Throwback Week at Fox means SmackDown is going old school!

It’s a Throwback SmackDown, and Cesaro won’t be denied~! Will the Swiss Cyborg swing Seth Rollins then make Roman Reigns acknowledge him?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Cesaro VS Seth Rollins; Cesaro wins and will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania Backlash.
• Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan VS Carmella; Carmella wins.
• Rey Mysterio w/ Dominik Mysterio VS Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode; changed to…
• Dominik Mysterio w/ Rey Mysterio VS Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode; Dominik wins.
• Reginald w/ Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler VS Tamina w/ Natalya; Tamina wins, by disqualification.
• 10 Man Tag: Big E, Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura & The Street Profits VS Sami Zayn, King Corbin, The Alpha Academy & Apollo Crews w/ Commander Azeez; Team Apollo wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

“The Premier Show. The Rock’s Show, the People’s Show.”

This is #ThrowBackSmackDown! The fist is back, as just CG. But we go all the way back to August 26, 1999 for SmackDown’s first ever main event: The Rock VS Triple H, Shawn Michaels as special guest referee that screwed The Rock over! What a start for a series that has continued for 1133 consecutive weeks!

Roman Reigns heads to the ring!

The original episode closed with a champion, this week opens with a champion! Paul Heyman holds onto the Universal Championship for Roman as they and Jey Uso walk out. And after they finally get into the ring, Heyman fetches a mic to say, “Ladies and gentlemen, your Tribal Chief has asked me to eulogize the career of his victim, Daniel Bryan. And we shall do so with a 10 bell salute.” Heyman doesn’t need the timekeeper’s help, either, because they can do it themselves. Heyman himself says, “DING!” ten times and it amuses Roman. Heyman then hands the mic to Roman and Roman takes a moment to hear the fans booing from their ThunderDome screens.

“Unlike Daniel Bryan, I’m a man of my word. I did what I said I was gonna do: I put everything on my back and I carried it.” And for that, you should acknowledge Roman, thank him and celebrate him. He always gives us what we want. He gave Fox what they wanted, SmackDown what they wanted, and Daniel Bryan what he wanted. Bryan didn’t want to be here anymore, so Roman smashed him, pinned him and got rid of him! If Bryan wanted to be here, it was simple: ACKNOWLEDGE Roman. Bryan couldn’t, so he’s gone. And with him gone, he’s been replaced with someone who most certainly will acknowledge Roman. Roman looks to the ramp, and here comes Jimmy Uso!

Jimmy is back and Jey is happiest of all to have his twin brother back! Jimmy gets in the ring, hugs his brother, and fans are torn. Jimmy looks to Roman, they shake hands and hug it out, and Jimmy even shakes Heyman’s hand. The Bloodline is stronger than ever, but here comes Cesaro! “Hold on, hold on. Did I just hear you right? Did you just say that you replaced Daniel Bryan?” Cesaro hates to break it to them but he speaks for everyone that you cannot and can NEVER replace Bryan! No offense, Uso. But Cesaro has no time for this tonight. he has Seth Rollins to focus on, and that’s- Rollins attacks now! They brawl down the ramp, Cesaro EuroUppers but Rollins clubs back!

Referees rush in, and officials, and… is that Teddy Long?! Now THIS is a throwback! Teddy tells everyone to hold on, and says with the power that has been granted to him by the WWE’s Adam Pearce, Teddy proclaims that if Cesaro beats Rollins tonight, he WILL get a Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns at #WrestleManiaBacklash! HOLLA HOLLA! Rollins is furious, Roman is shocked, but Roman attacks Cesaro! Rollins throws Cesaro into steel steps! Rollins wants the “tough guy” to do something, and then he gets Cesaro up to put him in the ring. Rollins throws hands, stomps away, but the refs try to stop him! The stakes have been raised, and we’ll see how it goes, after the break!

Cesaro VS Seth Rollins!

SmackDown returns and the Swiss Cyborg is so close to a title opportunity! But can he punch his golden ticket to “WrestleMania Backlash” in this WrestleMania rematch?

