WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Highlights and Analysis from May 28
The May 28 episode of SmackDown Live not only continued the storyline involving Roman Reigns and Shane McMahon but also featured a Money in the Bank rematch between WWE champion Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens, and set up a tag team title program for Daniel Bryan and Rowan.
Bayley battled Lacey Evans in a previously announced match, and the 24/7 Championship changed hands not once, but twice.
Who emerged with his arm raised in the Kingston-Owens match, which Superstars etched their names in the history books and which team stepped up to Bryan and Rowan?
Find out with this recap of Tuesday's show.
Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens
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Kevin Owens kicked off the broadcast saying he was going to hold an edition of "The KO Show" but the fans in Oklahoma were not worthy.
He then suggested that, after Dolph Ziggler defeats Kofi Kingston at Super ShowDown, he can give Owens a shot at the WWE Championship.
This brought out Kingston for a pay-per-view-quality match.
A fired-up, focused Owens attacked Kingston and beat him down from the opening bell. He wiped him out with a senton on the arena floor and stood tall, basking in the jeers of the Oklahoma audience.
Everything Kingston did to fight back into the match, Owens cut off.
Late, Owens tried for a Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Kingston escaped, delivered Trouble in Paradise and scored the win.
Result
Kingston defeated Owens
Grade
B
Analysis
Owens would still have an argument for a WWE Championship opportunity if Kingston had not beaten him in the center of the ring here.
He controlled the match and was the superior wrestler, but he fell to Trouble in Paradise. And that finish hurts his credibility as a wrestler. Had he let his emotions get the best of him, causing a disqualification or a count-out, he would have more of a legitimate gripe with Ziggler getting the title shot.
As it is, he lost another match to Kingston, clean in the center of the ring, and it is very difficult to imagine a scenario in which he can viably argue he deserves a shot.
Where that leaves him now is a question we should not be asking at this point. He was hot coming off a return, but too many other Superstars returning or jumping in front of him have diminished that momentum.
Heavy Machinery Wants a Title Shot
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SmackDown tag team champions Daniel Bryan and Rowan made their way to the ring for a special in-ring interview with Kayla Braxton.
Bryan was vocal in his disdain for the SmackDown tag team division, mocking the other tandems on the roster and suggesting none are worthy of a championship opportunity. Rowan joined in with a terrible knock-knock joke before Heavy Machinery interrupted the proceedings.
Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic expressed their desire to challenge for the gold, to which Bryan responded they would have the match...just not Tuesday night.
The cowardly champions exited to a chorus of boos.
Grade
C-
Analysis
So...the point of this was to poke fun at how weak the SmackDown tag team division is and then set up a team without a single television victory in months as the next challenger to Bryan and Rowan?
That booking essentially proves Bryan's point, no?
Maybe the writing team should consider that the next time it books a segment like this.
Carmella vs. Mandy Rose
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Mandy Rose, riding a high after appearing on the cover of Muscle and Fitness: Hers, squared off with Carmella on Tuesday night.
Rose dominated early, wearing down Carmella with mat-based offense. The Princess of Staten Island fought out with a jawbreaker and looked to be mounting a comeback, but a flying knee from Rose cut her off. That it only earned her a two-count shocked The Golden Goddess.
A distraction from Sonya Deville at ringside, though, allowed Rose to deliver a roll-up for the win.
Result
Rose defeated Carmella
Grade
B
Analysis
There really was not much to the match, but the story of Deville constantly assisting Rose and ultimately having her friend take her for granted is phenomenal. One day, she will go full Batista to Rose's Triple H and will be a legitimate breakout star as a result.
Here, she provided the distraction that led to the win. At Money in the Bank, she nearly carried Rose to victory. She has been instrumental in her partner's success, and at some point, she will grow tired of watching from the sidelines and strike out on her own.
Perhaps that time is coming soon.
Shane McMahon Appreciation Night
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Shane McMahon was flanked by Drew McIntyre and Elias for a special "Shane McMahon Appreciation Night," just weeks from clashing with Roman Reigns at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
McMahon claimed to be humble, to the belief of no one. He was disingenuous as he aired a video package about his awesomeness, claiming it would put smiles on faces.
He dropped Kevin Dunn's name while touting the production team and then claimed the video was educational because Reigns now knows what to expect on June 7.
