WWE Friday Night Smackdown 5/7/2021

WWE Friday Night Smackdown 5/7/2021

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-4302021.html

This is a special Throwback Edition. What that means since the show only started in the late 90's, we will have to see.

They do a retro into from the 80's then do a piece of the Primetime Wrestling theme. 

Cole and Pat McAfee are at ringside welcoming us to the show. Cole is wearing a jean jacket from the 90's and Pat has Vince's old blue WWF blazer on. The show clips of Triple H vs The Rock from the first SD.

Roman, Heyman and Jey Uso come out to talk. Heyman wanted to have a 10 bell salute for Daniel Bryan's career. Heyman made ding sounds instead of having the bell rung. Roman says DB didn't want be here, so he smashed him and got rid of him.

Jimmy Uso then makes his return after being injured for a long time. He's hyped and hugs Jey. Cesaro then comes out. Cesaro says you can't replace Daniel Bryan and says she has to focus on Seth Rollins instead. Seth then jumps him from behind then officials break it up. Teddy Long then comes out. Teddy said he was given powers from Pearce and said if Cesaro beats Seth, he fights Roman at Backlash. Cesaro goes into the ring then Roman nails him and throws him out, then Seth throws Cesaro into the stairs. Seth then pounds on Cesaro.

Seth Rollins vs Cesaro

We got a Lord Alfred Hayes "promotional consideration" commercial for IcoPro.

Back from break and Rollins is stomping on Cesaro. Rollins then sling blades him for 2. Seth comes off the top with a knee which Cole calls a "running knee". Cesaro gets thrown outside then thrown into the apron and rails. The Uso's watch on outside and Roman is watching from his room in the back.

They trade shots and Cesaro deadlift suplexes him. Cesaro hits a spinning clothesline for 2. Cesaro goes up top and Jey Uso distracts him which leads to a Seth superplex into a falcon arrow. We go to break and return with Cesaro grabbing Seth's throat to put him in a sharpshooter. Seth comes back with a reverse shining wizard for 2.

Cesaro is on the 2nd rope and tries a gutwrench suplex, but Seth gets out and buckle bombs him. Cesaro then lariats him. They trade shots and Cesaro takes something like a Jerry Bump over the top. Seth tells Jey that he doesn't need his help out there then he pushes over Jey. Jimmy Uso then superkicks Rollins and Cesaro plancha's Jimmy. Cesaro then gets in and neutralizers Seth for the win.

This was a decent to good match but it didn't have any major story to it. As usual, Jey looked like an idiot and Jimmy now joins that one as well as they cost Rollins the match and now have gotten Cesaro a title shot.

Seth complains to Roman in the back for Jimmy costing him the match. He asks if he should be mad at Roman, Jimmy or Jey. Roman says he is mad that now he has to deal with Cesaro and said he will handle Jimmy and Jey. Seth says to handle them, or he will.

We get a CGI fist then we relive Austin beating up Booker T in the supermarket on 12/13/2001, a classic angle.

Teddy Long thanks Sonya for bringing him here tonight and he says the stip for Cesaro/Rollins was genius. Sonya says Pearce is unavailable for tonight. Sami Zayn pops in and says there is a massive conspiracy against him. He says he knows Teddy isn't in on it and he wants an IC title match tonight. Teddy then says he has one better and Sami can face The Undertaker. Teddy says forget that and says he can team with Apollo Crews in a 10 man tag. Teddy says "King Booker" will be one of his partners and Sonya tells him it's "King Corbin". Teddy then asks Sami to do the Teddy Long dance since he's been known for his dancing lately. Sami does it but not happily.

The Uso's and Roman talk in the back. Roman says Jimmy is screwing up and says he has to clean up his mess. Jimmy says he won't be talked to like Jey is. He says he "ain't nobodies b!tch" and leaves.

Ruby Riott with Liv Morgan vs Carmella

Carmella has a big new entrance dancing behind a curtain and has some new entrance gear. Carmella moonwalks out of a lariat then is shouldered down. Riott rams Camrella's head in the middle buckle with her legs and sto's her for 2.

Ruby goes up top and is superkicked from there. Carmella goes for the pin with her legs on the ropes but Liv shows the ref and he stops it. Carmella then superkicks Liv off the apron then Carmella wins with her headscissors stretching finisher. This was short and wasn't anything good.

We see more past SD moments and Bayley comes out to talk. Bayley talks about some past women's wrestlers like Alundra Blaze, Lita, Trish Stratus, Ivory, Beth Phoenix, Molly Holly, Bianca Belair and Jacqueline. She talks about them but then mentions how she is better. She said if Bianca isn't careful, she will end up like the other women - not on Bayley's level. She says she will be Bianca's last challenger as she will beat her.

