Posted on 5/30/126 by Bob Magee
– After the round of wrestler arrivals, we went straight to
the arena as Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett introduced
themselves, as well as the Spanish team of Miguel Perez and
Alvaro Carrera. We then went to a recap of the six-woman tag
match from last Saturday Night’s Main Event
Jade Cargill and the Baddies kick off SmackDown
The challenger WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley this Sunday
at the Clash in Italy made her way to the ring, flanked by
Michin and B-Fab.
As soon as Cargill got into the ring, she soaked all in as
the crowd jeered. Cargill said she didn’t ask for permission
and that she did what she wanted. B-Fab said that Cargill
woild beat Ripley on Sunday and that the future wasn’t
coming… the future was now.
The music of Rhea Ripley interrupted the proceedings, and
out came the WWE Women’s Champion to a huge ovation. Ripley
stepped inside despite being outnumbered three-to-one by
Cargill and her Baddies and faced them down.
Ripley said that Cargill was out here every week throwing
around her dominance, acting like her successes wasn’t from
using people to make herself look better. Ripley pointed out
that Cargill forgot one very important detail: when it came
to them facing one-on-one, Ripley had her number. She beat
Cargill at WrestleMania and she’d do it again this Sunday in
Italy.
Cargill responded by stating that Ripley sounded stupid for
saying that, claiming that the champion thought the division
revolved around her. She called Ripley “weak” for wanting to
work with women who didn’t even like her. That was the cue
for Charlotte Flair to make her way down to the ring. Of
course, Alexa Bliss wasn’t too far behind. The former
Women’s Tag Champions made their way down ot the ring with
mics in hand.
Flair said that Cargill was out here talking like a Hall of
Famer. She respected Cargill, but she thought she got
confused with her own successes. Bliss added by stating that
Cargill and her crew had the egos of a legend, but they have
the resumes of rookies. Bliss warned Cargill that she might
end up being embarrassed before Clash in Italy.
Naturally, this brought out Nick Aldis to set up the Bliss
vs. Cargill match as he called for a referee. This match
would begin after the break.
An alright opening gambit, but this Rhea/Cargill and
Baddies/Charlexa story is honestly not moving me one bit.
**********
Jade Cargill vs. Alexa Bliss
This opening match got underway after the commercial with
Bliss going right after Cargill with strikes. Bliss leapt
onto the back of Cargill, but got thrown aside. After she
headed out of the ring, Bliss toyed with Cargill to get
under her skin. She once again went after Cargill with
strikes, but got thrown into the corner. The running splash
was missed by Cargill as she headed up top. However, Cargill
caught her and dropped her for a backbreaker. In the corner,
Bliss hit Cargill with a boot to the face, but she was
lifted overhead for a press drop down to the mat.
On the apron, Bliss tried to leap at Cargill, but she was
caught once more and thrown to the barricade for a
powerbomb, as we took a break with Cargill in complete
control.
Back from commercial as Cargill continued to punish Bliss on
the outside, with Charlotte and Rhea Ripley forced to look
on. Cargill dropped Bliss onto the apron, but she took too
long on a second attempt, which allowed Bliss to hit where
with a dropkick. Bliss avoided a running attack from
Cargill, which sent her barrelling into the steel steps.
Back in the ring, Bliss mounted her comeback with the
strikes to the face, followed by the dropkick. The double
knees to the back of Cargill’s neck was followed by the
flipping senton and the modified Natural Selection. Cargill
managed to kick out at two, however.
Bliss set up Cargill for the Sister Abigail DDT, but that
was countered. The Baddies and Charlotte and Rhea brawled to
the back in the midst of all this. Back in the ring, Bliss
headed up top and whiffed on Twisted Bliss after Cargill got
the knees up. The pump kick, followed by Jaded got the three
for Cargill.
After the match, Cargill grabbed a chair from under the ring
and looked to do more damage to Bliss with another Jaded
onto the chair. Charlotte and Rhea ran out a bit too late as
a satisfied Cargill taunted her Clash in Italy opponent.
