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WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT
MAY 6, 2022
UNIONDALE, N.Y. AT NASSAU COLISEUM
AIRED ON FOX
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
Ring Announcer: Samantha Irvin
[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with a video package on last week’s Beat the Clock Challenge with Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair with Michael Cole saying it was for a “huge psychological advantage” going into Backlash.
-They went live to the arena as Cole introduced the show. Cole said the tables match with New Day vs. Sheamus & Ridge Holland is the first in nearly two years on Smackdown.
-Charlotte made her entrance; Aliyah was already in the ring as her scheduled opponent. Charlotte asked Long Island how it was going. She said she doesn’t understand why Long Island is called the armpit of New York. She said people are saying she was humiliated when she lost the Beat the Clock Challenge. She said she didn’t lose, though. She said Aliyah clearly tapped out before the time expired. She blamed Drew Gulak for creating confusion. She said she’ll make Ronda Rousey quit on Sunday at Backlash “and she’ll cry like her own baby.” She said she wouldn’t be surprised if Rousey leaves WWE after her humiliating loss.
Charlotte told everyone to say hi to Aliyah. She asked if she’s enjoying her 15 seconds of fame standing in the ring with her. She elbowed Aliyah in the face. She took off her robe and handed it to the ref, then stomped and punched away more at Aliyah. Rousey ran out to her music. Rousey pulled Charlotte out of the ring. They brawled at ringside. Rousey followed Charlotte into the ring, but Charlotte took control and rammed her into the corner repeatedly. Referees and agents stormed the ring to pull them apart. They were finally pried apart. Pat McAfee said they have so much disdain for each other. Rousey’s eye make-up was smeared in a hilarious way.
(Keller’s Analysis: This was a really good intense pull apart brawl that I think effectively built the anticipation for their match on Sunday.)
-They went to the announcers at ringside who reacted. They totally ignored that a match was scheduled and didn’t take place. (That’s so annoying.) They threw to a video package on the feud with Shayna Baszler & Natalya and Sasha Banks & Naomi.
-Sasha’s music played as Sasha and Naomi made their way to the ring. [c]
(1) SASHA BANKS (w/Naomi) vs. SHAYNA BASZLER (w/Natalya)
Cole and McAfee talked about Baszler being a submission magician. Cole hyped that Banks & Naomi would defend the tag titles against Baszler & Natalya next week on Smackdown. Natalya stood on the ring apron. Sasha immediately turned her attention to Natalya, giving Baszler a chance to recover and take over. A brief “Let’s Go Sasha!” chant rang out, but seemed piped in. Cole acknowledged it. It went away after three chants. They cut to a break. [c]
Sasha made a comeback after the break and then went after Natalya at ringside. She head scissored her at ringside, but when she returned to the ring, Baszler rolled her up for a near fall. Sasha fired back with a backslide for a near fall. Baszler then small packaged Sasha. Natalya held their legs for the three count. McAfee said he couldn’t understand how the ref missed that.
WINNER: Baszler in 9:00.
-After the match, Natalya and Baszler went after Sasha. Naomi made the save. The heels retreated. Cole plugged the tag title match scheduled for next week.
-A sponsored recap aired of the Bloodline feud with RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre.
-Kayla Braxton interviewed the Usos backstage. They threw some insults at RK-Bro. They said Riddle puts his foot in his mouth a lot and they’re going to make new snake skins boots out of the Viper.
-Happy Corbin made his entrance. [c]
-McAfee plugged Bad Bunny’s album and upcoming summer tour.
-Back to Kayla backstage. She interviewed RK-Bro. She asked for their thoughts on what the Usos said about them. Riddle asked if they really think he puts his feet in his own mouth. “But who am I to judge what people put in their mouths?” he said. Orton said, “Wrong place, wrong time.”
-Cole narrated a video package on the Corbin-Madcap Moss feud including the Andre trophy incident.
-Corbin began to talk about what he plans to do to Madcap at Backlash. Madcap interrupted and said they want to hear his jokes. He told Corbin he looks like he’s trying out for a Pit Bull cover band. He said all the tattoo artists have tried out their bad ideas on him. He said it appears a Hot Topic threw up on his chest. McAfee laughed. Corbin interrupted him and said he feels safe in the back telling lame jokes. He said he doesn’t have the guts to come out there and say it to his face. Madcap said, “Funny you should mention that.” He then walked away from the camera view backstage.
-Madcap made his ring entrance. [c]
-Moss said Corbin has had a lot of names, but maybe for his next phase he can be Entertaining Corbin. He said he could go back to his lone wolf phase, “but unfortunately, wolves have hair.” He said Corbin could be the “Big Bald Wolf.” He started a chant and fans joined in. Corbin shook his head and walked off.
(Keller’s Analysis: The cool factor of WWE, wherever it started, goes down several levels whenever Madcap does his bit.)
-A video package aired on Drew Gulak’s latest attempts to find a role in WWE.
