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WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (May 29, 2020) with a show at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. There won’t be any fans in attendance, but we will see the semifinal round of the Intercontinental championship tournament. That means we’ll see Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles vs. Elias, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on Fox. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR MAY 29
In permanent madness we live, no time for life and for love. To take is the rule, not to give. Insanity comes from below to take us all, but me? I’m just got to liveblog this here pro wrestling show, folks.
The show opens with footage of police investigating some kind of unfortunate vehicular accident involving Elias.
The car on the scene belongs to Jeff Hardy, and we cut to Braun Strowman, who was a witness, being interviewed.
He talks about how the car rolled up out of nowhere and dude jumped out of it and ran off, and he called 911 and he hopes Elias is gonna be okay.
We cut again to a stumbling Jeff Hardy being helped along by the cops and road agents Jamie Noble as well as Kurt Angle’s son, Jason Jordan. The cops cuff Hardy and take him off to ask some questions. He’s loaded into a squad car and they drive off.
Elias is loaded into an ambulance to be taken to a local medical facility, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce is giving the locker room a briefing about Elias.
He’s out for the night, and Jeff Hardy’s been arrested, so he can’t compete tonight either. AJ Styles says that makes it him and Daniel Bryan in the finals, but Bryan says he wants a replacement opponent to give someone else an opportunity. Styles calls him dumb and Dan says he’s not gonna be a coward.
Sheamus says he deserves another shot, and he wants Bryan. Dan accepts, but Baron Corbin objects and says if he wants a shot, he should get one, against AJ Styles. AJ says this isn’t what he signed up for, and he’s taking his free ride to the finals. Pearce thanks him and Sheamus suggests a triple threat on Bryan’s end of the bracket instead.
Jey Uso pipes up and says Sheamus and Corbin both lost so he wants a piece of the action. Dolph Ziggler tells him he’s a tag guy and stakes his claim for the shot, to which Chad Gable says nobody’s forgotten his credentials, it’s just that he’s also an enormous jackass. Adam Pearce gives Bryan a match and Styles his bye, and says there’s gonna be a battle royal to determine Bryan’s opponent.
That battle royal is next, so most of the roster clears out. Bryan and Styles remain, and AJ calls Dan an idiot.
And so we go to break.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament Qualifying Battle Royal
It’s a battle royal, so, y’know, chaos, attempted eliminations, Ziggler barely survives, etc. Lince Dorado gets eliminated, Drew Gulak after, Corbin on a tear, he and Dolph work together to take Gran Metalik out right before he betrays Ziggler and dumps him! Jey Uso eliminates Baron with a superkick, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we’re down to Sheamus, Jey Uso, Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, and Chad Gable. The babyfaces in a bad way, we get a mini-Bar reunion, Sheamus sets Gable up top but gets caught in the cross armbar! Tornado DDT to follow it up, rolling Koppo kick sets up the Ode to Rikishi from Uso! Jey ducking and dodging with Nakamura but he gets caught!
Chad looking for the elimination, Cesaro saves his partner, uppercut and a slam over the ropes but Gable avoids elimination! Jockeying for position over the ropes, Chad gets the Swiss Superman up and over and eliminates him! Cesaro throws a fit at ringside, Shinsuke attacks Gable, knees in the ropes, whip reversed, Chad get with a belly-to-belly over the ropes and Nakamura is out!
Down to our final three, Sheamus outnumbered but Cesaro rushes the ring and dumps Chad to eliminate him! Uso bringing it to the Celtic Warrior, whip to the corner gets a big slicing right, off the ropes, Sheamus catches him and tries to dump him over the top but Jey hangs in there! Beats of the Bodhran get a Stunner over the top rope and an enzuigiri!
Uso heads up top, diving splash misses but the superkick lands true and a clothesline nearly takes the Celtic Warrior out! Clawing at his face, pulling him over the ropes, both men out on the apron and in danger, trading strikes. Jey with the windup, superkick caught and Sheamus puts him into the ringpost! One Brogue Kick later...
Sheamus wins, last eliminating Jey Uso to earn a spot in the semifinals to the WWE Intercontinental Championship tournament opposite Daniel Bryan.
Commentary hypes up New Day being on A Moment of Bliss later.
Sonya Deville is shadowboxing backstage. She says she destroyed one beach blonde doll last week and she’s gonna do the same to Lacey Evans.
Lacey had walked up behind her and she shoves her to the mat to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Chad Gable is arguing with Cesaro over his elimination.
Cesaro mocks his size and says he was doing him a favor since somebody his size can’t be champ. He gives him a choice— be the bigger man and walk away, or step back in the ring with him. Chad nails him with a forearm, challenge accepted!
Lacey Evans vs. Sonya Deville
Circling, Evans taunting Deville with her hair, mocking the notion that blondes can’t wrestle. She gets on all fours, offering the amateur start position, and Sonya gets right into it with the mat grappling! Lacey with a double leg, stalemate! Deville knocks her down before putting her hair up. Evans kips up and puts her hair up as well.
Duck a right, Lacey nails a kick, pulls the tissue out of her top and wipes herself with it before throwing it at Deville, who just drops her with a punch to the face! Throwing her into the turnbuckles, another right hand, stepping on her hair and smashing her leg into the mat! Stepping on her hair again, Evans kicks her off, front kick sets up a implant DDT into a gator roll!
Trapping Sonya in the ring skirt, clubbing overhand blows, referee Dan Engler counting as Deville hits a lariat takedown in return! Trading punches on the floor, Engler’s count reaches ten...
