Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Live Report! (11/14/17)

Published

6 years ago

November 14, 2017

Steven Mitchell

OFFICIAL RESULTS

WWE United States Championship: Baron Corbin VS Sin Cara; Corbin wins and retains the US Championship.
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship: Natalya VS Charlotte; Charlotte wins and becomes the new SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Jimmy Uso w/ Jey VS Chad Gable w/ Shelton Benjamin; Jimmy wins.
The New Day VS Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn; no contest.

PLAY BY PLAY

The entire SmackDown Roster is hyped up for Survivor Series!

This Sunday, it all comes to a head. Team Blue has made history by putting Raw #UnderSiege and striking first. Maybe #Rawtaliation is coming, so check your egos at the door to be ready for anything. After Sunday, SmackDown will be the dominant brand. Not The B-Show, but the show.

Everyone rallies behind Shane. Shane pumps up the Women’s Team. Asuka wants to break their team, their team is gonna break Asuka’s arm. The United States Championship is on the line, both men are ready to shut Miz up. Miz lives on borrowed time, it’ll be his End of Days. Good, good. Raw is ready to Play The Game because they have Triple H now. But SmackDown has the greatest team in history! Over the top even, as they have 16 time world champion JOHN CENA! Sunday, Survivor Series, SmackDown will dominate and nobody will stop them. Not Angle, not Stephanie, and not The Shield. Not with The New Day going up against them. Challenge accepted, but why? Because, Smack! Down Rocks! Team Blue is feeling confident, will they make it a big night at Survivor Series?

GM Daniel Bryan is back!

He was only an envoy of peace to Raw, and yet KANE attacked him out of nowhere. Now he’s back, lucky to be standing. It’s partially his fault for not warning anyone. He should’ve known better that with Stephanie McMahon around, he wouldn’t be safe. But that’s the thing about Bryan and SmackDown: “we don’t stay down.” And they’ll hit back twice as hard! That’s why Raw is afraid of them this year. That’s why the needed Triple H on the team. They’re afraid, and embarrassed. Raw’s 25th anniversary is coming and yet SmackDown ransacked them. That’s the one thing Bryan didn’t agree with, only because he knows how vindictive Stephanie can be. Tonight, he senses #Rawtaliation is coming. But SmackDown is NOT afraid, and they ARE ready. Bryan bleeds blue, and he is proud of his roster! This Sunday, SmackDown will prove “beyond the shadow of a doubt” that SmackDown is the better show. Things change quickly over a week, like adding John Cena to the Men’s Team. And, the new WWE Champion, AJ STYLES!

The Phenomenal One gets a big ovation in Charlotte, North Carolina. And before he says anything, Bryan wishes to treat his champion just as if not better than Raw’s. If the Universal Champion has an advocate, so should the World Champion. Does Styles want an Advocate? The fans sure hope he does. Styles says “YES!” Then, “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Daniel Bryan. And I am the Advocate for the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Champion of the World, The Phenomenal A! J! Styles!” Heyman gave us five reasons to order the WWE Network. Bryan agreed with all but reason “F5”, where Lesnar would brutalize and victimize Styles. Bryan can understand why Heyman thinks that. Lesnar is big and strong, from his arms and his legs, his head is big! And thick. And though Heyman hates to admit it, Lesnar has a tendency to quit. He quit WWE, he quit “to a half-ass kneebar on a UFC show.” Anytime Lesnar is in trouble, is uncomfortable, is put in deep water, he quits. Styles will push Lesnar into that deep water. Heyman brags that Lesnar is 6’3″ and 285 lbs. Guess what, when you’re that big in deep water, you last ten minutes, and then you drain. Lesnar will get tired, and his blood will flow away from his head, he will be back against a wall, and will mentally quit. Yes, Lesnar is big and strong but he can’t go all night long, he cannot keep up with The Phenomenal One! Heyman gave us five reasons to watch Survivor Series, here’s one more: to see a 6’3″ and 285 lbs. Beast be mentally beaten, victimized and conquered by the “best in-ring performer of this generation,” A! J! STYLES! Styles speaks up now. He can talk, unlike the puppet Lesnar. Styles agrees, fatigue makes us into quitters. Lesnar might quit, but Lesnar has to agree with Heyman. Styles is the underdog, and he loves that. But this isn’t a Rocky movie, this is a Styles Production. Styles will find the way all the way to the last breath in his body to beat Lesnar, and prove SmackDown is the A-Show, and “the House that AJ Styles Built!” Team Blue’s best is fired up, can he best the Beast?

AJ Styles is backstage when he encounters Jinder Mahal.

The Modern Day Maharaja says that after Lesnar rips Styles apart, Mahal will make it look like nothing when he takes back the WWE Championship. Styles simply walks past him. Will the Maharaja really be able to beat Phenomenal One down the line?

WWE United States Championship: Baron Corbin VS Sin Cara!

The Lone Wolf has had a war of words with The Miz leading up to Survivor Series, but one legitimate point Miz has brought up is that Corbin chokes. Can Corbin keep hold of the gold to then make the Hollywood A-Lister eat his words? The bell rings, the two circle and tie up, Corbin shoves Sin Cara but gets caught in a tilt-o-whirl headscissors. Corbin knees low, pushes Sin Cara again but Sin Cara comes back with furious strikes. Springboard arm-drag, dropkick to the knee and then a dropkick to send Corbin out. Corbin is frustrated as we go picture in picture.

Corbin paces, so Sin Cara pursues, taking the fight to him around the corner. COrbin slips back into the ring, Sin Cara shoulders in but then his slingshot is intercepted with a right hand. Sin Cara goes down, Corbin lets him sit out there while he catches his breath. Corbin goes out to grab Sin Cara and ram him into the barriers! Corbin breaks the ring count, then fetches Sin Cara back into barriers, Sin Cara blocks and bumps Corbin off it instead. Sin Cara runs but takes a back elbow, Corbin refreshes the count and puts Sin Cara in the ring. Corbin takes aim, runs in, Sin Cara elbows him back now. Double boots, too, then Sin Car goes up and over, Corbin slides out then in to clobber Sin Cara with a clothesline, TWO. Corbin is already annoyed, he stalks Sin Cara before putting him in a corner. Sin Cara bounces off a buckle and slumps to the mat, Corbin drags him back up. Corner to corner whip, Sin Cara again bounces off buckles. Corbin ignores the boos and jeers, returns to Sin Cara, and drives elbows into Sin Cara’s chest. Standing half-nelson chinbar, Sin Cara fights out as we go back to single picture. Corbin throws him to a corner, big clothesline then he drives Sin Cara’s face into the mat. Running right hand rocks Sin Cara, Corbin takes time gloating and stalking, toying with Sin Cara. Sin Cara fires back on Corbin, fans cheer him own as he kicks and chops away on Corbin. Sin Cara rocks Corbin with a springboard back elbow, then sends him out with a clothesline. Sin Cara builds speed, DIVES, direct hit!