-Drew Gulak stood in the ring. Cole said he’s “back in his happy place.” He was scheduled to face a mystery opponent. “I’m sure this is going to end well for Drew Gulak,” said McAfee.
-A video package aired on Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins on Backlash. [c]
(2) DREW GULAK vs. GUNTHER
Gulak tried to get psyched up for the big challenge. He circled Gunther and tried to lock up, but Gunther overpowered him and worked over his arm immediately. Gulak flipped out of his grip. Gunther slapped his chest and knocked him down hard. Then he delivered a boot to the head. Gunther bent Gulak upside down on the top rope and then torqued him from above. He yanked him to center ring and applied a sleeper. Gulak put up brief resistance. Gunther than powerbombed him for the win.
WINNER: Gunther in 2:00.
-They showed the Rick Boogs injury at WrestleMania. Cole said he went through successful surgery. They showed Roman Reigns hugging and consoling Shinsuke Nakamura last month on Smackdown, but it was a set-up for the Usos super kicking him.
-Megan Morant interviewed Nakamura backstage. She asked about his “bone to pick” with the Bloodline. Nakamura said he hasn’t forgotten and “one day soon, when the time is right, I’ll get a piece of Roman Reigns and he will never forget.” Sami Zayn peeked out from behind a trailer behind them. Cole said, “Look at that stooge.”
-Sheamus and Ridge Holland made their ring entrance. McAfee asked, “Where the hell is Butch?” [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Cole hyped the USFL on Fox. (Awkward! The league that essentially took the place of Vince McMahon’s XFL 2.0.)
-Braxton interviewed McIntyre backstage. She asked about the trash-talk from the Bloodline lately. McIntyre said the Bloodline like to run their mouths more than throw their fists. He said tonight, the WWE Universe deserves a surprise and something special. He said he’s thinking of kicking the head off the Head of the Table.
-Cole recapped the antics and subsequent disappearance of Butch lately. They showed the images of Butch placed in front of various landmarks around the world as Cole wondered where he went. They also showed Holland powerbombing Woods through the table.
(3) SHEAMUS & RIDGE HOLLAND vs. THE NEW DAY (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
They battled for a couple minutes leading to New Day nearly suplexing Holland through a table, but Sheamus intervened. McAfee made a big deal out of WWE being the only place you can see people try to crash other people through tables. They fought to ringside where Sheamus set up Kingston for a powerbomb through a table, but Woods made the save. Woods side-stepped a charging Holland and threw him into the ringside steps. Sheamus set up a move on Woods off the ring apron through a table at ringside, but Kingston made the save. Kingston then leaped off the top rope onto Sheamus, who knocked over the ringside barricade near the time keeper’s area. “Are you kidding me?!” exclaimed Cole. [c]
McAfee compared Kingston’s dive before the break to Ja Morrant flying on the NBA court. Cole said Ja doesn’t land on a 265 pound man and knock him into a barricade. Sheamus leaped off the ring apron with Kofi on his shoulders and slammed Kofi onto the edge of the ring apron. Xavier battled Holland in the ring. He set up a table after he got Holland down. He put Holland on the table and then climbed to the top rope. Sheamus knocked him off balance. Xavier grabbed his leg in pain. Kofi recovered and leaped over the top rope onto Sheamus at ringside.
Kofi wildly cleared the announce table. Sheamus recovered and grabbed Kofi, but Kofi slipped free and then landed a Trouble in a Paradise that knocked Sheamus onto the announce table. “This will count, right?” asked Cole. Butch then came out from under the ring. McAfee said he was under the ring the whole time. He attacked Kofi. Woods went after Butch. Butch fought back. Sheamus gave Woods a Brogue Kick as Holland held him. Holland and Sheamus then slammed Xavier through the table for the win.
WINNERS: Sheamus & Holland in 13:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match. Kingston stood out for a couple of big spots. The return of Butch puts an end to the social media gimmick they’ve been doing. I’m not sure if the payoff was worth the time invested in the irreverent “fun” social media bit, though.)
-Afterward, Butch attacked Xavier. Sheamus and Holland tried to pry him off.
-Braxton asked Paul Heyman backstage to comment on what McIntyre said about knocking the head off of the Head of the Table. Heyman asked Kayla if she was flirting with him and looking for him to take her out for pizza. Sami Zayn walked up to Heyman and asked Braxton for a moment with Heyman. When Kayla walked away, Heyman exclaimed, “Don’t leave me alone with him!”
Sami said he heard Nakamura talk about Reigns and how he’s looking for payback. Sami said he wants Heyman to tell Reigns that he will personally deal with Nakamura so that Reigns doesn’t have to deal with it. He said he wanted Heyman to pass that along. Heyman said he’s going to tell Sami something he shouldn’t repeat. Heyman told Sami that the Tribal Chief appreciates and respects his initiative. Sami said that’s how he’ll get his credibility and respect back. Heyman said he will tell him. Sami was pleased. They thanked each other.
