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Vince McMahon kicked off SmackDown, the first WWE show back in front of a live audience since 2020. Vince welcomed the crowd back into the arena before Roman Reigns walked out to a big reception from the live audience. He was quickly joined by The Usos.
They were joined by the Mysterios and Edge as WWE welcomed back the live audience with an incredible Six-man tag team match.
Edge, Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. Roman Reigns & The Usos on SmackDown
Jey Uso kicked off the match with a cheap shot before Edge tagged in Dominik. The Mysterios teamed up to get the upper hand in the match early on. Jimmy tagged in and faced off with Dominik in the ring before Roman tagged in and took Dom out with a suplex.
Reigns hit a powerbomb on the announce desk before isolating Dom in the ring. Dominik managed to break out and tag Edge who immediately went after The Usos and Reigns. Rey was tagged in and was about to hit a 619 on Jey but Roman broke it off.
Edge took out Roman with a spear before The Usos used some underhand tactics to pin Rey Mysterio on SmackDown.
Result: Roman Reigns & The Usos defeat Edge, Rey & Dominik Mysterio
Reigns and The Usos attacked their opponents after the match but Edge managed to grab a steel chair and save his teammates. Roman took Edge out with a Superman Punch. He was about to inflict more damage on The Rated-R Superstar.
However, Edge bounced back with a Spear.
Edge got the steel spike off the chair and locked in the crossface, making Reigns tap out but not letting go.
Grade: B
Backstage on SmackDown, Seth Rollins said there was no way Edge was beating Roman for the Universal Title on Sunday, before noting that he would love to cash in on the guy who made the Money In The Bank famous.
Finn Balor returns on SmackDown
Sami Zayn was out on SmackDown to talk about how he was being left out of the Money in the Bank proceedings and the ladder match. He started talking about conspiracies before taunting the crowd and asking for 'justice', ie him being added to the MITB ladder match.
Sami went on when Finn Balor made his return to SmackDown. Sami tried to attack but Balor wiped out Sami with the Coupe de Grace after a big sequence of moves.
Nox & Shotzi vs. Tamina & Natalya on SmackDown
The women's tag team champs were dominating as the match started and isolated Blackheart in the ring. Shortly after, Shotzi was beating the hell out of the tag team champs before Nox came in and got a Shining Wizard for a near fall on Natalya.
Liv Morgan and Zelina Vega started a brawl at ringside and the distraction caused Tamina and Natalya a loss via pinfall. The tag team champs wiped out Vega at ringside after the match but Morgan managed to upstage them and stand tall.
Grade: D
Result: Nox & Shotzi def. Tamina & Natalya
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Carmella - SmackDown Women's Championship match
Bianca Belair had the early advantage on SmackDown before Carmella got a big shot on the apron, sending the champ shoulder first into the ring post. Carmella took the match outside and sent Belair into the barricades a few times before we headed for a break on SmackDown.
Back after the commercials, Carmella hit a rana from the top rope before getting a near fall. Mella was dominating, using Belair's hair to keep her down but Bianca countered her and whipped her with the hair before hitting the KOD for the win!
Result: Bianca Belair def. Carmella to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship
Grade: B
Backstage on SmackDown, Chad Gable was talking about spreading fear in the locker room. Cesaro wasn't pleased with the claims and confronted the pair.
Otis attacked Cesaro and took him down before their match on SmackDown.
Otis vs. Cesaro on SmackDown
Cesaro was taking a beating as the match began. The Swiss Cyborg but bounced back and had Otis on the ropes.
Chad Gable walked in and hit a German Suplex, causing the match to end. Cesaro recovered and hit a pop-up uppercut before going for the swing on Gable.
Otis returned and took down Cesaro mid-ring before getting a splash in, wiping Cesaro out for good.
Result: Cesaro def. Otis via DQ
Grade: C
Backstage on SmackDown, Paul Heyman said to not ask him about Edge, the guy who was set to lose to Roman at Money in the Bank. Big E interrupted Heyman and taunted him and Roman, saying that Edge had the advantage on Sunday.
Baron Corbin was out next and got in the ring to talk about the last few weeks where he lost everything. He said if it continued like this, he would have to move in with his in-laws.
He was talking about a crowdfunding campaign where he asked for $100,000 from the fans and even got on his knees in the ring before Kevin Owens walked out for his match.
Corbin asked KO for a donation after indirectly taunting him and was met with a stunner before we proceeded with the rest of the entrances for SmackDown's main event.
Kevin Owens vs. Big E vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins on SmackDown
Rollins was about to leave the ring before the match but Big E hit him with a Spear. KO took out E and Nakamura did the same to Owens as the main event was off to a brutal start.
Kevin Owens vs. Big E vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins on SmackDown (contd...)
After a break on SmackDown, Owens was taking a beating from Big E before Nakamura caught them on the ropes for a double suplex on Owens. Rollins was hit with a knee strike before he got a ladder in the ring before clearing the announce table.
Owens stopped Rollins from climbing up the ladder before going up himself and delivering an elbow drop on Nakamura through the announce desk. Rollins hit Big E with a stomp on the ladder in the ring, getting the win on SmackDown.
Result: Seth Rollins def. Kevin Owens, Big E & Shinsuke Nakamura
After the match, Rollins climbed the ladder and retrieved the MITB briefcase, giving us a preview of Sunday.
Grade: B+
Episode rating: A
The first night back on the road was a big one, with the return of Finn Balor and a huge title match for the SmackDown Women's Championship. We got a huge fatal four-way main event and Dominik Mysterios' first real match in front of a live audience tonight on SmackDown.
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