Will things get ImPAULsive tonight?

To make Champion VS Champion at King & Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia official, Cody Rhodes and Logan Paul meet again to sign the contract!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Queen of the Ring Quarterfinals: Bianca Belair VS Tiffany Stratton; Bianca wins and advances.
• King of the Ring Quarterfinals: Tama Tonga VS LA Knight; Tama wins and advances.
• Queen of the Ring Quarterfinals: Jade Cargill VS Nia Jax; Nia wins, by disqualification, and advances.
• #DIY VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; DIY wins.
• King of the Ring Quarterfinals: Randy Orton VS Carmelo Hayes; Orton wins and advances.

PLAY BY PLAY

Queen of the Ring Quarterfinals: Bianca Belair VS Tiffany Stratton!

Both of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions made it out of the first round, and now they’re both looking to make it into the next! Will The EST lead the way into the semifinals? Or will we all have to realize it’s #TiffyTime?

The bell rings and the fans rally up. The fans rally and duel as the two tie up. Bianca powers Tiff to a corner, lets off as the ref counts, and she flexes. The fans fire up, the two tie up, and Bianca puts Tiff back in a corner. The ref counts, Bianca lets off at 4 but Tiff shoves her. Bianca shoves back, Tiff shoves again, and repeat. Then Tiff SLAPS Bianca! Tiff flexes and eggs Bianca on. Tiff dodges the lariat to YANK the braid! Tiff mockingly apologizes, but Bianca kips up and SLAPS Tiff back! Then waistlocks to SLAM! Bianca drags Tiff up, to SLAM her again! The fans fire up, Bianca eggs Tiff on, then Oklahoma Rolls! TWO, and Tiff gets up to kick low!

Tiff runs, but Bianca follows to run Tiff over! Bianca dusts herself off, the fans rally up, but Tiff gets under the handspring! Bianca says kiss this, then sidesteps, hurdles, but Tiff KICKS the rollback! Tiff drags Bianca up, bumps her off buckles, then pulls the hair to bring Bianca around for more buckle bumps. Tiff has Bianca by the braid again to put her in a corner for stomps. The ref counts, Tiff lets off and argues with him. The fans rally up for “E S T! E S T!” but Tiff whips. Bianca reverses but Tiff holds ropes! Bianca runs up but into a BOOT! Tiff runs up but into a scoop and GUT BUSTER! Tiff sputters, flounders, and Bianca handsprings to MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO!

Tiff toughs it out and the fans are torn. Bianca shakes the leg out, the damage done by Poison Pixie Candice LeRae still a factor. Bianca runs in to RAM Tiff into a corner! Bianca then climbs up and the fans fire up as she rains down fists! Bianca only gets 5 as Tiff grabs the braid! The fans boo but Bianca YANKS Tiff into buckles! Tiff tumbles out, Bianca storms to the apron, but Tiff grabs the braid again! Tiff YANKS Bianca down, and Bianca’s leg is stuck in ropes! Bianca gets free but she clutches the knee. Tiff gets Bianca out of the ring, to RAM her into steel steps! Bianca falls in a heap, clutching that knee, and Tiff soaks up the heat while SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns, Tiff has Bianca’s bad leg hooked up, and Tiff bridges back for a modified deathlock! Bianca endures, reaches out, and the fans rally! Bianca crawls forward, Tiff doing her best to spider walk with her, but Bianca gets the ROPEBREAK! Tiff lets go, drags Bianca back, but Bianca kicks at her! Tiff ducks a kick, then lifts the leg, but Bianca BOOTS her while upside-down to stop the smash! Tiff tumbles right out of the ring and the fans rally up. Bianca rises, spots Tiff, but Tiff trips her up first! Tiff goes for the corner, she did this during the break! But Bianca YANKS Tiff into the post first!

The fans fire up as Tiff staggers away. Bianca crawls to center, the ring count is 3 of 10, but Tiff rolls in at 4. Tiff runs up, Bianca dodges and she runs Tiff over! Bianca scoops and SLAMS Tiff! Then scoops again, for a FALL AWAY SLAM! The strongEST, roughEST, toughEST for sure, and Bianca brings Tiff in for a suplex! Tiff slips free, waistlocks, but Bianca elbows free. Tiff goes to a corner, Bianca runs up to fire a forearm! Tiff kicks, Bianca fires more shots. Bianca whips and SPINEBUSTERS! Cover, TWO! Tiff is still in this, reminding us why she’s a former NXT Women’s Champion. But the fans rally for Bianca as she gets Tiff up.

