WWE SmackDown Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before SNME 43

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SmackDown on May 22.

This weekend marks another edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, which will be followed next weekend by Clash in Italy.

Here's a look at what WWE advertised for this week's show:

Gunther and Cody Rhodes set to appear

Rhea Ripley addresses Jade Cargill

Talla Tonga vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Carmelo Hayes has a message for Trick Williams

Tiffany Stratton holds open challenge for U.S. title

Let's take a look at what happened on Friday's SmackDown.

The Champ is Here

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

After a recap video showing what happened on last week's show, we went live in the arena where Rhea Ripley made her way to the ring.

She wasted no time getting right to business and suggested a title defense against Jade Cargill, which brought out Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss to respond.

Bliss tried to be the peacekeeper, but Flair and Ripley got into an argument. Before anything could be settled, Fatal Influence came out to pour gas on the fire.

Flair issued a challenge for a tag match that was accepted, but nothing was settled with Ripley. This felt like half a segment without an ending. It wasn't bad, but it felt a little paint-by-numbers.

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

It seems like a lot of fashion from the '90s is making a comeback.

Jayne has already developed a great ability to control the crowd.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Talla Tonga

Rich WadeWWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Tonga defeated Damian Priest (SD, May 8), Nakamura lost the Andre Battle Royal (SD, April 17)

The first match on this week's show saw Shinsuke Nakamura take on Talla Tonga, who had Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga by his side.

Talla took control relatively quickly and used his size to dominate his opponent for a couple of minutes before Nakamura started making a comeback.

It was nice to see Talla get a chance to have a singles match again. He can move a bit better than most guys who are that tall, so he and Nakamura were able to create a couple of good spots.

However, the real highlight here was seeing Shin being treated like a real threat again. He didn't feel like an underdog despite giving up a lot of size.

Sikoa distracted Nakamura by getting on the apron, which gave Talla an opportunity to hit his finisher for the win. As Solo was preparing to hit him with a Samoan Spike, Tama stopped him so he could hit Nakamura himself.

Damian Priest ran to the ring with a chair to make the save.

Result: Tonga defeated Nakamura

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

Royce Keys had some words for The MFTs backstage. Sikoa tried to play it off, but Keys was still upset about what happened last week.

Nakamura going so long without a match feels like an oversight. He is too good to keep on the bench this long.

Tonga's snap powerslam looked great.

Tiffany Stratton's U.S. Open Challenge

Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Stratton defeated Kiana James (SD, May 8)

Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn had a backstage segment with Nick Aldis. Zayn ended up angering Rhodes, which led to him issuing a challenge for a singles match. Back in the arena, Tiffany Stratton came out for her open challenge.

The woman who answered the call was Lash Legend. She and Nia Jax said before they regain their tag titles this weekend, Lash would win her first singles title.

With the women's division being more limited in size than the men's division, it's smart to have competitors chasing tag and singles gold at the same time, so Legend was a good choice to fill this role.

She easily overpowered Tiffy at first, but the champ didn't make it easy on her. Chelsea Green ran down to offer Stratton some words of encouragement as the show went to a commercial.

Both women brought great energy to the ring, but they had a couple of missteps that kept this from being as good as it could have been.

When Jax interfered, Green shoved her into the ring post. Legend got distracted and it led to Stratton rolling her up for the win.

Result: Stratton defeated Legend

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

The lights went out backstage but it was hard to tell if it was intentional or part of something else. It might be Danhausen's experiment.

Stratton tried a slingshot crossbody, but she got caught up on the top rope and it almost ended in disaster. Legend did a great job catching her and keeping her safe.

Legend's pump kick has gotten much better.

Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes

Kevin Sabitus/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Williams defeated The Miz (SD, May 15), Hayes defeated Ricky Saints (SD, May 15)

Trick Williams and Lil Yachty came to the ring for a segment. They bragged about beating The Miz last week. It took about 30 seconds before Carmelo Hayes came out.

Melo said Trick screwed him out of his U.S. title, and despite always believing in him, he doesn't think Williams is a fighting champion. Yachty tried to make excuses for why Trick couldn't defend the title, but Melo taunted him. Williams said he was willing to face him, but he wouldn't put the title on the line.

As anyone would expect, they had a highly entertaining and enjoyable match. Both men felt like they were treating this as more than a throwaway match, and the crowd was into all of it.

Ricky Saints showed up to watch from ringside, but he didn't make it clear what his intentions were right away. He got on the apron and it caused enough of a distraction for Williams to hit the Trick Shot and score the win.

Result: Williams defeated Hayes

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Aldis found Danhausen running his experiment backstage.

Fraxiom had a quick encounter with The Miz and Kit Wilson that led to Miz challenging Axiom to a match.

This was the first time Yachty has been funny in a segment.

Williams and Melo always work so well together.

Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley vs. Fatal Influence

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Fatal Influence defeated Flair, Ripley and Bliss (SD, May 8)

The next match on the show saw Flair and Ripley team up to take on two members of Fatal Influence, Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley.

The Queen started against Henley and easily took control. She used her rolling headscissor sequence before The Eradicator tagged herself in. Flair and Ripley had a slight disagreement, which allowed Reid to tag in for her partner.

The newest member of Toxic Attraction had a brief flurry of offense before Rhea threw her with a fallaway slam. Flair tapped her on the head to tag back in, which caused more friction.

This could have easily been a throwaway match that ended in a few minutes, but they were given two segments to work, so they made it feel competitive. It was especially nice to see Henley and Reid get a chance to show off while Jayne supported them from ringside.

Ripley was about to win with Riptide, but Flair tagged herself in and stole the pin. Bliss tried to help them celebrate, but you could see a look of frustration on Ripley's face.

Cargill, B-Fab and Michin showed up and attacked the babyfaces alongside Fatal Influence. Cargill hit Rhea with her Jaded finisher to end the segment.

Result: Ripley and Flair defeated Fatal Influence

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

Sami Zayn had another quick backstage segment with a motionless Johnny Gargano.

Melo attacked Saints backstage after he cost him his match against Williams.

With Jayne being the breakout star of the group, it was surprising to see her take a backseat this week, but it was good to give Henley and Reid more time in the ring.

Reid has gotten good at throwing a hard right hand that knocks her opponents off their feet.

Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa

Andrea Kellaway/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Priest defeated Talla Tonga (SD, May 15), The MFTs defeated The Usos (SD, May 1)

After what happened earlier in the show, Sikoa and Priest were booked in a singles match. Talla and Tama were at ringside, but R-Truth was not in Priest's corner.

As soon as Solo got into the ring, Priest hit him with a clothesline to send him right back out, so the ref called for the bell and got things underway immediately.

After a break, The Archer of Infamy hit a superplex. They met in the center of the ring for an exchange of strikes. This was as physical as you would expect with these two men involved, but with a big portion of the match taking place during a break, it felt like we didn't get to see enough.

Tama and Talla helped distract Priest by getting on the apron, allowing Sikoa to hit the Samoan Spike for the win. When the MFTs jumped him, Royce Keys ran down to make the save. Sikoa refused to fight him and left the ring looking disappointed.

Priest got up and almost went after Keys until he realized what had happened.

Result: Sikoa defeated Priest

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

It's always kind of funny to see Priest have to look up at someone taller. It doesn't happen often.

WWE seems like it wants to turn Tama babyface and separate him from The MFTs, but it also seems unwilling to make the decision yet.

Priest almost attacking Keys opens up an interesting possibility for a match, but WWE probably won't pursue it right away.

Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes

Michael Owens/WWE via Getty Images

Last time in action: Zayn lost to Williams (Backlash), Rhodes defeated Saints (SD, May 1)

This week's main event saw Cody Rhodes take on a man he used to consider one of his best friends, Sami Zayn.

They started with a simple lockup into a headlock sequence. Zayn scored the first real takedown with an arm drag, and then he offered his hand as a sign of respect. Rhodes shook it, but also pushed it away at the end.

Zayn took control heading into the break by tripping Rhodes when he went for a move from the top rope.

These two know each other well, but it's been almost 10 years to the day since their last singles match, so this felt fresh compared to most of what we see week to week.

Zayn might be on the path to being a heel, but he isn't taking shortcuts yet, so this still felt like a face vs. face match in some respects. Both guys did a good job selling the story.

Gunther got involved, but Rhodes used it to his advantage and ended up hitting Zayn with Cross Rhodes for the win. Zayn looked like he was going to help his friend, but he ended up letting Gunther choke him out.

Result: Rhodes defeated Zayn

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Chelsea Green tried to make friend with Blake Monroe backstage, but Monroe mocked her and walked away. Jax then attacked Green.

Keys and Priest had a disagreement backstage after what happened in the ring.

Rhodes leaping up to the top rope was an impressive show of agility.

Zayn knocking Rhodes from the apron onto the announce table was a fun spot.

There was a pin that Rhodes didn't quite kick out of in time, but the ref stopped counting anyway.

The Final Word

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Friday's SmackDown had peaks and valleys, but it wasn't as bad as some of the other recent episodes, so that was a step in the right direction.

Rhodes and Zayn had a solid main event performance, but the match that gave us the most highlights was Williams vs. Hayes.

The former NXT standouts make perfect rivals, so it was a lot of fun to see them get back in the ring together.

The women's division also had a good showing this week, especially with the tag match involving Toxic Attraction.

Tomorrow's SNME show has a decent lineup and could rival some of the PLEs we have seen this year if WWE books it right.

Grade: C+