– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown opens with footage from earlier today of Jinder Mahal doing a photoshoot with Randy Orton’s WWE Title belt. SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon walks up and says titles are earned around here. Jinder talks about how he will beat Orton at Backlash. Shane tells him to worry about what’s happening tonight – a match against Sami Zayn. Shane takes the title to give back to Orton. We cut to the SmackDown opening video.
– We’re live from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California with Tom Phillips, JBL and Byron Saxton. Shane McMahon makes his way to the ring as fans cheer.
Shane thanks fans for the love and asks them to join him in welcoming the newest member of SmackDown. The music hits and out comes new WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho to a pop. Jericho welcomes us to the new Show of Jericho. Shane says there’s an entire locker room of guys who want to have a dream match with Jericho. Shane confirms that Jericho will defend his title against Kevin Owens tonight. The music interrupts and out comes AJ Styles to a pop.
Styles says a lot has changed since he and Jericho were on the same show. Fans do dueling chants. He informs Jericho that he is standing in the house that AJ Styles built. AJ reminds Jericho of their former tag team. Styles says he would love to take the title from Jericho at Backlash, if Jericho is still the champion at the end of the night. Jericho brags about making Owens tap at Payback. Jericho says he’s the new Face of America. Jericho goes to add Styles to The List but the music interrupts and out comes Owens.
Owens says this is the most pathetic thing he’s seen – Jericho, Styles and Shane arguing about things that don’t matter. Fans chant “you tapped out” but Owens says that doesn’t matter either, all that matters is him getting the title back tonight. Owens says The Festival of Friendship and WrestleMania 33 were nothing compared to what he’s going to do to Jericho tonight. Owens wonders why AJ is even out here. He tells AJ to get the hell out of his ring. AJ leaves the ring and meets Owens on the ramp. They start brawling. Officials come out to break it up. Jericho yells to let them fight. Shane leaves the ring and tries to help break the fight up.
– Still to come, Naomi and Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella and Natalya. We see Jinder Mahal walking backstage with The Singh Brothers. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and the announcers reveal that AJ Styles has been banned from ringside for the main event.
Sami Zayn vs. Jinder Mahal
We go to the ring and out comes Sami Zayn. We see footage of Baron Corbin attacking him on Talking Smack, which led to Corbin getting suspended after pushing an official. Jinder Mahal is out next with The Singh Brothers.
Back and forth to start the match. Jinder turns it around and taunts Sami with shots. Sami ends up sending Jinder out of the ring by The Singh Brothers. Sami stands tall and looks on as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Jinder is in control in the ring. We see how The Singh Brothers provided a distraction to allow Jinder to send Sami into the barrier during the break. Sami fights back but Jinder catches him in a tilt-a-whirl slam for a 2 count. Jinder with more offense and another pin attempt. Jinder with big elbows to the head.
Jinder ends up taking Sami to the top for a superplex but Sami fights him off. Sami headbutts Jinder to the mat. Sami jumps but rolls through. Jinder follows up with a big knee for a 2 count. Sami looks to make another comeback. Sami nails a crossbody for a 2 count. More back and forth and close 2 counts. Jinder blocks the Blue Thunderbomb. Sami counters and goes for the tornado DDT out of the corner but it’s botched. Sami waits for a Helluva Kick but Jinder is pulled to safety by Sunil Singh. Fans boo. Sami runs the ropes for a dive but Samir Singh grabs his ankle. Sami turns around to face him but Jinder catches him from behind with the Cobra Clutch slam for the win.
Winner: Jinder Mahal
– After the match, Jinder stands tall with The Singh Brothers as we get replays.
– Natalya, Carmella, James Ellsworth and Tamina Snuka approach Becky Lynch backstage. They try to talk her onto their side against Charlotte Flair and say they have her back. Becky tells them to let her think about it. They walk off.
– Tye Dillinger is backstage walking. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and they air the Shinsuke Nakamura Backlash promo. Dolph Ziggler is backstage watching with some extras. He can’t believe Nakamura is getting the push he’s getting, and he isn’t even here tonight. He keeps referring to Nakamura as “this guy” when Shane McMahon comes up and reminds Ziggler his name and their meeting last week. We hear fans chanting for Nakamura in the arena. Ziggler remembers being impressed by Nakamura’s entrance but that’s about it. He goes on and says he’s going to hurt Sin Cara tonight.
