6/4 WWE Smackdown Report

*Welcome, tonight’s WWE Smackdown is in Houston, Texas. The only advertised match is a Kevin Owens NXT Championship open challenge.
*We open up with a recap video of the Ambrose and Rollins feud, including hype for the upcoming WWE Championship Ladder Match at Money in the Bank next weekend.
*Seth Rollins is out to cut a promo. Rollins grabs a chair from ringside as well. There’s a small “Where’s your title?” chant going on. Seth says nearly a year ago to the day he took a chair and single handily dismantled the Shield. Since that day, the question the fans have asked more than anything else is “why, why Seth, why did you use it to send a message to Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose?” He laughs and says from day one he said his goal was to be the very best in the history of this industry. Not one OF the best, THE best, and he was sick and tired of sharing the spotlight with two chumps obviously beneath him. He was the only one who had the guts to pull the trigger. He joined up with the Authority and he was anointed the undisputed future of the WWE and he validated that by winning Money in the Bank, all by himself. He says the best part is that he was only getting started. Soon after the Royal Rumble he had a vision. Big “You suck” chants. He says he had a vision to make history, to do the impossible, to beat Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar at the same time. He says it’s one thing to come up with that plan, but to execute it flawlessly took courage, guts and the heart of a champion. He screams that he ripped Roman’s dreams right through his hands and slayed the beast at the same time. Roman is living in his shadow while Lesnar is licking his wounds. He says Roman is trying to recreate what he did, but says “Remember, Brother, the sequel is never as good as the original.” He calls himself the greatest champion of all time, and he’s got no championship around his waist. He brings up Dean Ambrose. He says Ambrose thinks stealing a championship will make him a champion, but he knows that’s not true. Rollins says the fans know who the real champ really is. He says he doesn’t need anything or anyone to validate who he is and what he’s capable of. He says he appreciates the Authority for all they’ve given him, but he doesn’t need any of them to destroy Dean Ambrose. He says at Money in the Bank his title will be hanging overhead and he will retrieve it. Ambrose interrupts from the big screen, WWE Championship over his shoulder. Ambrose asks if Seth has a bad memory is just a liar. He says Rollins has always needed help and has more luggage than a rich girl with daddy issues. He always knew Seth was a liar and calls himself a scumbag. He says the only thing he can’t stand is Seth calling himself WWE Champion after the whole world saw him beat Seth for the championship. He says we all know the Authority will send monsters, demons and giants to protect what they own. Ambrose calls Rollins soft and weak. He says he has been surviving for the past year in the Authority’s world and is stronger because of it. He said he scratched and he clawed and finally he reached the top of the mountain and Elimination Chamber. He says you can’t be afraid to fall off the top, and he’s never been afraid of fall. Ambrose says he is the real and rightful WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He says he’s walking in and out of Money in the Bank with the belt, or he’ll die trying.
*Roman Reigns vs Sheamus is announced as our main event, plus we get some more hype for Kevin Owens’ open challenge later as well.
*Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders Match:
Prime Time Players vs The Ascension vs The Lucha Dragons
Prime Time Players make their way out as we go to commercial. Back from break as Ascension is entering the ring. Darren Young and Sin Cara start the match. They lock up and chain a bit into a stalemate before locking up again. Kalisto tags in and Lucha Dragons hit a double kick and then a wheelbarrow senton for a two count. Kalisto hits the ropes and Young takes him down with a clothesline. Butt drop by Young gets a two count. Viktor tags himself in and goes to work on Kalisto with an elbow drop before tagging in Konnor. We see New Day watching backstage as Kalisto sends Viktor and Konnor to the outside. Stereo suicide dives by Kalisto and Sin Cara as we go to commercial. Back from break, Kalisto is sitting on the top rope as he kicks Konnor away. Viktor tries to throw him off, but Kalisto knocks him off the apron. Konnor gets Kalisto on his shoulders however and hits an electric chair drop for two. Viktor tags in elbow drops Kalisto for a two count. Konnor tags back in and hits a leg drop to the back of Kalisto’s head for a two. New Day is laughing at a monitor backstage. Viktor tags back in and chops away at Kalisto. He throws him into the turnbuckle and charges at him, but Kalisto gets a boot up and hits a headscissors. He tries to tag Sin Cara, but Konnor knocks Sin Cara off the apron. Konnor tags in and Ascension hit the H Bomb for a two count. Konnor goes for a stalling suplex, but Kalisto knees him in mid air and flips over Konnor. Titus tags himself in and clears house before hitting a Viktor with a powerslam. The pin was broken up by a Sin Cara swanton, who was then hit by a Gutcheck by Darren Young, who was then knocked out of the ring by Konnor who was then kicked in the face by Titus. Sin Cara goes for a sprinboard crossbody, but Titus catches him and throws him into Konnor and that sends both men over the ropes. Viktor rolls up Titus for two. Titus hits a Pumphandle Slam for the win.
Winners: Prime Time Players in 5:53
*New Day cuts a promo about the Prime Time Players. Xavier says their future is as bright as a morning sun rising…on a new day. Ohhhh that’s punny. He says PTP is corrupt and all they want, as Big E chimes in, IS THE MONEY!!! Kofi says they will listen to the entire WWE Universe with glorious chanting and magnificent clapping while saying NEW…DAY ROCKS! Xavier says Kofi is going to win the Money in the Bank ladder match with the contract, because of positivity. Kane comes in and puts Kofi in a match against Neville tonight as we go to commercial.
*We get some more Sonic commercial auditions. Nothing interesting here. Big Show apparently drank 25 shakes though.
*Ryback vs Stardust
They lock up and Ryback pushes Stardust into the corner, but Stardust rolls out. They lock up again and do the same spot. Ryback ducks a clothesline and does an armdrag surprisingly. He throws Stardust into the corner who kicks him in the face and goes for a crossbody. Ryback caught him and tried to turn it into a powerslam, but Stardust hits a reverse DDT for two. Stardust stomps away and hits a rope assisted knee drop followed by a kick to the chest for two. Cravate now by Stardust, but Ryback shoves him into the corner. Ryback charges but eats an elbow and Stardust goes for the crossbody again but Ryback turns it into a spinebuster. Meathook clothesline and a Shellshocked finish it.
Winner: Ryback in 2:11
*Paige is backstage walking around as we go to commercial.
*Dwight Howard showed up for Smackdown, because he didn’t show up for the Conference Finals.
*We get a recap from Raw when the Bellas turned heel again and used Twin Magic despite them not looking alike anymore. Paige comes out to the stage to be interviewed by Renee Young. Renee asks how Paige is feeling after Monday. Paige says it feels like it is never gonna change. They’ve been pulling twin magic for years and she’s sick of it. They smile for the camera and act like they’re giving divas a chance, when in reality, they’re the ones holding back the division back. She says they’re holding back Paige, Summer, Naomi. They hog the spotlight and it holds everyone back. They’re consumed with walking red carpets and living the celebrity life style. Paige’s life is consumed by what happens in the ring and she prides herself on remaining different and herself. If you don’t like the world you live in, you have the power to change it. Paige says she’s gonna have to change hers.
*Harper and Rowan are backstage. They tried to fit into our world, but we rejected them. They don’t look like us, they don’t act like us, and they don’t think like us. Rowan says they’re family. At every turn, the door has been closed on them. The reapers are at our doorstep and it’s time to pay for our sins.
*We get Kevin Owens hype. His NXT Championship Open Challenge is next.
