WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights Before MITB
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on June 6.
This was the go-home episode before Money in the Bank, so a lot of the show was dedicated to hyping the PLE.
WWE advertised that every MITB competitor would appear on the show in addition to John Cena, Logan Paul, Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes.
The only match WWE hyped for the show was a six-woman tag match featuring Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer and Alexa Bliss taking on Giulia, Naomi and Roxanne Perez.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Friday's show.
Hyping the PLE
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SmackDown opened with the usual array of shots of Superstars arriving at the arena before Seth Rollins and his group made their way to the ring.
Rollins not only claimed he would win MITB, but he warned anyone who wants to stand in his way of what will happen. When he said nobody could stop him, Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and JC Mateo showed up.
The two groups squared off in the ring as Rollins and Sikoa traded words. It looked like it might turn into a fight but Rollins called his boys back and they left without incident.
The first half of this segment was pretty average, but the second half set up some interesting possibilities for future matches. Sikoa vs. Breakker and Rollins vs. Fatu would be excellent additions to any card.
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—A lot of heels like wearing sunglasses indoors.
—Rollins must have been sweating in that leather jacket and the California heat.
—Was anyone else reminded of those old Red vs. Blue Halo cartoons?
Jimmy Uso vs. JC Mateo
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Jimmy Uso attacked Solo's crew from behind as Seth and company were leaving, so when we returned from a break, we saw Uso fighting Mateo in a match.
Big Jim had the upper hand and was controlling the pace at first, but the powerhouse eventually turned the tide in his favor.
Uso regained control for a moment, but a dropkick from Mateo sent him falling from the top turnbuckle to the floor as we went to another break.
Sikoa kept trying to talk Jimmy into joining him throughout the match, but Uso had no interest in hearing him. He began to make a comeback and scored a two-count with a whisper in the wind.
This match had a handful of fun spots and moments, but it felt like it was lacking a level of intensity this feud should have. Uso ended up winning with a rollup after Mateo crashed into Fatu on the apron.
Fatu and Mateo having issues is going to lead to a fun match, but creating more tension with Fatu and the group needs to lead somewhere soon.
Result: Uso defeated Mateo
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—Mateo hitting a standing dropkick while Uso was on the top rope was an impressive show of agility from the big man.
—It was even more impressive when he hit a standing moonsault after the break.
—They should just call the move the "whisper in the wind." "The Uso in the wind" is not a good name for it.
Zelina Vega vs. Piper Niven
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The next match saw Piper Niven take on Zelina Vega in a Bakersfield Brawl, but the United States Championship was not on the line.
Niven obviously had a significant power advantage, so she easily shoved the champ to the mat a few times to assert her dominance. Vega grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring to even the odds a bit.
After a break, Niven used a chain to inflict some punishment. She tried to use a chair but Vega ended up being the one to hit a DDT into the steel.
Vega hit a Code Red from the top rope, but Alba Fyre and Chelsea Green prevented her from getting the win. They set up a table in the ring, but Giulia distracted Niven when she attacked Green and Fyre. She helped Vega powerbomb her through a table to get the pin and the win.
While these two have proved they can complement each other's styles well, it feels like WWE needs to move on from this feud. This is the third match Vega and Niven have been in over the past month. It's time to find some new competition for Vega,, and it looks like it has arrived.
The appearance by Giulia added a little fun to the end of this, and seeing her attack Vega after it was over is a clear indicator that The Beautiful Madness will be the next challenger.
Result: Vega defeated Niven
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—Damian Priest tried to give Fatu some words of encouragement before saying he was coming for the U.S. title.
—Vega needs new music desperately. It gets drowned out by the crowd and announcer so much.
—The way Piper dropped Vega's face into the apron looked brutal.
—The tornado DDT onto the chair looked great.
LA Knight vs. Aleister Black
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LA Knight was out after the break to give a promo about Money in the Bank. He spoke about each competitor in the match and also mentioned Aleister Black, who had just had a video package about being upset that Knight stole the win last week.
This led to a singles match between them after a break. Both men scored near-falls early, but an attempted Black Mass caused Knight to back off and reset.
They did a good job making this feel like a tense fight while keeping the action more technical. They used strikes sparingly and focused on a lot of takedowns and counters.