The bell rings, the Usos are ringside watching as Rollins fires off on Cesaro! The ref backs him off, but Rollins comes right back to stomp Cesaro down! Rollins lets off again to run and SLINGBLADE! Cover, TWO! Rollins goes outside to aim from the apron, and he climbs up to leap, FLYING KNEE! Cover, TWO! Rollins is frustrated but Cesaro crawls to ropes. Rollins drags Cesaro up to throw him outside, and then follows out. The Usos say they’re just watching, and Rollins RAMS Cesaro into the apron, then the barriers, repeat! Rollins puts Cesaro in, covers, TWO! Roman is watching from his private suite, Heyman by his side, as Rollins seethes.

Rollins stalks Cesaro, the Usos cheer him on, and Rollins gets Cesaro up for forearms. Cesaro hits back with EuroUppers then body shots! Rollins knees low, runs, Cesaro trophy lifts! Rollins slips out and kicks a bad leg! Rollins SMACKS Cesaro off the mat, covers, TWO! Rollins fumes while Cesaro shakes out the cobwebs. Rollins gets Cesaro up, underhooks and squeezes tight on a facelock. Cesaro resists as Rollins goes for the double underhook, but Rollins shifts to a suplex. Cesaro fights that off to suplex Rollins up instead! Rollins fights but Cesaro holds on to SLAM Rollins down! Cesaro starts to fire up and he fires off EuroUppers!

Cesaro whips Rollins to a corner, runs in and uppercuts! Another whip, another uppercut! Cesaro keeps moving, DISCUS! Cover, TWO! Rollins survives and gets to ropes but Cesaro follows behind. Cesaro calls for it, and trips Rollins up, but Rollins twists! Cesaro sits on the body scissors, TWO! Cesaro gets the Gotch hold but Rollins back drops! Cesaro sunset flips, TWO! Cesaro gets the legs, Rollins gets to ropes! Cesaro YANKS Rollins up, Rollins back drops Cesaro to the apron but Cesaro DECKS him! Cesaro climbs, Jey distracts! Rollins springs right up, SUPERPLEX! Roll through, to the FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO! Cesaro survives and the fans rally up!

Rollins looks around, the Usos are pacing, and Cesaro gets to a corner, as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again Cesaro wants the Sharpshooter! Rollins resists so Cesaro DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, TWO and Rollins has a cover! TWO, and Cesaro gets the SHARPSHOOTER! Rollins endures, flails, reaches, claws his way over, but Cesaro reaches back to get the arm! Crossface! Rollins rolls, turns and DREAM SMASHER ELBOWS! Cesaro wobbles, Rollins runs, but Cesaro ducks the stomp, to get the BOOMERANG! Cover, TWO! Rollins is frustrated but he aims from a corner. Rollins runs but Cesaro scoops him! Rollins fights but he still gets TOSSED to the top buckle! Cesaro climbs up, gut wrenches but Rollins slips through to BUCKLE BOMB Cesaro! Cesaro comes back to LARIAT?!

Both men are down, fans are fired up and the Usos are pacing again. Cesaro rises, Rollins JABS but Cesaro JABS back! Rollins throws a haymaker, Cesaro throws body shots! Cesaro fires off EuroUpper after EuroUpper! Rollins baits Cesaro in to monkey flip him OUT of the ring! The Usos creep over, Jimmy distracts the ref but Rollins tells Jey no. “I’m not Roman, I don’t need your help!” Rollins wants to do this himself, surprisingly, and then he shoves Jey down! Jimmy asks Rollins what the heck, but then Cesaro distracts the ref, Jimmy SUPERKICKS Rollins!! Cesaro PLANCHAS Jimmy! Cesaro gets Rollins up and in, spins around and Gotch hold, NEUTRALIZER!! Cover, Cesaro wins!!

Winner: Cesaro, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the WWE Universal Championship)

The Usos tried to help, but they ended up helping the Swiss Cyborg! Will Roman have something to say to Jimmy & Jey about this?

Rollins talks with Roman backstage.

