– The standard intro video opens tonight’s WWE SmackDown.
– We’re live from Manchester, New Hampshire as the pyro goes off inside the SNHU Arena. Tom Phillips welcomes us. He’s joined by JBL and Byron Saxton. Tom hypes tonight’s show.
– WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens is in the ring for his own version of Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel, complete with the Jeri-Tron and all. Owens welcomes us and says he’s taking The Highlight Reel over because the original host will never, ever bee seen again. We see a replay of Jericho losing his rematch two weeks ago and the post-match attack from Owens. Fans boo Owens.
Owens says Jericho was obsessed with scarves, gifts and lists but the only list he is on now is the injured list, and that’s because of Owens. Owens says what he did to Jericho is just a sneak preview of what he’s going to do to AJ Styles at Backlash on Sunday. Fans boo. Now that that is out of the way, Owens wants to introduce his guest and he wants to do it French, because he can. AJ’s music interrupts instead and out he comes to a pop.
AJ watched Owens steal Jericho’s thunder and everything else for a year but didn’t think he would stoop this low. Owens disagrees and wonder what the hell AJ is doing here because he would never invite AJ on his show. Fans chant AJ’s name. AJ promises to beat Owens for the title on Sunday and bring it back to the good ‘ol US-of-A. Fans chant USA now. AJ wants to fight tonight and not wait until Sunday. The music interrupts and out comes Jinder Mahal with The Singh Brothers. Jinder says he was supposed to be the guest on The Highlight Reel. Owens calls AJ a rude American who put his nose where he doesn’t belong. Jinder says what will happen at Backlash is exactly what happened last week. He shows us video of himself getting the pin on Randy Orton during last week’s tag match. Jinder says he will become WWE Champion on Sunday. AJ tells him to focus on tonight or he might not make it to Backlash.
Jinder quotes Ghandi but gets the “what!?” treatment as he speaks from the ramp. Jinder says AJ will lose tonight just like Orton will lose at Backlash. Owens says AJ is in for a rough week with losses to Jinder and himself. AJ enters the ring now and Owens scrambles to the floor. AJ tells Owens to run while he can because he won’t be running anywhere on Sunday. AJ says tonight is about he and Jinder. He tells Jinder to come down to the ring so he can start The AJ Styles Highlight Reel. Jinder heads to the ring as we go to commercial.
Jinder Mahal vs. AJ Styles
Back from the break and the match starts. Owens is on commentary. Back and forth with some stalling to start. Jinder catches a kick and sends AJ into the corner. AJ fights in from the apron and they run the ropes. AJ connects with a dropkick. Jinder with a shot to the throat to turn it around. Jinder sends AJ down into the corner and puts a boot to his head.
Jinder drops knees on AJ in the corner. Jinder stomps and talks some trash. Jinder keeps control as fans rally for AJ. The Singh Brothers look on and talk some trash to AJ. Jinder with more knee drops as the referee warns him. Jinder tries to suplex AJ in from the apron but it’s blocked. AJ with a thrust to the gut. AJ brings himself in with a forearm and drops Jinder. AJ with kicks to Jinder on his knees now. Jinder blocks a Styles Clash but AJ unloads with strikes. The Singh Brothers distract AJ, allowing Jinder to drop AJ over the top rope. Jinder with a knee to the jaw for a 2 count. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Jinder continues to work AJ over. Jinder with a low dropkick for a 2 count. Jinder with a headlock as fans chant for AJ again. The Singh Brothers cheer Jinder on. AJ fights up and out but Jinder drops him to boos. Jinder whips AJ hard into the turnbuckle for another pin attempt.
Jinder takes AJ to the top and works him over. Jinder climbs up for a superplex but AJ counters and slides to the mat, dropping Jinder into the turnbuckle. AJ runs into a kick. Jinder goes to the second rope but AJ dropkicks him in mid-air. Both are down in the middle of the ring now. They get up and trade shots. AJ unloads and takes Jinder’s knee out. AJ with a forearm for another 2 count. Jinder counters a move and sends AJ to the corner for thrusts. AJ catches him but Jinder blocks and nails another big kick for a close 2 count.
More back and forth now. AJ hits a pele kick and a big shot in the corner. AJ drops Jinder over his knee for another close pin attempt. They go to the floor and come back in. AJ charges in the corner but gets sent to the apron. AJ nails a forearm. AJ readies for the Phenomenal Forearm but The Singh Brothers distract the referee, allowing Owens to nail AJ with the title from behind. Jinder takes advantage and hits his finisher The Coloss for the win.
