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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (June 2, 2023) with a live show emanating from Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, featuring all the fallout from the Night of Champions Premium Live Event that went down this past Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Advertised for tonight: Roman Reigns has a formal celebration to acknowledge his 1000 days as Universal champion.
Tonight’s show also features two Money in the Bank qualifying matches (Montez Ford vs. LA Knight, Zelina Vega vs. Lacey Evans), the Tribal Chief’s reaction to Jimmy Uso’s shocking betrayal, and more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JUNE 2
And so the ballet starts again, exit stage left through the door and we begin the horizontal dance. And he begins to know just what the claw is for, but me? I’m just here to liveblog this pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a video package narrated by Paul Heyman covering the one thousand day title reign of Roman Reigns.
Commentary hypes up the show and a robot gives me a thunderstorm warning.
Austin Theory is in the ring with a mic.
He draws a comparison between his United States Championship reign and Roman’s world title reign and says it’s almost as inspiring as beating John Cena at WrestleMania. He says he’s gonna have his own one thousand day celebration, or maybe even two three or four, because he’s gonna be champion forever.
He has two guys he wants to bring out for doing exactly what’s right, and introduces Pretty Deadly.
They come down and say it was their pleasure destroying the Brawling Brutes and he’s a champion the people deserve. They want to show their appreciation as only they can, and they give him a big “Yes boy!”
Enter the Brawling Brutes.
Austin Theory & Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) vs. Brawling Brutes (Pete “Butch” Dunne, Ridge Holland, & Sheamus)
Brutes working Prince over, Wilson tags in, side headlock on Dunne, shot off, drop down, lariat takes him out and Pete steps on his hands! Kitty ducks the kick, tag to Theory, Sheamus comes in and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Prince is working Dunne over, quick tags to keep Butch isolated, tags made and Sheamus is in hot, working Austin over! Big slam, Theory counters with a schoolboy for two! Irish Curse for each of the heel team, triplicate fireman’s carries into triplicate White Noise!
Brogue Kick takes Austin off his feet but Pretty Deadly pull him out of the ring! Holland takes them out with a lariat on the floor and Sheamus follows it up by diving on them! Dunne hits an Orihara moonsault and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Dunne throwing enzuigiris, clearing the ring, tag to Holland! Back suplex lift into an assisted powerbomb, Sheamus of the top with a Bombs Away knee drop... SO CLOSE! Some tags, Theory hits the spin-out powerbomb into a folding press... SHEAMUS KICKS OUT!
The match breaks down into “everybody do something cool” territory, big knee from Sheamus blocks the rolling thunder, cover for two! Ridge back body drops both members of Pretty Deadly, triplicate Beats of the Bodhran! Theory hits A-Town Down on Dunne, to the floor, Pretty Deadly doing some twin magic and Wilson chop blocks Ridge!
Tag made, Spilt Milk, Theory tagged in for the cover...
Austin Theory & Pretty Deadly win by pinfall with a lateral press from Theory on Ridge Holland.
We see Paul Heyman walking into Roman Reigns’ dressing room with the titles on his shoulders and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Heyman gives Solo Sikoa a pep talk about making tonight special for Roman Reigns. He says he’s gonna go talk to Adam Pearce and make sure the Usos are nowhere to be found tonight.
We see footage from earlier of AJ Styles celebrating his birthday with the OC, who reassure him that Night of Champions was okay and AJ says he wants to take Hit Row out.
The OC make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of last year’s SummerSlam match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.
Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. Hit Row (Ashante “Thee” Adonis & Top Dolla)
Adonis in control early, bum rushing Anderson, tag to Dolla, but the tag veterans slow but steady turn the tide...
Good Brothers win by pinfall with Magic Killer on Ashante Adonis.
Post-match, AJ Styles takes Dolla out with a Phenomenal Forearm and Michael Cole drops some sub-PN News bars about it.
We see the ring being dressed for the Grayson Waller Effect and we go to break.
Back from commercial we’re informed Seth Rollins will defending his new World Heavyweight Championship against Damian Priest on Monday.
Grayson Waller welcomes us to the Grayson Waller Effect and introduces his guest, our new Raw Women’s Champion, Asuka.
Asuka is excited in Japanese about being champion and Grayson says he couldn’t have said it better himself, but he points out the Money in the Bank briefcases hanging above them and tells her to keep her head on a swivel. He brings up Bianca coming for her rematch and Asuka takes a mocking tone as she speaks more Japanese.
The mist bubbles out of Asukas mouth and she licks her lips and smears it on her cheek.
Enter IYO SKY, cutting a promo that is an obvious challenge, in Japanese. Asuka offers a counterpoint, IYO fires back, and Asuka calls her an idiot over and over until Grayson has a fit about an unapproved guest.
Enter Bayley.
She says either her or SKY will be winning the briefcase.
Enter Shotzi Blackheart.
She wants to crush Bayley’s dreams with the help of cold, hard steel.
Enter Lacey Evans, dressed like a storebought Sexy Sgt. Slaughter costume.
She says she’s gonna win Money in the Bank.
Enter Zelina Vega.
She thinks SHE’s going to win Money in the Bank because everyone is underestimating her.