Tiff JAWBREAKERS free! Tiff runs, Bianca avoids those stomps! Sunset flip, TWO! Tiff swings, into chicken wings! But Tiff somersault clutches through! TWO and Bianca has it! TWO, Tiff kicks but Bianca blocks! Bianca ROCKS Tiff, torture racks, but Tiff flips free of the Kiss of Death! Tiff YANKS Bianca into ropes, runs and HIP ATTACKS! Tiff keeps moving, TIFFY STOMPS!! Cover, TWO!!! Bianca survives and Tiff is beside herself! The fans fire up while Tiff scowls. Tiff drags Bianca up to CLUB away. Tiff puts Bianca in a corner, runs corner to corner and handsprings, but Bianca catches her! GERMAN SUPLEX!! Bianca crawls to cover, TWO!!

Tiff survives and shocks Bianca! The fans duel between Bianca and Tiff, but then they agree “This is Awesome!” Bianca hobbles after Tiff, drags her from the apron, but Tiff holds the skirt! The ref counts, Tiff lets go, but then she CLAWS Bianca’s eyes! The fans boo but Tiff reels Bianca in to CHOP BLOCK! And then SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO!! Bianca survives and Tiff is furious! The fans fire up as Tiff goes up and up, but Bianca trips her up! Bianca gets Tiff in the torture rack, for the KISS OF DEATH!! Cover, Bianca wins!

Winner: Bianca Belair, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)

Tiffy may not have gotten her moonsault, but that was certainly the prettiEST KOD ever! Cathy Kelley joins Bianca in the ring to congratulate her. But does she foresee her knee being a liability in the next round? Bianca says she won’t lie, she is concerned about it. But she didn’t become The EST by making excuses. She shows up and shows out every time as the strongEST, the fastEST, the quickEST, the roughEST, the toughEST, The BEST. The fans cheer her on in that! And next week, Bianca says injury or not, nothing is stopping her from becoming Queen of the Ring. But as strong and as tough as she is, will Bianca have to fight on one leg to make it to Saudi Arabia?

Logan Paul is backstage.

The Maverick is heading to Nick Aldis’ office, right as LA Knight steps out. And Knight says to Aldis not to tell “him” that Knight said it. Knight and Logan then stare down and Aldis has Logan step in. Knight says, “See ya, champ.” But when Knight and Logan see each other next, will Logan have two titles or none?

WWE visited Naval Station Mayport.

To celebrate Military Appreciation Month, and in partnership with the USO, superstars met with the men and women of the US Navy, such as Lieutenant Junior Grade Mauss and Electronic Technicians Chief Page Gibson. WWE stands by the Armed Forces, join them and The USO in honoring our troops.

Backstage interview with Jade Cargill.

Byron Saxton is with the other WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, and says that tonight, she takes on Nia Jax in a quarterfinal match. How is she preparing for someone who is so dominant? Jade says she’s heard all about Nia, and that she’s one of our best, The Irresistible Force. But to Jade Cargill, Nia’s just in her way. Bianca walks in, Jade congratulates her on the win, and Bianca thanks her. That match was tough, but it was worth giving lil’ Tiffy a timeout. And now what time is it? Time to go night-night! But for real, how’s the knee? Bianca says don’t worry, she’ll be fine by next week, standing across the ring from Jade.

Jade says okay, girl, one match at a time. Bianca tells Jade to go do her thing. Will a storm hit Jacksonville and wash Nia Jax out of the tournament?

Tama Tonga prepares backstage.

The MFT, the Good Bad Guy, is pacing and snarling. Solo Sikoa stands and says it’s time to go. Tama’s ready, Tonga Loa follows him out, but Paul Heyman asks if Solo’s talked to “him” today. Solo says all the time, Wise Man. All the time. Solo heads out now, but why is it that Solo and The Tribal Chief are on speaking terms and not his Special Counsel?

Backstage interview with LA Knight.

Cathy Kelley is now with The Mega Star and says we’re moments away from his match with Tama Tonga in the King of the Ring Tournament. How is Knight feeling going into this big match tonight? Aw, she doesn’t have to ask such personal questions, “LEMME TALK TO YA! You talk about King of the Ring, you talk about Tama Tonga, you talk about The Bloodline, Bloodline ain’t looking like it used to. Y’see, I don’t even know half these guys, but ol’ Tommy! Tommy Tonga! I tell you what, tonight you can get yourself introduced to a BFT, and then I’ll move on and introduce my head to that crown at King of the Ring. YEAH!”