*Kevin Owens comes out to not much a reaction at first, but a louder chorus of boos as he started down the ramp. Or his music was too loud. Owens gets on the mic. He says he doesn’t need Michael Cole to introduce him this week, because after what he did last Sunday, everyone knows exactly who he is. He is the NXT Champion, Kevin Owens. He’s the guy who beat John Cena in his very first match in WWE. He’s also the guy who’s going to do the exact same thing at Money in the Bank. Everyone knows what he is about, except for John Cena. He says Cena thinks that Owens is some kid in John Cena merch who hangs on every word he says, much like Kevin’s seven year old son who doesn’t know any better. He stood in the ring Monday and listened to Cena ramble on and he realized something. John Cena is completely delusional. He thought it was an act for years, but Cena actually believes his nonsense. Cena said that Owens is not a real man, but Owens simply cannot let his son be influenced by someone so out of touch with reality. Owens mocks Hustle, Loyalty and Respect, as well as Never Give Up and says that’s now how it works in the real world. The “Happily Ever After” fairy tale fantasy he’s been force feeding kids for ten years is absolute garbage. Someone needs to put an end to the corruption of our children’s minds by John Cena. Owens is going to do just that at Money in the Bank. He’s going to show the world what a real champion, a real role model and a real man is. He issues the open challenge to the locker room, mocking John Cena’s “come get some” and we get our challenger…
*NXT Championship Open Challenge
Kevin Owens(c) vs Zack Ryder
Ryder gets his second title match in two weeks! Owens starts right away with a kick to the gut of Ryder. He hits a few strikes and whips Ryder into the ropes, but is hit with a facebuster. Ryder whips Owens into the ropes, but Owens hangs on and goes outside. Ryder follows him, but gets thrown into the barricade. Owens rolls him back into the ring and stomps away. He whips Ryder into the corner and charges, but Ryder gets his knees up and hits a missile dropkick on the NXT Champion. Ryder goes for a splash in the corner, but Owens hits a superkick and a Pop-Up Powerbomb for the win.
Winner and still NXT Champion: Kevin Owens in 1:10
*After the match, Kevin Owens hits Ryder with the cannonball in the corner and another Pop Up Powerbomb.
*Renee Young is backstage with Sheamus. She says Roman Reigns is the favorite going into Money in the Bank. Sheamus is confused by this. He asks if she saw him tear apart Randy Orton on Raw, or if she was not entertained. He’s going to do the same to Roman tonight and then he’s going to win Money in the Bank. He mocks Reigns and says “Believe That.” We go to commercial.
*Neville vs Kofi Kingston
They start with Kofi immediately going on the attack with a kick. He whips Neville to the corner, but Neville does a shit ton of flips to the opposite corner and hits a crossbody off the middle rope. Headscissors by Neville and then a headlock. Kofi whips him off the ropes and slides under the bottom rope to trip and pull Neville out of the ring. Kofi slides in and distracts the ref while Big E attacks Neville on the outside. He rolls Neville in for a two. Neville falls back outside as we go to commercial.Back from break, Neville is fighting out of a chin lock. Kofi fights back and hits a reverse suplex for a two count. Kofi picks Neville up and chops him in the face. What a dick. Neville hits a few spinning back kicks and dropkicks a kneeling Kofi in the face. Neville rams Kofi’s head into the turnbuckle and goes to the middle rope. Dropkick from Neville and a standing shooting star press for a two count. Neville goes towards a seated Kofi in the corner, but Kofi pulls him face first into the middle turnbuckle. Kofi goes for knees in the corner, but Neville catches him and hits a tornado DDT. He goes up for the Red Arrow, but Xavier distracts the ref while Big E pulls Kofi out of the ring. Neville hits a moonsault onto Big E and Kofi before rolling Kofi back into the ring. Kofi tries to roll up Neville after a distraction from Woods, but Neville reverses it into an O’Connor Roll for a two count. Neville knocks Woods off the apron, and Kofi tries to sunset flip him, but Neville hooks Kofi’s legs instead and gets the three count.
