WWE Friday Night SmackDown 05 29 2020

WWE Friday Night SmackDown Results
May 29, 2020
Orlando, Florida (WWE Performance Center)
Commentary: Michael Cole and Corey Graves
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com

“Then. Now. Forever.” The WWE video leads us into the show.

We go outside the Performance Center to see an ambulance. Elias is on the ground being looked at by EMTs. Elias is gripping his arm in pain. Renee Young is on the scene. There’s a crashed Toyota up on a curb that apparently hit Elias. The police pull out a bottle of whiskey and discover the vehicle is registered to Jeff Hardy.

Kayla Braxton is with WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman, who was a witness. Strowman says he was just getting here when he saw the car crash and hit Elias. He hopes they catch the SOB who did this. All of a sudden the camera cuts over and officials run up to Jeff Hardy, who is unconscious and in rough shape. Jason Jordan is one of the producers. Police grab Hardy and say he smells like alcohol. Hardy says he hasn’t been drinking. The police then handcuff Hardy and arrest him. Renee Young says Hardy appears to be inebriated.

Elias is being loaded into an ambulance and looks in rough shape. Hardy looks devastated. Hardy has no idea what is going on. Jamie Noble tells Hardy to just cooperate. The police drive off with Hardy in the back of the car. The ambulance drives off with Elias.

Mike’s Thoughts: That was a hell of an angle to kick off the show. They did a really good job executing it and laying it out. Still kind of gross that they have to play off Hardy’s addictions (that he’s clearly not ever going to be over) to further an angle, but Dark Side of the Ring just recently covered the craziness of the Hawk angle from 20+ years ago. That’s just what they do. This’ll wind up being that Hardy was framed, but it’s definitely questionable.

-Commercial Break-

The WWE SmackDown roster is backstage wondering what is going on. Adam Pearce addresses them and says Elias was hit by a car, but his injuries aren’t life threatening. Someone comes up and whispers something to Pearce. Pearce announces Jeff Hardy has been arrested. Sheamus is outraged and says Hardy is a dirty junkie with a bunch of strikes. AJ Styles says it should be him against Daniel Bryan in the finals. Bryan says a lot of people would like an opportunity. Styles says that’s the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. Bryan should take a free ride to the finals. Bryan says he isn’t a coward. Sheamus she he agrees with Bryan and deserves another shot. Hardy is a junkie that got a quick one over him. Sheamus challenges Bryan.

King Corbin walks up and doesn’t think Sheamus should get another shot. Styles says this is not what he signed up for. All the guys making noise already lost. Styles is taking his free ride to the finals since Elias can’t compete. Sheamus wants to face Corbin and Bryan in a triple threat with the winner going to the Intercontinental Championship finals. Jey Uso walks up and says he wants a chance. Dolph Ziggler says he’s a 6-time Intercontinental Champion. Everyone has forgotten how good he is. Shorty G says no one forgot… they just remembered that Ziggler is an enormous jackass. Pearce says Styles will get a free ride to the final. We’ll have a Battle Royal with the winner facing Daniel Bryan. The winner of that match will face Styles in the finals. Pearce says the Battle Royal is next. Everyone leaves but Bryan and Styles. Styles says Bryan really is an idiot.

-Commercial Break-

10-Man Battle Royal

Participants: King Corbin, Sheamus, Drew Gulak, Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, Shorty G, Jey Uso, Lince Dorado, and Gran Metalik

The winner will face Daniel Bryan in the Intercontinental Championship tournament. The winner of that match will face AJ Styles in the finals of the tournament.

The bell rings, and a big brawl breaks out. Metalik kicks Cesaro back. NXT wrestlers are at ringside rooting it on. Corbin gets Uso over the top rope, but he hangs on. Gulak and Nakamura battle on the apron. Cesaro powers Dorado onto the apron, but he gets back in. Cesaro nearly eliminates Dorado again. Metalik nearly eliminates Ziggler and he wildly hangs onto the ropes. Cesaro presses Ziggler above his head and throws him, but Ziggler grazes the ropes and hangs on somehow! Sheamus is choking Uso when Shorty G runs up and nearly eliminates him. Corbin fights off Dorado and Metalik. Corbin then eliminates Dorado.

Gulak sneaks up on Corbin and dumps him over the top rope to the apron. Corbin snaps Gulak off the top rope and gives him a hip toss over the top rope to eliminate him. Sheamus chokes Metalik. On the other side of the ring, Shorty G avoids a knee from Nakamura. Metalik hits Corbin and Ziggler with a double handspring elbow. Ziggler soon superkicks Metalik, and Corbin throws Metalik over the top rope to eliminate him. Corbin and Ziggler high five before trying to eliminate Corbin. Ziggler says he was just messing around. Corbin then eliminates Ziggler. Jey Uso then superkicks Corbin out of the ring to eliminate him!