But in steps Carmelo Hayes. Melo says what’s up, been a while. Melo just wants to give Knight the opportunity to welcome HIM to SmackDown. After all, he was a first round pick, no big deal. Except yeah it is. Knight says sure, that is a big deal. And thinking about it now, Knight isn’t sure if he agrees with this, but a lot of people look at him and say they’re reminded of Tom Brady. Now, let’s say that’s true. Who was the first draft pick the year Tom Brady was selected? Yeah, Knight doesn’t know, either. That’s Melo’s first mistake. The other is looking past Randy Orton.

Melo stops Knight there and says speaking of sellouts, the three most dangerous letters in WWE won’t be RKO. They will H I M. Melo smiles and Knight says look who won the spelling bee. WITH NOBODY saying it. No one is gonna go with that crap. How about this? With EVERYBODY saying L! A! KNIGHT! YEAH!! Now go play somewhere else, kid, Knight’s busy. The Mega Star heads out, but will he make it through this dangerous new Bloodline?

King of the Ring Quarterfinals: Tama Tonga w/ The Bloodline VS LA Knight!

SmackDown returns and Knight makes his entrance. The fans are fired up for Knight while the ref has Solo and Loa exit the ring. The bell rings, Tama runs up but Knight dodges! Knight JABS, JABS and JABS! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight whips, ELBOWS Tama down, and the fans fire up! Knight says “YEAH!” and the fans echo it. Knight scoops, Tama slips free, and Tama has a SLEEPER! Knight flails, reaches out, and fans boo. Knight RAMS Tama into the corner, gets free, but Tama jumps on for another SLEEPER! Knight SLAMS Tama down, Solo frowns but the fans fire up. Knight whips, Tama KICKS him, then LARIATS!

Solo applauds and Loa nods, but the fans chant, “WE WANT ROMAN!” Tama TOSSES Knight out, but Knight lands on his feet! Knight gets right back in to LARIAT Tama down! The fans fire up and “YEAH!” as Knight stalks Tama. Knight whips, Tama reverses and runs in, but only gets buckles! Knight back drops Tama high and hard! The fans fire up and Knight stalks Tama to a corner. Knight stomps a mudhole in, “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight lets off as the ref counts, to run corner to corner and KNEE Tama down! “YEAH!” Solo storms up onto the apron but Knight stares him down. Loa also gets on the apron!

The ref warns the Bloodline, Knight runs up on them but they get away. Tama SPLASHES in at the corner! The fans boo but Tama brings Knight around to POST him! Knight sputters while Tama goes out the side. Knight flops to the apron then the floor. Tama runs up, leaps off the steps, FLYING LARIAT! Down goes Knight and Solo applauds. Solo taunts Knight while the fans boo, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Tama knocks Knight down! Tama goes up top, but Knight rolls away. Tama hops down to stomp away on Knight, and fans still want Roman back. Tama throws down hands on Knight while Solo paces. Tama drags Knight up, CLUBS away with forearms, then runs to SLIDING LARIAT! Tama soaks up the heat as the fans boo. Tama goes up a corner, Solo raises the one, and Tama SUPREME FLOPS! Knight avoids disaster and he fires off haymakers! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Tama kicks low and fans boo! Tama whips, Knight ducks ‘n’ dodges to LEAPING LARIAT! The fans fire up and Knight stalks Tama!

Knight runs up to clothesline Tama up and out! Knight gets Tama up, brings him around, and SMACKS him off the apron again and again! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight then brings Tama around to SMACK him off the apron again! Knight puts Tama in, stalks him, but Tama swings. Knight gets under to THROW Tama into buckles! Knight whips, scoops, and POWERSLAMS Tama down! Knight keeps moving, JUMP ELBOW DROP! The fans fire up again and Knight winds it up. Knight watches Tama rise, the fans want to see it, and Tama staggers up, only for Loa to get him outta there! The fans boo but Knight WRECKS Loa with a dorpkick!

Knight puts Tama back in, Solo stares him down. The ref tells Solo to back up, Knight dares Solo to try. Knight rolls in, Tama is up to COMPLETE SHOT! Cover, Tama wins!!

Winner: Tama Tonga, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)

The Bloodline has a new look but it’s the same old tricks! Solo smirks as his guy moves on, will nothing stop Tama from taking the crown?

LA Knight returns backstage.

The ref is checking on him, Knight says he’s fine, but it was that stupid 3v1. But then Melo walks by to say guess whose game it’s not. Couldn’t get the job done, huh? Wow, Melo’s still talking? Knight SHOVES Melo and tells Melo to shut his mouth. Melo says just watch his match, Knight will see how it’s done. The ref tells these two to back down and cool off. The words keep flying, but producers step in to keep this from turning into a fist fight. Knight is furious, but will he have to wait his turn to get at HIM?