Winner: Neville in 4:21
*MizTV time and here comes Lana. Miz shows us a recap of the Lana and Rusev soap opera. Rusev is a broken man. Now get him off TV and bring him back when he’s healed. Miz says Rusev’s apology was sincere, and asks Lana how she can just abandon Rusev. Lana said Rusev didn’t respect her, so he didn’t deserve her. Miz claps mockingly and says Lana is real good and she can fool the WWE Universe because they’re blinded by her beauty. He’s seen it all before and she was just using Rusev. Once he lost to Cena and he broke his ankle, he served no purpose to Lana so she cut him loose. Miz commends her for a smart business decision. Lana says she cared for Rusev, but his behavior lead her to doing what she did. Lana says Miz’s questions give him two options: Either she leaves or she slaps Miz. Miz says he’s just trying to get her side of the story, but with every story there are two sides. Miz introduces Rusev. Rusev comes down with his crutches and track suit. Rusev says he’s not here to pick a fight or start trouble, he’s here as a broken man. He called her so many bad things and he doesn’t have an excuse except he was raised differently. He thought he didn’t need her, but it’s like her favorite American song. You don’t know what you got till it’s gone. America is all about giving second chances, and that’s all Rusev is asking for. Without the crutches, Rusev says he can’t walk or stand, he will always lean to Lana. He says please, be my crutch. She says she’ll show him where to put his crutch and shoves his crutches back to him. He flips out and calls her stupid and says “YOU…PATHETIC…STUPID LANA.” Ziggler comes out and takes Lana away from this segment.
*Our main event is up next as we go to commercial.
*We get a recap of Roman Reigns going through basically a three man gauntlet on Raw to stay in Money in the Bank.
*Roman Reigns vs Sheamus
They lock up and circle around the ring until they stop and lock up again. Roman applies a headlock and shoulder blocks Sheamus down. Roman sells his ribs and they exchange strikes. Sheamus hits a knee to the ribs and Roman rolls outside the ring. Sheamus follows and gets his head taken off with a clothesline. Sheamus revives himself and rams Roman into the ring apron and then slams him rib first onto the announce table, and then throws him over the announce table as we go to commercial. Back from break, Sheamus is beating up on Roman inside the ring. Sleeper by Sheamus doesn’t get the job done as Roman fights out. Sheamus throws him into the turnbuckle, but eats a big boot. Roman charges but Sheamus hits a rolling fireman’s carry for two. Sheamus hits another knee to the ribs before Sheamus tosses him onto the apron. Sheamus ties Reigns up in the ropes and hits a bunch of shots to the ribs. Reigns fights back and guillotines Sheamus. Sheamus hangs out on the bottom rope and Roman goes for his apron dropkick but misses and feels it in his ribs. Sheamus takes advantage and hits a shoulder in the corner to Roman. He tries another, but Roman moves and Sheamus hits the pole and falls outside the ring. Both guys are down and Sheamus drags Roman’s legs to try and crotch him on the ring post, but Roman pulls Sheamus face first into it. Sheamus charges at Roman, but Reigns hits a couple of clotheslines before hitting a big jumping one. Multiple clothesline by Reigns in the corner, but Sheamus fights back with a boot to the face. Roman goes for the Samoan Drop, but Sheamus tosses him outside. Sheamus goes onto the apron and Roman cuts him at the legs, forcing Sheamus to bump on the apron. Apron dropkick by Reigns followed by a Samoan Drop inside the ring. Reigns calls for the Superman Punch, but Kane’s music hits and out he comes with J&J. Sheamus rolls up Roman off the distraction for two. Irish Curse backbreaker gets another two for Sheamus. Brogue Kick is missed and Roman hits a Superman Punch. Roman calls for the spear, but hey, here’s Kane. Kane boots him in the face and causes the disqualification.
Winner: Roman Reigns via DQ in 6:54
*After the match, Kane grabs Roman by the throat and Sheamus Brogue Kicks him. Kane then chokeslams Sheamus and announces that Kane himself is the last participant in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Kane then chokeslams Roman Reigns, and stands tall as we go off the air.