Sin Cara goes after Corbin in the ring, running, springboard- Choke- roll up! TWO! Sin Cara tries again, springboard crossbody, TWO! Corbin flounders to a corner, Sin Cara gets himself up and whips Corbin. Sin Cara is reversed, reversed back but Corbin slides out then in, Sin Cara ducks and runs, DEEP SIX! TWO! Corbin is getting frustrated while Sin Cara gets to safety. Corbin drags Sin Cara up, hotshot and swing kick! Corbin runs back in, gets dumped out. Sin Cara up, SUPER Asai Moonsault! Back into the ring, Sin Cara goes up, takes aim, Corbin up so Sin Cara has to go over, runs in, END OF DAYS! Corbin wins and retains! The Lone Wolf is still set to face the Intercontinental Champion, will The Miz fear the big bad wolf of Team Blue?

SmackDown looks at Raw’s dysfunction.

#UnderSiege made Raw look weak and Stephanie hated it. She has put her faith in Kurt Angle but feels it is misplaced, as The New Day upped the embarrassment by using a “pump fake” to screw over The Shield’s Rollins & Ambrose in their Raw Tag Team Championship match. Angle’s response is to put his son, Jason Jordan, on the Men’s Team when John Cena was still available. And worse yet, Bray Wyatt injures Jason Jordan in their match. Jordan begged to stay on the team, desperate to get this chance. Stephanie had no remorse for removing the Gold-Blooded Son, and Triple H had even less than that when he made himself the new Fifth Man before giving Jordan a Pedigree! With this instability, will it be that much easier for SmackDown to become the better show?

Shane McMahon welcomes Daniel Bryan back.

Thanks for the support. Of course, Survivor Series is important. They must all be on the same page. Which is why GM and Commissioner need to talk. Shane did something without letting Bryan know, Bryan got hurt because of it. The discussion is tabled for now, is there some dysfunction on the Blue Brand after all?

WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship: Natalya VS Charlotte!

The Queen of Harts or the Queen of Flair, only one woman can be Queen of SmackDown to then face the Goddess of Raw at Survivor Series! Charlotte has hometown advantage in her namesake city, can she ascend to the throne and then challenge Little Miss Bliss? Charlotte is definitely on Charlotte’s side as the bell rings and the two tie up. Roll up quick, ONE, Charlotte and Charlotte give out a “WOO!” The two tie up again, Charlotte backs Natty into a corner. Clean break but then a sucker punch from Natty, this turns into a scrap fast. Natty gets out, Charlotte pursues, she puts Natty into barriers!

Charlotte drags Natty up and into the ring, covers, TWO. Boot! Natty scrambles out, Charlotte baseball slides her down. Charlotte has Charlotte fired up as we go to break.

We return, Natty has Charlotte in a full Surfboard stretch. The fans rally, Charlotte gets out, Flair chop! Another chop, and another, and another, but the discus lariat puts Charlotte down, TWO. Natty tells the fans to shut up, then she kicks Charlotte before putting on a chinlock. The fans rally, Charlotte gets to her feet, but Natty throws her down by her hair. Natty walks over Charlotte, but Charlotte kip-up into a SPEAR! Cover, TWO, Charlotte and Charlotte are both a bit surprised. Charlotte drags Natty around, Figure Four but pushed into buckles hard, Natty grins as she stomps on Charlotte. Natty drags Charlotte to a cover, TWO. Natty tries again, TWO, she’s getting frustrated. Natty tells the fans to shut up, but they just boo and jeer while cheering on Charlotte. Natty slaps Charlotte, drags her around, Sharpshooter but Natty gets a slap! Roll up, TWO, discus — Exploder into a corner! Charlotte crawls to Natty, Natty slips out of the ring. Natty gets around to the far side, Charlotte comes in from the apron, booting Natty down. Charlotte gets on barriers, but Natty counters with a powerbomb into a post! Natty and Charlotte are down, but Natty gets up to drag Charlotte by her hair. Charlotte rallies for Charlotte as Natty slaps her, they get in the ring at 8. Natty drags Charlotte over again, prepares the Sharpshooter, Charlotte is locked in the signature submission!

Charlotte endures, reaches for ropes, drags herself over, but Natty drags her back. Charlotte endures even more, gets a second wind and gets to those ropes! Natty lets go, then claws and hammers away on Charlotte’s back. The ref backs her off, Charlotte dumps her out. Natty back in quick, into a BOOT! Charlotte gets Natty around, Figure Four! Figure EIGHT! Natty endures, Natty flails, Natty taps!! Charlotte is the NEW SmackDown Women’s Champion!!

She is truly the Queen of Queens, and Renee Young appears to interview her in the ring. Things change at Survivor Series, how does Charlotte feel? Gotta catch her breath, because that match beat the heck out of her. Charlotte shows their support with a “WOO!” Superstar Shakeup made the title Charlotte’s singular goal, something she worked 24/7 for. To win here in her hometown, “You Deserve it!” Sunday, Alexa Bliss is her opponent, and Alexa will #BowtotheQueen, because there was a Queen of Raw before there was a Goddess, but now it’ll be a win for Team Blue.

And everyone knows about Ric Flair’s health, and growing up here, they all know the Flair family hardships, but Charlotte is sure her father is watching. He’ll definitely send her a text later, she lets him know already this win was for him! But speaking of The Nature Boy, he’s already here to celebrate!

A big emotional hug and tears, “WOO” all around, the Flairs are champions again. With all this motivation, can the Queen defeat the Goddess?

The Bludgeon Brothers cometh.

“I don’t hear anything.” “Except for the scream.” “I can’t feel anything.” “Except for the cracking of bones.” “Every hammer needs a nail.” “To give it purpose.” “And our purpose is?” “Obliterate everyone.” Luke Harper & Erick Rowan are returning next week, who will be the nails pounded in?

Jimmy Uso w/ Jey VS Chad Gable w/ Shelton Benjamin!

Though “American Alpha 2.0” challenged The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, it seems they were really only after blood, as Gable gave Jey a nasty chop block that made the champions lose via count out. Now it’s time for some retribution before taking on the Raw Tag Team Champions this Sunday, is Day One Ish #ReadyWilling&Gable? Last year’s Survivor Series last two teams were the Usos and The bar, and they’re back again. Swiss Superman? That mouth piece won’t protect him from the Kryptonite Superkick. The Celtic Warrior, it’s true. “You DO look stupid.” This year will be no different, line up and get knocked down. Ask the Hype Bros, the Ascension, Breezango, American Alpha 2, The New Day, The Bar can welcome themselves to the Uso Penitentiary! The bell rings, Jimmy goes right at Gable and fires off uppercuts! Corner to corner whip reversed, Jimmy slides to a stop, another uppercut sends Gable out of the ring. Jimmy waits for him to get back in, but ends up coming out after him, things get in the ring but Benjamin distracts, dragon screw leg whip! Gable does another, going after that leg like he did to Jey. Gable stomps away on Jimmy, twists that leg hard, cover, TWO. Things go picture in picture as Gable pulls on that leg.

