WWE Friday Night Smackdown Live Coverage - June 7th, 2024
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Cody Rhodes is looking for a fight following AJ Styles' betrayal
Last week, AJ Styles feigned a retirement announcement in order to unleash a brutal beatdown on Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes that culminated in the calculated Superstar hitting the titleholder with a Styles Clash onto the unforgiving ringside floor. The American Nightmare will be looking for payback following such an egregious betrayal from The Phenomenal One.
:smackdown:
– This week's show kicks off with a video recap of AJ Styles' faux retirement and subsequent savage attack of WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. We see a live shot of a snarling Cody Rhodes in the back where the cars arrive, presumably waiting for the arrival of "The Phenomenal One."
– We shoot inside the KFC! Yum Center in Louisville, KY. where Corey Graves and Wade Barrett welcome us to the show. The theme for Solo Sikoa hits and out he comes with the rest of The Bloodline 2.0 for the scheduled anointment of Tonga Loa as the newest member of the group.
They settle inside the ring where a hesitant "Wise Man" Paul Heyman looks over to Solo Sikoa, who gives him the nod to begin. Heyman introduces himself and says until Roman Reigns comes back, Solo sits at 'The Head of the Table.' A loud "We Want Roman!" chant breaks out.
Heyman says tonight Solo has upped the ante in the name of family honor. He makes tonight a double proclamation. He points out Tama Tonga, already anointed and a fully-fledged member of The Bloodline. But from this moment forward, he will not only be known as Tama Tonga.
He will be known as Tama Tonga "The Right-Hand Man." Heyman calls our attention to the man on his left, Tonga Loa. Before he can continue, he is again cut off by a loud "We Want Roman!" chant. Heyman says because from this moment on the story of The Bloodline will not be complete unless you acknowledge "The Infamous" Tonga Loa.
"So with that Louisville, thank you and goodnight," Heyman says. Solo responds, "Whoa..whoa..whoa...aren't you forgetting something?" He asks if Heyman should thank them for saving him from Kevin Owens last week. Heyman says, "Yes sir," and with his voice cracking, thanks the two for saving him.
Tama Tonga tells Heyman they could've let Owens kill him, but they didn't per orders of "The Tribal Chief." Heyman then says he's been here early doing "Wise Man" things. He says Kevin Owens is looking for a piece of any and every single member of The Bloodline. With that said, Owens' theme hits and Heyman has a look of shock on his face.
"The Prize Fighter" emerges and runs down to the ring, where he immediately starts brawling with Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and eventually Solo Sikoa. Ultimately, the numbers game is too much for him and they begin guzzling him up. The Street Profits' theme hits and out runs Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins to help out. Owens grabs a chair and cleans house.
After the opening segment wraps up, we cut to Cody Rhodes again pacing back-and-forth in the parking garage waiting on the arrival of AJ Styles. The camera shot shifts to show WWE Women's Tag-Team Champions Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair getting ready to come out next, as Graves informs us they will be taking on Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell when we return.
Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair vs. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
When we return from the break, we see Heyman in the parking garage area when Solo confronts him and asks if he's trying to leave. Heyman nervously says he is not. Solo demands Heyman go find Nick Aldis and get a six-man match with The Bloodline versus Kevin Owens & The Street Profits for tonight, otherwise the main event will be Tama vs. Heyman in The Bloodline locker room.
Back inside the arena, the theme for Jade Cargill hits and out comes one-half of the WWE Women's Tag-Team Champions. She stops and the theme switches to Bianca Belair and out comes "The EST of WWE." The two head to the ring and then their opponents, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, make their way out. The bell sounds and Belair and Hartwell start things off.
After some early back-and-forth action, we see LeRae and Hartwell take over the offensive lead, taunting Cargill on the ring apron as they isolate Belair in the ring as we head to a mid-match commercial break.
When we return, we see Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler watching on from ringside on one side.
Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are shown watching on the other. Hartwell, meanwhile, works over Belair until she finally makes it to Cargill for the tag. Seconds after Cargill tags in, the champs take back over and quickly finish this one for the win. After the match, Fyre, Dawn, Baszler and Stark attack Belair and Cargill. Baszler and Stark head into the ring and grab one of their titles.
