WWE Smackdown LIVE Coverage & Discussion - May 1st, 2018

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Shinsuke Nakamura demands an apology from AJ Styles

The WWE Championship Match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event ended in shocking fashion when both competitors were counted out by the official while brawling around the ringside area. That didn’t stop The Phenomenal One from unleashing his rage on The Artist, pummeling him with a steel chair and a Phenomenal Forearm on the arena floor. Though they’re facing off again for the title this Sunday at WWE Backlash, Nakamura is demanding a public apology from the champion for his actions in Saudi Arabia. Will The Artist get his wish?


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- Tonight's WWE SmackDown opens with a look at how Braun Strowman tossed SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon through a table at last Friday's Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. We see SmackDown General Manager Paige backstage watching what happened. Paige says Shane will not be here tonight. Paige also talks about Shinsuke Nakamura vs. WWE Champion AJ Styles at GRR and announces a No DQ stipulation for their Backlash match on Sunday so we will have a clear winner.

- We're live from the Bell Centre in Montreal as Tom Phillips welcomes us. He's joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

- We go right to the ring and The Miz is out for another must see edition of MizTV. Fans chant for Maryse but Miz says he took her home to Hollywood.

Miz announces that Daniel Bryan is banned from MizTV due to last week's no-show. Miz sends a warning to WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins ahead of their title match at Backlash on Sunday. Miz rants about the title and what he did for it, and fans cheer. Miz says fans will see an A-Lister as champion this Sunday. He gets back to MizTV and introduces tonight's guest. Out comes WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy to a pop.

They take a few shots at each other to start, including Jeff taunting Miz for the Rollins loss, before Miz accusing Jeff of being too arrogant. Miz shows us how Jeff came to SmackDown a few weeks ago and interacted with Randy Orton. Miz reveals that we have another guest for tonight and out comes Orton. Orton doesn't care when Miz mentions how Orton interrupted his intro. Miz tries to start stuff between Orton and Hardy. Orton says he's not mad at Jeff and doesn't see what the big deal is. Orton says Jeff took advantage of a situation and Orton did the same to him last week. Orton says he and Jeff are cool as far as he's concerned. Miz keeps trying to stir up stuff and get Orton to strike Hardy with the RKO. Orton warns Miz and says no one tells him when to strike. Orton says he will be taking his title back at Backlash. Hardy says he can try. Miz taunts them for having a mutual agreement and says maybe they should hug. The music interrupts and out comes Shelton Benjamin.

Shelton says Orton can't try and doesn't deserve to try, he doesn't deserve a damn thing. Fans boo Shelton. Shelton says he defeated Orton in the middle of the ring last week so if anybody deserves a title shot, it's him. Fans give Shelton the "what?!" treatment now. Orton kicks Shelton on the apron and goes for the draping DDT but here comes The Miz. Jeff takes Miz to the corner and hits a Whisper In the Wind. Orton and Hardy stand tall as Shelton looks on from the ramp. The Miz scrambles to the floor as MizTV has been canceled. We go to commercial with Hardy's music playing.

The Miz and Shelton Benjamin vs. Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy

Back from the break and we've got a tag team match in progress. Orton takes control of Shelton and works him over, going to the corner. Jeff tags in and keeps the offense going for a 2 count.

Orton comes back in but Shelton works him over. Orton misses the RKO but Shelton flattens Orton for a 2 count. The Miz comes in and takes control of Orton as fans loudly do the "ole!" chant now. Miz covers Orton for a 2 count and keeps him grounded now. Jeff tries to rally the crowd for Orton. Jeff finally gets the hot tag. Jeff unloads on Miz. Jeff calls out to Montreal and hits the low dropkick. Hardy with more offense and a 2 count on Miz.