Gable has a hold of Jimmy’s foot, anchoring the other foot down so that Jimmy can’t get away. Jimmy breaks free but then gets put back in a drop toehold, snap deathlock, TWO. Gable keeps his cool as he puts Jimmy in a corner and uses the rope to work on the leg. Gable drags Jimmy out, T-Bone suplex! TWO, Gable just keeps on that leg. Gable wrenches the knee, Jimmy endures. Jimmy pulls Gable’s hair but it isn’t’ enough to get free, Gable yanks on the leg before a cover, TWO. Gable goes right back at the leg, torturing Jimmy’s knee. Jimmy works to pry free, and uses his free leg to kick Gable away. Gable catches the kick then ducks the dragon whip, another twist and snap on the bad left. The ref checks on Jimmy, he’s okay to keep going as Gable gets him up and gives him a shinbreaker! Jimmy is down again, Gable drags him back up and snapmares into a cover. TWO and we go single picture as Gable keeps yanking at that leg. Gable runs in, but Jimmy sticks out his good leg, whipping takedown from Gable plants Jimmy on his face. Gable climbs up, fans fire up, MOONSAULT! Galbe lands on his feet when Jimmy evades, mule kick takes out Gable’s leg! Gable gets to a corner, Uso gets up, Jimmy rallies on one good leg. Mule kick and uppercut, then Samoan Drop! Jimmy has adrenaline to get past the bad leg, he fires up the fans, running hip attack! Cover, TWO, Gable gets out to regroup with Benjamin. Jimmy takes aim, speeds up, Gagble hits him with a rolling kick! Spin around, then Jimmy sent right into the ropes. Gable goes out after Jimmy, puts him in the ring, Jey trash talks him. Gable shoves Jey, Jey chases him up but Benjamin comes over. Penalty kick for Benjamin, shove for Jey, SUPERKICK from Jimmy, Jimmy wins! Day One rolls on, will they do this to The Bar this Sunday?

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens talk backstage.

Everyone’s all “Raw, SmackDown”, A-Show, B-Show, but these two aren’t on Survivor Series. Because Shane is biased against them. These two should be fighting The Shield. The New Dya is a “circus act!” Nobody is better than these two. Not The New Day, not The Shield. No show matters except for the Sami & Kevin Show. Or is it the Kevin & Sami Show? Fair enough. Either way, time to show what they’ve got.

The New Day VS Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn!

Awwww~, Charlotte! Don’t you dare be sour! Clap for your four time champs and feel, the powah~! Sunday is Survivor Series, and The New Day takes on The Shield. Between those three, they have 13 title reigns. But between these three, there’s 27! Mostly Kofi, though, he’s that good. The Hounds of Justice VS The Unicorns of WWE. Hounds, canines, dogs. Why would you want to be a dog? They eat poop! Unicorns are mythical, mysterious and magical! Another thing, The New Day can trust each other. The Shield can’t. They’ve already turned on each other. They teamed up together again because they’re cuddling up with exes. But when it is warm again, The Shield will break up. But who will? Who? Who who? The New Day~! And when this Survivor Series comes around, The New Day will survive. They are a true brotherhood, they will never betray each other. You know why? Because New! Day Rocks!

We return, The Best Friends have finally entered, and Woods starts against Sami. Sami throws his jacket at Woods, Woods sees how it is. The two circle, tie up, headlock from Sami. Woods powers out, Sami shoulders him down. Sami is all smiles as he speeds things up and shoves Woods, Woods keeps moving, tilt-o-whirl headscissors throws Sami. Sami ends up in the New Day corner, “time to turn up!” The Unicorn Stampede begins! And by the end, it is Woods who is legal. Big E whips Woods in for a dropkick to Sami, cover, TWO. Woods grabs Sami but Sami powers him to the corner, tag to Kevin, Kevin unleashes strikes and stomps. Sami gets a cheap shot, too, before Kevin goes back to hitting Woods. Scoop slam but Woods slips out, drop toehold puts Kevin on the ropes, dropkick! Kevin is n the corner, Woods forearm smash and tag to Big E, big shoulder tackle and then feed to the Honor Roll, cover, TWO. E tags Woods back in, Woods runs, wheelbarrow splash. Kevin gets out, Sami in, roaring elbow sends Sami out. Woods builds speed, Kevin trips him up, spins him around and yanks him out to the floor. Back senton on top, Kevin is still furious as he drags Woods up and in while we go to break.

We return, Sami anchors Woods, tag to Kevin, Kevin stomps Woods down. Kevin trash talks Big E, wraps Woods in a chinlock. Big E and Kofi try to coach Woods back into this, the fans join in. Fans take notice of something else, though. Woods endures, works his way up, but there’s still something somewhere else noteworthy of attention. Kevni knees Woods, DDT, TWO. Kevin drags Woods over, tag to Sami, Woods is isolated as he’s mugged. Sami toys with Woods, chops Woods, whips Woods but Woods hits Kevin, dodges, tag to Big E! Overhead suplex! Overhead suplex! Belly2belly suplex! Big E fires up and swivels the hips, runs for the Big Splash! Kevin gets in, Big E feeds him to Woods’ kick, then is dumped out. Woods runs, FLIES, and topples Kevin over. Big E goes back to Sami, “Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta. Shield.”

#RAWTALIATION! The Shield is here, staring down at some prime prey. The New Day, Kevin and Sami stand together as The Shield heads down to the ring, flanking it like always. The Shield stands on the apron, Kevin and Sami fade out. The Shield goes after the New Day! Stomps in the corners, but then The Usos appear! They hesitate, so the Shield pounces. It’s 5v3 now, The Shield looking like they’re in danger, but then MORE Raw Superstars appear! THE BAR is here! They go after The Usos, who they face Sunday, an even 5v5. Meanwhile, the women collide backstage!

They all surround Charlotte, Alexa decks her! The brawl in the ring continues, and MORE Raw Superstars appear! Finn Balor, Titus Worldwide, Samoa Joe, they add on to The New Day and Usos getting beat down. Shane mobilizes Team SmackDown! It’s an even bigger brawl! Penalty Kick to Roode, but then Shane gets Finn. Kurt Angle and BRAUN STROWMAN are here. The Monster Among Men rips his way through the Hype Bros, then into the ring.

He fights off Shinsuke Nakamura, Shane attacks from behind but that doesn’t work out at all. Shane fires off hands, but it doesn’t do a thing, he gets run over by the mountain. Then other stars, like Dolph Ziggler and the Usos are cleared out of the way. Shane is brought up to look at what’s happening to hisroster.

The Shield goes 3v1 on Shane O’Mac, making an example of the commissioner. Other members of Raw get their shots in, Samoa Joe uses the trombone to beat up The New Day. And Angle then enters the ring to get face-to-face with Shane. “How does that feel, Shane? You think this is bad, wait until Sunday!” Angle then gives the thumbs down. The Shield takes Shane, TRIPLE POWERBOMB!

And if that wasn’t enough, ANGLE SLAM! And for the hell of it, a secondTRIPLE POWERBOMB!! #Rawtaliation accomplished, will SmackDown even survive Survivor Series?