These two have been through a lot together so Rollins didn’t want to have to come in here and talk to Roman like this, “but that son of a bitch, Jimmy” cost Rollins the match! And Rollins wants to hear at Roman if he should be pissed at Jimmy, or at Roman. Roman gets where Rollins is coming from, but he wants Rollins to understand where Roman’s coming from. Yes, Jimmy screwed Rollins over. But Rollins losing screws Roman over, and now Roman has to deal with Rollins’ loose ends in Cesaro. Roman will handle Cesaro because that’s what he does. But Rollins needs to let Roman handle his family. Fine. They’re cool, Roman can handle Jimmy. And if he doesn’t, Rollins will.

Another classic SmackDown moment: December 13, 2001!

Booker T was at a supermarket when STONE COLD attacked him in the produce section! They brawled all over, made a mess, and Stone Cold Steve Austin got a “price check on a jackass.”

Teddy Long talks with Sonya Deville backstage.

The former SmackDown General Manager thanks Sonya for having him here tonight. And he loved that crooked stipulation, that was genius! Sonya says that when she heard Adam Pearce wasn’t going to be here, she feared running the show alone. But then hearing she’d be working with a WWE Hall of Famer, well she’s got his back. Sami Zayn comes in and says this is perfect! It is refreshing to see someone from “outside the establishment” working here again. Now, Teddy’s been gone a long time so he probably isn’t up to speed, but there is a massive conspiracy against Sami. He has a whole documentary, but he knows Teddy isn’t in on it so maybe Teddy can give him the match he needs for his Intercontinental Championship.

Teddy has a better one! Sami goes 1v1 with The Undertaker! That’s not better, Taker retired. Right, sorry. Forget that one. Then it will be a tag team match with Apollo Crews! Well no Sami doesn’t want that, because Apollo is the champion and his commander, Azeez, hurt his throat. Well he’s gonna need all the help he can get because their opponents are Kevin Owens and Big E, the Street Profits and Shinsuke Nakamura! That’s 5v2! Nope, 10 Man! Well who else does Sami have? The Alpha Academy, Otis and Chad Gable! Oh, and King Booker! Um no, King Corbin! That’s what Teddy said.

Now Teddy also knows Sami has cool dance moves, but try The Teddy out! Rock it with your hands now! Sami storms off, will he and the mish-mash he’s being thrown into succeed at all tonight?

The Usos and Roman talk backstage.

Roman says Jimmy is here for one hour, as a favor to him, with the spotlight and everything, and what happens? Jimmy screws up! He had time to get this right, Roman changed the whole game for Jimmy, and he misses. Now what does Roman do? Clean up the mess, treat Jimmy like a baby. They had a good thing going but Jimmy is making mistakes. Does Jimmy understand? Jimmy says Roman isn’t gonna talk to him like he does Jey. Second, Jimmy ain’t nobody’s bitch. Jimmy heads out, will Jey be the one to get him to fall in line?

Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan VS Carmella!

The Tag Team Turmoil didn’t work out for these three but there’s always the SmackDown Women’s Championship! With Bianca Belair and Bayley battling at Backlash, who will be right behind them?

The bell rings, Mell and Ruby tie up, Mella pulls hair but Ruby turns things around to put Mella in a corner. Ruby lets off but Mella shoves her! Mella dodges, does a moonwalk, but Ruby headlocks. Mella powers out but Ruby runs her over! Things speed up, Ruby mule kicks and suplexes but Mella slips out to throw Ruby by her hair! Mella drags Ruby up, talks trash to Liv and throws body shots! Mella CLUBS Ruby down, drags her up and whips her at a corner. Ruby stops herself, Mella runs in, but into DEADLY NIGHTSHADE! Ruby fires off forearms on Mella, cranks the arm, then reels Mella in for an STO! Cover, TWO!

Ruby drags Mella to a drop zone, goes up top, but Mella KICKS a hand! Mella tucks Ruby in, CHEEKY NANDOS! Cover, with the ropes! Liv points it out, the ref stops, and Mella BOOTS Liv down! Ruby rolls Mella, TWO! Mella ghost pins, TOW! Ruby jackknifes, TWO! Mella has the CODE OF SILENCE!! Ruby taps, Mella wins!

Winner: Carmella, by submission

Mella is Money and she is UNTOUCHABLE! But will she be seen as #1 contender after Bianca and Bayley run it back?