Jade Cargill def. Alexa Bliss via pinfall
Just an okay match between Cargill and Bliss. Like i said at
the top of things, I am not feeling this feud, so a lot of
my reactions to this will be colored by that. The actual
match itself on Sunday should be decent, at the very least.
**********
– Cody Rhodes was interviewed backstage about his upcoming
match against Gunther on sunday, but Sami Zayn interrupted.
Rhodes said he had nothing to say to Zayn, who demanded an
apology. Zayn said that Rhodes asked for that fight last
week and he stated that Rhodes stuck a “knife in his back”
with the Crosss Rhodes. The Undisputed WWE Champion was not
gonna have any of it as he got mad at Zayn’s refusal to help
him when Gunther was choking the life out of him.
Zayn tried to justify his lack of actions because it was the
right thing to do, because Rhodes needed to learn a lesson.
Rhodes responded, stating that maybe he was when he was done
with Gunther, he’d teach Zayn a lesson of his own.
– Elsewhere, Danhausen was told by Nick Aldis that his
science equipment was stuck in customs, but the ever-
fascinating Danhausen decided to take matters into his own
hands. While The Miz barged in to argue with Aldis,
Danhausen was seen futzing around with some equipment in the
background.
Axiom vs. The Miz
Axiom kept Miz grounded with some chain wrestling to start.
The lights briefly went out before turning back on,
presumably due to Danhausen’s experiments. Miz mocked
Axiom’s agility and paid for it as he was hit with a nice
drop kick. Miz decided to run out, but Nathan Frazer stopped
him. Back in the ring, Miz tripped up Axiom as we took an
oddly-timed break in the action.
We returned from commercial as Miz and Axiom were down and
out. The masked Spaniard kipped up and hit Miz with a snap
German suplex for the two-count. Axiom headed to the top as
he avoided Miz’s attack. The Skull-Crushing Finale was
countered, but Miz got Axiom with the DDT for the near-fall.
The “It” Kicks were blocked by Axiom, who hit the Dragon
Screw. Now Axiom got some kicks of his own on Miz. Flying
crossbody only got the two.
Miz had Axiom in the corner as he hit the signature
clothesline, but missed with the splash. Axiom turned it
into a Crossface, but Miz tried for the cover attempt. Miz
did not miss with the powerbomb as he headed to the top. The
lights went out yet again, which allowed Axiom to hit the
avalanche Spanish Fly followed by the Golden Ratio to pick
up the duke in Spain.
Axiom def. The Miz via pinfall
This was a good match and it was nice to see Axiom get the
win in front of his home country.
***********
– Sami Zayn continued to lament his plight to Johnny Gargano
as Matt Cardona approached him. Cardona called out Zayn for
acting out of line as the Canadian continued to whine about
being disrespected. This led to a potential match being set
up between the two.
– As Charlotte Flair was checking up on Alexa Bliss, Rhea
Ripley met with her and said that she’d take care of Jade
Cargill on Sunday. Flair warned that if Ripley couldn’t get
the job done, she’d deal with Cargill herself, because she
had a receipt coming.
Damian Priest & Royce Keys vs. Tama & Talla Tonga
Talla and Priest started off this match. Talla withstood
Priest’s blows and threw him into the MFT corner. Tama
tagged in, but Priest fought out of his predicament as Royce
tagged in. Keys dropped Tama and hit a nice powerslam on his
foe. A big powerhouse pounce sent Tama out of the ring.
Talla entered the fray but found himself taken out of the
ring by a double team effort from Keys and Priest as we took
a break.
We returned from commercial as Talla had Keys trapped in a
resthold. Keys powered out of the submission, but he was
still isolated successfully by the MFT duo. Keys created
separation with a sitdown powerbomb on Tama as Priest tagged
in. Priest unleashed kicks on Tama and Talla, then nailing
the two with running splashes on opposite corners. Tama got
dropped by a with a Flatliner while Talla was jettisoned out
of the ring.
Things broke down as Keys sent Talla put with a clothesline.
Samoan Spike by Solo Sikoa with the back turned as R-Trurh
ran in to even the odds. Things became chaotic on the
outside as the T-Bomb by Talla on Priest got the win for the
Tongas.