My Thoughts:

This was the go-home worthy of how WWE has framed Survivor Series this year. Shane was rallying SmackDown as they felt untouchable going into Survivor Series, a seemingly more unified front than Raw has been showing. Loved the Daniel Bryan opening segment to parody Paul Heyman, Bryan was amazing on the mic, he and Styles really did great with some work shoot comments. Big championship matches tonight, important to the Champion VS Champion rundown. Sin Cara wasn’t going to win the title to deny fans the blow-off to the amazing social media build between IC and US champs, Miz-Corbin is going to be great for both in-ring and story telling, Heel VS Heel is something WWE tends to shy away from so it’s great they’re giving it a shot on this cross-brand PPV. The Women’s Championship match was incredible, something worthy of a PPV in itself, and it is great to see Charlotte win here. Not just because it was a hometown hero win, but because it pits two women who were both Raw and SmackDown champions to see who is the best of both brands. Great moment with Ric Flair surprising us, big amount of momentum for Charlotte this Sunday. Jimmy VS Gable was good, Gable showed great aggression but Jimmy showed great fortitude to fight through a banged up leg. New Day VS Kevin-Sami was also great stuff, and then #Rawtaliation finally happened in the most epic way possible! Shield naturally shows up to get revenge on New Day, Kevin-Sami naturally run away because they don’t actually care about SmackDown like the others do, and then things escalate to natural levels, in the ring and backstage. Shane is still a madman for taking an Angle Slam and two Triple Powerbombs, but it’s not like he was going to be the ace on SmackDown’s men’s team.

My Score: 8.5/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Mitchell’s WWE Backlash Results & Report! (5/4/24)

Contrecoup en France!

Published

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Will Backlash be truly phenomenal?

Cody Rhodes’ first defense of THE WWE Championship could also be his last, because he is up against The Phenomenal A J STYLES! Will The American Nightmare have finished his story only for the next chapter to be cut short?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors VS Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill; win and
Randy Orton & Kevin Owens VS Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga w/ Paul Heyman; win.
WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat: Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; wins and
WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest VS Jey Uso; wins and
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes VS AJ Styles; wins and

PLAY BY PLAY

It’s the Backlash in France Kickoff Show!

The countdown to showtime is on! Join Jackie Redmond, Big E and CM Punk as they discuss, analyze and predict what happens at the first-ever Premium Live Event to ever air from France!

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (5/3/24)

C’est vendredi soir!

Published

16 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Steven Mitchell

Le Cauchemar Américain et Le Phénoménal!

That is to say, The American Nightmare and The Phenomenal One! Before Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles fight over the WWE Championship at Backlash, they have one last face-to-face to say whatever needs to be said!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

8 Woman Tag: Bayley, Naomi, Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill VS Tiffany Stratton & Damage CTRL; Bayley, Naomi, Bianca & Jade win.
The Authors of Pain w/ The Final Testament VS New Catch Republic; The AOP win.
LA Knight VS Angel Garza w/ Legado Del Fantasma; Knight wins.
WWE Tag Team Championships: A-Town Down Under VS The Street Profits; A-Town Down Under wins and retain the titles.

PLAY BY PLAY

8 Woman Tag: Bayley, Naomi, Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill VS Tiffany Stratton & Damage CTRL!

Lyon, France fires up for the Role Model as she joins forces with The #BIG3 against the Spoiled Rich Girl, as well as Dakota Kai, Asuka & Kairi Sane, all ahead of the big title matches at Backlash! WrestleMania saw Bayley, Naomi, Bianca & Jade all take down DMG CTRL, but will things be different now that they’re on #TiffyTime?

The teams sort out, and Naomi starts against the Pirate Princess. The fans sing for Bayley while Naomi and Kairi tie up. They go around, Naomi wrenches but Kairi DECKS her! Kairi drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up to get Kairi for a TWERK ATTACK! Naomi then kicks Kairi away, and the fans rally behind Naomi as she runs corner to corner, HYDRAULIC DROPKICK! And then ENZIGIRI! Naomi drags Kairi over, tags in Bianca, and Bianca slingshots in to handspring and MOONSAULT! The fans cheer, Bianca covers, TWO! Kairi survives but Bianca keeps on her. Bianca brings Kairi up, scoops, but Kairi kicks free!

Kairi whips but Bianca blocks! Bianca whips, catches Kairi and reels her in, to suplex! The fans cheer as she marches around, then SLAMS Kairi down! And kips up, too! Asuka runs up but is sent right back out! Bianca gets Kairi up, but Kairi URAKENS! Bianca wobbles, Bayley tags in! Bianca BOOTS Kairi but is upset Bayley tagged in. The fans want Bayley anyway, but Asuka drags Bianca out! Then Tiff tags in to attack the champ! SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! The fans rally behind Bayley but Tiff keeps her composure as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and fans rally for Bayley, but The Kabuki Warriors bring her up. Bayley fights the double suplex, fires off hands, then runs, but into an ELBOW! Kairi adds a SLIDING D, then Asuka adds a SLIDING KNEE! Cover, TWO! The fans cheer as Bayley stays in this, but Tiff tags in again. Tiff brings Bayley up to CLUB her, puts her on ropes, and CHOKES! The ref counts, the fans boo, but Tiff lets off at 4. Kairi has fun throwing up the double peace as Bayley flounders. Dakota tags in, she stomps a mudhole into Bayley, but Dakota tags Kairi. Kairi tags Asuka back in, then brings Bayley up.

Asuka climbs the corner, Kairi brings Bayley around, and sends her into Asuka’s HIPS! Asuka hops down to cover deep, TWO! Bayley is still in this but Tiff tags in again. Tiff brings Bayley up to whip her to a corner. Tiff runs corner to corner and handsprings in to BACK ELBOW! Tiff snapmares Bayley, runs, and cartwheels into an Alabama Lift, ALABAMA SLAM! High stack, Naomi breaks it! The fans fire up while Tiff is upset. Tiff frowns, stomps Bayley, then taunts the fans. But Bayley fires hands! Tiff CLUBS Bayley, stomps her, then sucker punches Jade! The fans boo but Tiff CLUBS Bayley, then sends Bayley into Naomi!

The fans boo more, but Bayley hits a SAIDO! Both Bayley and Tiff are down, and the fans are thunderous! Bayley and Bianca lock eyes, and are both conflicted being enemies for so long. But tonight is about common enemies, so Jade tags in! And she BOOTS Dakota! And grabs Asuka, for a CHOKE SLAM! Kairi runs up, ducks ‘n’ dodges, but Jade catches her for a BACKBREAKER! Jade tags Bianca and then she SPLASHES Dakota! Jade reels Dakota in, brings her up, and POWERBOMBS her down! Bianca then handsprings, gets a lift from Jade, DOMINATOR SPLASH COMBO! Cover, but Kairi breaks it!