They go to pick up the other, but Fyre and Dawn slide in and pick it up before they can. The four stare each other down and start brawling until Cargill and Belair return to the ring from behind and take them all out.. The two get their title belts back and raise them high in the air to end the post-match scene.
Winners: Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair
– We cut to the parking garage again where Cody is still huffing and puffing and pacing back-and-forth, when SmackDown G.M. Nick Aldis walks up. He calmly tells him he knows he's upset.
He says AJ Styles played him, too. He says he can't have this for the company, because it's not good for them to be fighting in a loading dock. Someone could get hurt. Cody says someone is gonna get hurt, but it's not gonna be him.
– Sarah Schreiber is with Apollo Crews backstage when we return. Before Crews can say much of anything, he is attacked by Angel, Humberto and the rest of Legado Del Fantasma. Security and officials rush to the scene to break it up.
Nick Aldis arrives and helps Crews up. As they walk off, he rolls his eyes and then bumps into LA Knight. "Where is he?!" Knight asks where Logan Paul is and Aldis assures him he's not here tonight. Carmelo Hayes comes up and says they can talk about someone who is here. Aldis makes a match between the two for tonight.
Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller
Inside the arena, Johnny Gargano is wrapping up his ring entrance, in progress. The DIY member has his tag-team partner, Tommaso Ciampa, by his side. The theme for Grayson Waller hits and out he comes accompanied by Austin Theory. The two settle inside the ring for our next match of the evening, which is singles action.
The bell rings and Gargano wastes no time. He fires off right hands and stomps on Waller in the corner, but Waller takes out Gargano with a right hand. Gargano lands a kick to Waller's head, then delivers a strike to him in the corner. He lands several more in the adjacent corner and follows it up with a hurricanrana, but Waller delivers a jawbreaker to Gargano off the top rope. He looks to land a rolling Stunner, but Gargano sees him coming. He catches Waller with a suplex, but Gargnao lands a Sliced Bread on him off the ring apron on the outside.
Back from the break, Waller looks to deliver an elbow drop to Gargano. Gargano avoids it and delivers a back elbow to Waller, then follows it up with a kick. Gargano delivers a spear to Waller through the middle rope and goes for a pin, but Waller kicks out. Waller delivers a rolling elbow strike to Gargano, then sends him crashing into the mat and connects with a modified back suplex.
Gargano and Waller exchange forearms with one another before Waller delivers a pair of kicks to Waller. Gargano responds with a superkick and a second kick, but Waller charges at him in the corner. Gargano moves out of the way and sends Waller crashing into the mat, then crawls over to Waller looking to pin him. Waller rolls out of the ring before he can, and Theory checks on him on the outside. Gargano delivers a tope suicida to Theory on the outside, and Waller then sends Gargano crashing into the ring post. He gets him back in the ring and delivers a rolling blockbuster for the win.
Winner: Grayson Waller
– In the parking garage, we see Cody pacing still, when Aldis walks up with a team of security. He tells Cody that he just got off the phone with AJ Styles, and he's pulling up to the building now. He says this is not going to get out of hand and tells Cody to just relax. We head to a commercial break on that note.
– When we return, we see AJ Styles popped out of the sun roof of a car pulling up. He charges forward to go after him, as AJ yells, "What are you gonna do?!" The O.C. pops out and security also runs in front of Cody, so Cody turns and walks straight through the curtain and out to the ring.
The single camera shot follows him all the way to the ring and he quickly calls out AJ. AJ's theme hits and out he comes with The O.C. Security rushes out past them, as does SmackDown G.M. Nick Aldis, and they form a wall in front of the ring to prevent things from getting out of hand. AJ asks Cody if he thinks he cares what he wants.
AJ points out how bad Cody wants to fight him right now. AJ says it doesn't matter what Cody wants. He says give him what he wants and he'll fight him. He wants the WWE Universal Championship at WWE Clash At The Castle: Scotland.
Cody says "You're on!" He then tells AJ it won't just be any match, it'll be an "I Quit" match. Styles and Cody end up brawling with security breaking them up. Cody beats down some of the security guards and charges at Styles again. We head to another commercial break after this.
– When we return from the break, Graves and Barrett confirm the "I Quit" Universal title match for the PLE next Saturday in Glasgow, as the official match graphic flashes across the screen. Backstage, we see Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair emerge from Nick Aldis office.