-Cole plugged the “Face to Face” with The Bloodline and RK-McBro, the name for the threesome McIntyre introduced earlier in the show. [c]
-Sami Zayn approached WWE executive Adam Pearce backstage. He asked for a match with Nakamura next week. Pearce said he can have one this week. Sami said he’s not ready. Pearce said he’d give him a few minute. Sami wasn’t pleased. McAfee said Pearce is the only sports official who makes good decision.
-Cole threw to part five of the Lacey Evans story. Lacey talked about her dad overdosing two months before her WWE tryout. She talked about another family member committing suicide around that time. She said she tried to stop the bleeding. She said before her first match at NXT, another family member OD’d not far from her show in Florida. She said she didn’t know how much more she could take. She said she tried her entire life to make her family proud and break their addictions and motivate them to succeed. She said when what should have been the happiest moment of her life, she felt completely broken. She said she had her first match in front of her daughter and she smiled. Then she went to the hospital to deal with more tragedy.
She said it’s her time to show the world the power we have to break the cycle and show my daughters to keep fighting when you second guess yourself because of where you come from and when you’re knees are weak and you feel so broken because of what you’ve been through. She asked what the WWE Superstars can do to her to stop her that her life hasn’t already tried to do. She said her life has made her the woman she is today. She closed by saying she will soon be Smackdown Women’s Champion.
-Samantha Irvin stood mid-ring and said they have all been moved by Lacey’s story. She said Lacey asked for fans to show the proper respect. Lacey walked out in a camouflage outfit, but also a lace top with a visible bra underneath. She met some fans in the aisle as her theme played.
-Then they cut abruptly to Cole and McAfee who threw to a sponsored video package on Raquel Rodriguez.
-Sami Zayn made his ring entrance.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was odd that she made her first appearance in front of fans since these videos began airing and then they just cut if off after ten seconds of playing to the audience.) [c]
(4) SAMI ZAYN vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
After a few minutes of action, Sami avoided a charging Nakamura and slammed him with a Michinoku Driver. They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
Back from the break, Sami had Nakamura in a chinlock. Nakamura powered out of it in the corner. Sami regained control and scored a two count. He complained to the ref, kicked the bottom rope, and then leaped off the second rope. Nakamura kicked him in the mid-section and then landed an axe kick. They battled mid-ring a minute later. Nakamura rolled up Sami into an armbar. Sami teased tapping out, but Sami leveraged Nakamura’s shoulders down instead for a two count. Nakamura set up a Kinshasa, but Sami retreated to ringside. Nakamura pursued him at ringside and delivered a kick to his face. Cole and McAfee moved as Sami crawled behind the table. He then caught Nakamura with a kick to the face. He then beat the ten count.
WINNER: Sami via countout in 10:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good match. I’ll happily watch more Nakamura vs. Sami matches on Smackdown. How about a rematch at Backlash?)
-The announcers ran through the Backlash line-up. McAfee said the Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins “is a rematch the entire globe is speaking of.”
-RK-Bro made their ring entrance. [c]
-McIntyre made his full ring entrance. Drew with a sly smile said, “Strong Island, acknowledge me.” Riddle interrupted him and said he acknowledges that Randy is his best friend. Orton said he acknowledges that he still has McIntyre’s hand print on his chest from two years ago when he beat him for the World Title. McIntyre said he acknowledges that he kicked him in the head four times and then won back the championship. Orton acknowledged that. Riddle stepped between them and said they acknowledge that they’ll let bygones be bygones. Drew and Orton acknowledged that.
Riddle said he also acknowledges that Orton has the most muscular legs in WWE. McIntyre compared them. Riddle said McIntyre’s are thicker, but Orton’s are more vascular. Orton said he acknowledges that the Usos have had their lips attached to Reigns’s ass for the last few years. McIntyre said their gameplan will be a joint decision. Riddle started a chant of “Acknowledge!” McIntyre said they all acknowledge that Reigns is the biggest piece of crap walking Earth. Reigns’s music began. McIntyre said, “What a shock, it worked!”
Reigns, Heyman, and the Usos walked out. Reigns looked down at the mic, then tossed it in the air. Heyman said, “Oh boy, you done screwed up now.” They marched the ring and then faced off mid-ring. A brawl broke out a few seconds later. The Bloodline got the better of Orton, McIntyre, and Riddle. They threw Riddle into a ringpost and isolated McIntyre. Riddle re-entered and helped. Orton then hit an RKO on Jimmy. McIntyre then hit Reigns with a Claymore. He kipped up and celebrated with Riddle and Orton. McIntyre’s music played. Cole said McIntyre delivered that kick to the head of Reigns he promised earlier. Bloodline retreated as the show ended.
(Keller’s Analysis: Solid enough segment to hype the main event on Sunday. They gave viewers a tease of the intensity of what will happen when these teams fight at Backlash. Drew benefits from sharing the ring with Riddle and Orton, who are two genuinely popular and cool wrestlers to the WWE audience. The double-ententes and plays on words came one after another with that trio.)
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