WWE SmackDown Live Results (May 24, 2024): Former world champion returns, who runs The Bloodline?

Check out the results for WWE SmackDown right here.

41-year-old WWE star starts crawling during entrance; fans unsure what's happening

Two WWE Superstars mock Bianca Belair after heartbreaking loss; Jade Cargill scares them away

WWE facing backstage issues during SmackDown before King and Queen of the Ring 2024

Former WWE champion's 204-day streak ends on SmackDown

Kevin Owens stands tall beside Orton, though The Viper is in great pain. The Bloodline leaves as the show comes to an end.

That'll do it for Sportskeeda's coverage of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX. Be sure to join us for our live coverage of the 2024 King and Queen of the Ring!

Solo Sikoa jumps Orton post-match, and KEVIN OWENS IS HERE! The crowd explodes for The Prizefighter, who saves his friend. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga flee the ring as the crowd loudly chants KO.

It is excellent to see Owens back.

Gunther seemingly smiled at Randy winning. Is it because he knows it'll be a special match, or because Orton is hurt?

Gunther is watching on intently. In the ring, Tama tries to push Randy to the ropes. Orton throws him off, but Tama charges again. Randy brings him to the apron this time and hits the rope-draped DDT! The crowd loves Orton!

Orton goes for the RKO, but Solo Sikoa gets on the apron. Orton knocks Solo down and then hits the TKO on Tama Tonga, and this one is over!

Randy Orton defeats Tama Tonga by pinfall.

Orton tries to follow up, but Tama shuts him down. Tonga then puts on a sleeper to try to put Randy out. However, Orton finally manages to fight back, hitting a big back suplex. He then tries to hit a draping DDT on Tama, but Tonga sends Orton to the floor. Randy is struggling with his bad knee.

Tama follows Orton to the floor, where Orton hits an eye poke. Randy then does the big back drop on the announce desk! The crowd chants again, and he drops Tama on the other announcement desk.

Following the final break of the night, Tama Tonga is working over Randy Orton's knee. He repeatedly stomps and drops his knees on it. Tonga goes to the ropes and then jumps off to splash the leg, but Orton moves!

Out on the floor, Orton slams Tama against the ringside table. Tonga flips out of a backdrop and clips Orton's knee. He then pushes Orton into the steel steps! Randy might be hurt, as he'd tending his knee.

From there, we go to the final break of the show.

The bell rings and Tama goes right at Orton with big lefts and rights, blindsiding The Viper. He hits repeated headbutts and causes Orton to sink in the ropes. Randy fires back, though, with a kick and a huge fallaway slam. Loud "Randy" chants as he throws Tama into the ring posts twice. He then does it again to a third post.

Orton then hits Europea Uppercuts in the corner, followed by the standard 10 punches, stopping at nine and throwing Tama to the floor.

A fun fan sign:

Randy
King
Of the ring

Tama Tonga comes out with Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. The Wiseman looks terrified, especially of Tama.

Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga

The winner of this match faces Gunther at the finals of King of the Ring.

As we get back from the break, Orton is in the ring. Gunther is shown in the crowd. He's watching this one closely. The crowd is singing Orton's theme, too, which is always great. We will get a quick rundown of what to expect tomorrow.

It is revealed Ibrahim Al Hajjaj will be back at the show, too. He is a big name in the region. Plus, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill will defend their titles against Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae on the Countdown show tomorrow. Very cool!

Next, Randy Orton's music hits, and he slowly makes his way to the ring. The fans adore him. He stops and looks at the crown. This big match is next.

From there, we head to break.

Next, we get a video highlighting the King of the Ring Tournament ahead of tonight's semifinals. From there, we get a Bloodline segment. Paul says Tonga Loa isn't there tonight. Solo Sikoa knows. Paul says it's because they couldn't get him across the border, and customs won't let them through when there's a background check. Paul says Solo is recruiting very dangerous people into The Bloodline. Solo says he knows.

Heyman says there's a reason these people weren't recruited sooner. Heyman brings up Roman, and Solo says that until Roman comes back, he's in charge, and if there's a problem, it is up to Paul to fix it. Paul tries to talk about the situation with Tama, but Tonga interrupts. Paul is terrified. Tama says tomorrow, he will become King by the orders of the Tribal Chief.

After the break, we get a vignette from Andrade. He talks about being a third-generation Luchador, but he says he's more than that. Excellent footage of lucha masks and grappling is shown during his promo. Andrade claims to control his destiny. He says he knows who he is and what he wants, and on SmackDown, he'll show everyone who Andrade El Idolo is. He's coming soon.