Miz blocks the Twist of Fate. Shelton gets knocked off the apron as Jeff counters Miz for a pin attempt. Jeff blocks the Skull Crushing Finale and goes for another pin attempt. Shelton tags in as Jeff throws Miz to the floor. Jeff catches Shelton in a Twist of Fate. Jeff goes to the top to hit the Swanton Bomb on Benjamin but Miz grabs his leg from the apron. Jeff kicks Miz to the floor. Shelton runs up with a big knee to Jeff on the top. Miz knocks Jeff off the top to the floor. We go to commercial as fans boo Miz while Hardy is down on the floor.

Back from the break and Miz has Hardy grounded in a headlock. Fans chant for Hardy as Orton waits for the tag. Jeff fights up and out but Miz kicks him and drops him with a DDT for a 2 count. Shelton tags back in and keeps up the attack on Jeff. Jeff nails a jaw breaker but Miz tags in and stops Jeff from tagging. Miz takes Jeff to the corner and works him over now. Fans chant "you suck" at Miz as he hits the big corner dropkick. Miz with another corner dropkick to Hardy as the boos pick up. Miz plays to the crowd and the heat continues.

Miz charges for another corner dropkick but Jeff clotheslines him out of the corner. Orton waits for the tag. Orton and Shelton tag in at the same time. Orton unloads and hits the powerslam. Miz runs in but Orton tosses him to the floor. Orton follows and slams Miz on top of the announce table. Orton goes back in and ducks Shelton, then nails him with a standing dropkick. Orton brings Shelton in from the apron for the draping DDT but here comes The Miz. Orton nails him and hits a double second rope draping DDT on both opponents. Fans pop as Orton hits the mat. Shelton gets up and Orton nails the RKO. Orton tags in Jeff and he goes to the top for the Swanton Bomb on Shelton. Hardy covers for the pin.

Winners: Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton

- After the match, Hardy's music hits as he gets back to his feet. Orton immediately drops Hardy with the RKO. Orton stands tall as his music hits now.

- Renee Young is backstage with Carmella and The IIconics. Carmella is supposed to be there but she's not. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay mock Renee Young and the people of Canada. They bring up the Asuka and Becky Lynch match from last week, then dismiss Renee after she tries to speak up about what happened. They introduce Carmella next and here comes the SmackDown Women's Champion. She thanks them for the introduction and says she's so excited to team with them tonight. She goes on and says she's going to beat Charlotte Flair again at Backlash on Sunday. Carmella says they are pretty much invincible together, so they should go out there tonight and show everyone why Mella Is Money. And why the future is IIconic, they add.

- Still to come, Shinsuke Nakamura demands an apology from AJ Styles. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and Tom Phillips says Daniel Bryan is currently unable to perform due to doctors not clearing him because they are concerned that he might develop a bad chest infection. We see video of Bryan speaking after Friday's Greatest Royal Rumble 50-man match in Saudi Arabia and the chest welts from WWE NXT Tag Team Champion Roderick Strong. Graves says Bryan vs. Big Cass is still on for Backlash and nothing will keep him from a SmackDown ring.

- The Bar are backstage walking around when they come up on The New Day. The New Day taunts them for losing the RAW Tag Team Title match at Greatest Royal Rumble. The Bar says they have always wanted to be on SmackDown and will be able to run The New Day. They go on and The Bar is given a platter of pancakes. He wonders if the put a laxative in it. Cesaro tosses the pancakes and The New Day is angry. Sheamus proposes a real welcoming present - a match tonight. Big E steps up in his face and says he's got it. Sheamus steps to Xavier Woods and says this is who he wants. Woods says Sheamus' soul belongs to him tonight as they face off.

- We see Rusev and Aiden English talking backstage. We hear fans chanting "Rusev Day" in the arena. English is about to reveal new lyrics for a song when Lana walks in. Fans pop big for Lana, who is wearing a Rusev Day t-shirt. Rusev compliments her on the shirt. Lana says Rusev Day is bigger than ever and he had a huge Casket Match against The Undertaker at GRR. Lana says Rusev did good but something is holding him back. Rusev wonders what could possibly be holding him back as he has a holiday in his name every day. English heads off as Lana and Rusev look at each other.

