Results
-
TRICK WILLIAMS (winner) vs THE MIZ
via pinfall
3 Our take -
CHARLOTTE FLAIR & ALEXA BLISS (winner) vs B-FAB & MICHIN
via disqualification
2 Our take -
CARMELO HAYES (winner) vs RICKY SAINTS
via pinfall
3.5 Our take -
PAIGE & BRIE BELLA (winner) vs GIULIA & KIANA JAMES
via pinfall
-
DAMIAN PRIEST (winner) vs TAMA TONGA
via pinfall
2 Our take -
GUNTHER (winner) vs ROYCE KEYS
via pinfall
Review 4 min read
Jump to a section 9
- Match Results
- Trick Williams’ Homecoming Goes Sideways – Then Right
- Cody Rhodes vs Gunther: The Contract Signing That Wouldn’t Sign
- Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs B-Fab & Michin
- Carmelo Hayes vs Ricky Saints
- Paige & Brie Bella vs Giulia & Kiana James
- Damian Priest vs Tama Tonga
- Danhausen Backstage
- Main Event: Gunther vs Royce Keys
Friday Night SmackDown rolled into the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina for the first blue brand episode after Backlash, with the road to Clash in Italy officially under construction. Gunther stalled, signed, fought and survived to lock in his match with Cody Rhodes, Trick Williams celebrated a hometown homecoming and Jade Cargill’s faction picked another fight on the way to Italy.
Match Results
- Trick Williams def. The Miz (non-title)
- Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss def. B-Fab & Michin via DQ
- Carmelo Hayes def. Ricky Saints
- Paige & Brie Bella def. Giulia & Kiana James
- Damian Priest def. Tama Tonga
- Gunther def. Royce Keys (Undisputed WWE Title #1 Contender’s Match)
Trick Williams’ Homecoming Goes Sideways – Then Right
SmackDown opened with United States Champion Trick Williams celebrating in Columbia, flanked by Lil Yachty and Cocky the Gamecocks mascot. The promo touched on Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles and the now-famous origin of the “Lemon Pepper Steppers” before The Miz and Kit Wilson crashed the party. Yachty fired back with a “you’re cursed” jab referencing Danhausen at Backlash, and we were off to an impromptu non-title match.
Kit Wilson’s interference behind the referee’s back gave Miz the opening for a Skull-Crushing Finale, which Williams kicked out of. After a roll-up sequence, Williams pinned The Miz to send the hometown crowd home happy at the end of the segment.
Worked harder than it needed to. The kickout of the SCF was a genuine pop moment.
Cody Rhodes vs Gunther: The Contract Signing That Wouldn’t Sign
The most layered segment of the night. Cody Rhodes set up the table and chairs, Gunther demanded he say “please,” and the whole thing turned into a power game over the pen. Royce Keys interrupted and threatened to sign in Gunther’s place, the two scuffled, and Nick Aldis came out to call everyone’s bluff – Gunther vs Keys in the main event, winner gets Cody at Clash in Italy.
Smart segment. Gunther’s arrogance, Cody’s needling, Keys’ opportunism and Aldis as the adult in the room all worked together cleanly.
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs B-Fab & Michin
Jade Cargill came out with her allies for a promo demanding the Women’s Title back at Clash in Italy, interrupted by Flair and Bliss. The match itself was structurally fine but built entirely around the Cargill-Flair tension at ringside. Bliss eventually nailed Sister Abigail on B-Fab and went for the cover, only for Cargill to pull her out of the ring for the DQ. Flair cleaned house afterwards and stared a hole through Cargill.
Saturday Night’s Main Event (May 23) was then announced to feature Rhea Ripley teaming with Flair and Bliss against Cargill, Michin and B-Fab.
Another DQ finish in a women’s match. The Flair/Cargill simmer is the only thing carrying this.
Carmelo Hayes vs Ricky Saints
The match of the night for my money. Hayes is back on SmackDown and these two had real chemistry. Saints kicked out of Dirty Diana and the First 48, then planted Hayes with the Revolution DDT for a near-fall of his own. Saints tried to use the ropes and got caught, and while he argued with the referee, Hayes rolled him up with a handful of ropes for the cheap win.
Heel-Hayes is the right call and the finish keeps the door wide open for a rematch.
Excellent television wrestling. Both men came out looking better than they went in.
Paige & Brie Bella vs Giulia & Kiana James
Paige and Brie controlled early before Giulia took over with a snap suplex spell on Paige. Big spots from Giulia and James, including a Codebreaker-Northern Lights Bomb combo that Paige had to break up. Brie survived a superkick in the closing chaos, Paige hit the RamPaige, and the champs went over clean.
Crisp, well-paced, clean finish. Nice change of pace.
Damian Priest vs Tama Tonga
Backstage build had Shinsuke Nakamura trying to peel Tama Tonga out of MFTs while Solo Sikoa worked on Royce Keys. The match itself was a fairly quick singles win for Priest, who continues to look strong as one half of the tag champs with Wepa Up.
Did the job. Storyline implications around the MFTs splitting were more interesting than the match.
Danhausen Backstage
A short vignette of Danhausen in his “lab,” declaring the Minihausens experiment a success and teasing something bigger. A gurney was wheeled in, the screen cut, and we moved on. Make of that what you will – I’d flag this as worth watching closely over the next few weeks.
Main Event: Gunther vs Royce Keys
Keys manhandled Gunther early, hitting World’s Strongest Slams on the announce table. Gunther fought back with a lariat and went up top, only for Keys to meet him with a superplex. Sleeper Hold from Gunther got broken up by Solo Sikoa at ringside. Keys speared Gunther into the referee, Sikoa slid in a chair – and Keys clobbered Sikoa with it instead, rejecting the recruitment. That distraction let Gunther recover, hit the Powerbomb and win.
After the bell, Cody Rhodes came out and dropped Gunther with Cross Rhodes to close the show.
Good main event with a slightly soft finish given Keys’ size and push, but the Sikoa rejection and Cody’s closing shot did real storyline work.