Jade TOSSES Kairi out, but Asuka MISSILE DROPKICKS Jade down! Naomi runs up, gets around, BUBBA BOMB for Asuka! But TIFFY STOMPS get Naomi! But then BAYLEY2BELLY for Tiffy! Dakota SCORPION KICKS Bayley! Bianca torture racks Dakota for the KISS OF DEATH! Cover, Bianca’s team wins!

Winners: Bayley, Naomi, Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill, by pinfall

The fans cheer “OUI! OUI! OUI!” as the EST finishes this one off! Bianca & Jade are going strong into their tag title match, and Bayley will now have to turn around and treat Naomi as much of an enemy as she does Tiff. Will the Role Model hold onto the gold? Or will she #FeelTheGlow?

A-Town Down Under speaks.

Austin Theory tries French by saying, “Bonjour, France. You get a gift tonight. You get the greatest undefeated tag team champs in their first title defense.” Grayson Waller then asks, “What’s that smell?” They both sniff and Theory says that’s red wine. No, Waller isn’t smelling that. It’s strong. Theory takes in a bigger whiff, and says that’s cheese. Nah, that’s just how the audience smells. Waller realizes what it is: smoke! Because that’s what The Street Profits want, right? Well, ATDU will show The Profits that they ARE the smoke! Will Theory & Waller return to the US still holding onto the titles? Or will The Profits be up as they take the gold?

Backstage interview with Bianca & Jade.

SmackDown returns, and Kayla Braxton says after tonight’s great win out there, are they confident in their chances at taking the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships at Backlash? Jade says she and Bianca are always confident. Tomorrow night will be no different. And Bianca says with all this history against DMG CTRL, she is so ready for closure, for this to be done, because she is sick of talking about it! DMG CTRL has been coming at her for practically her entire career, and she’s ready for this to be over. We pan over to see Naomi and Bayley are here, too. Bianca says once they take the tag titles, she’ll be done with DMG CTRL for good. Hopefully.

Jade calms Bianca down and Bayley leaves. The EST apologizes for being the angriEST, but will that at least help her and Jade finally humble DMG CTRL once and for all?

Nick Aldis is with Carmelo Hayes backstage.

The SmackDown General Manager knows Melo belongs here on SmackDown after last week’s match with Cody Rhodes. Because two things Aldis asks of you on his brand: show up, and show out. Melo says thanks to “Slick Nick.” And despite what people are saying, Melo knows he almost beat Cody. Melo’s got momentum, he wants to keep it going, so he is declaring for the King of the Ring. Well, alright then. Aldis is sure they can talk about that. At the same time, here’s Bobby Lashley! Lashley says hey to Aldis and Melo, and congratulates Melo for being drafted to SmackDown. More importantly, congratulations on that impressive showing against Cody Rhodes.

And, now that they’re both on the same brand, if there’s anything Lashley can do for Melo, just call him. Melo says thanks, but he’s good. If you didn’t see last week, Melo’s a first round draft pick, went toe to toe with THE WWE Champion, he’s pretty much got it figured out. He appreciates the offer, though. Well, alright, big time. But Lashley will tell him that it’s not about the shots he shoots. It’s about making those shots count. Last week, Melo lost. Oh? Well when was the last time Lashley shot his shot? Melo looks to go but Lashley stops him. Here’s another piece of advice: be careful who you disrespect around here.

Lashley lets Melo exit, will the All Mighty have to teach HIM a lesson?

The Authors of Pain w/ The Final Testament VS New Catch Republic!

Akam & Rezar thought they were writing off The Big Strong Boi & Bruiserweight last week, but they only gave Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne motivation! New Catch Republic kept AOP from becoming NXT Tag Team Champions, will they also put a dent in their main roster plans? Or will this end up being the Final Chapter after all?

SmackDown returns and The AOP make their entrance. Akam and Dunne start, and Akam grabs Dunne by the neck! Akam SHOVES Dunne up and out, taunts him, then storms out, but into a GAMANGIRI! Dunne gets in to DROPKICK Akam, then DROPKICK again! And DROPKICK again! Akam stays up so Dunne runs up to HOVERBOARD KIMURA! Bate tags in and KICKS Akam! Then NCR fire off fast hands! The fans fire up, Bate goes corner to corner to UPPERCUT! Then again for another UPPERCUT! Bate keeps going, but Akam LARIATS him inside out! The fans boo but Akam tags in Rezar.

The AOP mug Bate, then shove Bate down. The fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” but Rezar talks trash on them in return. Rezar drags Bate up to suplex, but Bate throws knee after knee! Bate gets free, then he fires hands and UPPERCUTS! Bate reels Rezar in, but even he can’t suplex someone that big! Rezar fireman’s carries, so Bate slips around to a SLEEPER! Rezar goes to ropes, Dunne tags in and climbs up! Dunne FLYING STOMPS Rezar’s arms! Bate DROPKICKS Rezar out! Akam runs in but NCR DUMP him out! The fans fire up as Bate tags back in, then goes up top! Dunne sets up for Bate’s KNEE-BOARD SENTON!

The fans fire up as AOP goes down! Bate hauls Rezar up and into the ring, then springboards in to FLYING UPPERCUT! Rezar stays up so Bate runs, but into a pop-up! Rezar fireman’s carries Bate to CORNER DEATH VALLEY! Rezar roars, the Final Testament is fired up, but the fans boo and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns as Rezar looms over Bate. The fans rally up while Rezar brings Bate over. Tag to Akam, and the AOP hit a SIDEWALK SLAM LEG DROP COMBO! Cover, TWO! Kross is annoyed with the fans, but Akam dribbles Bate off the mat! Akam tags Rezar, the AOP mug Bate again, and then Rezar clamps on a BEARHUG! Bate endures the squeeze, even as Rezar thrashes him around! Bate fights up as the fans rally even harder! Bate wriggles free as he goes up and over to sunset flip, but Rezar YANKS Bate right up, only for Bate to DROPKICK! Rezar staggers back, Akam tags in and runs up on Bate!

Akam drags Bate away, but Bate fires hands! Akam keeps hold of an arm but Bate fires hands! “OUI! OUI! OUI!” Akam whips but Bate hits the REBOUNDER! The fans fire up as Bate crawls, hot tag to Dunne! The fans erupt as The Bruiserweight ENZIGIRIS Akam, GAMANGIRIS Rezar, then ENZIGIRIS Akam! Dunne STOMPS the hands then BUZZSAWS Akam down! Dunne fires up, the fans are with him, and he goes out to ASAI MOONSAULT Rezar down! Dunne runs back in, mule kicks and serves Akam SLICED BREAD! Cover, TWO! Dunne goes up top, MOONSAULT, but he lands on his feet as Akam dodges!

Dunne rolls through to tag Bate! Akam runs up, but Bop up, BANG! Dunne BOOTS, Bate fireman’s carries!! The fans are thunderous for the AIRPLANE SPIN!! Bate goes around and around and around with Akam, then THROWS him away! Bate kips up, tags Dunne, then STANDING SHOOTING STARS! Dunne roars before the SHINING WIZARD! Cover, Rezar breaks it! The fans are loving this, but then Rezar grabs both men by the necks! Only for both men to bend those fingers! And DOUBLE SNAP! Then NCR run to CLOBBER Rezar outta the ring! The fans fire up, Dunne runs but Scarlett stands in the way!

