Renee Young opened the show with resounding cheers for returning co-host, Daniel Bryan. Bryan said that he was happy to be back and spoke about his “Dad life.” He told Renee that it was 75% amazing and 25% demoralising.
Bryan said that he was looking forward to easing back into the scheme of things in the blue brand but the aftermath of the Money in The Bank match did not allow him that liberty.
#1 Carmella and James Ellsworth
Both Carmella and Ellsworth were moping about the fact that Bryan had taken away Carmella’s Money in The Bank briefcase. Bryan reassured Carmella that she could win it back next week on Smackdown LIVE. Carmella accused Bryan of making up new rules to which the SmackDown General Manager retorted by asking Carmella a few rules from the WWE rulebook.
Carmella was on the verge of tears, but Ellsworth informed her that he had a plan. Daniel Bryan then dropped another bomb on Carmella when he said that Ellsworth would be banned from ringside for next week’s match.
Carmella was incensed by this new piece of information and told Bryan that she would win despite him putting all these obstacles before her. Carmella and Ellsworth then stormed off the set.
Renee told Bryan that Carmella might have actually been crying and that the Smackdown LIVE General Manager was coming off as insensitive. The SmackDown GM told his co-host that those were crocodile tears.
They switched to the topic of Lana and Naomi’s championship match next week where Renee asked Daniel if he had any advice for Lana. Daniel said that Lana had done well at Money in The Bank and was distracted by Carmella. Bryan put Naomi over as well, saying that she was in her prime.
#2 The New Day
The New Day brought a skeleton draped in a "Day One Ish" shirt to the set. They asked Bryan to hug and kiss the skeleton, to which Bryan obliged hesitantly. Talking about The Usos, Kofi pointed out that being the champions meant that they had a target painted on their backs. Renee was distracted by Big E trying to eat his mic. Chaos reigned supreme as they shifted to Big E’s match with Jimmy Uso earlier in the evening.
The New Day declared that they would not allow The Usos to run away like they did at Money in The Bank. Renee asked the New Day about the game plan which they mocked as they considered it a “dumb question.”
They mentioned that the feud was shaping up like the Super Bowl and they could not just dole out sensitive information. Renee informed the panel that she got the cue to set the New Day on their way. Big E demanded a hug from Daniel Bryan before leaving, and The New Day then left, taking Renee’s mug with them.
#3 AJ Styles
The Phenomenal AJ Styles then made his way to the panel. Renee asked AJ about his thoughts on Chad Gable’s performance against Kevin Owens to which Styles said that Gable was a better liar than him when he claimed to be from Dayton, OH. He then clarified that he stumbled over his lines because he was not fully convinced while saying them.
Styles mentioned that he would relish the opportunity to take the title away from Owens. He claimed that he would keep the Open Challenge tradition of the US title alive thus restoring the prestige of the title.
Bryan asked Styles about hanging high above the ring at Money in The Bank and Styles replied that he was trying to unhook the briefcase with one hand but he was unable to do it. The trio spoke about the excitement in the air when Styles and Nakamura faced off during the match. Styles told them that the crowd wanted to see that match.
Styles asked Bryan if he ever stepped in the ring with somebody who was better than him. Bryan was honest with his answer and told Styles that Nagata and Jushin Thunder Liger were definitely better than him. Styles claimed that he entered the ring with the mindset that he could not be beaten.
Styles then asked Daniel about his daughter, and the duo spoke about changing diapers and cleaning poop. They joked about getting Renee off the show and rebranding the show “WWE Dads with Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles.”
AJ left the set and Renee confessed that the conversation turned awkward very quickly. Daniel then asked Renee to preview next week’s show. Renee hyped up the next episode which will include the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder rematch, the Women’s Championship match between Lana and Naomi, and another match between The Usos and the Hype Bros.
Renee stated that the Hype Bros would become the number one contenders for the tag titles if they managed to beat The Usos next week on Smackdown LIVE and closed the show on that note.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