Nick Aldis is in the ring.

“Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, allow me to introduce one half of the King & Queen of the Ring main event, the United States Champion, Logan Paul!” The fans boo but The Maverick still makes his way out here, his entire entourage with him, and perhaps a lawyer? Logan steps into the ring, shakes Aldis’ hand and goes to his table, putting the US Championship on display. Aldis then says please now welcome the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes! Logan is already upset at the better reaction for The American Nightmare, especially as fans sing along with Cody’s song, “WHOA~ OH~!”

Cody gets his pyro, shakes hands, signs autographs, and goes to the ring. His title is put on display next to Logan’s, and Cody goes to his table. But of course the fans cheer for “CODY! CODY!” and Cody revels in it. Cody and Logan take their seats, and Cody has a mic to ask “DUUUVAL! Jacksonville, what do you guys wanna talk about?” Cody knows they know he loves this place. And it is brought to Cody’s attention, that on this day 32 YEARS ago, does Logan have any idea what happened on these grounds upon which they stand? No, didn’t expect him to. He wasn’t even born yet. But the reason Cody knows, and the reason Logan doesn’t, is important.

32 years ago to the day was the original WarGames, 1992! The Stinger Squadron VS The Dangerous Alliance, widely considered the best WarGames match ever. And again, the reason Cody knows this is because just like… Well, this lady here with the “My Dogs Love to Wrestle” sign, and that guy way up at the tippy top, and just like this person shouting the answers, the reason is because like them, Cody is a fan of pro-wrestling. Cody is a fan of what he does. Logan is not a fan. The only way to describe him is… a tourist. Logan is just passing through, making viral moments, but it is time to get off the train.

And when Logan does, he’ll drop off that US Championship, making Cody a WWE GRAND SLAM CHAMPION! The fans love the sound of that! Logan says this is the thing the last guy said, and the guy before him. The fans boo but Logan says we’ve heard it. He doesn’t get what Cody is doing. Is this stalling? Logan isn’t here to listen to Cody talk. He’s here to sign the contract. The fans boo more but Logan just tunes it out. Logan tells Cody that he’s here to sign a contract to wrestle Cody. The fans boo harder and chant “YOU SUCK!” at Logan. Logan has Aldis hand him the contract, then says this is a horrible crowd.

Logan will do what he came here to do and sign the thing. Logan looks it over, looks to his lawyer, and it’s all here. Just one little thing though. Logan RIPS up what Aldis gave him, and has his lawyer bring out his own contract! The fans chant “You Can’t Read!” Logan says no, he can read. But it’s not what he agreed to. He agreed to a match with Cody at KQOTR, but only for the WWE Championship. He did NOT agree to put his title on the line, and he knew they’d pull something like this. So here is his lawyer, Jim Gillery, one of the best in the country, and he has a contract of their own. And this one looks good to Logan.

Bottom line: Cody’s title is on the line, not Logan’s! Aldis, get this done! The fans boo but Logan tells Aldis to do his job and get this executed! aldis tells Logan he’s had just about enough of Logan and his broccoli headed entourage! Winner Takes All IS what they agreed to backstage in their office. Aldis knows it, Logan knows it, Gillery knows it, and this is bad business! It’s unprofessional, and Aldis won’t stand for it! Gillery speaks up and asks if Aldis is threatening his client. The fans boo but Aldis paces. Cody speaks up now and says he’s known Aldis a long time. Cody knows what happens when Aldis gets mad.

Cody tells Aldis that SmackDown is great, Aldis is doing a fantastic job, don’t let anyone tell him otherwise. The fans cheer that. But Logan’s putting everyone on the spot here, so let Cody and Logan finish this up here and Cody can bring the paperwork back to Aldis. Let them have the ring, Cody will take care of this. Cody will relieve Aldis of this situation, thank you. Aldis accepts the offer and exits. The fans applaud, Logan mockingly waves bye. And Jacksonville, hard truth is, Logan signed Logan’s contract, it is done. The match is made this way. You might not like it, but Cody hasn’t done anything to deserve a shot at the US Champoinship.

The fans boo but Logan says for real, what has Cody done? Logan’s proven every time he is in the ring, he has proven he’s worthy of every title in this industry! Cody can’t say the same. So like brother Jake Paul’s next victim, Mike Tyson would say, “Thine the contract, big boy.” Logan shoves his contract at Cody, Cody frowns and stands up. “Let me tell you something, you fly by night human hat rack! Here’s the situation! The honeymoon with you is over. I’ve seen you do a flip, woopdy doo! After our match at King & Queen of the Ring, you will find out exactly who Logan Paul is on the inside.

