WWE Smackdown 5/16/2025

WWE Smackdown 5/16/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/wwe-smackdown-592025.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/wwe-smackdown-5232025.html

We are in Greensboro, NC. Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are on commentary.

We see various wrestlers arrive.

The Bloodline come out with Jeff Cobb, who debuted at the PLE. Solo introduces Jeff Cobb as "JC" and says he's the man who kept the US Title in the family. Solo says Roman lost everything so he plans to win MITB to bring the title back.

Solo tries to take Fatu's lines then Fatu grabs the mic from him. Fatu says to never get this thing twisted. He says he told everyone he was bringing the US Title to the family and he said he would do it with or without him. He says line them up if anyone gets in his way. He says he's all gas, no break. Solo then takes Fatu's lines again. 

Solo says he's doing all this because he loves him. He says all of this is to help and the US Title is proof that "I love you Jacob". Solo asks Jacob how he used to save he loved him. Fatu says it but not in the same way he did before. Solo says that's not he used to say it. Solo pesters him more then LA Knight comes out.

He pulls out JC and beats him up. LA then runs away from Bloodline.

Thoughts: This was a weak start to the show that didn't make LA look that good. They really pushed the issues between Fatu and Solo here. JC was not a big part of this segment when he should have been.

B-Fab and Michin talk. Fab wants Michin to with the MITB Qualifier. Michin says they will get all the gold. Chelsea Green and her crew come in. Green says she will win MITB and says it will lower interest rates for her crew. Alexa Bliss walks in and says she will see them out there. I think Fab says that no one is allowed to be out there but the wrestlers so Piper will be back there with her.

Women's MITB Qualifier - Alexa Bliss vs Chelsea Green vs Michin

Mich kicks Green and Green goes out. Mich and Bliss go at it. Mich side headlock takeovers her but Bliss rolls through and side headlocks her. Bliss trips Green then Mich basement dropkicks Green. Bliss rolls up Mich for 2. Mich backslides her. Bliss rolls her up for 2. Mich bodyscissors trips Bliss. Green takes a dropkick through the ropes.Green then topes both.

We go to PiP break and return. Mich hits kicks on Bliss and rolls her. Mich pele kicks Geen then cannonballs both opponents in the audio. Green eye pokes Bliss and Mich boots Bliss over. Green and Mich high kick each other at the same time.

Mich and Bliss trade forearms. Bliss basement dropkicks her.  Mich dropkicks Bliss then hits soul foot on Green for 2. Bliss ddt's Mich. Bliss hits twisted bliss on Mich. Green throws Bliss off. Green hits an unprettier on Mich. Bliss gets back in and hits a deadfall ddt to win.

Thoughts: I knew Bliss or Green were winning here. Bliss winning makes sense especially since she has had little to do. I didn't like some of the kicks as they didn't look that great but they did okay getting over that the two faces didn't like Green and that Green was trying to use cheap tactics to win.

Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom) vs DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa)

TC and Ax go at it. TC wristlocks him. Ax rolls out, bridges and dropkicks him. Ax botches an octopus on TC then NF runs the ropes and dropkicks him. Ax is lifted into a dropkick on JG. NF topes TC outside then Ax hits topes as well. TC is knocked into the front row and JG goes into the rails.

Ax goes to springboard but JG pulls the 2nd rope down. Ax is knocked off the apron then JG lariats him on the floor. JG sends Ax into the rails. Ax chops JG then JG slams his legs into the ropes.

TC knees Ax in the gut. Ax tags out and NF springboard double axe handles JG. NF goes up and over JG then slingblades him. NF asai moonsaults into a reverse ddt on him and running ssp's him. NF misses a top rope phoenix splash then jumping knees JG. NF asai moonsault kicks JG and is superkicked in the process. NF takes a superkick + angel's wings for 2.

JG plancha's Ax then TC hits project ciampa on NF for 2. NF enzugiri's TC. NF superplexes JG and holds on for a brainbuster + headkick combo for 2. Ax and JG trade. JG superkicks him then rolls him up for 2. TC grabs Ax's mask and is superkicked. JG superkicks NF. Ax counters JG's pin and pins him.

Thoughts: It was rushed and NF had an off night here. Fraxiom is getting pushed hard and fast and I think they maybe need to cool down on it until they can get over as personalities.

DIY jumps Fraxiom after. The Motor City Machine Guns make the ave and take out TC on the floor. JG tries to run but is kicked form the apron. 

Andrade and Rey Fenix talk in the back. Lee says they did a good job last week and Andrade says maybe they will see each other again. Rey says he's ready for MITB. Bloodline come in and Solo asks where LA Knight is. Andrade and Rey just talk in Spanish and Solo says they are wasting his time.

Fraxiom are in the back. The Street Profits come up to them and say they are on a roll. Ford says what they are doing is special. Ford says Aldis gave them a tag title match. Ford says the match is next week. They shake hands. Dawkins says they will be 100% and hopes they are too. NF then tells Ax they are speedrunning this whole thing.

