SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER
JUNE 4, 2021
TAMPA, FL. IN THE THUNDERDOME AT THE YUENGLING CENTER
AIRS ON FOX NETWORK, 8:00 p.m. EDT
BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Michael Cole and Pat McAfee
Podcast Alerts
The latest edition of WWE Then and Now is available for PWTorch VIP members. I was joined by PWTorch Contributor Nate Lindberg where we looked back on WrestleMania 18 (X8 as they labeled it) from 2002. We kicked off talking about the recent WWE releases and out thoughts on Mark Henry joining AEW. We then talked about the entire card of ‘Mania with heavy focus on heel Undertaker vs. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan vs. the Rock in an Icon vs. Icon match, our feelings on the NWO, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s placement on the card, and Triple H vs. Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship. It was a joy to work with Nate and I hope all you listen to and enjoy the show. If you’re not VIP, now is a great time to get in on that membership.
I will be joining Wade Keller tonight on the post show to discuss all things Smackdown. Look for the link to the show in Wade Keller’s Smackdown report. Give a call, send an email, or listen to the show after it’s posted. I love our callers and e-mailers and look forward to interacting with you!
Match Results and Key Segments from Last Week
- The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) defeated the Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins). Before the match, Jey assured Roman Reigns that he was “with him,” but Roman suggested he tell Jimmy.
- Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya & Tamina defeated the Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) in a non-title match. Ruby has since been released from WWE.
- Smackdown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defeated Carmella in a non-title match with Bayley on guest commentary.
- Seth Rollins came out and told everyone it was his birthday and played a heart monitor sound and a fart noise to suggest where Cesaro is after Seth attacked him a week prior.
- Kevin Owens defeated Apollo Crews via DQ when Commander Azeez hit Owens with a Nigerian Nail. Crews retained the Intercontinental Championship.
- Paul Heyman questioned Jey Uso, who was “main event” Jey but now relegated to the opening match since his brother Jimmy came back.
- Shinsuke Nakamura (w/Rick Boogs) defeated Chad Gable (w/Otis). King Corbin took his crown back but Boogs helped Nakamura get it back.
- Rey & Dominik Mysterio defeated Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. Rey was attacked before the match, so Dominik went it alone. Rey came out towards the end and his theme music distracted Roode, which enable Dominik to roll him up for the win.
This Week
We continue towards the 2021 edition of Hell in a Cell, which will be the final PPV held in the award-winning and critically acclaimed Thunderdome. We’re still only at two matches from the Raw side. We’ll find out tonight if anything gets announced from Smackdown. The potential for another Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns match for the Universal Champion exits although Seth Rollins is still involved with Cesaro, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens on that front. Bayley could get another title match against Bianca Belair for the Smackdown championship. That being said tonight, WWE will follow up on who attacked Rey Mysterio last week. There are also two championship matches announced.
Who Attacked Rey Mysterio?
Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Rey & Dominik Mysterio (champs) vs. the Usos (Jimmy & Jey)
There could be a correlation with these items, so let’s talk about them together.
Rey Mysterio was attacked backstage prior to he and his son Dominik defending the Smackdown Tag Team Championship against Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler. As I mentioned earlier, Dominik had to go it alone and successfully defended the titles. They won the championships from Roode & Ziggler at WrestleMania Backlash, but Dominik was attacked by them prior to the match. It was not known who did the attacking last week.
The Usos earned the right to face the Mysterios tonight because they beat the Street Profits in the opening match. After the Mysterios retained, the Usos came out to confront the champs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns was seen on the monitor, just starting at what was taking place in the ring. Was he taking issue with what he saw? Is he happy for his cousins? We’ll find out tonight.
Frank’s Analysis: One crazy theory I had was Dominik was behind it. He didn’t do the attacking, but he got somebody or a few people to do it. Perhaps he will eventually join Roman and wanted to prove his worth by going it alone against Roode & Ziggler. Outside of that I have no idea. As far as the title match, I could see the Usos winning the titles. It will be interesting to see them with gold under the guise, so to speak, of Roman.
Intercontinental Championship: Apollo Crews (champ) vs. Kevin Owens (Commander Azeez banned from ringside)
After being attacked by Commander Azeez during the Intercontinental Championship match with Apollo Crews, Kevin Owens told WWE official Adam Pearce he wanted a rematch. Pearce agreed, and said Azeez will be banned from ringside.
Owens was involved in the fatal four-way two week ago when he, Big E, and Sami Zayn challenged Crews for the title. The match ended when Aleister Black got involved and attacked Big E, allowing Crews to score the pin. Black has since been released from WWE. Owens last held the title in late 2015 when he defeated Dean Ambrose (now AEW’s Jon Moxley) until WrestleMania 32 when he lost it in a multi-man ladder match to Zack Ryder. Here’s Apollo in a WWE exclusive:
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Frank’s Analysis: It’s always hard to say what will happen with the mid-card titles. The problem here is Kevin has lost so many title matches recently that at some point, he’s got to win something right? My issue isn’t necessarily that he has to win a championship, but if he’s going to be involved in so many matches, we’re eventually not going to care if he keeps losing.
Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankPeteani. Thank you for reading!