“And you mentioned Mike Tyson. Good. Cuz in 8 days, a WWE Hall of Famer is gonna knock your brother out! And in Saudi Arabia, a future WWE Hall of Famer is gonna beat you. So you want me to sign the contract? Is that what you want?” Cody signs so now it’s only for his title, but then Logan takes a swing using his! Cody ducks, Logan stumbles into ropes, and Cody clotheslines Logan up and out! Cody is all fired up, but he has to fight off the cronies! Logan’s losers don’t stand a chance, and Cody POWERBOMBS one through a table! The fans are thunderous as Cody holds up the US Championship! AND his!

Logan is furious, and he says Cody just signed his death warrant! Will Logan become the Two Belt Maverick? Or will Cody finally deflate that massive ego?

Backstage interview with Nia Jax.

Cathy Kelley is with the Irresistible Force and says we’re moments away from her match. We heard from Jade, what is her response? Nia says just stop. Of course Jade has to hype herself up. You hear all these people saying Jade is so strong. And she is. Jade is so impressive. And she is. Jade is gonna be the Queen of the Ring! And she is… NOT. “Jade Cargill is NOT gonna be the Queen of the Ring. Nia Jax will be your new Queen of the Ring.” Nia heads through the curtain, will she be heading on to the next round? Or will even an Irresistible Force lose to a force of nature?

Queen of the Ring Quarterfinals: Jade Cargill VS Nia Jax!

SmackDown returns and Jade makes her entrance. The bell rings and the two get face to face. The fans fire up, but then Nia DECKS Jade! Nia soaks up heat, runs Jade over, but Jade avoids the leg drop! Jade gets Nia up to SPINEBUSTER! The fans fire up as Nia bails out! Nia is mad, she trips Jade, and then TOSSES her away! Jade’s daughter is in the front row and worried already. Jade sits up to tell her it’s okay, but then Nia YANKS Jade back down. Nia tells Jade’s daughter that “Mommy Sucks!” but her daughter says “No she doesn’t!” Jade SUPERKICKS Nia and her daughter cheers!

The fans fire up as Jade CLUBS Nia, the ring count starts, but Nia RAMS Jade into barriers. Nia puts Jade in the ring, storms in after her, but Jade RAMS Nia right back out! Jade SMACKS Nia off the desk! And off the apron! Jade lines up a shot, runs up, but Nia POSTS her! Nia CLOBBERS Jade up and over barriers! The fans boo, Nia shoves the desk hood away and throws a chair! And throws an armchair! Nia gets Jade up and HEADBUTTS her! Nia TOSSES Jade over the barriers, gets a chair, but the fans boo. Jade blocks the chair shot! And GIVES a chair shot!! But that means Nia wins!!

Winner: Nia Jax, by disqualification (advances to the semifinals)

Jade is furious but she fell into a trap by Nia! So Jade hauls Nia up and choke grips! Nia choke grips back! Jade pulls hair! Both women run into barriers, go around and around, then up and over! The ref hurries out to tell them both to stop, but both get up! Jade kicks, fires forearms, and the fans call BS! Nia HEADBUTTS, but Jade comes back to RAM Nia into a POST! Jade SMACKS Nia off barriers, more refs rush out but Nia POSTS Jade! Producers and security get involved, too, but fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!” Nia grins, she got what she wanted and that’s a ticket to the next round. But Jade runs up again!

The two COLLIDE at the ramp, refs and security get in to separate them! SmackDown goes to break, will Bianca just have to avenge Jade? Or will Nia soon become the Irresistible Queen of the Ring?

#DIY VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo w/ Legado Del Fantasma!

Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano make their return to SmackDown, ready to go right after those WWE Tag Team Championships. However, the same goes for Legado Del Fantasma’s high-flying duo. Who takes an all important step closer to A-Town Down Under’s titles?

Speaking of, Theory & Waller are on commentary to watch this one in person. They still talk themselves up as the greatest undefeated tag team of all time, and say “you’re welcome” for gracing everyone with their presence. In the ring, the teams sort out and Humberto starts against Johnny Wrestling. Humberto and Gargano circle, the fans rally behind “JOHNNY WRESTLING!” Gargano and Humberto tie up, Humberto waistlocks but Gargano wrenches to wristlock. Humberto rolls, handsprings, wrenches and CLUBS the arm! Humberto grinds the shoulder, but Gargano fights up. Gargano spins, wrenches and drop toeholds to then facelock.

