Friday Night SmackDown aired this week from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, less than 24 hours before Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The show kicked off with the WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, who walked her way to the ring to cut a promo. The first time we’ve seen the champ since being attacked by Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab two weeks ago, Ripley said it seemed like someone really missed her because Jade and her crew decided to send a message, but all they managed to do was really piss her off, so now that she’s back, she’s itching for a fight. If Jade wants her rematch, then she will happily beat her again at Clash in Italy on May 31st with the Women’s Championship on the line.
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss then made their way out to Flair’s music with mics in hand. Flair said that she appreciates Rhea wanting to defend her title, but not to get ahead of themselves. They still have a six-woman tag team match tomorrow night, which Bliss needs them to be on the same page for. Flair notes that her friend makes a good point, but she needs to address the elephant in the room. The two needed Mami’s help last week, and Flair asks where she was. Ripley says she wanted to go see her family; does she not get a day off like everyone else? Flair understands that, more than everyone, and is happy Rhea got to go home, but they needed her help last week against Jade and her crew, as Bliss and Flair have their own battles to fight.
Ripley mentions that Flair said she didn’t need her. Flair did say that when they were facing Fatal Influence, but now, Bliss and her need Ripley’s help with the champion’s problem. Bliss tried to interject, but Ripley bites back at The Queen, telling her she’s sorry for being ambushed, but from where she was watching, it looked like Alexa took most of it, so if she can’t have her partner and best friend’s back, how is Rhea supposed to trust her with Ripley’s back. Flair perceives this as Ripley trying to make a problem that’s not there and drive a wedge between her and Bliss.
Fatal Influence then interrupt and Jacy Jayne mentions how amused she is by this argument. In fact, there’s nothing she loves more than watching the SmackDown women’s division unravel before the group’s very eyes. What Jayne finds funny is it seemed like this all started the second Fatal Influence stepped foot on the scene. While the babyfaces have all been at each other’s throats, Fallon, Lainey, and her have ascended to the top of this division with ease, because when they see an opportunity, they take it, and in fact, they’re looking at one right now. Flair says her and Bliss love the group’s confidence, and challenges any two of them to face Bliss and her later tonight. Jayne says that’s all she needed to hear, and the segment would end shortly thereafter.
Charlotte Flair walked backstage only to find out from Alexa that she spoke to medical and can’t get cleared for tonight’s tag team match. Flair is confused though, as Bliss looks just fine. Bliss fakes an “achoo”, but says that she hates being in the middle of Charlotte and Rhea’s fights, so Charlotte and Rhea are going to team up and per Bliss, get their act together. Flair looks repulsed at the idea, but Bliss tells her to “have fun”.
The Women’s United States Champion, Tiffany Stratton, made her way out for her open challenge match for the title. The woman to answer that challenge was Lash Legend of The Irresistible Forces, who came out with partner Nia Jax in tow. Jax said to get one thing straight: tomorrow night, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Lash and her are going to end the “pathetic nostalgia tour” of Brie Bella and Paige when they defeat them and take back the Women’s Tag Team Championships, because as Legend says, gold looks so good on them. After tonight, when she beats Stratton and snatches the Women’s United States Championship, it sounds like the perfect plan to their “golden weekend”.
The match began with Legend continually pushing, slamming, and tackling Stratton to the mat, but The Boujee Bully was soon sent out of the ring via a dropkick from the Buff Barbie. After Stratton fell to the floor, Chelsea Green ran out to support Stratton.
Legend soon took control throughout the commercial break, Stratton not at all powerful enough to take her out. Once the show returned, Green was monitoring the match closely as she tried her best to be an equalizing presence for Stratton against Legend and Jax. Stratton avoided getting into the ring post, which Legend instead ran into, giving the champ the advantage she needed. Jax attempted to interfere, only to be pushed into the outside ring post by Green, who got her hair grabbed by Legend, with Stratton winning the match by roll-up. Stratton however, was not receptive to Green’s celebrating.