Bianca comes out and says Bayley can't leave her alone. She says Bayley should worry about herself. She talks about winning at Backlash and Bayley starts laughing. Bayley then tries to take her down but is tossed. Bianca then spears her in the corner and boots her, then throws her. Bayley grabs her by the ears and tries to pull off her earrings. She then bangs her head off the mat.

Jey goes up to Jimmy in the back and doesn't like being called Roman's "b!tch". Jimmy said it was usually just him and Jey and now Roman is involved. Jey says Roman has always been part of the family. Jimmy says Jey has been fighting all of Roman's battles. Jimmy says if Jey told Roman he needed him, Roman would say no. Jimmy says he needs Jey and says they should be tag team champions.

Dolph gets on the mic. He says Dominic doens't belong here. He says Dom is just Rey's kid and tells him to get out of the ring so the men can handle business. Dom challenges Dolph, though we can't hear it and it leads to...

Dominic Mysterio with Rey Mysterio vs Dolph Ziggler with Robert Roode

They slap each other early and Dolph keeps control. Dolph goes for a suplex and Dom rolls him up for the easy win in a short match.

We see clips of Tamina vs Nia and Tamina saying this is her place at Nia.

Nia, Shayna and Reginald get interviewed. Reg says Tamina left him with a sour taste in his mouth after Tamina's remarks. He says he will break Tamina's spirit tonight and drink beer to cleanse his tongue of her sour presence.

We get a retro promo for WWF Ice Cream Bars with Hacksaw Jim Duggan

We get more retro SD moments.

Roman and Heyman talk in the back. Roman says to bring him his cousin and Paul asks which one, then he says he understands and leaves without Roman specifying.

Reginald vs Tamina

I will not be covering this as I think intergender wrestling is garbage.

Shayna and Nia beat up on Tamina after. Shayna stomps Tamina's arm then Nia samoan drops her into the barricade.

Crews, Corbin, Alpha Academy, Zayn and Azeez do a promo. Crews said they are unbreakable together.

E, Nakamura, The Street Profits and Owens do a promo. They said their opponents will feel the power and the pain.

Big E, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Street Profits and Kevin Owens vs Apollo Crews, Chad Gable, Otis, Sami Zayn and King Corbin

There were no intros here which surprised me. Dawkins and Chad mat wrestle to start and arm drag each other. Ford hits a nice dropkick on Chad. Sami takes control over Ford, then Ford does a cartwheel and backflip into another dropkick. Crews gyrates at E in the corner and Corbin hits a big lariat on E.

Sami beats up on E in the corner then Owens jumps him and they go outside. A big brawl erupts outside and Owens frogsplashes Sami from the apron. We go to break and return with Otis splashing Owens in the corner. Owens enzugiri's Crews then E chases Gable outside but runs into an Otis lariat on the floor.

Owens hits a nice spinning heel kick on Crews then Nakamura jumping kicks Sami. Sami is sat on the middle rope and takes a sliding german suplex, then Nakamura hits a flyinhg knee off the 2nd rope for 2. A bunch of people get a move in and swap out then Owens hits some superkicks on Otis before taking a release german on the floor. Dawins pounces Gable then Ford flip dives Otis, knocking him down immediately. Corbin hits an end of days on Nakamura and wins it. This was pretty short for all of the people involved and was a waste of these guys. This could have easily gone 20-30 minutes and been really good. It was short and action packed.

Roman talks to Jey in the back with Heyman there. Roman says we are doing this for our family and because they love each other. Roman says he loves Jey and Jimmy but he needs to know where Jimmy stands and says we will find out right now.

Jimmy Uso comes out. He asks where Jey's allegiances are. Jimmy brings up Jey's HIAC match with Roman where Jey was choked out and Jimmy came to save him. They showed Roman choking out Jimmy and Jey quitting to save him. Jimmy says he would have never said "I quit" to Roman, no matter what. Roman says Jimmy is still stuck in the past and tells him to fall in line and stand with them. He tells him to acknowledge him or go home. Jimmy leaves the ring. Jey goes up to him and tells him to acknowledge him. Cesaro then jumps Roman and beats up on him. Jimmy won't let Jey save him but Jey escapes and eats a shot from Cesaro. Jimmy Uso then comes in to save Jey from Cesaro's beat down. Jimmy gets a pop-up uppercut and Jey gets a weak neutralizer. Roman then gets a neutralizer and leaves up the ramp.

For full disclosure here, I did not see the Roman/Jey/Jimmy angle from last year, so I don't quite know all the specifics on it. But tonight's angle was interesting and left a lot of unanswered questions and is clearing teasing something. I'm interested in it and we will see where it goes. Good angle.

Overall thoughts: I can't really recommend this show as there was only one real match of substance, though I did like the Roman/Jimmy/Jey stuff. Cesaro/Seth was good but not must see good. As for the throwback theme, it would have been nice if some legends returned and they should have brought down the Smackdown fist. There's been a lot of complaining about the throwback theme being bad this time around and I wouldn't say it was bad, but it was not their best effort.