The fans boo the femme fatale, but Bate DIVES past her to take out Rezar! But then Kross gets Bate for an F5 to the floor! Dunne PLANCHAS Kross for it! Dunne gets back in, but Akam hits an URENAGE! Tag to Rezar, the AOP set Dunne up, DRAG THE LAKE! Cover, AOP wins!

Winners: The Authors of Pain, by pinfall

The entire Testament was needed, but they still take down New Catch Republic! These teams are going to Raw via the Draft, will the feud only get wilder from here?

Nick Aldis is visited by Paul Heyman.

The Wise Man asks if Aldis got his memo. Aldis did. And request denied. Heyman wants Aldis to pull Kevin Owens & Randy Orton out of the tag team match set for Backlash? Why? How about for the sake of Kevin Owens? Or for Randy Orton, or for SmackDown as a whole. Heyman says he has tried and tried with Aldis, but fine, leave them in the damn match. What happens to Kevin and Randy is no longer on Heyman’s conscious. It is all on Aldis now. Good night. Heyman storms off, but Aldis asks if that’s by orders of The Tribal Chief. Heyman turns back around to say that’s not funny. Well, Aldis just knows that all communication with Roman Reigns goes through Heyman.

So, is Heyman in charge or not? Heyman says there is a difference between being in charge, and being in control. Heyman has not spoken to Roman since WrestleMania. Heyman then realizes he shouldn’t have admitted that, and Aldis asks him to repeat it. Has Heyman really not spoken to him since Mania? So when “Roman Reigns” pulled Roman Reigns from The WWE Draft, who really did it? Heyman says it wasn’t Roman who withdrew from the Draft. Heyman withdrew Roman from the Draft. But please understand what is going on here. Heyman had no choice. He cannot subject Roman to the chaos going on within The Bloodline right now.

And Aldis cannot subject Kevin & Randy to what will happen to them at the hands of The Bloodline tomorrow night. Aldis says if Heyman can take it on himself to pull Roman out of the Draft, then try pulling Kevin & Randy outta this match. Even right now, on the R-KO Show. Aldis wishes Heyman luck, Heyman storms off completely this time, but just what is going on with The Bloodline?

It’s time for the R-KO Show!

The fans fire up as Randy Orton makes his way out to the ring, sporting the new R-KO shirt! Then Kevin Owens makes his entrance, wearing a matching R-KO shirt. Kevin has the mic, and in French, he welcomes them to the R-Kah-Oh. Then he explains to Orton that is how you would say “K” in French. The fans cheer, and Kevin says good evening, welcome to THE R K O Show! They sit in the armchairs, and Randy says normally, Kevin would have to talk him into something like this. But it didn’t really, because the fans here are so AMAZING! The fans cheer again, and chant for “RANDY! RANDY!”

And Randy says y’know what else didn’t take much convincing? Him and Kevin teaming up for Backlash to kick The Bloodline’s asses! Kevin says yeah, before that, he has a concern about their “guests” tonight. At first, Kevin didn’t want a guest, he just wanted to give France a good, fun episode. But after getting some calls from a number he didn’t want to answer, it was someone he didn’t wanna talk to. But Wednesday, 4 AM, Kevin was worn down, and that is when Paul Heyman asked to be a guest. The fans boo and Kevin said that’s how he felt. But Heyman said he had something very important to tell them so… Why not bring him out?

Oh, does Randy wanna introduce him? The fans cheer but Randy says not really. But he’ll introduce Heyman to the three most dangerous letter in sports entertainment: R K O. Nice. But then Heyman introduces himself to the “ladies and gentlemen” here. The fans fire up for “E C DUB!” as Heyman continues by saying he IS Paul Heyman. The fans know it so well, they say it with him. Heyman says he is a WWE Hall of Famer, the bon vivant, blah blah blah, and without question, Heyman is WWE’s undisputed Wise Man. The fans cheer that. And so therefore, tonight, Heyman comes out here with respect, with admiration, and of course, with wisdom.

Heyman steps inside, but Kevin tells Randy that he can’t just RKO him. Heyman gets worried, and Randy says no, he’s an outta nowhere kinda guy. Heyman steps back out while the fans chant “R K O! R K O!” Heyman says ladies and gentlemen, there will be NO RKOs this evening! The fans boo, and Randy begs to differ. Kevin says he’s never met a man who says so much but yet says so little. Heyman, what do you wanna tell them? Heyman understands why they doubt a man who has very little conscience. The fans chant “We Want Roman!” Heyman says more than you’ll ever know, he wants Roman back, too.

But Heyman came out here for a simple reason: he has great respect for Randy, and for Kevin. When they stepped into the ring with Roman, to was competition, there was a title, and Heyman understood just as they do, that Roman had to do what he had to do! But the rules with Solo Sikoa are a whole lot different. Do yourselves and SmackDown and WWE and the fans, and each of their families a favor, back out of the match. Randy says the absolutely biggest trash is trying to tell him and his partner not to take a match? Heyman is not in position to give advice when everything around him is falling apart.

In fact, that begs the question, Heyman. Who exactly is the real Tribal Chief now? Heyman sweats this question, and he is sure the whole world knows… There is only one Tribal Chief. SOLO SIKOA & TAMA TONGA ATTACK!! They throw the R-KO set away, but then Kevin and Randy fight back! The fans fire up as we get a preview of tomorrow, and things spill out o f the ring! Security and producers rush out, but the fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!” But then Randy TOSSES security, and gives on a DESK BACK SUPLEX! Kevin goes up to CANNONBALL Solo, Tama and everyone else!!

The fans are thunderous as Team R-KO get in the ring and throw stuff at Solo! The Bloodline retreats, but will they have the final say tomorrow at Backlash?

The Street Profits react.

And DAAAAANG! That was wild! But what’s also wild is A-Town Down Under think they know French. Ford says they’ve been practicing French themselves. Triple Crown that always puts it down, the Profits, oui oui! And tonight, they’re gonna take on Waller & Theory here in Lyon, France! Oui oui! And tonight, they are gonna become the NEW WWE Tag Team Champions! OUI OUI!! Then that’s how you do it! The Profits are up, and we want the smoke!

LA Knight VS Angel Garza w/ Legado Del Fantasma!

The Mega Star is also here to say OUI! But will we instead have to say “Si” as Garza represents for his familia? Or will that be a NON NON as Knight humbles the wannabe Lothario?

SmackDown returns as Legado makes their entrance. We get a QR code blink in, then the bell rings. The fans rally for Knight as he and Garza circle. They tie up, Knight headlocks, but Garza powers up and out. Knight runs Garza over and the fans cheer! Knight tells Garza, “YEAH!” Garza gets up, he and Knight circle again, and they tie up. Garza kicks low, CLUBS away on Knight, then mocks the ‘YEAH!” The fans boo but Garza ROCKS and UPPERCUTS! Garza whips corner to corner, but Knight comes back to LARIAT! Knight whips but Garza reverses, only for Knight to hit a SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Knight scrapes Garza outta the ring nthen pursues.