We see a pre-taped interview with Wade and R-Truth. Truth says life is tough and is constant pressure. He says you can always depend on John Cena though. Truth says some of Cena's lines and says Hustle, Loyalty and Respect isn't just words, it's a beacon of light. He says if John Cena did it, so can you.

Wade says Truth helped Cena win at Backlash and Cena AA'd him through a table. Truth says Cena won the match on his own and says the man at the press conference wasn't Cena. He says the Cena he knows wouldn't turn his back on the people who support him or talk about ruining wrestling. He says he doesn't want to fight Cena, but he will beat him back to his senses. He says he has a match with Cena set at SNME. He says Cena taught him to never give up and he says he will leave with his head held high. He says he will live with the 3 words - Hustle, Loyalty, Respect.

Damian Priest says him and Drew McIntyre are stuck in a cycle. He says they get in each other's business and sabotage each other until they destroy everything. He says he's mad at himself for getting stuck in Drew's vortex. He says they need a conclusion. DP says a simple match won't do at SNME. He needs to hurt and feel real pain. He wants a cage match. He says he hopes it's what Drew wanted because he will get it. He says the cycle ends here.

The Miz and Melo talk before Melo's match. Melo says saying Aleister Black's name makes him sick. He says this beef isn't over until he wins. He says it's the playoffs now. He says it's MOE - Melo Over Everybody. He says he's him. He says one month ago was Black's grand opening and this is his grand closing.

Aleister Black vs Carmelo Hayes

AB wristlocks Melo and is taken down. Melo slaps him then AB armdrags him. They end up doing kips up together to get up. Melo back elbows him and is caught with a kick on a springboard. AB asai moonsaults but Miz moves Melo. Melo tope on hilos AB then hits a springboard diving blind ddt. We go to break and return. Melo is kicked while up top. AB hits shots and legsweeps him. AB then running knees him.

AB hits a dropkick then 2nd rope moonsaults him outside. Melo rolls him up for 2 and superkicks him. Melo then hits a la mistica drop. AB sunset flips him for 2. AB 2nd rope meteora's him, high kicks him and germans him for 2. Melo rolls up AB for 2. Melo la mistica drops AB then lifts him for a suplex and cutters him. Miz gets on the apron and tries to guide Melo. Melo is pushed into him. AB rolls up Melo for 2. AB hits shots thne takes a codebreaker. AB jumping knees Melo.

The Miz then nails AB from behind for the DQ.

Thoughts: It was the athletic match you would expect with AB doing various strikes and Melo kind of being along for the ride. Melo didn't get enough in to make this good and it had a weak finish.

Miz and Melo attack AB after. Miz gets dropped and Melo hits his top rope nothing but net legdrop.

Alexa Bliss is interviewed. She says it feels amazing to be in MITB and wants to be the first woman to win it twice. Bliss talks to Charlotte Flair, who is waiting outside of Nick Aldis' office. Flair asks what they are doing here. Flair says they were never that close but Bliss says Flair took her under her wing in NXT and she never forgot it. Flair says she doesn't remember it. Giulia then walks out of Nick's office and we are told Giulia is now on SD. Nick says him and Flair should talk about MITB. Flair tells Bliss to stay out of her way.

Thoughts: Giulia's booking is all over the place. Now she's on SD after they were trying to make her and Perez a thing. 

Drew McIntyre comes out to talk. He says the only accurate thing Priest said was how much violence they inflicted. He says DP's in the Drew McIntyre vortex and it's the only reason anyone cares about him. He says he's been trying to get rid of him for months. He says DP is obsessed with him. He says he's better than him in every single way and would be champ if it weren't for him.

Drew says he thinks DP is willing to kill him. Drew says it has to end and agrees to the cage match. He says only one man will walk out of the cage and the other leaves on a stretcher.

Drew goes to leave and stares down Solo as he does.

MITB Qualifier - Jimmy Uso vs Solo Sikoa vs Rey Fenix

Jimmy says MITB is around the corner and he has to qualify tonight. He says he win MITB, snatch that and cash that.

Solo hits Rey in the corner. Solo wants to make friends with Uso. Uso hits shots on him and lifts Rey into a kick on him. Solo takes a double clothesline over the top and his hand gets stuck in the ropes. Rey rolls up Uso for 2 then Uso chops him down.

Rey enzugiri's Jey on the apron then rolls into a hurricanrana on him. They trade shots. Uso goes up and over. Rey double springboard dropkicks him for 2. Uso chops him down. Uso is pulled out and his head is banged off the commentary table. Rey top rope plancha's onto both opponents outside. Rey springboards and is caught with a Solo uranage.

Uso is knocked off the apron into the commentary table. Solo uranages Uso on the table.

We go to PiP break and return. Uso is up top and gets hit by Rey. Rey rolls up Solo but the ref didn't see it for some reason. Rey superkicks Solo. Rey springboards into an Uso superkick. Solo flips Uso with a lariat. Solo samoan drops Uso then corner hip attacks Rey and Uso.

