WWE SmackDown results, recap, reactions (May 28, 2015): The Authority Fringe

This week's episode of Smackdown, airing on the SyFy Network on May 28, 2015, comes from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.  Tonight was the "go home" episode for the WWE's Elimination Chamber special event exclusively on the WWE Network.  For full results for the show, click here .

Let's get it started.

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The Age of Ambrose

Smackdown started with an announcement that Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns would take on the WWE WHC Seth Rollins and Kane in a rematch from RAW this past Monday.  Then the challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship this Sunday at Elimination Chamber, Dean Ambrose, came out to the ring to address the WWE Universe.  He spoke about the Authority, most notably Seth Rollins, getting him arrested to keep him from signing the contract to make the  match between the former Shield members official.

Because of some footage on YouTube, some nice NYPD officers, and some help from his only friend in the World, Ambrose was able to return to RAW in time to sign the contract.  Ambrose has thought of all the ways to torture his former brother. The World Heavyweight Championship match at Elimination Chamber will be two guys beating the hell out of each other.  But, when the smoke clears, according the Ambrose, he will be the new WWE WHC and the Age of Ambrose will begin.

Not surprisingly, the Authority is not down with this plan.  Of course, Rollins is his usual whining self in a backstage promo with Kane, worried about the main event.  Kane assures Rollins that he has a plan.  The main event will be "fun time" for the Authority.  They will take out Ambrose before the WWE WHC match this Sunday, with the added bonus for taking out Reigns as well.

Later, in the main event, Rollins was masterful in using the numbers game to his advantage in the tag match.  He orchestrated the action throughout the match, using J & J Security on more than one occasion to gain the advantage against Ambrose.  However, it looked as if the numbers game would not be enough, just like last Monday, when Kane called for reinforcements and the NEW DAY ran out to help.

For lack of a better term, the New Day were the sacrificial lambs for the Authority.  After Ambreigns destroyed the tag team champions, Kane and Rollins came in and finished what they started.  Kane realized that the Authority as it is will not be enough to stop what is left of the Shield.  So, he needed more people.  And, right now, the New Day just fit the bill.  Excellent story telling all around here.  With the Authority standing tall to close the show, how will Ambrose respond?  Will Reigns' help be enough for him to overcome the Authority on his way to defeating his former friend for championship gold?  We will see this Sunday.

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Nobody Wins

Most of us have experienced a bad break-up or two in our lifetime.  WWE Superstars are no exception.  Unfortunately, when WWE Superstars  break up, it is for the entire wrestling world to see.  The break up of Rusev and Lana has been going for a while now.  Some would say it all started when Lana granted John Cena a rematch for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 31.

This week on the show, Renee Young interviewed Lana about the recent developments in her relationship with Rusev.  Lana stated that she was wrong for thinking that Rusev would change.  She is no man's property.  When asked about her relationship with Dolph Ziggler, whom she has kissed on more than one occasion, Lana downplays the situation as a friendship.  When she begins to talk about how Ziggler will win the Intercontinental Championship in the Elimination Chamber match, Rusev interrupts her.

Rusev gloats about beating up Ziggler this past Monday.  When Lana attempts to unnerve him by asking if he is jealous or not, Rusev smiles, saying it does not bother him.  He tells Lana that she has dug her own grave now and she will rot in it.  And Ziggler will have to pay for her sins.

After his interaction with Lana, Rusev had a match with the Ryback.  The story of the match was Rusev getting distracted by "We Want Lana" chants but otherwise pretty much controlling the pace throughout, even though Ryback pulled off a few impressive power moves.  Unfortunately, Rusev was injured during the match, seemingly when he was thrown over the top rope by Ryback.  Rusev caused a DQ to give Ryback the win but he still left the Big Guy hurting in the aftermath.

In my opinion, Rusev and Lana are both wrong.  Lana may have done things because she thought they were best for Rusev but they are things he did not want.  He has every right to be upset about her actions but he has no right to yell at her, demean her, and call her names.  Furthermore, Lana should not be using Dolph to make Rusev jealous, even if Dolph has no problem with it.  Nobody is right here and nobody wins in the end.  And, somehow, I blame John Cena for all of this.

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You Can't See Kevin Owens

The NXT Champion made his Smackdown debut to do an in-ring promo for his Champion versus Champion match against John Cena this Sunday at Elimination Chamber.  Before Michael Cole could get to the first question, Kevin Owens cuts him off to explain that even though he was only been in the WWE for two weeks, he was been wrestling around the World for fifteen years.  He says that Cena walks around like Owens has to prove something to him but, in reality, Cena has something to prove to Owens.

Owens comes across as someone who is cold, calculating, and disrespectful to the Face That Runs The Place, and I love it.  A portion of his promo is something of a rehash of an NXT promo he did about Sami Zayn, but I did not mind since this is the first time Smackdown viewers have gotten to hear the man speak.  It was a treat to hear Owens talk smack and I knew Cena would not be coming out.  Because Cena was so rarely works on Smackdown.

Also, it could not have been a coincidence that Ambrose came out to the ring while Owens was making his way up the ramp, could it?  A little foreshadowing perhaps?  Dear God, I hope so!

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All the Rest

Tag Team Lumberjack Match: Tyson Kidd and Cesaro are just the bees knees, guys.  They flow together so well and I really do not see any team challenging them for Tag Team of the Year in the WWE at this point.  Their match with the Lucha Dragons showed how well rounded both performers are.  They do moves that the crowd loves and anticipates.  Their feud with the New Day has breathed life into the division and, without them, I do not think we get as much great tag action as we have recently. Some people think the Tag Team Elimination Chamber will be a mess.  I think these boys just might steal the show and have the match of the night, especially since Roman Reigns isn't booked on the show.

R-Truth versus King Barrett: R Truth continues to entertain me every week on his way to wins over younger talent that I find confusing.  King Barrett is not my cup of tea by any means, but I still do not understand what harm it would have done for Barrett to pick up the victory here.  Considering Sheamus kicked both Barrett and Truth's heads off with a Brogue Kick, it would have been nice to see the current King of the Ring look something close to royalty inside the ring.  Oh, well.  Neither will probably be much of a factor in the Elimination Chamber match for the IC title, which looks to be all Sheamus now that Rusev is injured.

Paige versus Naomi: Quick match that pretty much validated everything that Paige has said about Naomi: She is irrelevant and will disappear after the triple threat match.  Naomi got some small arm work in on Paige during the match.  Otherwise, every spot was a Paige spot and she won the match with a Ram Paige.  After the match, the Bellas came out so that Nikki could raise the Diva's Championship.  Yeah, starting to NOT want that Charlotte call up after all.

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Overall, this was a really fun episode.  A much, much better go home show than RAW gave, that's for certain.  Elimination Chamber this Sunday could surprise quite a few people.

Rating: A -

That's it this week, Cagesiders.  What did you think about the show?  Please feel free to let your opinions in the comment section.