Winner: Jinder Mahal
– After the match, Jinder leaves with The Singh Brothers as his music hits. AJ clutches his knee and we get replays.
– Still to come, Orton vs. Corbin and more. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a new vignette for Lana’s debut, coming soon.
– Tom leads to another edition of “The Fashion Files” with Tyler Breeze and Fandango. They knock some of the bad fashion on SmackDown, including SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos. Fandango says Breezango will be wearing the tag team titles on Sunday at Backlash. They go to give each other a high-five but Breeze calls for a freeze frame and that’s how the segment ends. They will face The Colons later tonight.
– WWE Champion Randy Orton is backstage walking. Renee Young asks him about the WWE Universe reaction to Jinder. Orton says Jinder believes the people don’t like him because of how he looks or talks. Orton says the truth is people don’t like Jinder because he’s an ass. Orton walks off.
Breezango vs. The Colons
We go to the ring and out comes the #1 contenders Breezango. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and the match is underway. Breeze causes Primo and Epico to collide but The Colons get the upperhand. Epico works Breeze over and goes for a pin attempt. Primo tags in for a bit of double teaming and a knee for a 2 count. Primo keeps control and drops another knee before putting Breeze in a submission. Breeze tries to fight out but Primo keeps him in their corner. Primo takes it to another corner and hits a big clothesline.
Primo whips Breeze into another corner and charges but misses. Breeze drops Primo. Fandango tags in with Epico. Fandango unloads but gets kicked. Fandango catches Epico with a spin kick for a 2 count as Primo breaks it. Primo dumps Breeze to the floor. Fandango sends Primo to the floor. Epico with a 2 count on Fandango. Fandango comes back and hits a Falcon Arrow on Epico for the win.
Winners: Breezango
– After the match, the #1 contenders celebrate until the music interrupts and out come SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos. They say Breezango does this for the likes and the re-tweets but The Usos do this for the titles and the day one-ish. They go on and welcome Breezango to the Uso Penitentiary, where they make all the rules. They promise to take Breezango to trial at Backlash. They read Breezango their rights and issue a warning before their music hits and the segment ends.
– We see Becky Lynch and Naomi walking backstage. Charlotte Flair joins them and they head to the ring. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and out comes SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon for a contract signing.
Shane talks about how the women’s division is part of why SmackDown is the top brand. He talks about the six-woman match at WWE Backlash this Sunday. He introduces Carmella, Tamina Snuka and Natalya first. They come out and James Ellsworth is with them. Shane introduces their opponents next and out comes Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi.
Shane says Natalya had a few words before we get the contract signed. Natalya runs them down and calls them pathetic. She says we will see who’s the best at Backlash on Sunday. Natalya signs. Tamina and Carmella also sign. Becky takes the mic and says there was no chance in hell she would join Natalya. She can’t wait to slap their faces on Sunday. Becky signs. Naomi says her opponents should be focusing on their next hair appointment instead of the past three weeks because they’re all getting snatched bald on Sunday, including Ellsworth. Naomi signs next. Charlotte says they’ve all had an issue with her since she came to SmackDown. They whined and complained, the formed their little babysitter’s club. Charlotte tells them to bring it all to the table on Sunday because they will solve their problems and then, The Queen is coming for her crown. She points at Naomi’s title and does a “wooo!” at her. Charlotte signs.
Shane makes the match official but Ellsworth picks up the mic. He appreciates Shane trying to help a brother but The Kid can take care of himself. Shane has no idea what he’s talking about. Ellsworth says it’s obvious that Becky gazes at him. Ellsworth quotes Vince McMahon and says Becky has no chance in hell with him. Ellsworth says Charlotte is a Queen that sees him as a probable King but he’s the Prince to the Princess of Staten Island and she also has no chance with him. Ellsworth says Naomi is out here flapping her gums but eventually Carmella is going to steal her title and her glow. Naomi grabs Ellsworth. A brawl almost breaks out but Shane stops it. He makes Carmella vs. Naomi and calls for a referee. Shane’s music hits as we go to commercial.
Carmella vs. Naomi
Back from the break and this non-title match is about to kick off. Naomi tries to get her hands on Carmella but she keeps going to the ropes. The other Backlash match participants are at ringside. Naomi beats on Carmella but the referee warns her. Naomi tackles Carmella and unloads on her. Naomi throws Carmella into the corner and runs in with a right hand. Naomi bulldogs Carmella into the turnbuckle.