Uso superkicks Solo and Rey crucifixes Solo for 2. Uso spinning enzugiri's Rey. Rey dropkicks him. Rey rope walk kicks Uso. Uso spears Rey for 2. Fatu gets on the apron and Uso superkicks him. Solo samoan spikes Uso. Rey rope walk kicks Solo then 2nd rope double stomps his back. JC comes down and is hit. Solo samoan spikes Rey and pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't that great. It had the usual issues with 3 ways with it being hard to get momentum and the three just didn't click as well as they should have. On paper they had the spots to make this good but this just wasn't it. The crowd was kind of dead for this too.

LA Knight comes down and beats up Bloodline after. LA grabs a chair and gets on the table. Nick Aldis comes out and tells everyone to stand down. Nick says LA and JC are going to fight now.

LA Knight vs JC Mateo

The "Mateo" part of JC's name was on the graphic. We knew he would be named this as WWE filed for a trademark for it.

They lock up and LA is pushed away. JC blocks a roll-up and stomps him. LA side headlocks JC. LA shoulderblocks him and JC doesn't move. JC catches LA's crossbody with one arm then LA neckbreakers him. LA hits corner spears then corner punches. JC back elbows him.

LA hits a punch and ear claps him. LA boots him out of the corner and 2nd rope diving bulldogs him. Solo distracts LA and JC hits LA from behind. LA is belly to belly suplexed over the top. We go to break and return.

LA hits punches and JC uranages him. JC does the sickle and hammer for 2. JC belly to belly suplexes LA for 2. JC lariats him for 2. JC waistlocks him. JC headbutts him in the back of the head then throws him out. LA is sent into the post. JC tries to crossbody him against the post but LA moves. They each hit punches. JC misses a corner splash and takes a jumping neckbreaker. LA russian legsweeps him. LA reverse ddt's him. LA elbow drops him for 2.

JC spin cycle backdrops LA for 2. JC hits a standing moonsault for 2. JC superkicks him. LA trips him into the ropes then running knees him. LA 2nd rope twisting crossbodies Solo and Fatu outside.

LA slingshots and is caught with a spinning powerslam. JC wins.

Thoughts: This was a longer one and not particularly great. I think a squash would have been a better way to debut JC. JC winning though was nice. I don't love LA losing here though as it doesn't help his stock.

Solo and JC stare down Fatu after.

Santos and Angel talk in the back. Angel couldn't get hold of Berto. Santos says Berto is listening to the wrong people. Santos says he will forgive what happened last week as there's an opportunity in the horizon. He says he needs him to find Berto and bring him home. Santos says it'd be a shame if we lost all the loyalty for due to the actions of one selfish person.

We get a Shinsuke Nakamura video. It was rumored he was fired, so I guess he wasn't. He talks about LA Knight and says he hasn't changed. He says LA's hunger will bring him down. He says he doesn't fear Aleister Black. He says Black fears the darkness. He says theres a deeper darkness in the shadows. He says he's watching Black's every moment. He says he will get his ticket to the MITB contract and says only then will we know that he is an unstoppable storm.

Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill talk. Jade says it doesn't matter who wins between Tiff and Nia as she will take MITB and the title. Tiff says she can keep talking but she shouldn't be comfortable because she's always ready. She says Jade will never be good enough to cash in on her. We see Naomi watching in the background.

WWE Women's Title - Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Nia Jax

Nia pushes Tiff and headbutts her down. Tiff cartwheels out of the corner then takes a bodyblock. Tiff hits lariats and forearms. Tiff handspring cartwheels but is dropped chest first on the top rope. Nia hip attacks Tiff's head against the post.

We go to PiP break and return. Tiff is sent into the post shoulder first. Nia misses a hip attack on the post then Tiff baseball slides her. Tiff diving headscissors Nia off the rails and she goes into the post. Tiff hits a top rope crossbody for 2.

Nia samoan drops Tiff then sentons her for 2. Nia misses a corner charge and is rolled up. Tiff handspring cartwheel back elbows her and spinebusters her for 2. Nia blocks a cartwheel and hits a powerbomb then lifts her for a sitout powerbomb. Nia legdrops her for 2.

Nia tries a 2nd rope slam and is flipped down for 2. Naomi comes out with a chair. Jade Cargill then comes out and superkicks Naomi. Nia misses a corner charge. Tiff double jump moonsaults Nia for 2. Tiff is pushed off the top. Nia clears the commentary table then samoan drops Tiff onto the table.

Nia gets on the 2nd rope. Tiff tries to powerbomb her but Nia lands super hard on her chest with a banzai drop. Nia grabs a chair and Tiff dropkicks the chair into her face. Nia immediately starts bleeding big and Tiff hits a prettiest moonsault ever for the win.

Thoughts: The finishing stretch was brutal here with Tiff getting the bomb dropped on her on a samoan drop then Nia quickly getting busted open from a chair. It wasn't as good as some of their prior matches but I suppose it was okay.

Overall thoughts: It wasn't that good of a show. JC Mateo wasn't introduced well. We had some three ways which ran into the usual issues three ways run into and none of them were that great. Fraxiom vs DIY was rushed. Melo/Black didn't really work. LA/Mateo went long. The main was okay but had a nasty last minute or so with both girls taking some hard shots. I'd give this one a 5 out of 10 as it didn't interest me much plus the brand's top stars of Cena, Orton and Cody were all missing here.