-Commercial Break-

We come back from the break to see Sheamus and Cesaro double-teaming Shorty G. They double clothesline him and high five. It’s a brief reuniting of The Bar. G attacks Sheamus, but Sheamus puts him on the top rope. G then applies an arm bar to Sheamus while hanging over the top rope. Sheamus powers him up, so G kicks him back. G then hits a tornado DDT. Uso superkicks Cesaro and Nakamura. G hits a rolling kick to Cesaro before Uso hits a running hip attack. Nakamura misses kick on Uso, but catches him on the back end. Cesaro saves Nakamura from G eliminating him. Cesaro throws G over the top rope, btu he hangs on. Cesaro uppercuts him, but G hangs on. G pulls Cesaro over the top rope, and his feet hit the ground! Cesaro is furious!

Nakamura knees G and goes for some kicks, but G ducks them all. G then gives Nakamura a belly-to-belly overhead suplex over the top rope to eliminate him! Referees try to keep Nakamura from getting back in the ring. While they’re distracted, the already eliminated Cesaro eliminates Shorty G! The referees didn’t see it despite Shorty G’s protests.

We’re down to Sheamus and Jey Uso. Uso unloads on Sheamus with punches. Uso hits Sheamus before snapping him off the top rope. They eventually fight to the apron and Sheamus thumbs the eyes. They punch it out on the apron, both having gone over the top rope. If one goes down, the other wins. Sheamus blocks a superkick and sends him hard into the ring post. Sheamus then Brogue Kicks him off the apron to win!

Winner: Sheamus

Sheamus will face Daniel Bryan later tonight in the Intercontinental Championship semifinals.

We’ll see another episode of A Moment of Bliss with special guests The New Day.

Sonya Deville is warming up backstage. She says the same fate Mandy Rose faced is coming for Lacey Evans. She needs to put her hair up and square up. Evans attacks her from behind and says she’ll see her in the ring.

-Commercial Break-

Shorty G is arguing with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura. G says they stole his opportunity. Cesaro says this is the big leagues. Does Shorty G really believe someone like him can be Intercontinental Champion? Cesaro says he’ll let Shorty G be the bigger man and walk away rather than get in the ring with him again. G knocks Cesaro down and says, “Challenge accepted.”

Lacey Evans vs. Sonya Deville

Evans takes Deville down and says she’ll show Deville what a blonde can do. Evans drops down and gives Deville a chance. Evans tries to outwrestle her, but Deville fights back. They reach a stalemate. They lock up, and Evans hooks a side headlock. Deville shoulder blocks her down and laughs. Deville puts her hair up, and Evans kips up. Evans puts her hair up as well. Evans ducks a right hand and kicks her down. Evans wipes the sweat off before throwing the hankie in her face. Deville viciously punches her in the face and shoves her hard into the corner. Deville pulls the hair and punches her in the face. Deville takes her down and stands on the hair. Deville kicks her in the chest and covers for a two count.

Deville stands on the hair, and Evans takes her down. Evans kicks her in the midsection and hits a facebuster before doing a gator roll. Evans rolls her to the apron and puts the apron over her face. Deville quickly takes her down on the floor. They brawl, and the referee counts them both out.

Double Count-Out

Evans and Deville continue to brawl before Evans whips her hard into the corner of the commentary table. Evans gets in the ring and demands to fight. Deville says she’ll fight on her own terms and walks off.

A disclaimer comes up for The Forgotten Sons. Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler, and Jaxson Ryker talk about being different together. Blake says their blood is on their hands.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are talking backstage. The New Day walk up and get psyched. A Moment of Bliss is next. It’s a Tag Team Champion Summit.

-Commercial Break-

A Moment of Bliss with The New Day

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross make their way to the ring. They introduce SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day. Big E and Kofi Kingston are wearing black arm bands that say, “Shad.” Bliss welcomes them to the show and mention this is a Tag Team Summit. Cross says she has a present for The New Day. She gives them a box of Scottish pancakes. They’re handmade. It’s her grandma’s special recipe. The New Day didn’t come empty handed. Big E pulls out coffee beans from his tights and says it’s from “Jabooty.” They stir it up and give it to Bliss, who looks grossed out.