Aiden English vs. Tye Dillinger
Aiden English is in the ring with a mic. He calls for a spotlight and sings about being The Drama King. He’s interrupted by Tye Dillinger to a pop.
The bell rings and Aiden attacks from behind with a running knee in the corner. English beats Tye down and talks trash about Tye interrupting him. They run the ropes and Dillinger nails a big forearm. Dillinger keeps on and hits a clothesline. Tye stomps away in the corner as fans count along. Tye keeps control and drops English over his knee for the easy win.
Winner: Tye Dillinger
– After the match, Dillinger makes his exit as we get replays. English throws a fit in the ring.
– Still to come, the United States Title is on the line. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Chris Jericho is approached by Renee Young backstage. Aiden English walks up and apparently he’s crying. Jericho says there’s no crying in wrestling. He tries to cheer English up but just adds him to The List. English cries some more. Jericho also adds Renee to The List and walks off. English is left in tears.
– We get a look at how last week’s show ended with Carmella, Natalya and Tamina taking out Naomi and Charlotte Flair. Dasha Fuentes is backstage with Charlotte now. Charlotte says the so-called “Welcoming Committee” just delayed the inevitable last week. She goes on and says the SmackDown Women’s Title is her destiny, even if she and Naomi are tagging tonight. Carmella approaches. Natalya and Tamina come from behind. Charlotte sees what’s about to happen and strikes first. They beat her down and throw her into production cases. Carmella taunts Charlotte as they get in her face now. Tamina welcomes her to SmackDown. Natalya says they will see her out there later tonight. They walk
Naomi and Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella and Natalya
We go right to the ring and out comes SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi as Greg Hamilton does the introduction. Naomi dances as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and it looks like we have a handicap match. Natalya and Carmella are out with Tamina Snuka and James Ellsworth. Naomi talks with the referee and agrees to go. Carmella starts off and talks some trash. They trade some shots and Naomi catches a kick before unloading. Natalya tags in and stares Naomi down. Natalya takes her down and they trade holds before breaking and facing off. They go at it and Naomi gets the upperhand, sending Natalya to the floor. Naomi goes for a baseball slide but Natalya catches her and sends her face first into the steps.
Natalya comes back in and slams Naomi’s face into the mat, then stands on her and shows off. Carmella comes back in for a bit of double teaming for a pin attempt. Carmella keeps Naomi grounded now. Naomi cuts h er off but Carmella counters and drops her on her head. Carmella mounts Naomi with strikes now. Carmella with more offense and a 2 count. Natalya comes back in and beats Naomi down in the corner. They keep control until the music hits and out comes Charlotte Flair selling the beatdown from earlier.
Charlotte stands on the apron and waits for a tag. She gets it and comes in to unload on Natalya. Charlotte with a neckbreaker and a big boot. She stands tall for a pop. Charlotte goes for the Figure Four but Carmella runs in. Charlotte drops her. Natalya and Charlotte tangle on the apron. Charlotte slams her face into the corner. Carmella gets involved again, allowing Natalya to drop her on the apron. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Charlotte gets brought down by Carmella for a 2 count. Carmella misses a Bronco Buster and Naomi gets the tag. She comes in off a crossbody. Natalya gets knocked off the apron. Naomi keeps on and hits the jawbreaker on Carmella. Naomi hits a Rear View on Carmella but Natalya has the referee distracted. Naomi takes her out with a kick. Ellsworth gets on the apron and provides a distraction, allowing Carmella to roll Naomi up with a handful of tights for the win.
Winners: Carmella and Natalya
– After the match, Naomi starts brawling with Carmella until Natalya and Tamina rush the ring. Tamina and Natalya double team Charlotte while Carmella takes Naomi to the corner. The music hits and out comes Becky Lynch. The “welcoming committee” waits for her to enter the ring. Becky looks to stand with them as she looks down at Charlotte. Becky faces them and goes to shake Tamina’s hand. Fans boo as they shake. She also shakes Carmella and Natalya’s hands, hugging Natalya. Ellsworth puts his hand out next but Becky proposes a hug. She shoves Ellsworth into Tamina and starts brawling with the group. Becky stomps on Carmella but turns around to a superkick from Tamina. Carmella tosses Naomi to the floor. Natalya holds Becky while Tamina hits her. Charlotte is also tossed to the floor. Natalya holds Becky while Carmella decks her next. The group stands tall in the middle of the ring as Carmella’s music hits and fans boo.