SmackDown shares another classic moment!

It was July 4th, 2002, and the future Rated R Superstar teamed with the Immortal Hulk Hogan! They became WWF Tag Team Champions that night, and that was the beginning of Edge’s legacy!

And then another moment on June 12, 2003! The Next Big Thing, Brock Lesnar was facing THE Big Show, had him on the top rope, and had the most infamous SUPERPLEX ever! It broke the ring!!

Bayley is here!

The longest reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion in history says it wouldn’t be a proper throwback without her! Bayley goes to the ring, and will celebrate the women’s champions of WWE, after the break!

SmackDown returns and Bayley has a mic to say, “To be in a WWE ring, you have to be a superstar. Not that I expect you sheep to understand that, but just because you’re a superstar, that doesn’t mean that it makes you a great champion.” Bayley knows what she’s talking about as the longest reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion at 380 days! But don’t worry, she isn’t here to talk about herself. She’s here to pay tribute to fellow women’s champions. The ones that led us with smiles on our faces when they won, the ones that put their bodies on the line for entertaining us.

First, we have Alundra Blayze, who isn’t as good as Bayley but did hold the WWF Women’s Championship for three YEARS. Then, Jacqueline, the first ever African American WWE Cruiserweight Champion and only woman to hold that, on top of two women’s championship reigns. Not as great as Bayley’s, she had 380 consecutive days. But then there’s Bayley’s childhood heroes, Lita and Trish Stratus! And don’t forget the classic, Ivory! The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix! And the latest Hall of Fame inductee, Molly Holly! Last, and certainly not least, our newest champion, Bianca Belair! Look at that smile! So giddy and happy, full of potential, and so, so naïve.

Bayley says Bianca is so blind to the world around her! Bianca has no idea what’s coming,. If she’s not careful, she’ll end up like all the rest: “NOT on Bayley’s Level!” Bayley is just looking out for Bianca. But Bayley tells us what she sees when she looks into Bianca’s eyes: insecurity! Bayley won’t just be the first challenger, she’ll be the LAST challenger! At Backlash, Bayley beats Bianca and finally shows us that she was right all along! But speaking of, Bianca is here! The newEST SmackDown Women’s Champion joins Bayley and gets herself a mic, and says Bayley just can’t let her be, can she? Like it or not, Bianca is living her best life, and is only going to make it better at Backlash.

And insecure? Girl, uh-uh. But to keep it 100, Bianca’s confidence is what bothers Bayley and empowers Bianca’s fans. So thanks for the “concern” but maybe Bayley should worry about herself. Because Bianca is on her way to becoming the new longest reigning women’s champion! And if at Backlash, Bianca is doing anything other than winning- Bayley busts up laughing! Bayley’s been doing this lately, and then she goes for a takedown! Bianca throws her away and then dares her to come back! Bianca RAMS into Bayley in the corner and stomps her down! Bianca TOSSES Bayley across the way, finally takes the belt off, and then dropkicks Bayley down, to kip right back up!

Bianca takes off the earrings but Bayley kicks low, and pulls on the other one!! Bayley throws Bianca into buckles by her ear! Bayley drags Bianca back up, pulls on the earring, and shouts, “Listening now?!” Bayley stands on Bianca’s ponytail, then stomps Bianca’s arms! Bayley reels Bianca in for the ROSE PLANTER! Bayley had her laugh and had her way, but will Bianca have the last laugh after Backlash?

Jey finds Jimmy backstage.

Did Jimmy mean all that? About Roman talking down on Jey and Jey being Roman’s bitch? Bro, that’s exactly what’s going on here! What happened, Jey? The Usos are the best tag team here, and it was just about them! But Roman’s the family! Roman benefits the family! No, whatever the family does benefits Roman! Jimmy being gone all year, he saw Jey fighting all of Roman’s battles for him! Jey’s the reason Roman is champion! But Roman IS the champion. They’re stronger together! Well check this, Uce. Roman is Head of the Table, but he takes care of himself. If Jey went to Roman right now, and if he asked if Roman needed Jey, Roman would say NO! Jimmy needs Jey! And Jey needs Jimmy.