Talla and Tama Tonga def. Royce Keys and Damian Priest via
pinfall
This feud is honestly boring and this match really added to
how apathetic I am about another MFT feud.
************
– Chelsea Green tried to talk to Tiffany Stratton, who still
wasn’t too receptive over her friendship just yet.
Sami Zayn vs. Matt Cardona
Zayn wrenched at Cardona’s arm as things took a methodical
pace to start with neither man on top. Zayn with the arm
drag on Cardona with the match still in the early feeling-
out process. Cardona threw Zayn out of the ring and
immediately took him down with the sliding dropkick to the
outside. In the ring, Zayn got the upper hand with a series
of rights to the face of his foe. The chops to the chest
from Zayn as cardona turned it around with some strikes of
his own. Cardona sent Zayn retreating with a missile
dropkick as we took a commercial break.
Our match returned from the break as Zayn applied a chinlock
on Cardona that would make Davey Boy Smith proud. Cardona
got out of the hold and dropped Zayn with a facebuster. In
the corner, Cardona knocked Zayn down with a punch, which
led to the Broski Boot. Zayn stumbled to his feet, but he
avoided the Rough Ryder. Cardona did get Zayn with the
double-underhook powerbomb for the near-fall. Cardona
countered a Zayn suplex into a neckbreaker, but his Rough
Ryder was turned into a powerbomb from the Montreal native.
Zayn went for the Helluva Kick, but Cardona finally nailed
the Rough Ryder on the third try. Zayn got his foot on the
ropes to avoid defeat.
Cardona put Zayn on the top turnbuckle and looked for a
high-risk maneuver. However, Zayn pushed him down… Exploder
Suplex into the corner, was soon followed by the Helluva
Kick and the pinfall win.
Sami Zayn def. Matt Cardona via pinfall
This was a good match, and the current Zayn character is
interesting. I did find it a bit odd that he won clean here
instead of doing some sort of heelish things to continue
that story.
***********
– Nick Aldis was seen talking to Gunther, urging him to keep
things civlized when he meets Cody Rhodes later tonight.
Gunther said he agrees, but suggested the next time WWE went
to Spain, they’d go to Madrid instead (referencing the
infamous Barcelona/Real Madrid football rivalry)
Trick Williams speaks
Trick Williams, accompanied by the Trick Stick-wileding Li’l
Yachty, arrived to huge cheers from the Barcelona crowd.
Yachty introduced himself as the man with the money, the
connections, and who makes it happen. He said that today was
the beginning of the Trick Williams campaign. Williams took
the mic and said that he was the man holding down the brand
for quite some time. The crowd continued to cheer for
Williams as the U.S. Champion talked about how he took out
The Miz and Carmelo Hayes in the past two weeks. Williams
called his shot for King of the Ring, stating that it was
only right to declare himself right here in Barcelona, a
place that knew a thing or two about royalty.
Carmelo Hayes interrupted Williams and said that his old
rival may have been the King of the Entrance and King of the
Microphone, but King of the Ring? Not quite. Hayes said once
he took care of Ricky Saints, he was going to finish what he
started with Wiliams last week.
Williams responded by stating that if Hayes could grow an
inch for every excuse he made, he’d be left with no choice
but to acknowledge that Trick Williams was better than him.
Ricky Saints interrupted and said that Williams thought he’d
get the upper and on him last week, but he was going to take
care of Williams once he dealt with Hayes.
Saints talked some more trash and got slapped down by
Williams for his troubles.
**********
Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints
This match was joined in progress during the break as Hayes
hit Saints with a dropkick after a roll over. Hayes kept
momentum going with his reverse legdrop on a prone Saints. A
lariat from Saints stopped Hayes’ momentum cold as he took
over in the corner with the stomps. Hayes recovered and hit
a pair of chops on Saints, followed by the running forearm
into the corner. Hayes kept the heat up with the punches in
the corner, followed by an attempted springboard attack.
Hayes was shoved out of the ring by Saints, who threw him
into the barricades as he struck a pose in the ring and we
took a timeout.