– Still to come, Owens vs. Jericho. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get another promo for The New Day. They’re coming to SmackDown soon.
Sin Cara vs. Dolph Ziggler
We go to the ring and Sin Cara waits in the ring with his new glow gear. Dolph Ziggler is out next.
Ziggler takes control early on but Cara makes a comeback as Ziggler tried to make an example out of Cara. Cara hits a moonsault and works Ziggler over. Ziggler charges but Cara sends him to the apron. Cara blasts Ziggler to the floor. Cara runs the ropes and nails a dive for a pop. Cara rolls Ziggler back into the ring but Ziggler catches him in a neckbreaker off the middle rope. Ziggler with a 2 count.
More back and forth now. Ziggler goes for a Fame-asser but Cara counters and plants Ziggler with a big one-arm slam. Cara with a 2 count. Cara gets a “lucha!” chant going. He goes for another moonsault but Ziggler gets his knees up. Ziggler ends up connecting with a superkick for the win.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
– After the match, Ziggler has his arm raised as we go to replays. Ziggler hits the corner to talk trash and pose.
– Still to come, Owens vs. Jericho. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a new debut teaser for Lana.
– We go backstage to Noam Dar for a promo to hype tonight’s WWE 205 Live episode. He will be facing Rich Swann.
– We cut to a “Law and Order” spoof titled “The Fashion Files” that shows #1 contenders Tyler Breeze and Fandango backstage with more “fashion police” shenanigans. They hype their Backlash match against SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos.
WWE United States Title Match: Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho
We go to the ring and out comes WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho for tonight’s main event. Kevin Owens is out next for his rematch from Payback. AJ Styles has been banned from ringside. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and we get formal introductions from Hamilton. The bell rings and they go at it. Owens unloads but Jericho dropkicks him. Owens goes tot he floor for a breather. Jericho focuses on the injured hand from Payback. They bring it back in the ring and Owens turns things around. Owens works Jericho over and puts a boot to his neck as the referee counts. Fans chant “stupid idiot” at Owens now. He hits a senton for a 2 count. Owens with a chop in the corner now, and another.
Owens turns it around with a dropkick and talks some trash. Jericho takes it to the corner but misses when Owens moves. Jericho tumbles over the top rope and lands on the floor. Owens goes to the floor and nails a cannonball into the barrier. Owens brings it back into the ring for a 2 count. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Owens sends Jericho to the apron. Jericho goes to the top but Owens catches him on the way down with a shot to the gut. Jericho blocks a pop-up powerbomb and drops Owens. Owens blocks a Lionsault with knees.
Owens misses a corner cannonball. Jericho hits a Lionsault for a 2 count. Owens blocks the Walls of Jericho. Jericho goes for the Walls again and gets it locked in. Owens breaks it and ends up hitting a superkick for a close 2 count. Fans chant “this is awesome” now. Jericho blocks a pop-up powerbomb and goes for the Walls again. Jericho gets it locked in, this time in the middle of the ring. It takes him a minute but Owens finally makes it to the bottom rope. They end up on the floor and Owens goes for another superkick. Jericho ends up hitting the concrete off a DDT. Jericho sells an injury now. Owens brings him back into the ring but is slow to make it back in himself. Owens nails a superkick for a close 2 count.
Owens talks some trash as he picks Jericho back up. Jericho takes advantage and rolls Owens up for a 2 count. Owens hits him, then nails a pop-up powerbomb for the win and the title.
Winner and New WWE United States Champion: Kevin Owens
– After the bell, Owens takes his title and rolls to the floor as we go to replays. Owens starts heading to the back as officials and paramedics come out to tend to Jericho. Owens comes back and hits another pop-up powerbomb. Owens picks Jericho up, yells that he was never his best friend, then pushes him back to the mat. Fans boo as Owens raises his title in the middle of the ring. Referees back Owens out of the ring as Jericho is being checked on. Owens leaves and stops to raise his title on the stage. Jericho is helped out of the ring and to the ramp. The new United States Champion comes back and knocks Jericho down. Owens wraps a steel chair around Jericho’s head and rams him into the ring post. Owens makes his exit with the title and SmackDown goes off the air with Jericho yelling in pain.