If they want to talk family, picture this: Roman Reigns as Universal Champion. Jimmy & Main Event Jey, tag team champions! THAT is representing the family, Uce. Who will Jey listen to? The brother on his right shoulder? Or the Tribal Chief on his left?

Another classic moment: June 27, 2002.

Kurt Angle issued an open challenge, and was met by a newcomer. Who was this? JOHN CENA! And what is the one quality that he possesses that allows him to be in the WWE? RUTHLESS AGGRESSION!! Cena impressed a lot of people, but especially WWE Champion, The Undertaker!

Rey Mysterio w/ Dominik Mysterio VS Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode!

The Father and Son of Lucha are getting their chance at history at Backlash as they challenge the Dirty Dawgs for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships! But will the Show-Off shutdown the Mysterios’ momentum the same day that news was announced?

SmackDown returns as the tag champs make their entrance. Ziggler has a mic to speak, and he says “This is Throwback SmackDown, baby!” No two throwbacks better than the Dawgs! But they could be big in any era. But Ziggler says he and Rey could go toe to toe all night long. Dom doesn’t belong. At least each of the Kardashians had something. Dom is a legacy but he doesn’t belong in the ring, the company or the industry. He’s just Rey’s little kid. So get out of Ziggler’s ring sot he men can handle business. Aw, is Dommy gonna cry? Just beat it, punk! Dom says he’ll handle this? Dom wants to swap in for Rey?! Well okay then!

Dominik Mysterio w/ Rey Mysterio VS Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode!

The tables have turned, but will the momentum still swing in the Mysterios’ favor? Or is the Show-Off going to show Dom that he’s not cut out for the family business?

The bell rings, they circle, and Ziggler shows superkick but Dom stays back. Ziggler dares Dom to show him what he can do, and then shoves him! Dom shoves back! Ziggler SLAPS Dom, laughs, and throws haymakers! “You don’t belong here!” Ziggler whips, Dom dodges and SLAPS Ziggler! Then dropkicks him! Ziggler bails out to regroup with Roode, but Dom slingshots out! Ziggler is ready, and he trips Dom up! Ziggler scoops and SLAMS Dom to the floor, laughs again, and drags Dom up to talk more trash. Ziggler puts Dom in at 5 of 10, then stalks him to a corner. Dom shoves Ziggler away, Ziggler gets in Dom’s face but Dom throws haymakers! Ziggler DECKS Dom and laughs again.

Ziggler turns Dom with a NECKBREAKER! Cocky cover, TWO! Dom gets to ropes, Ziggler is after him but Dom throws body shots! Rey coaches Dom but Ziggler DECKS him! “You can’t hang with me!” Ziggler scoops and SLAMS Dom again and fires up. Ziggler pushes Dom around, talks more trash, and reels Dom in. Ziggler suplexes but Dom makes it a cradle, DOM WINS!!

Winner: Dominik Mysterio, by pinfall

Ziggler tries to deny this happened, but it happened! Can Dom and Rey catch the Dirty Dawgs sleeping and take those titles from them?

Backstage interview with Reginal, Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler.

Surprisingly, instead of either of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions facing Tamina 1v1 tonight, the stylish sommelier is stepping up! Why? “As someone with a heightened palette, there is nothing worse than a sour taste in my mouth.” That is what he was left with after last week. He stands with the best tag team today, and knows that they will break Tamina & Natalya next week. Tonight, Reggie will break Tamina’s spirt to then have some spirits to cleanse his palette of Tamina’s sour presence. Another rare co-ed match could set the tone for next week’s title match! Will Reggie be tasting sweet victory or bitter defeat tonight?

SmackDown has another classic moment: November 11, 1999!

Arnold Schwarzenegger was a special guest, and he thanked the fans for the reception. He got to join commentary as The Rock’s team battled DX! Arnold helped Stone Cold get a chair, HHH took a swing on Arnold, and HHH got terminated!

Roman sits in his room.

Heyman walks over and Roman tells him to fetch his cousin. Which one? Roman glares at Heyman and he understands. Will Jey have to explain what went down to Roman?

Reginald w/ Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler VS Tamina w/ Natalya!