Humberto rolls, Gargano rolls with him, but Humberto trips Gargano, covers, ONE! Humberto facelocks, but Gargano fights up. Humberto suplexes high and hard, then covers, ONE! The fans rally, Humberto stalks Gargano, and then whips corner to corner. Gargano stops himself, ELBOWS Humberto, then goes up to Electric Chair, spin and RANA! Humberto gets up, Gargano ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! The fans fire up for DIY as Gargano runs up and CHOPS! Tag to Ciampa, DIY whips Humberto back into the corner, then Gargano goes to the apron. DIY meets at the corner to ENZIGIRI KNEE COMBO!

Ciampa keeps moving, and he LARIATS Humberto down! Angel runs in, Ciampa gets around him to ripcord and FOREARM! Gargano ROCKS Angel, then DIY both clothesline Legado up and out of the ring! Then DIY DOUBLE PLANCHA! Down goes Legado and the fans fire up with DIY as they pat themselves on the back. A-Town Down Under mockingly applaud, Ciampa puts Humberto in the ring. Humberto goes to the corner, Ciampa runs up and CHOPS! Ciampa runs but Angel is in the way! Humberto runs up, Angel tags in as Ciampa bucks the O’Conner Roll. Ciampa DECKS Angel, dodges Humberto, then builds speed.

Humberto sidesteps and Angel holds the ropes open! Ciampa tumbles out of the ring and to the floor! The fans boo but Legado soaks up the heat. Gargano checks Ciampa, we get a QR Code, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and the fans rally up as Angel keeps Ciampa from Gargano. Ciampa ROCKS Angel, TOSSES Humberto, but Angel grabs a leg! Ciampa hops up to ENZIGIRI! Angel is down, but Humberto YANKS Gargano down and SUPERKICKS him! Angel runs up, Ciampa dodges to ROCK him! And CHOP him! And ROCK him again! Ciampa kicks, Angel blocks to get the Gory Especial! Tag to Humberto, slingshot into the GARZA ESPECIAL! Humberto holds Ciampa up and Angel runs to basement dropkick! Cover, TWO! Ciampa survives, the fans rally up, but A-Town Down Under say DIY peaked in “college,” aka NXT.

Humberto suplexes Ciampa, Ciampa fights that to suplex back! Humberto fights that suplex, they go back and forth, and it’s Ciampa who gets Humberto up and over! The fans fire up, Theory downplays it, but Ciampa crawls for the corner, hot tag to Gargano! Gargano rallies on Legado, ENZIGIRI for Angel, then Gargano runs. He gets Legado for a DROPKICK BULLDOG COMBO! The fans fire up with Gargano as he takes aim, only for Humberto slide in first! Humberto runs in, into a SLINGSHOT SPEAR! Gargano DIVES to hit Angel, too! Gargano goes up the corner, the fans fire up, but Santos gets on the apron!

The fans boo as Santos distracts the ref! Lopez YANKS Gargano down! The fans boo but the ref senses something is wrong! The ref EJECTS Lopez & Santos! The fans cheer, and DIY MEET IN THE MIDDLE!! Cover, DIY wins!

Winners: DIY, by pinfall

A-Town Down Under is just as upset as Legado that the screw job failed. But Theory & Waller taunt Gargano & Ciampa with the tag titles. Will Gargano & Ciampa show these two how to get it done? Or will Theory show Gargano that he’s found his own way?

The QR Codes are leading to something…

And then this week, on WWE’s official Twitch channel, there was video of someone meeting with a therapist. They were checking in after last time and wanted to know how things were going. That was all we got, what does it all mean?

Backstage interview with AJ Styles.

Byron is with the Phenomenal One, and says it is no secret that Styles has had a challenging couple of weeks. So then, where does Styles go from here? Styles asks himself, where does he go from here? We all saw Backlash. Cody VS Styles, unbelievable. Styles was this close, and lost. Then he had a chance to redeem himself with the King of the Ring tournament, but he lost in the first round. So where does he go from here? Next week, Styles will go to Nick Aldis’ office and we’ll find out where things go from there. Even the Phenomenal face uncertainty, how will Styles handle his?

Backstage interview with Bayley.