Naomi keeps control and covers for a 2 count. Naomi keeps Carmella grounded now. Carmella turns it around and sends Naomi face first into the mat. Ellsworth ends up getting ejected from ringside after trying to interfere. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Naomi dances a bit as she’s still in control. Carmella avoids some kicks and goes to the floor for a breather. She suckers Naomi in and nails a superkick. The two teams face off at ringside. Carmella goes back into the ring with Naomi down on the floor. Naomi comes back in and Carmella works her over for a 2 count.
Carmella goes for the Bronco Buster for another 2 count. Carmella with a headlock now. Naomi fights up and out but Carmella sends her into the corner. Naomi ends up sending Carmella to the mat hard. Naomi makes a comeback and unloads. Naomi with the jawbreaker. Carmella sends Naomi to the apron but Naomi drops her with a kick. Naomi goes to the top but Natalya and Tamina distract her. The referee sends them to the back. Charlotte and Becky taunt them as they head to the back.
Natalya and Tamina run back to brawl with Charlotte and Becky. Naomi kicks Tamina through the ropes. This leads to Carmella rolling Naomi up from behind for the win.
Winners: Carmella, Tamina and Natalya
– After the break, the heels celebrate as we go to replays.
– The announcers plug the WWE Network. Still to come, Orton vs. Corbin. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a new vignette for The New Day’s blue brand debut, coming soon.
– Dolph Ziggler is backstage. He never understood the hype around Shinsuke Nakamura. Ziggler goes on and says he’s about to show us all of the remarkable things Nakamura has done on SmackDown. A video starts but a “footage not found” message comes up. Ziggler says that’s right, Nakamura has done nothing in WWE. He shows us what he’s done in WWE and leads to a video package on his 8 year career.
Ziggler says he and everyone else is looking forward to Nakamura’s debut at Backlash as he looks forward to ending Nakamura’s run before it begins.
– We go backstage to Sami Zayn and Dasha Fuentes. Sami reveals that he has been granted a match against Baron Corbin at Backlash. Sami believes Corbin is afraid of him. Sami goes on about Corbin until Corbin attacks him and lays him out. Corbin says Sami needs to learn how to stay down or Corbin will put him down for good on Sunday if Sami shows up.
Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin
We go to the ring for tonight’s non-title main event and out comes WWE Champion Randy Orton.
Back from the break and the announcers hype Talking Smack and 205 Live. We go backstage to TJ Perkins for a promo on his 205 Live main event against Austin Aries tonight. Back to the ring and out comes Baron Corbin.
The bell rings and they lock up. They break and Orton applies a headlock. They trade holds and Orton takes Corbin right back down into headlocks twice. They trade shoves. Corbin blocks the RKO. Orton laughs at Corbin. They go to the corner and Corbin nails Orton in the throat. Corbin shuts Orton down and knees him in the gut. Orton counters and slams Corbin by his head. Orton stomps now. Orton with more offense until Corbin runs out and back into the ring for a clothesline. Corbin covers Orton for a 2 count and stands tall with some trash talking as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Corbin is still in control. Orton tries to fight back. Corbin whips him hard into the corner. Corbin talks some trash and continues to beat on Orton in the corner. Corbin with another pin attempt. Corbin keeps Orton grounded now.
Orton looks to make a comeback but Corbin floors him with a big boot for a close pin attempt. Corbin talks some trash, runs and nails Orton with a right hand. Corbin poses as fans boo him. Corbin wastes more time and talks trash but still manages to drop Orton when he tries to make a comeback. Corbin charges in the corner but hits the ring post when Orton moves out of the way.
Orton with clotheslines and the powerslam now. Corbin rolls to the apron for a breather. Orton grabs him for the second-rope draping DDT and nails it. Orton poses and gets a pop from the crowd. Orton readies for the RKO but Corin blocks it. Corbin runs into an elbow but catches Orton with a Deep Six for a close 2 count. Corbin runs out of the ring and back in but Orton catches him in a RKO. Orton covers for the win.
Winner: Randy Orton
– After the match, Orton stands tall as Greg Hamilton announces him the winner. Jinder Mahal’s music hits and out he comes with a mic. Jinder tells Orton to savor his victory and time with the WWE Title because Jinder will destroy his pride, his body and his future on Sunday. The Singh Brothers attack Orton from behind and beat him down. Jinder hits the ring but Orton fights him off and sends him to the floor. Orton goes for a double draping DDT on The Singh Brothers but Jinder makes the save. They triple team Orton now. Jinder drops Orton with The Coloss and poses over Orton with the title. SmackDown goes off the air.