SmackDown returns as the statement makers, bone breakers and title takers make their entrance. Reggie doesn’t seem worried despite being in the ring with the Daughter of Superfly. The bell rings and Reggie wants Tamina to take a moment while he takes off his jacket. Reggie has a Team Shay-Nia shirt, and then he backflips to avoid Tamina’s boot! Reggie goes around the way, shows off his acrobatics going in then right back out the ring, but slides back in. Tamina rushes in, Reggie handsprings under the clotheslines, but this only upsets Tamina. Tamina grabs him by his hair, reels him in, and THROWS him, but Reggie lands on his feet! Tamina snarls and Reggie realizes he’s cornered!

Reggie slides under but gets caught! Tamina drags him up, “Who do you think you are?!” She tosses Reggie into a corner and Reggie climbs up! Reggie stands on the post itself! Tamina climbs up but Reggie LEAPS over, with a corkscrew! Even Shayna likes that one! Reggie does a dance, into a SUPERKICK! Nia and Shayna are in shock as Tamina puts Reggie in the drop zone! Tamina climbs, Shayna shoves her down and Nia drags Reggie out!

Winner: Tamina, by disqualification

Shayna goes after Tamina, Natty goes after Shayna but Nia CLOBBERS Natty! The champs combine for the KNEE SIDEWALK SLAM! Tamina fights them but that’s 2v1! Shayna drags Tamina by an arm, hammerlocks it, and Nia holds Tamina down so Shayna can STOMP the arm! Nia then drags Tamina out of the ring for a fireman’s carry, SAMOAN DROP into barriers! Nia then stands on Tamina’s head and tells her, “Don’t you DARE disrespect Reggie like that!” The Irresistible Force and Queen of Spades stand tall for now, but will they pay for this in just one week?

Apollo Crews and his team have gathered.

The WWE Intercontinental Champion says that much like his great-grandfather united tribes towards a common goal, tonight he leads these men into battle! They have King Corbin’s brutality, the might of Otis, the strategy of Chad Gable, and we have… Well Sami’s here. Like the five fingers of the hand, alone they are vulnerable, but together they are unbreakable! Apollo’s team is fired up, but will they be extinguished by their opponents? Speaking of…

Big E and his team have gathered!

“Oh~, tonight! We set our differences aside, because we throw it back, and OH~ we throwing down!” Those boys are gonna feel~ the power and the pain! Right, Kevin? Yeah. OHHH~! And that means Big E, Nakamura, KO and the Profits are UP, and #WeWantTheSmoke!! Ten men are ready to turn it up to 11! We see one for the history books, after the break!

10 Man Tag: Big E, Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura & The Street Profits VS Sami Zayn, King Corbin, The Alpha Academy & Apollo Crews w/ Commander Azee!

SmackDown returns with this match starting, Gable and Angelo Dawkins tie up. They go around, Gable waistlocks, Dawkins switches but Gable switches back to a headlock takeover. Dawkins headscissors, Gable kips free but Dawkins reverses roles with his own headlock takeover. Gable headscissors, Dawkins kips free, then shoots in, but Gable blocks to roll him. Dawkins keeps moving, hurdles but Gable arm-drags! Dawkins arm-drags then FLAPJACKS! Tag to Montez Ford, the Profits whip Gable to dropkick him down! Ford handsprings and shows off the shoulder shimmy before he covers, TWO! Sami shouts at Ford but Ford wrenches Gable. Gable breaks free and throat chops!

Tag to Apollo, they mug Ford, and Apollo drags Ford up to scoop and SLAM him! Apollo mocks Big E with the New Day clap, then Sami tags himself in! Apollo is upset but Sami stomps away on Ford. Sami CLUBS Ford down, does his moves and then stomps Ford! Sami puts Ford on ropes and chokes him! The ref counts, Sami lets off and Azeez smiles. Sami puts Ford in a corner, tells the ref to watch Kevin, and then he throws hands on Ford. Sami wrenches Ford, whips him corner to corner, but Ford goes up and over and handsprings to show off, before he dropkicks Sami down! Ford wrenches, Big E tags in, but Sami gets away! Big E dares Apollo to get in but Apollo swivels hips.