The segment ended with R-Truth and Drake Maverick continuing the 24/7 Championship nonsense. Truth pinned the 205 Live general manager, only for Elias and McIntyre to attack and beat him down.
Ultimately, The Scottish Psychopath downed Truth with the Claymore kick and Elias scored the pinfall and his first championship.
McMahon then announced whatever is left of Truth will team with Reigns to face Elias and McIntyre in the main event.
Result
Elias pinned Truth to win the 24/7 Championship
Grade
B+
Analysis
This was a really fun way to pay off Truth's escapades of late. What better way to put McMahon, McIntyre and Elias over than by having them kill the fun of Truth's title reign and then stack the odds against both him and Reigns later in the night?
The trio has a ton of potential to wreak havoc on SmackDown and be the lead heel act, if WWE Creative wants it to be. Shane-O-Mac as the self-centered prodigal son who legitimately believes he is the Best in the World and can hang with the top stars in the industry is a brilliant character...but only if he actually pays for thinking that way in the form of an ass-whupping at the hands of Reigns.
Otherwise, this is another excuse to put the McMahon family over.
Bayley vs. Lacey Evans
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Charlotte Flair joined the commentary team of Corey Graves, Byron Saxton and Tom Phillips as SmackDown women's champion Bayley battled Raw wild-card competitor Lacey Evans in singles action.
Bayley attacked from the opening bell, not allowing The Sassy Southern Belle to stall or set the pace.
Evans seized control, though, delivering a slingshot elbow drop to the midsection of her opponent. Bayley rolled to the floor, where Flair was quick to stand up and tease interference in the bout.
Back from the break, Evans worked over the champion, wearing her down. Bayley fought back and headed to ringside, where she dropped Flair with a hard right hand.
Back inside the squared circle, Bayley scored a roll-up on Evans that earned her the victory.
After Evans looked to have the victory in hand, only for Flair to distract the official, she took her frustrations out on The Queen. That ended with Flair flooring her and tension between the heel contenders rising.
Result
Bayley defeated Evans
Grade
A
Analysis
Bayley as the babyface who outthinks her opponents and causes rifts between them just by being smarter is such a drastic departure from the character we watched over the last two years that it almost feels like a whole new incarnation of her.
No longer the shy, timid babyface who is just happy to be around, she is winning matches and sticking it to her antagonists, and it is refreshing to watch.
Just when it looked like Flair and Evans were being set up to challenge for the tag titles, they split with physicality at the end of the segment. That is a nice twist and one that helps keep fans guessing.
Roman Reigns and R-Truth vs. Drew Mcintyre and Elias
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Prior to the main event, Elias and Drew McIntyre attacked R-Truth from behind, leaving him further damaged and Reigns essentially on his own.
A distraction from Shane McMahon early allowed the heels to down Reigns and isolate him. The Big Dog fought out and tagged Truth in, only for the former 24/7 champion to find himself on the receiving end of a concentrated ass-kicking at the hands of Elias and McIntyre.
Truth finally made the tag to Reigns, who exploded into the match, blasting Elias with a massive clothesline. A big boot to the new 24/7 champion followed before he called for the Superman Punch. Reigns blasted an interfering McIntyre and sent Elias to the floor.
McIntyre tried for the Claymore on the floor, but Reigns moved and The Scottish Psychopath crashed back-first on the announce table.
Back inside, Reigns delivered the spear to put away Elias.
After the match, Reigns delivered another spear and urged Truth to make the pin. He did, regaining his title to the dismay of McMahon and McIntyre.
Result
Reigns and Truth defeated Elias and McIntyre; Truth defeated Elias to win the 24/7 Championship
Grade
C+
Analysis
This was a pretty run-of-the-mill tag match with Reigns predictably scoring the win. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but the sneaking suspicion that McMahon will somehow leave Saudi Arabia with a win over The Big Dog is.
McMahon getting over on Reigns has been few and far between, suggesting that his big moment will come in the country in which he won the Best in the World tournament. There is no chance in hell Shane-O-Mac should be beating anyone at this point, let alone the biggest star in the company.
What did work here, though, was Truth winning his title back.
The 24/7 Championship may be a cheap ploy to build ratings or stories on a classic gimmick, but Truth is a fun character, and this was a payoff for something that happened earlier in the show. If only the other segments could claim that, the rest of the WWE product may be more watchable.
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