Garza swings but Knight fires counter punches! Knight SMACKS Garza off the apron again and again, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight then brings Garza around for one more SMACK! Garza sputters, Knight puts him in the ring, then he tells off Humberto. Garza runs up, Knight dodges to clothesline Garza up and out! The fans fire up as Knight builds speed, to WRECK Garza with a dropkick! The fans fire up with Knight again and he brings Garza back up. Knight puts Garza in, fires more haymakers, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight bumps Garza off buckles, “YEAH!” then whips corner to corner! Knight clotheslines, but he has to watch out for Legado.

Knight then reels Garza in for a BIG suplex! Cover, ONE!! Garza is toughing it out but Knight keeps cool as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again as now Garza CHOPS Knight in a corner! Knight CHOPS back! And CHOPS, and HAYMAKERs, repeat! Knight whips Garza to a corner, but Humberto gets on the apron! Knight takes a swing, Humberto gets away, and Garza storms up to HEADBUTT! Garza stomps Knight, mocks the spelling of the name, then whips. Knight ducks ‘n’ dodges to LEAPING LARIAT! The fans fire up again and Knight stomps a mudhole in, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight goes corner to corner to KNEE Garza down! Knight reels Garza in to whip and scoop, then POWERSLAM! Then he runs to drop the ELBOW!

Knight fires up and the fans are with him! Knight waits on Garza to get up, but Humberto gets back on the apron! Knight DECKS Humberto this time, but Garza rolls him up! TWO!! Knight escapes, spins Garza, B F T! Cover, Knight wins!

Winner: LA Knight, by pinfall

Santos has Humberto stand down, Knight already got the better of them. And then Knight gets a mic! The fans cheer him on, and he says, “LEMME TALK TO YA!” Knight says all around the world, it’s the same song. Another SmackDown, another dummy dropped on his head, three the hard way, YEAH! “YEAH!” Now, if Knight wanted to be cliche, he’d say this is his ring, right? “YEAH!” But nah nah, he wont’ do that. Instead of saying it, NAH NAH! He will MAKE this his ring. And what does he mean? He means he is now entered in the King of the Ring! Santos has a mic now to stop Knight there.

Santos says it is impressive that Knight just keeps talking and talking. The fans tell Santos “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” Santos says he’ll show who sucks! Knight keeps running his mouth, now he wants to be King of the Ring. But while Knight will be busy running his mouth, Santos will be busy winning. Knight says sorry, he couldn’t hear anything Santos said while the fans were saying Santos sucks. The fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” again, but Knight is pretty sure Santos said Knight talks too much. Should Knight keep on talking, Lyon? “YEAH!” That’s what Knight thought! Because when Knight stops talking, that’s when Santos gets stomped out!

And while Santos is down, he’ll think to himself, “My god, what was I just doing? I know whose game it is!” And before anyone else tells him, he’ll hear it the whole damn world saying, “L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!!” Mic drop! The tournament is coming, will the Knight rise up to be a king? Or will we have to change the name to The Emperor of the Ring?

Backstage interview with Carlito.

Byron Saxton is with Caribbean Cool, and asks the same question everyone else is: Why did he attack Dragon Lee? Carlito says he’d been away from the WWE for many years. And all he wanted was to have a WrestleMania moment with his familia, The LWO. So when Rey challenged Dom & Santos, Carlito thought Rey would make the right choice and choose Carlito. But instead, Rey chose Dragon Lee. Someone who’s been here what? Five minutes? That’s not cool. So Carlito took matters into his own hands. It wasn’t personal, Dragon. But it would’ve worked out if not- DRAGON ATTACKS CARLITO!!

The refs and producers rush in, Rey stops Dragon, but it is clear Boy Wonder wants vengeance! Will he get it as the LWO and Carlito move over to Monday Night Raw?

WWE Tag Team Championships: A-Town Down Under VS The Street Profits!

Grayson Waller & Austin Theory already had massive egos, but those egos only inflated exponentially after being one of the teams to win at WrestleMania. Will they only get more and more arrogant with every day they’re still champions? Or will those egos be deflated as Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins go for gold?

SmackDown returns as ATDU makes their entrance. The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see which team is truly championship material!

The teams sort out and then Waller sucker punches Ford! Theory gets in, he will be the legal man against Dawkins! Theory fires hands, then stomps Dawkins into the corner. The ref counts, Theory tags Waller, and they mug Dawkins. Waller stalks Dawkins to a corner, wrenches and whips, but Dawkins hurdle and FLYING UPPERCUT! Dawkins tags Ford, whips Waller, and Ford DROPKICKS! They taunt Theory, Theory runs in but into a DOUBLE DROPKICK! Ford says “OUI~” but Waller sucker punches him again! Ford gets Waller in a clinch, ROCK BOTTOM! Dawkins tags in and goes up, for a SWANTON BOMB!

Theory drags Waller outta the ring to save him, but Dawkins tags Ford. Ford builds speed, “OUI OUI!” and he FLIES! Direct hit on ATDU and the fans are thunderous! Ford then fetches Waller into the ring, tags Dawkins in, and they get Waller up for a DOUBLE BACK SUPLEX! “Oui oui!” The fans cheer, “OUI! OUI! OUI!” Dawkins puts Waller in a corner, whips him corner to corner, then CYCLONE SPLASHES! Then ENZIGIRI! Dawkins brings Waller to a cover, TWO! The fans cheer, Dawkins looms over Waller, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Theory tags in, only for Ford to rally on him and Waller! Ford ducks ‘n ‘dodges then LARIATS Theory down! The fans fire up as Ford runs at Theory in a corner, but Theory puts him on the apron. Ford GAMANGIRIS, then springboards to FLYING ELBOW! The fans fire up, Theory staggers around, into a BIG back suplex! Ford kips up and the fans fire up again! Ford raises the roof, then STANDING MOONSAULTS! Cover, TWO! Theory stays in this but the fans are still loudly behind the Profits. Tag to Dawkins, he and Ford get Theory up for another DOUBLE BACK SUPLEX, only for Theory to land out!

Waller tags in, Theory DECKS Dawkins, but Ford ENZIGIRIS Theory! Waller is up top, but Ford sees him! Waller tightrope walks, Ford dodges his leap, but that lets Waller go COAST2COAST on Dawkins! Waller drags Dawkins to a cover, Theory keeps Ford out, TWO!! Dawkins survives on his own but Theory throws Ford to the floor! Theory goes to his corner, reaches out, and gets the hot tag! Theory talks trash on France, then slingshots in to somersault, into a POUNCE!! Dawkins sees Waller somersault in, into a SKY HIGH! Tag to Ford, and Dawkins gets Theory in an Electric Chair Lift! DOOMSDAY BLOCKBUSTER!! Cover, TWO!!