The tag team match pitting Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley against Fatal Influence took place later on, with Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid representing the group in-ring tonight. Fallon started off by mocking Charlotte’s stepping gesture, with Flair clotheslining her and punching Lainey out of the ring in response. Rhea and Lainey were then tagged in, with Ripley slamming and dropkicking her down. When Flair gave Jacy Jayne a big boot to the floor, Henley focused her offense on Flair, slamming her head-first into the commentary desk and the ring apron with aggression and a mean streak.
The match continued with Henley and Reid showing cohesion as Flair was kept separated from Ripley. Once the show returned from commercials, Jayne tripped Flair on the ring apron, as Henley and Reid were still making quick work to put her away, still preventing her from giving Ripley a tag. Finally able to tag her in after a dropkick to Reid, Ripley unleashed clothesline and forearm punches on her and Henley. Almost putting Reid after a Razor’s Edge, Ripley’s chance at victory was dashed by Henley. Flair would blindly tag herself in as Ripley hit her signature Riptide on Reid so that she could hit Natural Selection on the Alabama native for the win.
An excited Bliss raised their hands afterwards, although Ripley looked displeased at not getting the win. The three were then attacked by Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin, their opponents tomorrow night, and even Fatal Influence joined in on the beatdown. Cargill then laid out Ripley with Jaded, leaving The Eradicator lying in the ring.
Cathy Kelley walked up to interview Jade, Michin, and B-Fab as they made their way backstage, wondering what they hoped to prove with their attack. Michin said they weren’t sending a message, just the truth. There’s all these women lying to themselves trying to figure out who the best is, when the best just left them laying. There is one dominant team in WWE and that’s them, and tomorrow, at Saturday Night’s Main Event, they’re about to prove that, again.
B-Fab said that Charlotte and Rhea were arguing like two little sisters who needed a time out, and that they could save themselves a little bit of an embarrassment by just not showing up. Cargill thinks everybody’s talking too much, calling Fatal Influence “bobbleheads”, Rhea and Charlotte not being able to get along, and they are the only thing that matters in the company, Jade proclaiming herself to be the head woman of the company. At Clash in Italy, luck will be on Rhea’s side, but they will do the work and get her title back.
In the background, it looked like Kiana James and Giulia were talking, seemingly still committed to working together after weeks of tension. We’ll see if this is followed up on in the coming weeks.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Paige and Brie Bella, appeared in a vignette to discuss their title defense tomorrow night. Paige said that as soon as the bell rang and they were victorious at WrestleMania, they’ve spent their run as fighting champions, and Brie adds that they’ve come out ahead every single time, no tricks or cheat codes. They put everything they have into keeping those titles because they know exactly what happens when you start taking things for granted.
Nia Jax and Lash Legend, on the other hand, are used to walking all over people to get what they want. Paige feels they’re desperate to come up with excuses like saying they cheated, but Brie says what Nia and Lash call cheating, her and Paige call experience and a survival instinct; there’s more to being and staying champions than just brute strength. They are two of the most influential, history-making women on the roster, so The Irresistible Forces can underestimate them all day long, because at Saturday Night’s Main Event, when they step into the ring, Nia and Lash won’t know what hit them.
Lastly, we saw Chelsea Green once more, walking and in a cheerful mood. Quickly running into Blake Monroe, the blue brand’s newest Diva introduced herself and told Green, who had remarked that Monroe probably already knew her name, that she saw the Canadian’s involvement in Tiffany Stratton’s Women’s United States title defense earlier and wishes she didn’t. Green is left confused by the interaction with Nia and Lash attacking her shortly afterwards, mocking her for trying to make friends when all she’s doing is making enemies. A referee and WWE official Kenny Dykstra came to Green’s aid to get her a medic.
Emanating from inside the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Saturday Night’s Main Event airs tomorrow night at 8 p.m. Eastern Time / 5 p.m. Pacific on Peacock for viewers in the United States and streaming on YouTube for viewers in most other countries. Unlike previous editions which have typically featured one women’s match, this edition will feature three, which are as follows:
- Sol Ruca vs. Becky Lynch
- Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss vs. Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab
- Women’s Tag Team Championship: Brie Bella and Paige (c) vs. The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend)
Friday Night SmackDown will air next week from the Olimpic Arena in Barcelona, Spain.
As always, make sure to share your thoughts on this week’s episode of SmackDown in the comments below.