The 05/22/18 episode of WWE SmackDown Live just wrapped up. We’ve got the match results and our overall thoughts on the show for you to check out below. Let us know what you thought about this episode of WWE SmackDown Live by tweeting us, @TheRumbleRamble.
MizTV feat. The New Day
WHO? WHO? WHO? WHICH? WHICH? WHICH member of #TheNewDay will compete in the #MITB #LadderMatch?@mikethemiz walked right into that one… #SDLive #MizTV @XavierWoodsPhD @WWEBigE @TrueKofi pic.twitter.com/A5cGu1MhqP
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 23, 2018
This episode of SmackDown opened with a new edition of MizTV. Miz promoted his upcoming docu-series, Miz and Mrs, then successfully started a chant for it.
His guests for the evening, The New Day, skipped down their yellow brick road while throwing food at children. We waited to hear which one of them would be the one to enter the Money in the Bank ladder match, but before it was announced, Miz said that none of them would ever be as great as they could be while in a team. He tried to turn them against each other by listing each of their strengths, but it didn’t quite pan out, as they each nominated another member of the team.
This was not the reaction Miz was hoping for and he eventually got so irritated, he screamed that it didn’t matter who they chose, he could beat any of them easily. At this, The New Day finally nominated Big E…to go head to head against The Miz. When Miz denied, they shamed him by throwing pancakes at his face until he ran back up the ramp and right into Paige.
Paige turned him back around to put his money where his mouth is and take on Big E. Unfortunately, we still don’t have an answer for Money in the Bank.
The Miz vs. Big E
.@mikethemiz might not like 🥞, but he just got FLATTENED like one! #SDLive @WWEBigE pic.twitter.com/7HY6Mz866A
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 23, 2018
With Xavier Woods at the announce table and Kofi Kingston at ringside, Big E worked on The Miz with many spankings and hip gyrations. After Kofi and Xavier motivated E with maple syrup and vaseline, things got a little more serious.
As the action was reaching a high point, The Bar ran down and attacked Xavier Woods at ringside, causing a brawl between The Bar and The New Day (Kingston and Woods). Big E stopped to check on his partners and was ambushed by The Miz, who got the pin via the Skull Crushing Finale.
Winner: The Miz
Daniel Bryan Interview
“@JEFFHARDYBRAND is a VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY tough hill to climb… but, tonight, I tap a legend OUT!” – @WWEDanielBryan #SDLive pic.twitter.com/7690sGpD8I
— WWE (@WWE) May 23, 2018
Dasha Fuentes interviewed Daniel Bryan regarding his match against Jeff Hardy. He said that Jeff was a legend, but that he was looking forward to the challenge and no amount of admiration would stop him from doing everything he could to tap his opponent out.
Lana vs. Billie Kay
Money in the Bank Qualifier
LANA IS THE BEST, LANA No. 1!!!!
A HAPPY #LanaDay to @LanaWWE as she qualifies for the Women’s #MITB #LadderMatch! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/o8N7Dyvltw
— WWE (@WWE) May 23, 2018
Aiden English lent his talents to Rusev’s number one lady, Lana, for her match against Billie Kay. The IIconics attempted to one-up him with a (very off-key) duet, but just because they can’t sing doesn’t mean they aren’t the coolest.
Aiden brought out a giant “Lana Day” sign, enraging The IIconics, who spent a little too much time focusing on him and not enough focusing on the match at hand. Lana took advantage of the situation and caught Billie by surprise, getting the win in a few quick moves.
Winner: Lana
Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Aqua Pants
THIS is just how VICIOUS @AndradeCienWWE can be… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/Pe9nT7idgH
— WWE (@WWE) May 23, 2018
Before the match, Zelina Vega cut another fantastic promo about her client, Andrade Almas. She said that Almas was used to getting whatever he wanted and was prepared to take it from SmackDown Live at all costs.