Bliss asks them what tag teams standout to The New Day. Kofi Kingston says The Forgotten Sons stood out at Money in the Bank. Big E says Bliss and Cross have been mixing it up with The IIconics, but who on SmackDown…

SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley comes out to the ring with Sasha Banks. Bayley says she sees two great Tag Team Champions in the ring, but not the best Tag Team Champions. Banks says she doesn’t see it. They get in the ring. Banks takes off her jacket and throws it in Bliss’ face. Banks is wearing a black arm band that says, “Hana.” Bliss says there are five champions in the ring… where’s Banks’? Bayley says Banks is the G.O.A.T. Banks says since she is the conversation, they put the Tag Titles on the map. If it weren’t for them, the titles wouldn’t even be here. If they wanted to, they could win them right back. Bliss tells them to name a time and place. Bayley says at this time and place, her best friend Sasha will show what a great tag team they are when she beats Bliss right here and now. Banks doesn’t look happy about that since she’s wearing big heels. Bayley runs off to get her wrestling boots. Bliss dropkicks Banks out of the ring.

-Commercial Break-

Nikki Cross and Bayley will be on commentary for this match.

Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks is still putting her sneakers on before pushing Bliss into the corner. Bliss blocks a kick and rolls her up a few times for one counts. Banks sends her to the ropes, but Bliss takes her down again. Banks rolls her up for a two count. Banks blocks a kick, but Bliss punches her in the face and poses. Bliss hits a takedown and attacks the arm. Bliss hits Insult To Injury for a near fall. Banks blocks a slap and drives her into the turnbuckle before hitting a slingshot double knee for a near fall. Banks punches away at Bliss for another two count. Banks slaps Bliss in the face and stomps her before choking her. Banks hits a snapmare followed by a meteora for another near fall.

Banks applies a double arm rest hold. Bliss fights up, so Banks hits a backbreaker for a near fall. Bliss punches back at her before slamming Banks down. Nikki Cross is standing on the table chanting for Bliss. Bliss hits a pair of clotheslines before countering a hip toss and hitting a dropkick. Banks quickly puts her in the corner and hits another meteora followed by a double knee drop for a near fall. Bliss rolls through a backstabber before hitting a head-scissor takeover. Bliss then drops her with a punch. Bliss goes to the top rope. Bayley gets on the apron, so Cross jumps up to stop her. Bayley pushes Cross into Bliss, knocking her off the top rope. Banks rolls her up for the win.

Winner by Pinfall: Sasha Banks

We’ll take a look at Otis and Mandy Rose’s vacation later tonight. We’ll have an update on the Jeff Hardy situation, next.

-Commercial Break-

Replays are shown of how the show kicked off with Elias down and Jeff Hardy being arrested.

Daniel Bryan will take on Sheamus in the Semifinals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament.

Cesaro w/ Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Shorty G

The bell rings, and G hits Cesaro with a pair of rolling kicks. G rolls him up for a near fall. G connects with a back elbow and hits a moonsault block off the top rope for a near fall. G takes him down and hits a leg breaker. Cesaro quickly knocks him back before connecting with a stiff clothesline. Cesaro clubs him and uppercuts him down. Cesaro connects with a deadlift gutwrench suplex for another near fall. Cesaro applies a chin lock before kneeing him. Cesaro sends him into the ropes, but misses a clothesline. G then hits a dropkick to the knee. G goes for a rolling kick, but Cesaro counters into a wicked powerbomb for a near fall!

Cesaro hits a running uppercut on G and puts him on the top rope. Cesaro clubs the back and goes for a back suplerplex. G flips through and lands on his feet! G applies an ankle lock, but Cesaro rolls through. G hits the ropes hard. Cesaro annihilates him with an uppercut, but G kicks out. Cesaro goes for a Gotch Neutralizer, but G counters with a back body drop. G counters a powerbomb and rolls him up for the win!

Winner by Pinfall: Shorty G

Coming up next, we’ll take a look at Otis and Mandy Rose in the pool.

-Commercial Break-

Video Package: Otis and Mandy Rose are at a pool drinking peach champagne. Mandy wants to take a nap and dreams about making out with Otis. Otis does a cannonball and splashes her, waking her up. She gets in the pool and makes out with him.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle makes an appearance. Angle says back in the day he used to run SmackDown with guys like Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Edge, and Randy Orton working for him. Angle is looking forward to Edge and Orton will do at Backlash. Angle then announces the next SmackDown superstar, a guy he’s gotten to know over the past few months and refereed his last match on NXT.

Video Package: Matt Riddle is coming to Friday Night SmackDown