Theory shocks everyone as he survives, but he and Ford are both down. The fans are thunderous all the same, and Ford tags Dawkins. The Profits mug Theory, then Dawkins fireman’s carries. Ford goes up, but Theory claws Dawkins’ face! Theory trips Ford, but Dawkins ROCKS Theory! Dawkins waistlocks and O’Conner Rolls, but the ref is checking Ford! Waller SOMERSAULT FLATLINERS! Theory covers, the ref sees that, A-Town Down Under wins!!

Winners: A-Town Down Under, by pinfall (still WWE Tag Team Champions)

Theory & Waller found a way to snatch this one away, leaving The Profits without their prize. Will Ford & Dawkins just have to work that much harder to get back to a title shot?

AJ Styles is here!

Lyon fires up for the Phenomenal One as he heads to the ring, ready for a final face-to-face with Cody Rhodes before they battle over the title. Will both men keep it civil this close to Backlash? We find out, after the break.

SmackDown returns once again, and now The American Nightmare makes his entrance. The fans fire up again, and they sing along with Cody’s song, “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro, continues to the ring, and the fans continue to sing. Cody gives the title a kiss before he steps in the ring and holds it up for everyone to see. Cody then gets a mic, the song fades out, and the fans cheer Cody on. Cody then asks Lyon, in French, what they wanna talk about. The fans chant “OUI! OUI! OUI!” and Styles says he doesn’t care what the fans want, Cody’s in the ring with The Phenomenal One. The fans taunt Styles with a song and everyone joins in!

Cody holds up the belt and the fans cheer again! Styles says it’s almost like Cody isn’t focused. Cody’s focused on all the energy, and not what he should be focused on. Cody tells Styles that if Styles wants his full focus, he absolutely has Cody’s attention. From one Georgia boy to another, from one Dawgs fan to another, c’mon now! Cody broke into the industry in Georgia, he grew up watching Styles! Styles stops Cody there. He doesn’t need that crap! That “You’re my hero!” crap. No, Styles may be older than Cody, but he’s still in his prime. Cody asks who is saying otherwise. Styles says Cody didn’t have to say it, we knew what he meant.

But here’s the problem with Cody. The fans “WHAT?” and Styles figured they’d do that. These are the most disrespectful fans! That’s why nobody comes to Lyon! The fans boo Styles, but Styles says he and Cody were never on the same path. Cody had a path laid out for him. Because everyone wanted the Son of the American Dream! And that included the WWE. The WWE welcomed Cody with open arms. The fans sing “CODY~, CODY CODY CODY~! CODY~, CODY~!” Styles says Cody loved it here in the WWE, until things got rough and he couldn’t handle it. The fans boo but Cody just smirks at that.

Styles says Cody packed his bags and left WWE, his own decision. One Styles never got to make. Styles was kept from the WWE for YEARS! And when he finally made it here, Styles wasn’t welcomed with open arms like Cody. Styles had to prove himself, make his way to the top, and he did, all by himself. The fans do applaud that because that is true. Styles says, “Unlike you, who had Hall of Famers and Legends watching your back at WrestleMania so you could ‘finish your story.’ That’s great. A bunch of guys I’ve beaten before!” Styles beat them all the same way he’ll beat Cody tomorrow night at Backlash.

The fans boo more but Styles says he will climb his way to the top again, and remind Cody and everyone else, that he IS Phenomenal! The fans have another sing to taunt Styles with and it gets everyone fired up! Cody asks Styles who he’s trying to convince. Certainly not Cody, as Cody knows Styles is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. The modern day Bret Hart, reputation unmatched! But don’t disparage Cody just to build yourself up. Cody’s sacrifices, mistakes, he endured, and there were many, all to stand here THE WWE Champion! The fans cheer that because it’s also true! And Cody points out that his very first title defense just so happens to be Styles!

Some call it a dream match, and Styles will always be Phenomenal! The fans sing again, but Cody tells Styles he isn’t looking at Styles as “phenomenal,” but as his first of many. And that itself is just too sweet. The fans cheer and throw it up, and so do Cody and Styles. But then Styles SLAPS Cody! Cody manages to smile through that, but Styles storms off. This dream match will surely be phenomenal, but will Cody make it through? Or will SmackDown once again be the House that AJ Styles Built?

Wait, there’s a brawl going on backstage!

The Bloodline has found Randy Orton & Kevin Owens again!! They’re all brawling it out while refs and security shout! Solo sends Orton into a cart, then takes aim with a chair! Orton dodges the chair shot, throws more hands, then Kevin gets his shots in! Orton JAMS Solo with the chair, SMACKS him down, and Kevin goes back after Tama! Are these teams going to tear each other apart until there’s nothing left but the blood, sweat and tears?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown here, especially as a go-home to Backlash. There were some recap packages here and there, but many were in response to the Draft moves and similar stories. Very good promo from Carlito and then attack by Dragon Lee to hype up their feud going forward. Also a very good promo from Melo with Aldis and Lashley. Melo’s ego is gonna get him in trouble, but would not have thought this would be Melo’s first feud. And great promo from Heyman with Aldis to reveal that detail about Roman being radio silent for the last month. It really adds to how Solo Sikoa’s been able to do what he wants while Roman’s been gone.

As such, great “R-KO Show” segment with Heyman as the guest and then the sudden attack by Solo & Tama. The camera framing really helped add to the ambush, and then the brawling reigniting at the very end of the show was a great detail. Both brawl segments went Team R-KO’s way, so I would think The Bloodline finds their way to win. Perhaps the WWE debut of Jacob Fatu? Great 8 Woman Tag to open the night, with a great moment of Bianca and Bayley unsure about working together. But in the end, the Faces win, making me wonder if there will be shenanigans keeping the tag titles on Kabuki Warriors. That promo from Bianca after could be part of it, where her obsession in getting past DMG CTRL costs her and Jade.

Great match from AOP VS NCR, but I should’ve figured the Final Testament would help AOP win. This would’ve worked as a blowoff match if one team was staying on SmackDown but they’re both moving to Raw this Monday, so maybe NCR can get some reinforcements? Really good match from Knight VS Garza though it certainly felt one-sided on the way to Knight winning. Knight and Santos both getting in the King of the Ring tournament is good stuff, those brackets will apparently come out next Monday, and I’m sure both Knight and Santos will have a strong showing. The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments are gonna have to move fast, though, with the finals in Arabia on the 25th.

Good promo from A-Town Down Under and great promo from The Profits ahead of their title match, but the champs retaining the titles make sense. This may have been a special episode in France, but it was still “free TV” so there weren’t going to be new champs so soon after WrestleMania and the new belt designs being introduced. And speaking of this being in France, the crowd was fired up all night, they’ve clearly been hungry for some meaningful WWE content. Cody and Styles almost couldn’t get through their face-to-face with how fired up the fans were to see them both.

Cody and Styles still had really good promos, and Styles with the slap after Cody references Bullet Club was some good stuff. It isn’t just kayfabe and catchphrases that they’re gonna have a great match, but outside of a shoot injury or complete botch, Cody’s definitely retaining the title.