– The WWE Women's Tag-Team Champions are interviewed, and reveal that they will be defending their titles at the WWE PLE next Saturday as well, in a three-way bout that will feature the teams of Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark, as well as Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn.
LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes
Back inside the Wells Fargo Arena, the theme for LA Knight hits after Laura Sanko, Paul Felder and the non-fighter member of the B-Team commentary team in the UFC are shown goofing around in the front row as the commentators point them out on the broadcast. "The Mega Star" settles in the ring for our next match.
The theme for Carmelo Hayes hits and out comes the former NXT World Champion, who settles in the ring. The music dies down and the bell sounds to get this one officially off-and-running. Knight gets off to a good start, dominating Hayes in the ring and taking him out to the floor to bash him face-first into the commentary desk over-and-over again.
Knight back body drops Hayes over the commentary desk and onto the floor. We see a super slow-motion replay of this as we shift into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues with Knight in a commanding offensive lead. When we return, Knight finishes Hayes off with a BFT for the win. He grabs a commentary headset and tells Logan Paul he'll bring SmackDown to him.
Winner: LA Knight
– Backstage, Tiffany Stratton is shown walking when she comes across "Queen" Nia Jax. She tells her they would be unstoppable if they joined forces. She tells Nia to think about it. "Tootles!" She walks off and Nia keeps walking, which Michin gets in her face.
Nia arrogantly tells her she should take a play out of AJ Styles' book and actually retire. Neck-snapping and all, like a Jerry Springer guest, only for Michin to throw a drink in her face. Nia then launched Michin over a nearby table, but proceeded to slip and fall over-and-over again trying to stand up in the spilled drink that was thrown at her. Douche-chills, galore. Of COURSE it would happen to Nia.
– WWE Women's Champion Bayley's theme hits and she makes her way to the ring. As she does, we shift gears and head into another commercial break. When we return, Bayley grabs a mic in the ring and talks about her scheduled title defense against Piper Niven at WWE Clash At The Castle: Scotland.
As soon as she brings her up, the theme for Niven and Chelsea Green hits and out they come. Green calls Bayley a loser and says she'll be a loser again in Glasgow next weekend when Niven becomes the new WWE Women's Champion. Bayley pulls a Sami Zayn to Otis, telling Niven that she respects her and knows she doesn't need Green.
Bayley says she knows what it means to fight for the title in her home country in front of her fans, friends and the peers she came up in the business with. She says all Niven had to do was ask for a shot, but she attacked her from behind with "her little puppy." She says she's gonna have fun beating her in her home country.
Niven says she's saving beating the brakes off of her until next week. Niven talks about being a trailblazer for the women's scene in the U.K., Europe and Japan. She tells Bayley she has no idea about her journey. She says if Bayley had any idea how dangerous she really is, she wouldn't dare stand this close to her.
Kevin Owens & The Street Profits vs. The Bloodline
But first, we see a video from Logan Paul addressing LA Knight and explaining why he has not done anything to get on his level or earn a U.S. title shot. Also, announced for next week is Naomi vs. Chelsea Green, Michin vs. Nia Jax and The Grayson Waller Effect with DIY as the special guests.
Back inside the KFC Yum! Center, we see former UFC champion Valentina Shevchenko in the front row. Already in the ring are one-half of the main event, the team of Kevin Owens and The Street Profits, all of whom came to the ring before the pre-match commercial break. Their music dies down and Solo Sikoa's theme hits.
Out comes Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. The Bloodline 2.0 make their way to the ring together without "The Wise Man" Paul Heyman by their side. The bell sounds and Angelo Dawkins and Tama Tonga kick things off for their respective teams. Dawkins establishes the early offensive lead for his team.
After some more back-and-forth action, the fight spills out to the floor, where Solo Sikoa helps The Bloodline take control of the offense. On that note, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as the main event of the evening continues.
When we return, we see The Bloodline continuing to dominate as fans break out in a loud "We want Roman!" chant. Owens finally gets the hot tag for the baby face team and helps bring the crowd back to life as he shifts the offensive momentum back in his team's favor, only for Solo Sikoa to attack him with a chair.
The match is thrown out at that point, as the referee calls for the bell. Unfortunately for Owens and the Profits, things weren't completely over yet, as The Bloodline continued to attack them with chairs at ringside before ultimately putting Owens through the commentary desk to end the show.