Everyone bickers, Grayson fails to restore order, and finally Asuka calls out from the stage to remind them that no one is rady for her— BIANCA BELAIR ATTACKS FROM BEHIND AND THEY BRAWL ON THE STAGE AS REFEREES AND ROAD AGENTS JASON JORDAN AND SHAWN DAIVARI SWARM TO PULL THEM APART!
We go to break!
Back from commercial, Cameron Grimes is talking to Adam Pearce about Baron Corbin.
Grimes says the next time Corbin shows his face on SmackDown, he’ll handle it.
Lacey Evans vs. Zelina Vega (Money in the Bank Qualifying Match)
Evans putting boots to Vega out the gates, trapping her in the corner, putting her in the Cobra Clutch in the middle of the ring, swinging her around, smashing her face into the mat when the hold doesn’t break her! Lacey salutes to taunt, Zelina strikes, one-foot pin from Evans and she yells at referee Dan Engler for refusing to count!
Chinlock with knee strikes, trying to suck the life out of Vega, upkicks stagger her and Zelina backs her into the corner to break the hold! Headlock takeover, Yoshi Tonic connects...
Zelina Vega wins by pinfall with a Yoshi Tonic, qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match.
We go to break on a recap of Roman Reigns’ defense against Sami Zayn this year at Elimination Chamber.
Back from commercial, the Latino World Order celebrate with Zelina Vega and Santos Escobar talks about the two of them winning the briefcases.
LA Knight vs. Montez Ford (Money in the Bank Qualifying Match)
In the lockup, Knight shoves Ford into the ropes, circling, back to the collar and elbow, Montez with a side headlock, reversed to a hammerlock! Trading hammerlocks back and forth, Forrd gets him in the ropes and paintbrushes his head before hte break!
A shoving match breaks out, off the ropes and Montez knocks him down! Leapfrog, passing LA off the ropes, drop down, leapfrog, leapfrog, Ford with a dropkick! Knight sends him to the floor and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Ford in control, big nearfall off a Rock Bottom! Lariat leaves both men down and out, trading nearfall attempts, LA gets him with a hand on the ropes...
LA Knight wins by pinfall with an O’Connor roll and a hand on the ropes, qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match.
Post-match, LA Knight sets up a ladder and climbs it to prove that he understands the rules to the Money in the Bank ladder match.
We get a cryptic hype reel with a bunch of Latin text and footage of cultists walking around a flame and it turns out to be for Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, now dubbing themselves the Unholy Union.
Triple H makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up next week’s show.
Triple H gets on the mic next to a pedestal with a new title belt under a cloth on it.
He talks about the kind of athlete that changes the game such that they’re spoken for decades, your Muhammad Alis and Michael Jordans, and he says Roman Reigns is in that category.
The Bloodline make their entrance, consisting of Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman.
Hunter puts Roman over for reaching a thousand days as champion, the first to do so in nearly 40 years, and he unveils a brand new WWE Undisputed Universal Championship for him, the same basic design as his current belts but slightly shinier.
Reigns puts the title around his waist and demands the entire universe acknowledge him.
Enter the Usos.
Everybody freaks out about them not being supposed to be here today and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Jimmy Uso squares up with Roman Reigns, mic in hand.
Roman tries to tell Jey to kick his brother in the face but he doesn’t budge. Reigns reiterates his demand and tells Jey to fix this by kicking his brother in the face right now. Jimmy tells Roman the only one that needs fixing is him.
He says Jey can’t fix this and he did what he did in Saudi not to be the Tribal Chief, not to lead the Bloodline, but because he was being a brother. Brothers treat brothers with love and respect and lately Roman hasn’t been such a good brother.
He asks what kind of brother hurts and betrays and lies to his own family, and says Reigns has gone crazy. Jey is his brother, it’s embedded in him to protect, and so is Solo, and he warns him than Roman will use him, abuse him, and kick him in the dirt.
Roman takes claim for the Uso chants you can hear and reminds us that he’s the Tribal Chief and asks Solo Sikoa how he feels, who he’s loyal to. Solo considers the mic for a long beat before acknowledging his Tribal Chief... but reminding him that the Usos are his brothers.
He hands the mic back to Reigns and steps over to stand with the Usos! Jimmy gets on the mic and asks Roman how it’s gonna be, does he want to run this together with respect, or is he going to end up on the Island of Relevancy as the Tribal Chief all by himself?
He tells Jimmy to shut up but Uso piefaces him and cuts him off! Jey takes over and says not like this, and he needs Jimmy and Roman both! He says they’re family and they’re better than fighting like this. Jimmy agrees and gets back on the mic, telling Roman they’re stronger than this, and Roman has always been his brother too.
He wants to run this damn place together, with respect. He says they’re the Bloodline, they’re family, they’re still the Ones, right? Roman wipes the sweat off his face, struggling before embracing Jimmy and hugging him tight! Jey collapses against the ropes in relief, clearly emotional.
Roman raises the microphone to his lips and says “no.”
SOLO HITS THE SAMOAN SPIKE ON JIMMY! Jey checks on his brother, conflicted and choked up as Reigns walks away.
On their way out, Paul Heyman asks Roman about Jey, and Roman says he’s gonna fall in line like he always does.
That’s the show, folks.
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