The match goes to a double count-out draw.
Post-match, Evans throws Deville into the announce desk ribs-first! Sonya recovers and says she fights on her own terms, and she walks off.
Forgotten Sons get a promo where Wesley Blake talks about being raised to do unto others as they do unto you, but they’re done turning the other cheek, and now our blood is on their hands.
Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss are backstage chatting when New Day roll up and scare them to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get entrances for A Moment of Bliss.
Alexa and Nikki welcome us to the show and introduce the New Day. Cross gives them a gift of homemade Scottish pancakes according to grandma’s special recipe. Big E pulls some coffee beans out of his singlet and they make some... coffee... technically. Alexa refuses to drink it and asks if any tag teams are standing out to challenge them.
Kofi Kingston names the Forgotten Sons and E asks the women’s tag champs who they might face from SmackDown. Nikki gets stuck on the owl gimmick and Bayley and Sasha Banks make their entrance like as if to cut the question off.
They get in the ring and Banks takes her jacket off in a way that nearly starts a brawl. They trade pleasantries, and Alexa sows discord by asking Sasha where her title is. Bayley says everybody’s got jokes and you don’t talk to her friend like that because she’s the leader of the women’s division.
Sasha Banks lays down the facts as she sees it, how they made the tag titles relevant and whatnot. Bayley issues a challenge for Banks to wrestle Bliss, who’s only too happy to fight and ends up dropkicking Sasha out of the ring to send us to break.
Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks
Well hell, a copy/paste error lost my in-depth liveblog of the match. Anyway, it was a solid little back and forth affair until Bayley and Nikki Cross got up from commentary and got up on the apron, inadvertently cost Bliss the match.
Sasha Banks wins by pinfall with a sunset flip.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of our opening segment.
Cesaro vs. Chad Gable
Gable right out the gates with a rolling Koppo kick, sunset flip out of the corner, big back elbow, headed up top, moonsault connects... NOPE! Pass Chad into the ropes, big lariat from the Swiss Superman, off the ropes, drop the leg, only two! Karelin lift, cover, still just a nearfall! Front kick gets a dropkick to the knee, Gable starting to target the leg.
Koppo kick caught... LAST RIDE CAN’T PUT CHAD GABLE AWAY! Up top, jockeying for position... GABLE LANDS ON HIS FEET OFF A BACK SUPLEX! ANKLE LOCK APPLIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! Cesaro kicks him off into the ropes, huge uppercut, again just a nearfall! Neutralizer countered, Swiss Superman rolls through, pinning predicaments but he can’t keep him down!
Rolling sunset flip... it’s over!
Chad Gable wins by pinfall with a rolling sunset flip.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package updating us on Mandy Rose and Otis Dozovic’s romantic adventures together as they hang out at poolside.
Kurt Angle cuts a promo and talks up Edge vs. Randy Orton. He’s here to announce the next superstar that’s going to be the face of SmackDown, who’s going to be the future. He’s known him up close and personal, and just refereed his last NXT match...
BRO!
We get a video package hyping Matt Riddle up.
Backstage, Sheamus rolls up on an interview where he seems displeased that Matt Riddle is getting all this call-up hype, but principly he talks about looking forward to kicking Daniel Bryan’s face off and winning his first-ever Intercontinental Championship. In his world, there’s no place for the weak.
Bryan rolls up and gets in his face. Sheamus demands he say whatever he’s got to say and pokes him, to which the American Dragon just kicks him in the shin and walks off.
Our main event is up next, after the break.
Back from commercial, commentary hype up next week’s show, including a women’s tag title match featuring Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defending against Sasha Banks and Bayley.
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus (WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semifinals)
Circling, collar and elbow, Sheamus with a headlock takeover, Bryan to his feet and the Celtic Warrior converts it with an arm drag. Looking for the headlock again, setting for a standing armbar, but Dan escapes, punches in the corner, uppercuts, but Sheamus runs him over! Stomping away, standing neck crank, seated senton and back into the armbar!
Backflip up and over, off the ropes, Axe Bomber, back body drop puts the Celtic Warrior on the floor and the American Dragon dives on him to send us to break!
Back from commercial, Bryan wrenching Sheamus’ arm, looking for an armbar, shot off, leapfrog, waistlock, the Celtic Warrior backs him into the corner and hammers him with elbows for the break. Grounded overhead elbows, dropping knees, posing for the crowd, and a big knee lift sends the American Dragon to the floor.
Throwing him into the barricade, demanding Michael Cole help him do “Yes!” chants, Bryan back in the ring, Sheamus up top, diving lariat for two! Dan off the top, caught into the Irish Curse! Celtic Warrior with a cloverleaf applied! Action to the apron, Beats of the Bodhran blocked, Bryan heads up top but Sheamus Brogue Kicks his leg out from under him!
Climbing up top to meet him, jockeying for position, Bryan hits the missile dropkick for some breathing room! Chest kicks, Sheamus ducks the buzzsaw finale and Dan nearly gets the win on a crucifix pin! Overhead elbows, the Celtic Warrior stands up... WHITE NOISE FOR TWO! Whip reversed, Bryan with a drop toehold, charging in, running dropkicks!
Sheamus with the double axehandle, Dan ass over teakettle! Calling for the Brogue Kick... BUT JEFF HARDY IS HERE! Bryan capitalizes...
Daniel Bryan wins by pinfall with the Busaiku Knee.
Post-match, Hardy attacks Sheamus with vigor!
That’s the show, folks.