We then see Legado Del Fantasma backstage. Berto says he can't stand Andrade, but Angel says he could be good for the group. Santos and Elektra say to let bygones be bygones and think about business.

Could Legado recruit Andrade?

Piper vs. Bayley may be getting set up for Clash at the Castle Scotland. It makes sense since Piper is Scottish.

Next, we go to AJ Styles, who sees Nick Aldis backstage. He mentions how close he was to beating Orton in King of the Ring and how close he was to beating Cody Rhodes at Backlash France. AJ asks for one more chance to fight the winner of Cody vs. Logan and pleads that he needs this. Nick says he knows AJ wants to be champion and respects him. Aldis says if he was being asked personally, 100% yes. But professionally, Nick can't give him what he wants.

Nick says AJ has to earn that chance, and it takes time. AJ heartbreakingly says he doesn't have time. Nick says that's not something he can help AJ with. Is Styles nearing retirement? That's heavy.

Before Bayley can even get to her feet, Piper hits a running splash! She goes after Bayley, but The Role Model fights back with several big punches and kicks. She tries to whip Piper but eats a Bossman Slam/Black Hole Slam from the Scottish star. Piper then hits a running senton. If that wasn't enough, she hits another! Wow!

She goes to leave but sees Bayley stirring and hits one more. It looks like Piper and Bayley may be clashing soon.

Back from the break, Bayley is regaining control. She hits multiple big strikes and a belly-to-back suplex. Chelsea goes to the apron to escape, but Bayley attempts a Twist of Fate. Chelsea fights her off and hits a running takedown, followed by the Rough Ryder! Bayley still kicks out at two, however.

Chelsea goes for another one, but Bayley catches her and hits a powerbomb! Bayley then hits the Rose plant, and this one is over.

Bayley defeats Chelsea Green via pinfall

Bayley countered a move with a jawbreaker, but Chelsea does a baseball slide and a kick, sending Bayley down to the floor. Chelsea is in complete control.

Surprisingly, we went right to break after that.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven are out next! Green will challenge Bayley in a non-title match.

Bayley vs. Chelsea Green

It is good to see Green and Niven used higher on the card lately. The bell sounds, and Chelsea hits a quick right to knock Bayley down. She brags, but Bayley tosses her to the apron.

Chelsea smacks the champion and hits a missile dropkick! Wow, Chelsea is dominating the opening seconds.

After the commercial, we get an advertisement for WWE Speed. We then see Kayla Braxton backstage with The Pride's Street Profits and B-Fab. They celebrate, but DIY interrupts.

The duo congratulates them on the win but clarifies that DIY as champions is still on the agenda. Ciampa poures out one of their cups. Was it a teased heel turn or just a tense segment between babyfaces? It was hard to read.

Backstage, Byron Saxton is with Randy Orton. Orton talks about Tama Tonga and how he's vicious, unhinged, and unpredictable. Randy says he's made a career of being that. The Viper says tonight he will take Tama Tonga out even if he's outnumbered and promises an RKO.

From there, we see Bayley walking backstage with the title. She stops and exchanges pleasantries with Michin briefly. She then walks into Nia Jax, who tells her to keep the title clean until SummerSlam. Bayley seemed intimidated but held her ground. She walked out through Gorilla and to the arena in one continuous shot. That was great.

Logan starts to walk out and blames Cody for all of this. Rhodes tells Logan how this is his life and that Paul treats WWE as part-time.

Cody says he considers Paul a pro wrestler, but he will never be on Cody's level until he goes full-time and dedicates himself to wrestling. He then calls Logan kid and promises to beat him so bad tomorrow that Paul will regret stepping into the ring with him. He was fired up, and so was I.

Cody asks an official outside the ring to check Logan for proof of the knucks. Logan doesn't like it, but agrees if the referee checks Cody first. He does, and Rhodes is clean. The referee then checks Logan and pats down his body, only to find something. The crowd chants "liar" as the referee pulls out an extra pair of knuckles.

Logan says someone put them there, which are his brother's pants. Paul says okay, fine, he wasn't being 100% truthful. He says he brought them for his protection tonight and mentions them being illegal and that security or police should get Cody. Hilarious.

Cody says Logan is scared and thinks people will associate with him as a cosplayer pretending to be a WWE star. Cody says he doesn't believe that but thinks Paul has imposter syndrome. He also accuses Logan of having another pair of brass knuckles on him right now. Logan calls Cody stupid and denies it.