This was a fun and physical encounter that made both guys look like strong competitors. Sadly, it ended in controversy when Rollins hit Knight with a Stomp out of nowhere to cause a DQ.
He lined up for a second but Black actually stopped him. He turned around just in time for Breakker to Spear him out of his boots. Reed and Breakker took turns hitting moves on Knight as Rollins called the shots.
Result: Knight
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
—Sometimes it's hard to tell if the crowd actually loves Knight or if it just likes chanting his catchphrases.
—Knight telegraphed a back body drop way too early.
—The way Knight and Black crashed to the floor from inside the ring looked nasty.
Vaquer, Ripley and Bliss and vs. Perez, Giulia and Naomi
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Tiffany Stratton came to the ring and talked about being ready for the winner of MITB to take their shot at her. This led into the six-woman tag match that was advertised for the show.
Vaquer and Giulia, former allies in NXT, were the first two to lock up. We eventually got to a spot where all three babyfaces had the three heels grounded at the same time.
This match followed the usual pattern. Everyone got to spend a little time in the ring, but it didn't feel like the outcome mattered. All six of these women had already earned their spots in the MITB match, so this bout had zero impact on anything after this show.
All six competitors did a good job when it was their turn to fight. If this was a preview of what we can expect on Saturday, then we should be in for a fun MITB.
Naomi ended up leaving Perez high and dry when she reached for a tag. This allowed Ripley, Vaquer and Bliss to take turns hitting moves until The Eradicator scored the win.
Result: Ripley, Bliss and Vaquer defeated Giulia, Perez and Naomi
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
—It feels like WWE had plans to put Bliss with The Wyatt Sicks and then decided not to for some reason.
—Naomi continues to have some of the best gear in WWE.
—Giulia had a backstage segment, got involved in another match, and then fought in this one. She was all over this show and it was great to see a newer star getting so much attention.
—Wade Barrett did his best to explain why Giulia and Perez no longer have issues, but it fell a bit short of doing the job.
Penta and Andrade vs. The Creed Brothers
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The tag team division was shown discussing the problem with the Wyatts in a backstage segment. Fraxiom said they would take on the Wyatts since they are undefeated on SmackDown. DIY was more than happy to let them do it.
After a break, Penta and Andrade teamed up to take on Julius and Brutus Creed after they had a confrontation backstage earlier in the show. Chad Gable accompanied his team to the ring.
Penta and Andrade took them out with dives over the top rope before they even got to the ring. Once the Creeds recovered, they started suplexing and throwing their opponents all over the ring.
Gable interfered and tried to rip off Penta's mask, which led to Vikingo attacking him and fighting him into the crowd. Penta and Andrade worked together to get the win in the end. This was a lot of fun. All four guys looked great.
Rollins and his crew came to the ring after the match was over. They attacked both men to soften them up before MITB. Penta definitely got the worst of the attack.
Result: Penta and Andrade defeated American Made
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
—During a backstage segment, Fatu overheard Sikoa talking trash about him.
—Barrett had some points. The babyfaces attacking before the bell is not the most babyface thing they could do, but it was fun nonetheless.
—WWE hasn't done nearly enough to make the Creeds feel special on the main roster. They were such a great act in NXT.
The Final Word
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As Heyman was giving a promo declaring Rollins would win MITB, Rhodes' music hit and he came to the ring.
As Jey Uso came out through the crowd, Rollins and his cronies left the ring so the final segment could get going. Paul ended up attacking Jey while he was distracted, allowing Cena to hit Rhodes with an AA.
The show ended with Cena and Paul giving a quick promo before taking out Uso and Rhodes with their finishers again. The crowd chanted for R-Truth and Cena mocked them for it.
Friday’s SmackDown spent a lot of time hyping the MITB PLE while also including a handful of entertaining matches.
The women’s division had a big presence on the show both in the ring and during backstage segments, so it felt like equal time was spent building both matches.
For the in-ring action on Friday’s show, Penta, Andrade and the Creeds had the best performance of the night. Everyone looked great, but the ending did leave a little to be desired due to unnecessary interference.
Rollins was definitely being positioned as the most likely winner at MITB, which might be a sign that someone unexpected will walk out with the briefcase if WWE wants to keep us on our toes.
Grade: B
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