Once the match got started, Aqua Pants didn’t stand a chance. He did make a couple attempts at offense, but it only made Almas angry. After beating him down a while longer for good measure, Andrade got the victory with his hammerlock DDT.
Winner: Andrade “Cien” Almas
Carmella Interview
Is @CarmellaWWE AFRAID of @WWEAsuka?
NOPE, The #SDLive #WomensChampion thinks @WWEAsuka should be AFRAID of HER! pic.twitter.com/bkC6V6mF4Y
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 23, 2018
Carmella was asked how she was feeling about her upcoming match against The Empress, Asuka. She said that she wasn’t worried at all about losing her title at Money in the Bank; in fact, Asuka should be afraid of her.
AJ Styles / Shinsuke Nakamura
LAST. MAN. STANDING. MATCH!
There you have it. @ShinsukeN has announced the match stipulation for #MITB. #SDLive @AJStylesOrg pic.twitter.com/vuT3T9UaNt
— WWE (@WWE) May 23, 2018
AJ Styles and Shinsuke Namakura met Renee Young in the ring to discuss their match at Money in the Bank. Nakamura earned the right to pick the stipulation for said match, but before he announced his decision, he taunted The Phenomenal One with footage of him losing in their previous bout.
Shinsuke said that their match was going to ruin Styles. He was going to take Styles’ title and his house and he would never recover. The situation got out of hand after a few minutes of arguing and things got physical between the two.
Finally, the stipulation was announced, although the brutal brawl had made it obvious. Their Money in the Bank match would take place under last man standing rules.
The Usos vs. The Club
Now you know, there’s no escaping the #UsoPenitentiary! #SDLive @KarlAndesronWWE @LukeGallowsWWE @WWEUsos pic.twitter.com/IUdRBWwo73
— WWE (@WWE) May 23, 2018
The Usos can’t come to the ring and not cut one of their fire promos, so after a short verbal altercation, the action was underway. The winner of this match would go on to Money in the Bank to take on the tag champs, The Bludgeon Brothers.
This was a fast-paced bout, all four men did a great job of selling the high stakes. The Usos worked hard but eventually lost to the Magic Killer. This was probably the right decision, as The Bludgeon Brothers have now completely demolished The Usos multiple times and it was becoming quite predictable.
Winner: The Club
Naomi vs. Sonya Deville
Money in the Bank Qualifier
.@NaomiWWE‘s flexibility is quite AMAY-YAY-YAY-YAY-ZING ! #SDLive @SonyaDevilleWWE pic.twitter.com/MB4ZGFTRGf
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 23, 2018
This was a competitive match between an up-and-comer, Sonya Deville, and a tried-and-true superstar, Naomi. Both girls looked great and it’s clear Sonya has a bright future.
As much as we appreciate Sonya, particularly her new Steve Blackman-esque entrance, Naomi needed this boost more than she did. Not to mention seeing Naomi in the ladder match is going to be a ton of fun.
Winner: Naomi
Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy
Consider @WWEDanielBryan (and our) cerebral’s SCORCHED! 🤯 🤯 🤯 #SDLive @JEFFHARDYBRAND pic.twitter.com/74QHlwIiAc
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 23, 2018
In a dream scenario come to life, Daniel Bryan and Jeff Hardy went one on one in the main event. The Destroyer, Samoa Joe, sat at the announce table and watched his potential competition carefully. Joe is an elite talent on the mic, so having him on commentary brought the segment to a whole new level.
Daniel and Jeff held nothing back; they went after each other full speed with every ounce of intensity you could possibly hope for. They got all their big moves in and worked up until the last second, the crowd going absolutely nuts. As promised, Daniel Bryan tapped out The Charismatic Enigma with the heel hook.
Samoa Joe didn’t let the celebration go on for long before aggressively reminding Daniel that he would be waiting to put him to sleep next week.
Seriously, if you missed this episode, watch this match asap.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
What letter grade would you give tonight’s show? #SDLive
— Rumble Ramble (@TheRumbleRamble) May 23, 2018