- We go to the ring and out comes Big Cass. Graves says Cass wasn't scheduled to come out now. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and Big Cass is in the ring wit a mic.

Cass reminds everyone that he's from New York City. Fans boo. He talks about people from NYC having a stigma of not liking people from other cities and thinking they are better than other cities. Cass says this is all true. Fans give him heat as he rants about knowing he's better than everybody, including Daniel Bryan. Cass goes on about Bryan's size, the same size of fans in the crowd. Cass says the real size of a WWE Superstar is 7 feet tall. Cass says Bryan is small and weak, and when they face off at Backlash we won't get a "5 star" match, we will get a 5 second match. Cass doesn't need a wrist lock, an arm bar or any of that, he doesn't even need time to prepare. Why wait until Backlash? Cass calls Bryan to come to the ring and get his teeth kicked out, right now. Fans chant "yes!" as Cass waits. The music hits and out comes a midget dressed as Bryan. The midget does the "yes!" chant and heads to the ring.

Cass says Bryan looks a bit taller tonight and wonders if he has lifts in his shoes. Cass makes some corny size jokes. The midget Bryan kicks Cass in the leg and Cass continues with the weak size jokes. The midget kicks Cass again. They continue with this bad back & forth. Cass calls for the midget to take a bow for all his fans in Montreal. Cass says he's available for bookings. Cass sets the mic down and stares the little man down as he waves out to the crowd. He turns around and Cass floors him with a big boot. Cass jumps on the little guy and pounds on him as fans boo. Cass stands tall with a boot on little Bryan's chest. Fans chant "asshole" now as a group of referees come down to get Cass away from the little guy. Fans boo as Cass leaves the ring.

- Still to come, Asuka teams with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Also, Shinsuke Nakamura demands an apology from the WWE Champion. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and Renee Young is in the ring. She brings out her guest, WWE Champion AJ Styles. Renee goes to speak but fans start chanting AJ's name.

Renee asks about the No DQ stipulation for Sunday's Backlash match against Shinsuke Nakamura as the chants continue. AJ calls Nakamura a con artist and a cheap skate. AJ says Nakamura can play his games because that's the benefit of a No DQ match. AJ says he's out here trying to defend his gold when it seems like Nakamura is worried about the wrong jewels, after all the recent low blows. Renee brings up what happened at Greatest Royal Rumble and how Nakamura now wants an apology. Renee asks if AJ will be able to do that and he brushes it off. AJ says he should have left Nakamura sucking sand in the Arabian Desert. AJ says Nakamura ruined his WrestleMania 34, ruined the AJ vs. Daniel Bryan match for the WWE Universe and tried to take out his friend last week. AJ says Nakamura is a coward that attacks from behind and below the belt but you can throw those rules out the window this Sunday. AJ says he can break rules too. AJ goes on and says we're going to find pieces of Nakamura all over the place and the look we will see on his face will be the look of torture, courtesy of The Phenomenal One. Renee asks about if the apology again. AJ says if Nakamura wants an apology he should come out and... the music interrupts but out comes Samoa Joe.

Joe gets a pop as some fans chant his name. He takes the mic while on the ramp. Joe says AJ is out here making a spectacle of himself, so filled with rage and anger that hes lost focused of what is really dangerous around him. Joe says AJ isn't focused on the right match at all, he should be focused on the one where Joe's hand is raised in victory as he once again proves that Roman Reigns is a failure at Backlash. Fans pop as Joe runs Reigns down and talks about the GRR finish tot he match with WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Joe says Lesnar is the rightful champion and Reigns failed. Joe says this brings him to AJ, who needs to make peace with a destiny that is coming his way. Joe says he will put Reigns to sleep at Backlash and then he's coming for AJ or Nakamura to beat them down and take the WWE Title. Oh, believe that. Joe's music hits as AJ looks on from the ring. The music of Nakamura hits. Joe turns and faces the entrance, ready to brawl with Nakamura. Nakamura hits the ring from behind instead, laying AJ out with another low blow.