Byron is now with The Role Model, and says she had her eyes on Jade winning the tournament. But after what happened out there, does she have a new prediction? Bayley says it is packed! Nia VS Bianca, and- In step Chelsea Green & Piper Niven. Piper pretends to be asleep and snoring, Chelsea “wakes” Piper and tells her Bayley’s done speaking. Oh thank goodness! Chelsea says Bayley is the only reason Piper lost to Bianca last week, because she sprinkled her “Bad Bayley juju” all over them! Yeah, her Bayley stink! Bayley says they don’t have time for this, let’s talk next week, okay? In the ring. That sounds good, see you then.

Bayley heads out, but it seems like Chelsea & Piper were wanting that all along. Will The Hot Mess & “Miss P” get one over on the WWE Women’s Champion?

King of the Ring Quarterfinals: Randy Orton VS Carmelo Hayes!

Well speaking of The Viper, he is determined to not just move on through this tournament, but to get after Tama Tonga for what he and The Bloodline did to Kevin Owens. Will Orton get what he wants by moving on to the semifinals? Or will he fail to humble… HIM?

SmackDown returns and Melo makes his entrance. The bell rings and the two circle. The fans duel, but are more in favor of Orton. Orton and Melo feel things out, Melo kicks Orton’s bad leg and Orton backs off. Melo says he could do this all day. Orton and Melo reset, circle, and Melo gets around to kick Orton’s leg again! Orton drops to his knees, pounds the mat in frustration, but Melo just grins. Melo puts some stank on the SLAP! The fans boo and Melo says he doesn’t care about them. Melo cares about Melo! The fans tell Melo he messed up, and Orton stands. Melo stops jawing and he shoves Orton. Orton kicks Melo!

Orton RAMS Melo into buckles, POSTS him, then POSTS him again! Orton UPPERCUTS Melo again and again, the ref counts but Orton lets off. Orton TOSSES Melo up and over, the fans cheer, and Orton stalks Melo to the desk. Orton SMACKS Melo off the desk, Barrett & Graves move aside so he can DESK- NO, Melo claws the eyes! The fans boo but Melo soaks up the heat. The ring count climbs, Melo talks trash, but Orton trips Melo! Melo falls onto the desk and writhes! Orton gets Melo up to ROCK him, then he refreshes the count. Orton comes right back to DESK BACK SUPLEX! Melo writhes some more, but Orton gets him for another DESK BACK SUPLEX!

Melo flounders off the desk, fans want that “ONE MORE TIME!” while Orton goes back to the ring. Orton is considering it, and he goes back out! Orton finds Melo, gets him up, DESK BACK SUPLEX! The fans cheer as Orton stands over Melo, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and now Melo stands over Orton. Orton clutches the bad leg, the fans rally up for him, but Melo SMASHES the bad knee! Melo paces around Orton, taunts him, then grabs the bad leg. Melo kicks the bad leg, talks trash, then kicks the leg again. Melo stomps the leg then YANKS it! The fans rally for Randy but Melo stalks him. Melo waistlocks, Orton goes to ropes, Melo holds on but the ref counts. Orton CLUBS Melo but Melo puts Orton’s leg in the ropes. Melo stomps the leg, lets off as the ref reprimands, but then runs up, only for Orton to move! Melo gets caught up in the ropes now!

Orton waits on Melo to get free, then he LARIATS! And LARIATS! And SNAP- NO, Melo avoids the powerslam! Orton clutches the bad knee, and Melo grins. Melo then scowls as he takes aim, but fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” Melo runs, Orton avoids the punt! SNAP POWERSLAM! The fans fire up, Orton covers, TWO! Melo is a former NXT North American and NXT Champion, he’s pretty tough. But Orton puts him through ropes! The fans fire up and Orton drags Melo out, only for Melo to wrench out and kick the leg! Orton hobbles, Melo hits the FIRST 48! Cover, TWO! Orton is still in this and Melo is frustrated.

Melo pulls at the tape around Orton’s leg, punches at the knee, and the fans boo. Melo lets off to go to a corner. Melo climbs up while Orton slowly rises. Melo aims, NOTHING BUT- NO, Orton moves! And then he puts Melo in ropes! DRAPING DDT!! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Orton rises, the fans chant “R K O! R K O!” Orton may have a bad leg, but he can still hear those voices! Melo rises, staggers, RK- NO, Melo rolls Orton up! TWO!! Melo hurries to get the leg, but Orton KICKS Melo away! Melo returns, ducks ‘n’ dodges, springboard, RKO!!! The fans are thunderous as Orton covers, Orton wins!

