut off Nakamura’s momentum, and they ran the risk of doing that with Roode (whatever momentum he does have).
After Mojo Rawley advanced over Zack Ryder in the final first round match, the United States Championship tournament will continue on SmackDown next Tuesday.
Jinder Mahal vs. Xavier Woods in a semifinal match is scheduled for next week. Mahal defeated Tye Dillinger and Woods beat Aiden English in the opening round, and Mahal cut a promo on Woods last night where he said he has his eyes on the United States title and called Woods and The New Day a fad.
Bobby Roode, who defeated Baron Corbin in the first round, will take on Rawley in the other semifinal match. That will take place over the next couple of weeks, with the finals set for the Royal Rumble on January 28th.
In an indication of where the tournament could be heading, Roode teamed with The Usos against Mahal, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin in a dark match after SmackDown last night.
The Riott Squad vs. Charlotte Flair, Naomi & Becky Lynch has also been set up for next week.
Another big Raw vs. SmackDown match has been confirmed for Survivor Series.
WWE officially announced that The Shield would be facing The New Day in a six-man tag match at Sunday’s pay-per-view. That was set up when New Day’s distraction caused Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose to lose their tag titles to Cesaro & Sheamus last week, with Roman Reigns returning on Raw tonight as The Shield issued a challenge for Survivor Series.
After Reigns, Rollins & Ambrose defeated The Miz, Cesaro & Sheamus on Raw tonight, Sunday will be the second time all three members of The Shield have teamed together since their reunion. Last month’s TLC PPV was supposed to feature their first match back together until Reigns was forced to miss the show due to a viral infection.
The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas will host Survivor Series on Sunday. Here’s what the card for the show looks like as of now:
Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles
Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor & Triple H vs. Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura & John Cena in an elimination tag match
Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Asuka, Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Carmella & Tamina in an elimination tag match
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya
The Miz vs. Baron Corbin
Cesaro & Sheamus vs. The Usos
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore defending against Kalisto (pre-show)
Though he hurt his left knee at SmackDown’s house show on Monday night, it appears that Xavier Woods has gotten relatively good news on his injury.
Woods was asked about the injury during a live stream on his UpUpDownDown YouTube channel yesterday and revealed that he suffered an MCL sprain. Becky Lynch, who was part of the broadcast, said that she had the same injury recently and recovered after about a month of wrestling through it.
How soon Woods would be able to return would depend on the severity of the sprain. He was on SmackDown despite the injury last night and accompanied Big E & Kofi Kingston for their match against The Usos. He wore a knee brace and a sign that said “It’s sore” during their entrance.
Woods also tweeted last night that the injury was an MCL sprain. Dave Meltzer noted that Woods was set to undergo a medical evaluation yesterday, which likely would have happened before SmackDown.
WWE officials have confirmed that Xavier Woods will be undergoing a medical evaluation today for an apparent left knee injury that he suffered during Monday’s SmackDown brand house show in Texarkana, Arkansas.
News of the injury appeared on social media as soon as it happened last night. A video of it was later tweeted out, with it showing Woods immediately grabbing his left knee when being put down by one of the Usos after going for a tornado DDT.
Woods rolled to the apron and eventually out of the ring. The match went to its finish, then Big E, Fandango, and Kofi Kingston motioned for medical attention as Woods continued to grab his knee. The video ends with referee Charles Robinson putting up the “X” symbol.
Woods had to be carried to the back by Kingston, Big E, and a WWE physician after the match was over and was clearly in great pain. Woods tweeted “….cool.” after the injury happened. He later replied to the video of it by writing, “Didn’t even look cool.”
The New Day (Woods & Kingston) were facing The Usos and Breezango in a triple threat tag title match when Woods’ injury happened.