Nakamura gets down and taunts AJ in his face. Fans loudly chant for Nakamura as he waits for AJ to recover. Nakamura looks to hit the Kinshasa on AJ but he puts the brakes on and runs into the opposite corner instead, taunting AJ and letting him know he's in control. Nakamura straightens up and drops AJ with the Kinshasa after all. Nakamura continues to taunt AJ as some fans boo. Nakamura stands tall over AJ and poses as his music hits. Nakamura grabs the WWE Title and raises it over AJ. Nakamura drops the title on AJ and leaves.

- Becky Lynch is backstage. She's upset with herself as she talks to Asuka about last week's loss, taking the blame for Asuka's first defeat. Asuka tells her to forget last week because tonight they will hit back three times harder. Charlotte Flair is also there. Flair says Carmella and The IIconics think they're invincible but they're just annoying and have lost their minds. Flair says she will win her title back on Sunday but tonight she will teach Carmella about respect. Asuka gets fired up and heads out. Flair and Becky sip some tea to end the segment.

- Still to come, Sheamus vs. Woods. Back to commercial.

Sheamus vs. Xavier Woods

Back from the break The Bar waits in the ring, Sheamus and Cesaro. The New Day is out next - Xavier Woods with Big E and Kofi Kingston. The bell rings and Sheamus sends Woods down first, then shows off some.

Sheamus overpowers again and takes Woods to the corner. Sheamus runs into a knee and Woods fights out of the corner with strikes. Woods ducks a clothesline and kicks Sheamus' knees out. Woods leaps into the corner but Sheamus catches him. Woods ends up hitting a big Rolling Elbow and a dropkick to send Sheamus out of the ring. Woods runs the ropes and launches himself out, taking Sheamus down on the floor.

Woods brings Sheamus back into the ring but here comes Cesaro with bootleg pancakes in his jacket. Woods gets on the apron but Sheamus takes advantage of the distraction and hits a big knee. Sheamus with a 2 count now. Sheamus pounds on Woods and sends him hard into the bottom rope. Sheamus stands tall as fans chant "you look stupid" at him. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Sheamus is still in control. Sheamus with the Irish Curse backbreaker. Woods fights out of a hold but Sheamus takes his strikes. Woods counters a move and kicks Sheamus a few times. Woods with a big knee to the face. Woods with more offense for the comeback and a big corkscrew leg drop out of the corner for a 2 count. More back and forth now. Woods with a Shining Wizard for a 2 count. Woods goes to the top and walks the rope but he come down as Cesaro gets on the apron and messes with the top rope. Big E comes over and drops Cesaro onto his shoulders for the Big Ending but Cesaro sends Big E into the barrier. Kofi comes to stop Sheamus but also has no luck. Woods takes Cesaro out on the floor and the chaos leads to Woods rolling Sheamus up for the finish.

Winner: Xavier Woods

- After the match, The New Day celebrates as The Bar regroups in the ring.

- We see post-show video from last week where Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville were dissing Becky Lynch as she listened. We see Paige in her office, watching what happened last week. The Absolution members walk in and they all hug. They congratulate her on being General Manager and say this is awesome. They want to get straight to the point as they say they know why she called them to her office. Mandy thinks Paige is giving her a title shot but Paige says she has to earn it if she wants it, like Paige did. Paige announces Mandy vs. Becky for next week's show. Mandy asks if Paige can give them some special treatment. Deville agrees because they're in Absolution together. Paige says Absolution is dead. We go to commercial as awkward tension fills the air.

- Back from the break and we get a pre-recorded video from Zelina Vega. Andrade "Cien" Almas is with her. Vega says everyone wants to know when Almas is coming to SmackDown but we only get to know what she wants us to know. As his business manager, Vega promises that SmackDown will change very soon. Almas hypes the arrival of El Idolo and jumps into a waiting SUV with Vega.

- The announcers hype Sunday's WWE Backlash pay-per-view and the WWE Network.

Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch vs. Carmella, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce

We go to the ring for tonight's main event and out first comes Charlotte Flair as Greg Hamilton does the introductions. Becky Lynch is out next, followed by Asuka. We go to commercial as Asuka hits the corner to pose.

Back from the break and out first are The IIconics - Peyton Royce and Billie Kay. SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella is out next to join them and head to the ring. Carmella taunts everyone with the title before we get the bell. Flair starts things off with Carmella. Carmella plays around and tags in Royce without getting physical with Flair. Becky wants a piece of Royce and Flair tags her in.

Becky takes Royce down and they tangle. Royce slams Becky by her hair and covers for a 1 count. Becky with a low dropkick and some showing off. Billie with a cheap shot swipe at Becky from the apron. This allows Peyton to get some shots in. Billie tags in and goes at it with Becky. Becky turns it around for a quick pin attempt. Asuka tags in and Billie begs her. Asuka taunts Billie and stops her from tagging. Asuka catches a kick but Billie smacks her in the mouth. Asuka smiles and stares Billie down. Asuka unloads on Billie now with strikes. Asuka with the Hip Attack. Asuka keeps control and tags Flair in for a quick double team.

Flair drops Billie and rolls her up for a 2 count. Flair with more offense on Billie. Billie slams Flair by her hair out of the corner. Carmella tags in and talks trash. Flair catches a superkick and drops Carmella for the Figure Four. Carmella scrambles to the bottom rope and screams as The IIconics pull her to safety. Flair launches herself over the top with a plancha and takes out The IIconics on the floor. Carmella looks on and Flair stalks her as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Peyton goes at it with Becky. Carmella comes back in as things go wild. Becky ends up dropping Carmella and going to tag in Asuka but Billie and Peyton pull her off the apron. They send Asuka into the barrier, then the steel ring steps. Carmella stops Becky from tagging Flair. Becky kicks Carmella back and in comes Flair off the hot tag. Flair unloads on Carmella with chops as fans "wooo!" with her. Flair launches Billie over her head as she comes in. Peyton also gets tossed around when she comes in. Flair with a belly-to-back suplex on Carmella. Flair fights off Carmella and Billie from the corner. Carmella sends Flair face first into the turnbuckle and Flair lands hard.

The IIconics double team Flair and Billie covers for the pin but Becky makes the save. Billie sends Becky out to the floor. Billie grabs Flair and tags in Peyton for double teaming. Carmella comes in and brings Flair to the mat from the top with the scissors. Carmella with a 2 count. Carmella with another pin attempt and another as she shows frustration now. Carmella pounds on Flair and talks more trash. The referee warns Carmella as she continues throwing a fit and slams Flair's face into the mat. Peyton tags back in to keep the attack going on Flair. Peyton ragdolls Flair and keeps her grounded as the screen splits with a Backlash promo taking over.

Back from the break and Peyton avoids the Figure Four and sends Flair into the corner but this allows Asuka to tag in. Asuka unloads and dropkicks Peyton then knocks the other two off the apron. Asuka goes back to running wild on Peyton and nails the flying kick to the face. Fans pop as Asuka keeps control. Billie gets involved as does Carmella from the apron. Asuka pushes Peyton into them and knocks Carmella and Billie off the apron with a Hip Attack. Peyton avoids it and rolls Asuka up for a 2 count and another. Peyton argues with the referee about the count. More back and forth now. Flair ends up taking out Billie on the floor as the crowd gets hype with she and Asuka. Peyton and Asuka continue to go at it in the ring but Asuka counters and applies the Asuka Lock. Peyton finally taps for the finish.

Winners: Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch

- After the match, Asuka's music hits and the babyfaces stand tall together in the ring as we go to replays. Carmella sits on the ramp and clutches the title as she recovers. Flair exits the ring and looks on from the bottom of the ramp, motioning for the title around her waist. Carmella clutches the title and stares back at Flair as SmackDown goes off the air.