Winner: Randy Orton, by pinfall (advances to the semifinals)

Melo tried the Fade Away but got dunked on! Will he learn to be more humble the next time he faces a Legend Killer? As for Orton, he gets just who he wanted all along in Tama Tonga! Cathy Kelley congratulates Orton, but then speaking of Tama, here comes The Bloodline! Solo has a sinister smirk on his face, but Orton borrows the mic. “Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Are you meaning to tell me right now, The Bloodline is gonna come out and try to intimidate me? Ladies and gentlemen, maybe The Bloodline forgot who exactly I am! Let me introduce you to me.

“My name is Randy FREAKIN’ Orton! I am a FOURTEEN TIME World Heavyweight Champion, and soon to be King of the Ring. And since we’re doing introductions, Tama, next week in Saudi Arabia, I am gonna introduce my foot directly up your ass!” Solo keeps Tama back, but Orton says following that, he will introduce them to the most deadly, dangerous letters in sports entertainment: R K O!! The fans are ready, Orton is ready, Tama is ready, but Solo says that’s still not until next week. Will the Viper strike down the Good Bad Guy? Or will Tama kill the Legend Killer?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown here, lots of action and lots of story development together at once. Bianca VS Tiff was a great match, and a touch surprising it was Bianca winning if only because I wasn’t sure Jade was losing to Nia. Jade’s daughter ending up part of the act ends up a good touch, and Jade losing her cool was a good way for her to lose this match. Bianca VS Nia will be great stuff, honestly could go either way, really depends on who comes out of the Raw side as well. Usual Face VS Heel dynamic would therefore mean it’s either Lyra VS Nia or Iyo VS Bianca. And given there’s really great story behind Bianca VS someone from Damage CTRL and how that gets on her nerves, that’d be a likely choice.

In the KOTR, very good promo from The Bloodline to make it seem like Roman has further distanced himself from Heyman. Good little stare down from LA Knight and Logan Paul, and good promo from Knight with Melo to hype both guys up before their matches. Great matches in both regards, but of course The Bloodline helped Tama beat Knight being that they’re such nasty Heels. Great main event from Orton VS Melo, Melo is still looking great even in losses, and of course we get Orton VS Tama. While Tama has moved on from using a cutter as his finisher, I almost do want him to bust out Gun Stun as a “stolen” RKO.

As with QOTR, Jey VS Gunther will likely influence Orton VS Tama. It’d be awesome to see Gunther VS Orton, but it’d also be intriguing to see Jey VS Tama, where Jey sees he really isn’t done with The Bloodline, even with Solo now remaking it in his image. If they want, Jey VS Tama would plant seeds for some sort of Bloodline Civil WarGames, with it being Solo, Tama, Loa and at least one other brand new member (Jacob Fatu perhaps?) against Roman, Jey, probably Jimmy, and for all we know, Kevin Owens making a return from injury. That’d be some wild stuff because the fans love Roman now, there’s all sorts of “Can they coexist?” when it comes to the Face Bloodline, it’ll be so good.

Bayley has a good, quick promo with Chelsea and Piper, and I’m thinking that Bayley beats Chelsea next week to save Bayley VS Piper for Clash at the Castle in Scotland. It makes sense, given Piper’s Scottish, but I don’t think Bayley loses, it’s just a great opportunity for Piper to have a big match in her home country. Great tag team match from DIY VS Angel & Humberto, but given Theory & Waller were ringside, we do Faces VS Heels in WWE, and sadly it’s Legado, of course DIY won tonight. DIY VS A-Town Down Under, who knows how that goes, but there is good story that Theory hit upon about his past with Gargano in The Way. There’s a good chance ATDU find a way to win, because they need a first defense in the books.

And very good contract signing segment for Cody and Logan. Now, while in the past week, fans all over have speculated how they can do Champion VS Champion, Winner Takes All like this and not do a wonky finish that invokes Champion’s Advantage and then it’s just a big nothing. Logan finding a way to back out and not put his title on the line is a great way of doing it. It puts a lot of Heel heat on Logan, though it’s not like there isn’t a lot of that already, and think about the long game here like with Bayley VS Piper. SummerSlam is in Cleveland, Ohio this year, Logan’s hometown. Cody retaining his Undisputed title also means he beats the US Champion.

Tradition states that pinning a champion earns you a title match. Cody VS Logan Part 2 in Cleveland for Logan’s title, maybe Cody wins, maybe Logan uses Champion’s Advantage there, who knows. Cody seems to really like the idea of being not just Two Belt Champ but Grand Slam Champ, maybe it’s gonna happen before the year is out. All I know is, ever since Cody returned, the US Championship was just too perfectly fit for his Homelander-esque American Nightmare aesthetic, he’s gotta get it at some point.

My Score: 8.8/10