WWE SmackDown Live – May 7, 2019 (Review)

The Best of SmackDown Live

A Wild Card Done Better

The night kicked off with AJ Styles, who made it clear that he would be the first to take advantage of the newly minted Wild Card Rule. Because, although he was drafted to Raw just three short weeks ago, SmackDown Live remains the municipality that AJ Styles redistricted! Wait, that doesn’t sound right at all.

OF COURSE, @AJStylesOrg would be the first to take advantage of the WILD CARD rule!

It's his 🏠 after all. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/tOtZSH74Rj

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 8, 2019

Either way, the former WWE Champion was in the ring looking for a fight. And he wasn’t made to wait long before someone obliged. Two people picked up the gauntlet in fact. Sami Zayn, another Wild Carder (that’s what I’m calling them now), came out to pick at what he termed Styles’ arrogance. But before those two could get into the routine fisticuffs, Kofi Kingston emerged to explain to Styles that times have changed. Kofi now sits atop the SmackDown throne, and if AJ was looking for a fight, Kingston would be happy to take him on.

And just like that, SmackDown’s main event was set. It would be Kofi vs Styles vs Zayn later in the night, with the WWE Championship on the line. Another high profile match to attract those casual viewers.

Ali’s Light Being Extinguished

I’ve grown to really appreciate Ali. His high-flying in-ring style is electric and – in more ways than one – so are his promos as it turns out. Because last night, he spoke about a light… while standing in front of a light… and occasionally pointing at said light. It was much better than it sounds.

"As long as you see the light, you must fight." Words to live by by @AliWWE. #SDLive 💡💡💡 pic.twitter.com/rXSITF2PcX

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 8, 2019

Ali spoke of the light at the end of the tunnel. The ultimate prize. His redemption hanging above the ring at Money in the Bank, following the cruel twist of fate that robbed him of his opportunity to claim the WWE Title earlier in the year.

This was an excellent promo which led into a fun match against Andrade. We weren’t given much however, as Randy Orton soon showed up to deliver brutal looking RKOs to both competitors.

This was terrific all around. You know what they say: the only thing better than one RKO is two. Especially when they come out of nowhere.

We Got Us Some Bipolar Usos!

The third and fourth beneficiaries of Vince’s Wild Card exemption were none other than the Usos, who interrupted Shane McMahon’s attempt to coronate Daniel Bryan and Rowan as the new Tag Team Champions. These titles had, of course, been vacated following Jeff Hardy’s unfortunate injury.

The most notable aspect here though is that these weren’t Raw’s Usos. Oh no, my son. Gone were the two goofs who like to sneak around backstage like cartoon detectives. Forgotten were the silly skits about shaving backs and itchy privates. These Usos were the act we had become accustomed to across years on the blue brand. They were the cool, swaggering, fast-talking former SmackDown tag champs we’d come to know and love.

Also they called Bryan and Rowan “Spongebob and Patrick”, “Ren and Stimpy” and “Beavis and Butthead”. You might think I was too old to find those references funny… but you’d be wrong.

Regardless, they challenged Bryan and Rowan to a match to decide the new SmackDown tag team champions. And that’s precisely what we got.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxLs_0YBI_w/

The match had everything. Dives, Splashes, about fifteen superkicks. Eventually though, Rowan caught Jey Uso with the Iron Claw to claim the pin. And, just like that, who would’ve guessed it: Bryan and Rowan are the new Tag Team Champions. I’m always excited to see Bryan with some gold, and can’t wait to see where this goes next. They crossed paths with Heavy Machinery backstage later on, but I’m more intrigued by the prospect that the Wild Card provision brings. Imagine seeing the best tag teams in WWE work one another each week. I could get behind seeing these guys take on The Revival next Monday.

Shane McMahon’s Mid-Card of Awesome

Things have been a bit hit or miss with Shane O’Mac in recent weeks. I’ve fluctuated wildly between enjoying his heel shtick and absolutely despising him on a personal level.

But this week I’m glad to say that the boss’ son was back in top form. He was delightfully derisive of the Kentucky crowd, smoothly invoking every heel cliché in the book, from apologising for speaking too fast for the simpletons in attendance to looking to leave the grimy town as quickly as possible.

Eventually The Miz blindsided Shane and beat him up the ramp, only for his former protégés (and current McMahon goobers) The B-Team to come to Shane’s rescue. McMahon left Miz laying – another effective segment leading up to their cage match at Money in the Bank in the books.

Now a steel chair, at #MITB it becomes a steel CAGE.#SDLive @ShaneMcMahon @mikethemiz pic.twitter.com/LbCfs0gRR3

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 8, 2019

The Women’s Division Is Back!

Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville defeated the long-standing team of Ember Moon & Carmella. In an ideal world I might’ve preferred to see Ember get the win, but the women outside of the main event picture are so closely stacked that occasional victories are largely meaningless.

More compelling was the post-match development though. Paige led out her tandem of Asuka and Kairi Sane to announce that their crusade through WWE’s tag division would start with Rose and Deville next week.

My first thought was: “huh, so this Paige managerial role is still a thing then?” My second thought though was that this could be an interesting match. One that Asuka and Sane should surely win, if only for my own sanity.

Triple the Threat, Triple the Reward

The main event of the evening, as had been foreshadowed to kick off the show, was Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn in a triple threat for the WWE Championship.

I’ve been lamenting that Sami hasn’t appeared in a match since his return from double shoulder surgery several weeks ago. And last night demonstrated exactly why many of us were so eager to see him back.

These three men put on an incredible match with breathtaking combos, including Kofi delivering an SOS to Styles, who in turn hit Sami with a reverse DDT. Between the big moves, we saw strikes, Pele kicks and bodies strewn across the ring. Even Xavier Woods’ trombone sounded better than usual.

Just as things seemed to be swinging in Kofi’s favour however, that treacherous Kevin Owens – who earlier in the night claimed to be out celebrating his birthday – emerged to attack Woods. This momentary distraction allowed Owens’ former BFF Zayn to capitalise, hitting the WWE Champion with three Blue Thunder Bombs. Kofi however kicked out of all of them, delivered the Trouble in Paradise to retain his title and then vowed to exact revenge on Owens.

This was another excellent match for Kofi, further solidifying him as the top dog on SmackDown. What a way to end the night.

Coincidentally, it was indeed Kevin Owens’ birthday yesterday. The fact that I even had to look that up proves just how untrustworthy he is. What a dastardly heel.

• Wild Card Rule
• review
• Smackdown
• wwe

Share this article with friends