Corbin tags in, the Wolf King circles with Big E and they tie up. Big E headlocks, Corbin powers out, but Big E ducks and dodges to ram shoulders! Corbin rebounds to LARIAT! Corbin taunts Big E’s team, things speed up but Big E hurdles to CLOBBER Corbin! Big E pushes Corbin to a cover, ONE! Big E gets Corbin up, but Corbin powers him to the corner! Sami mugs Big E but Kevin BLASTS Sami off the apron! Sami’s team help shim but Kevin’s team rushes over! It is chaotic at ringside, Kevin get to the apron to FROG SPLASH Sami down!! Fans are fired up as all 10 men #JustKeepFighting, and SmackDown goes to break!

SmackDown returns again as Otis has Kevin down with a neck wrench. Kevin endures, fights up, and fights back with body shots. Kevin CHOPS, runs, but Otis throws body shots of his own! Otis whips Kevin to the corner, taunts the other team, then runs in to SPLASH! Apollo tags in and he stares Big E down before getting Kevin up. Apollo fireman’s carries, Kevin fights free to kick, but no stunner! Apollo mule kicks, Kevin dodges the boot to atomic drop and ENZIGURI! Both men are down and everyone fires u! Gable trips up Big E but Big E chases him, only for Otis to CLOBBER him! Apollo likes that, and he drags Kevin up to whip. Kevin reverses, ducks and WHEEL KICKS!

Hot tags to Nakamura and Sami! The King of Strong Style hits a DYNAMIC DROPKICK! He fires off on Gable, KICKS him down, then DECKS Corbin! Sami blindsides Nakamura, whips, but Nakamura kicks to get him with the WHEEL KICK! Nakamura whips, Sami uses that to BLAST the Profits! Sami tries to boot Nakamura but gets put in the ropes! SLIDING GERMAN! Nakamura hops up to hit a FLYING KNEE! Cover, but Corbin breaks it in time! Corbin throws Nakamura out but Big E gets Corbin for a Belly2Belly! Apollo gets in to ENZIGURI and GERMAN Big E! Kevin gets Apollo with a STUNNER!! Otis drags Kevin out but gets a SUPERKICK for it! Otis stays up!?

Kevin SUPERKICKS Otis again, Otis still stands! Gable waistlocks Kevin for a GERMAN SUPLEX to the ramp! Dawkins POUNCES Gable, Otis CLOBBERS Dawkins! Ford FLIES and takes out Otis!! Nakamura aims at Sami, for the KIN- NO! Sami elbows him away and Corbin tags in! KINSHASA but a little too late! END OF DAYS!! Cover, Team Apollo win!!

Winners: Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn & The Alpha Academy, by pinfall

The ones who took advantage of the chaos and fury come out on top! Will this solidify Apollo as a true leader? Sami tries to sneak a touch at the Intercontinental title, is this as close as he’ll get to it?

Roman talks with his cousin.

Doesn’t he understand that all the hard work they’ve put in, the responsibilities he’s given Jey, and why? For the family. They do it because of love. Roman loves the Usos, which is why he wants Jimmy to have the same opportunities. But Roman needs to know where Jimmy stands, and we’re all about to find out right now. Roman leads the way back towards gorilla! What will Roman do to test his cousins’ loyalties?

SmackDown has one more classic moment!

“Viva la Raza~!” July 22, 2004, Eddie Guerrero returned and invited Vince McMahon into the low rider! The hydraulics were a bit more of a ride than Vince thought, but he didn’t mind, he was riding with Latino Heat! We miss you, Eddie!

SmackDown returns with Roman, Heyman and Jey in the ring.

Heyman gives Roman a mic again, and Roman says, “This is not how I envisioned the night. It was simple: I bring your brother back in-” Jimmy interrupts! Jimmy said he’s not being bossed around and now he’s playing by his own rules! Jimmy gets himself a mic as he gets in the ring and asks what’s up with Jey. Where does he stand? When Jey and Roman fought, that was an I Quit match. Jimmy sat backstage and watched, and Jey wasn’t quitting for nothing! Not until Roman dragged Jimmy into the ring, into the Guillotine and choked him out! Then Jey said he quit, for Jimmy’s sake because he loves Jimmy! Does Jey not remember? There’s footage from Hell in a Cell 2020 to remind him!