Logan has a microphone on the ramp. He says this is the third time he has walked down a ramp in Saudi Arabia with a title in his sights, and Cody is the victim. He thinks he'll win the title and be a double champion. Logan says Cody has an edge in experience, but Paul is smarter than him. He blames the hair bleach getting into Cody's brain.

The Maverick says he is a better athlete, performer, and entertainer than Cody. He mentions giving his brass knuckles to Cole and promises not to use them tomorrow.

Backstage, Tama Tonga is shown firing up, with Paul Heyman looking on nervously.

From there, Cody Rhodes' music hits! As expected, he is massively over. The crowd is all on their feet, but he looks serious and fired up for his match tomorrow with Logan Paul. The crowd is singing Cody's theme, which is pretty great. They then chant "Cody" loudly. Before Rhodes can talk from a microphone, though, Logan Paul interrupts.

An ad airs for a special two-day SummerSlam event in 2026. That will be huge. It also feels like a test for things to come. Could it be a regular two-night event moving forward?

From there, we see Cody Rhodes walking. He will join us after the break. But first, Randy Orton shows up in the shot. Despite being friends, there seemed to be some tension on Randy's end. They shook hands. Could this be a teaser for what is to come?

The Street Profits and B-Fab play it up with the crowd who loves them and even LA Knight looks on smiling.

From there, we see a clip of the King of the Ring Kickoff which oddly didn't air. He says he's so confident that he's giving up his brass knuckles and handing them to Michael Cole. That seems like a bizarre choice. Does he have something up his sleeve?

Knight goes for a BFT, but Carmelo hits the first 48. This leads to everybody hitting strikes and big moves. Waller runs in for a stunner but gets a BFT for his trouble. Hayes, stop it from being over. LA tags in Ford, and Knight attacks Carmelo on the floor. Ford then hits a huge frog splash, and this one is over!

The Street Profits and LA Knight defeat A-Town Down Under and Carmelo Hayes by pinfall

It's interesting to see The Street Profits get a win after just losing a title match. Could another bout be on the way?

Back from break and Angelo is being worked over by HIM. Dawkins goes for a tag, but Hayes stops it. Carmelo hits the second rope and goes for a dive, but Dawkins catches and suplexes him! Before Angelo can get a tag, though, A-Town Down Under pulls Knight and Ford away. They then take a cheap shot and mock Dawkins.

LA and Montez even it up, though, and Knight gets the tag! He comes in and hits repeated kicks and a knee strike on Waller! He then mocks Grayson in the corner, just like A-Town Down Under did to Dawkins. He hits a slingshot shoulder block and a slam on Waller, but Hayes breaks up a pin.

The crowd is HOT for LA Knight. He hits several big strikes, but a cheap shot cuts him off. He then fights back with a blow and a clothesline. Knight then tags Dawkins in, who again shows off his underrated athleticism with a leapfrog and back elbow, followed by some fancy kicks in the corner. He goes for his spinning splash in the corner, but Waller, Carmelo, and Theory cause a distraction.

This allows Austin to hit a rolling dropkick to Angelo, followed by a clothesline from Waller on the floor as we go to break.

From there, it was revealed that Nick Aldis made the six-man match!

Carmelo Hayes and A-Town Down Under vs. The Street Profits and LA Knight

The crowd is loudly chanting "ole" as Ford and Hayes start. Montez gets the advantage, then tags in Dawkins, who shows off his athleticism. Once he tags in LA Knight, Carmelo runs out and tags Theory in.

Back from break, and we get a vignette for Blair Davenport. She talks down to everybody, calling them weak and lazy. She says the bad things happen to people because they allow it and aren't good enough. She says while others cry about being overlooked, she'll take their spot and challenge them to do something about it. Great vignette.

The Street Profits fight off the heels, and Knight stands tall with them. Given all six are dressed to compete, this may be telegraphing a six-man tag team match, but we go to break first.

Could Knight be allying with The Pride? He would be an interesting member, for sure.

LA Knight trashes the "set," throwing the potted plant and signs to the floor. Carmelo and A-Town Down Under are not happy. The crowd is LOUD for Knight! Knight says he will keep it short and compares himself to a mean dog who will bite Melo. He says Hayes will know whose game it is and goes to leave, but Hayes jumps him.

LA immediately fights him off, but A-Town Down Under makes it a three-on-one. But then The Street Profits come out with B-Fab! Wow!

Austin says Carmelo must've forgotten what happened when they were last on, alluding to their past. Melo says they need to get past that, and Grayson agrees. The three seem to make peace.

