WWE SmackDown May 26th episode featured a go-home edition to WWE Night of Champions. The show was taped as WWE is currently in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for Night of Champions. The show’s primary attraction was the appearance of Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa on The KO Show. It also featured a US Title match and a final match for AJ Styles before his World Heavyweight Title bout with Seth Rollins.
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Austin Theory vs Sheamus
SmackDown opened with a match between Austin Theory and Sheamus for the United States Championship. One of the notable moments of the match saw Sheamus delivering 25 Beats of the Bodhran. The ending of the match was chaotic as we saw Pretty Deadly Interrupting the Brawling Brutes. It distracted Sheamus, and Theory took advantage when he rolled up Sheamus to steal the victory.
Winner: Austin Theory
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Grade = B
Analysis
It was a decent match to kick things off on Friday Night. The chemistry was there, and Theory proved he could deliver with veterans like Sheamus. This match could easily be included in WWE Night of Champions. The good thing is that WWE is looking forward to a program between Brawling Brutes and Pretty Deadly, which will suit NXT recruits.
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The Bloodline Segment (Backstage)
Up next, we saw The Bloodline backstage, where Jimmy Uso confronted Roman Reigns. Jey cooled his brother down. Roman even taunted Jimmy with old stories when they were kids. It was a vital segment and teased the Bloodline breakup.
Bayley and Iyo Sky vs Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez
Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi faced Bayley and Sky of the Damage CTRL ahead of a fatal 4-way match for the women’s Tag Titles on WWE Raw. Shotzi’s dive outside through the middle rope always looks fantastic. Rodriguez pinned Bayley in the end for the win.
Winner: Raquel Rodriguez and Shotzi
Grade = C
Analysis
The match majorly teased the tensions between the Damage CTRL members. These have been going on since the build to Backlash, where Sky challenged Bianca Belair. The miscommunication led to the loss in this match, and tensions furthered after the match. Things will be more intense on Monday between Sky and The Role Model Bayley.
Cameron Grimes vs Ashante Thee Adonis
Cameron Grimes continued his path on the Friday Night SmackDown. WWE is slowly building him to the big things. It was a short match, and Grimes won with the Cave In finisher.
Winner: Cameron Grimes
Grade = C+
Analysis
Corbin is the first prominent opponent of Grimes as he attacked Grimes after his victory. It is a good starting feud for the NXT call-up, as Corbin is one of the best heels in the company right now. He can quickly get fans to cheer for Grimes.
Bianca Belair Promo
Next up, The Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair comes out to talk about his match against Asuka at Night of Champions. Bianca Belair says that she no longer has respect for Asuka due to her actions over the past few weeks. The Empress of Tomorrow attacked Belair from behind, only to be separated by WWE Officials. A mini brawl ended with Belair getting the upper hand in the end.
Grade = C-
Analysis
This feud needs the clicking factor, and fans lack interest in this program. This segment did little to enhance the segment.
LA Knight vs Rick Boogs
LA Knight faced Rick Boogs in a one-on-one match one week after they both teamed up against The Street Profits. Knight continues to get immense love from the WWE Universe. He defeated Boogs in the match when he hit the finishing move BFT (Blunt Force Trauma).
Winner: LA Knight
Grade = C
Analysis
The notable thing from the match occurred when The Street Profits joined the commentary team. They acted as heels. WWE will freshen things up with The Street Profits by turning them heel. On the other hand, LA Knight seems directionless even after grabbing such a good response from the fans.
AJ Styles vs Karrion Kross
AJ Styles looks good after his return. He faced Karrion Kross before facing Seth Rollins for WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions. It was a good quality wrestling match. Michin was there to balance things with Scarlett. It was a hard-hitting, back-and-forth match showing great chemistry between competitors and helping Kross build connections with the fans.
Winner: AJ Styles
Grade = B+
Analysis
Styles is now all ready to face Rollins. Most fans think of Rollins winning the match, but you cannot rule out the possibility of Styles getting the victory and winning The World Heavyweight Championship. This match also portrayed the greatness of Karrion Kross.
Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at The KO Show
The main event featured The KO Show. Jey and Jimmy came out without the Tribal Chief’s permission. This segment was all cinema, as they say about the Bloodline storyline. The storytelling remains superb. Owens called himself the table’s heart, relating to Reigns being Head of the Table. KO also mentioned how The Usos were the best tag team in WWE, and now they are nothing under Roman Reigns’ influence. Sami blamed Roman for the collapse of the Bloodline.
Jimmy made a notable comment when he said, “When it comes to the Day Ones, I am the Tribal Chief,” to the shock of fans and Paul Heyman. Heyman’s expressions were priceless throughout the segment. In the end, The Bloodline laid out Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Jey handed over one set of Undisputed Tag Team Titles to Solo. Jimmy hesitated to give the other set of Titles to Roman Reigns. Jey took those Titles also and gave them to the Tribal Chief to close out the show.
There are clear indications of The Bloodline breakup. The turn by The Usos is happening sooner than later. It will be another iconic moment in the historic Bloodline story. It is highly expected that The Usos will be the reason for The Bloodline (Roman and Solo) loss at Night of Champions. However, there is still a chance that WWE might not want them to lose. Roman even ordered Usos not to show up on the Night of Champions and appear on the following week’s SmackDown in the Tribal Chief’s 1000 days celebration of the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship.
Grade = A
Analysis
WWE made clear doubt in the minds of people through this completed segment. No one can predict the results of this match. The Bloodline can win these titles. Sami and KO can retain. The US can interfere on any team’s behalf. However, it was all from our WWE SmackDown May 26 Results, Winner, Grades, and Analysis.