Jimmy tells Jey, “Don’t get hot at me when I say this. But if it were me, I would’ve never said I quit to you, no matter what.” Roman tells Jimmy, “That’s what this is about?” Jimmy’s stuck on the past? Roman and Jey moved past that. Roman isn’t going to go back and forth with Jimmy. “It’s simple: Fall in line. Stand with us. And acknowledge me.” Or Jimmy can take his ass home. Got that? And when Jimmy turns on the TV, he’ll have to explain to his kids why he’s home with them, watching The Tribal Chief, and THE Uso. Jimmy drops the mic and steps away. But then Jimmy stops at the ramp, and Jey assures Roman he’s close. Jey goes out to talk to Jimmy and says this will be easy once he accepts Roman.

But then Cesaro attacks Roman! The Swiss Cyborg has Roman alone, but Jey gets in, only to get CLOBBERED! Jimmy walks away as Cesaro fires off, but then he runs back in! Jimmy goes after Cesaro to save his brother! Cesaro pops Jimmy up for a EuroUpper! Jey gets up, Cesaro kicks him down and reels him in, NEUTRALIZER! Cesaro goes back to Roman, reels him in, and hits a NEUTRALIZER on Roman!! The Swiss Cyborg just devastated the Bloodline! Does this mean Cesaro will become Head of the Table??

My Thoughts:

A really good SmackDown, but a rather poor “throwback” SmackDown. Granted, I think this was because Fox insisted, not because WWE wanted to do a special episode. But even then, they kinda just threw everything together to reference the past. We got a CG SmackDown fist, not the real deal, but they were using the retro WWE logo that fits more of the 80’s and 90’s. By the time SmackDown came around, they were using the scratch logo of the Attitude Era. I get the Attitude Era isn’t the most appropriate, but that aesthetic would be more accurate. That aside, getting historic moments thrown in here and there were appropriate, and I’m glad we got those.

Bayley and Bianca had a good segment. Bayley listing past champions specifically from the WWE Women’s Championship line was nice, and it fit that she used them all to put herself over. Bianca had a good promo, and Bayley standing tall in their brawl furthers the fact that Bianca will retain.  Ruby VS Carmella was a good match, but it just makes me remember Billie Kay got let go and she could’ve been money during this segment, coaching Mella, cheering her on, being the reason Mella wins with a cheat, and then they’d look strong in the tag division while Mella builds up in the singles. But nope, just Mella winning.

We got a very good tag title build, though, even with Nia and Shayna disqualifying the match of Tamina VS Reggie. The titles being on the line on SmackDown makes sense in a few ways. For one, the titles get exposure on TV as opposed to being on a PPV which (even with the various ways Peacock makes itself available) still costs extra. The match can have some time to breathe on the go-home to Backlash, and can make for a big moment on SmackDown if Tamina & Natty win. Ziggler goading Dom into facing him instead of Rey only to lose was good stuff, and their tag title match at Backlash could make up for a lot of the lackluster creativity because we could be seeing history.

Everything with Teddy Long tonight was great, and was the best part of this being a throwback episode. His involvement at the beginning with how Cesaro and Rollins got into it was great, and his promo backstage with Sami and Sonya was brilliant. The promos going into the 10 Man tag were fun, and the 10 Man Tag itself was really fun. We got great interactions between Apollo and Big E and then Kevin and Sami, and Corbin being the one to win and off of Nakamura, maybe things go from a Fatal 4 to a Six Pack Challenge. Or at least a Furious 5 to crown a contender who then faces Apollo later. Either would be great, though.

The Usos costing Rollins to then give us Roman VS Cesaro was a nice twist. I like that there is even the hint of a slow burn for Rollins and Roman in the works, but I should’ve figured this would somehow turn into Uso VS Uso. Sure, wrestling has seen tag partners face each other, and seen brothers face each other, but Jimmy VS Jey, with Roman and Heyman on the side, is going to be something special. Roman VS Cesaro will also be something special, but I do not see Backlash being the night Roman loses.

My Score: 8.2/10