Melo says the veterans are trying to hold them down. A-Town Down Under takes shots at Bobby Lashley and how he's failed The Street Profits. Melo then takes shots at Baron Corbin and LA Knight. They call him a fraud megastar, mock when he was drafted, etc. Then LA Knight's music hits to a huge applause! Wow!

After that segment, which may build to a Women's Tag Team Title match, we go to A-Town Down Under in the ring for a Grayson Waller Effect. The WWE Tag Team Champions brag on themselves before Austin says he'll introduce one of the most talented and entertaining SmackDown stars, but Carmelo Hayes' music hits! He interrupts with a mic in hand.

Hayes thanks them for the introduction. He says it sounds like they were describing him, but they missed a few things. He mentioned being a SmackDown first-round draft pick and the hottest new star on the brand, plus "most importantly," HIM.

Back from break, Bianca Belair is icing her knee backstage. Tiffany Stratton then shows up and says better luck next time before calling Bianca a loser and walking off.

Byron Saxton interviews her about the loss, but Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell interrupt. They take credit for injuring Bianca and mock her. Jade Cargill then shows up, and Candice pulls Indi away before things go down.

Jade says she will talk to Aldis about them getting their wig split. It might be building to a match!

Kayla Braxton interviews Nia Jax. She shuts Kayla up and tells Lyra off. She says she buzzed through Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, and Rhea Ripley. After taking shots at those three,

Nia says she'll buzz through Lyra and then go for the title at SummerSlam. That's a good build.

From there, we see A-Town Down Under backstage. They will be on The Grayson Waller Effect with LA Knight NEXT!

The crowd is chanting, "This is awesome," and they're right. Nia takes advantage again after kicking out at two by going after Bianca's leg. She climbs the ropes again, and Belair goes for the KOD! She walks Nia into the middle of the ring, but Belair's bad leg collapses. Nia hits a running senton and then a brutal Annihilator. Wow. Bianca lost clean!

Nia Jax defeats Bianca Belair by pinfall

This means Nia and Lyra will clash for the Queen of the Ring crown.

Nia goes to strike Belair on the apron, but Bianca sent her away. Bianca then hits a crossbody from the top but sells her leg after, that delayed her pin and Nia kicked out. Bianca is slapping her knee repeatedly and then hits several big strikes to Nia only for Jax to sweep Bianca's leg and drop her weight on it. Crowd loudly chants "you suck".

Nia climbs the ropes but Bianca meets her at the ropes AND LIFTS HER UP! Bianca carries her into the center of the ring and powerbombs Nia with one leg! WOW! That was spectacular.

Back from the ad break and Nia Jax has Bianca Belair down. She has a hold locked in and as a reminder, Lyra Valkyria is looking on. Nia taunts Bianca, putting on a mini crown to mock The EST, but it allows Belair to get up and strike her. Unfortunately, an immediate headbutt put Bianca back on. Despite claiming otherwise, it is clear her leg is bothering her.

Next, Nia Jax puts Bianca in a Stretch Muffler but Belair counters into a pin! Nia doesn't fall and goes to sit down, but Belair moves and then hits a Cruifix Pin for a two. Nia then immediately hits a Samoan Drop for a two count.

Nia hits a few splashes in the corner, but Bianca tries to choke Nia out by jumping on her back. Instead, Nia throws Belair off. She climbs to the ropes, slaps her butt and taunts Nia, then hits a combination of big moves. From there, Belair hits repeated strikes in the corner. After that, Belair slams Nia into the top buckle repeatedly followed by more punches and clubs to the back as the crowd counts along.

Jax counters it and mocks Bianca, wagging Belair's hair and slamming her to the mat. Nia then ran at Bianca, but the EST moved and Nia crashed into the ring post. Belair then hits a dive to the floor as we go to break.

Notably, Wade Barrett and commentary made it sound like Bianca has been lying and telling people she's healthy when she's actually injured. Interesting.

After seeing the Arabic announce team, Nia Jax makes her way out. Despite criticisms when she first returned, Nia has done incredibly well and is doing the best work of her career.

Bianca Belair vs. Nia Jax

This will be fun. The crowd chants EST and "Nia sucks", but Nia gets the upper hand early with her power. It is important to remember that Bianca is coming into this one hurt.

Next up, Bianca Belair is here! We're kicking off with the final semi-final match of the Queen of the Ring Tournament. It looks like there are a lot of fans in the house and the crowd seems hot. We also see Lyra Valkyria ringside! The RAW star will face the winner of this upcoming bout tomorrow for the crown.