This match continued from commercial as Saints was still in
control. Hayes was put on the top rope as Saints looked for
a superplex. Hayes shoved Saints to the mat and lookes for
the frog splash. Knees up by Saints, followed by the
Northern Lights suplex for the near-fall. Hayes recovered
and got the leaping DDT on Saints. Both men back to their
feet as they exchanged strikes. Hayes connected with the
trademark springboard clothesline. That was soon followed by
Dirty Diana for the near-fall. Hayes was hit by the reverse
DDT from Saints for the near-fall. Saints got sent out of
the ring and hit with Hayes’ Fosbury Flop. Hayes then got on
the barricade and hit Saints with the clothesline. However,
this match ended with a double countout.
Post-match, Saints attacked Hayes from behind, but the
ambush was turned aside as Hayes superkicked Saints and
delivered First 48.
Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints ended in a Double Countout
I quite liked this match, and the double countout was
honestly a good call. Not really much to complain about
here, just a solid match between two really good workers.
**********
– We got a vignette from Blake Monroe that took a direct
shot at Rhea Ripley. She said that that she was coming soon…
despite the fact we saw her last week in a brief backstage
cameo.
Nia Jax vs. Chelsea Green
Jax threw Green across the ring to start, but the wily
Canadian soon got the advantage as she sent Jax out of the
ring and took her down with a suicide dive, which was our
cue for a commercial break.
We returned from commercial as Green’s Rough Ryder attempt
was turned into a Jax powerbomb. Jax’s missed legdrop
allowed for Green to get a momentary respite with the
jumping neckbreaker. That was followed by the Rough Ryder
for the close near-fall. Lash Legend tried to get involved,
but she got kicked aside. However, that allowed for Nia Jax
to hit Green with the Samoan Drop. Was it time for the
Annihilator? No, as Tiffany Stratton’s music hit and she
ended up hitting Jax with the Women’s US Title in the chaos.
Green took advantage and got the pin and win.
Chelsea Green def Nia Jax via pinfall
Not really much of a match and more to advance the kinda-
sorta alliance between Green and Stratton, so there’s that.
***********
Cody Rhodes and Gunther’s Final Face-Off
The Undisputed WWE Champion and his Clash in Italy foe made
their way down for this final faceoff ahead of their match
on Sunday in Turin.
Gunther said he wasn’t here to engage with any of the fans,
but he wanted to talk to Rhodes. Gunther said that Rhodes
made it all about himself, and that he was a product of the
American society that birthed him. Gunther pointed out that
Rhodes nickname was fitting as a descriptor of the declining
American society. Gunther said his mission was to protect
the sacred sport of wrestling from people like Rhodes. He
called Rhodes a mark for himself.
Rhodes responded by saying that Gunther didn’t want the
responsibility of being a champion and all that it implied.
He pointed out Paul Heyman and what he told him to
intimidate him. Rhodes said that the world title was
addictive and that Gunther was as sick as he was. At Clash
in Italy, Rhodes said that Gunther was going to get this
close to the title, but we were all going to find out that
he just wasnt going to be good enough. “Easy to find, hard
to beat,” said Rhodes.
Gunther asked if Rhodes thought he was a liar. He boasted
about how he beat Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles. He
promised to choke Rhodes out and take the title with him.
Producer credits are up, as well as hype for WWE’s America
250 special, which airs on USA tonight after SmackDown, and
we’re out.
***********
I really have to say that this Clash in Italy show feels
really weakly built, and that’s largely on the anemic
booking WWE has been partaking in as of late. Nothing on the
card grabs my interest and tonight’s go-home show kind of
did a poor job in building Sunday’s show.
The WWE Title match doesn’t really feel that intriguing, and
unless Gunther pulls off the upset, not sure if a likely
Cody Rhodes title retention will move the needle. That being
said, the closing promo tonight was an admirable effort to
add some spice to this match. Gunther, I felt particularly
did well to twist the knife against Cody, who came off as a
bit more defensive in his response. Whether or not that will
be enough to add a little intrigue on Sunday will be a wait-
and-see.
Elsewhere, I do like the Hayes/Saints/Williams dynamic in
the U.S. Title picture and a lot of that comes down to the
strengths of Hayes and Williams, who are very charismatic
and talented in the ring, to the point that they carry a lot
of the interactions here.