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Well everyone, it was nice while it lasted. Tonight Smackdown has some ground to make up, RAW sucked and dropping the ball the night after WrestleMania after fumbling the ball at WrestleMania is a bad way to get the week going. Now WWE has a chance to at least end it on something of a high note. Rumors continue to swirl that Vince McMahon is back running things, and RAW definitely felt like a typically bad Vince show with less than 30 minutes of wrestling in the 3 hour show. Tonight let’s see if things can be salvaged. Triple H will repeat the hostage segment from last week, Sami Zayn is set to take on Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio will team up with Santos Escobar against Dominik Mysterio and Damien Priest as it looks like Rey and Bad Bunny vs. Dom and Priest will be a featured match at Backlash, and Imperium will take on the Brawling Brutes again. Rhea Ripley will be present to start her next title program, LA Knight should be here given how over he is but how knows with Vince, and we’ll just have to wait and see if any of the main event players show up. Well that’s the preamble, more depressing than usual, so let’s get to the action.

Once again we open with a video recap of parts of WrestleMania. Not a good start, recaps and filler do not exactly inspire confidence.

We’re starting with a match, that’s a nice change of pace.

Match #1 – Trios Match: Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch) vs. Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci)

Vinci and Butch start, Vinci with some mat returns then Butch with a headlock. They hit the ropes and Butch lands a clothesline. Ridge tags in and they trade a few strikes as commentary talks about Ridge, yeah Vince gave notes for this. Kaiser tags in after a cross body from Vinci and unloads with strikes. Ridge tags in Butch and Butch goes for the arm of Kaiser. Vinci tags back in, Butch goes for his fingers and arm, then a kick from Butch as Sheamus and Gunther trade words to distract the ref and set up Kaiser to help on a brainbuster to Butch for 2. Sheamus and Ridge posture over the fallen Butch as we head to break.

We come back to Gunther working a chinlock on Butch. Butch fights back with a jawbreaker but Gunther kicks him the clubs Sheamus with a cheap shot. Gunther with a Sleeper, Butch uses the finger attack to break the hold and Gunther tags in Vinci. Butch flips out of a German suplex and lands a kick then tags in Ridge, and Kaiser tags in as well. Ridge runs wild with some far too well lined up crowd noise. Kaiser tries a butterfly suplex but Ridge counters into an Alabama Slam for a 2 count. Kaiser lands a kick and tags in Vinci, then Vinic tags Gunther and Ridge takes a triple team kick in the corner. Ridge fights back but runs into a chop from Gunther then Gunther boots Sheamus, dropkicks Ridge and powerbombs him but Butch breaks up the pin. Gunther tosses Butch then puts Ridge in a Boston Crab. Sheamus fires up on the apron and Ridge drags himself and Gunther over there to make the tag. Gunther and Sheamus start trading strikes, Sheamus gets the better of things with a clothesline and a powerslam then he goes Bodhran beating to a count of 10. Gunther avoids a Brogue kick and hits a German suplex. They trade kicks then Sheamus counters a powerbomb into White Noise for a near fall. Things break down briefly as everyone gets some stuff in, ultimately Sheamus stands tall and looks to Brogue Kick Vinci, who I guess tagged in? Brogue Kick and Sheamus gets the pin on Vinci.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Brawling Brutes won

Rating: 3.5 stars
Thoughts: They had a little under 12 minutes here, not bad in terms of time, but I really wish Imperium were treated more seriously. I’m not going to complain about Gunther and Sheamus again, which is where things are heading, but it is feeling a little tired.

After this break. . . a recap of RAW. Joy.

Post break, a recap of Brock Lesnar murdering Cody Rhodes on Monday.

In the back Kayla interviews Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa. Heyman objects to being booed, then Kayla asks if he knows anything about Brock’s actions. Heyman shall pass over the stupid question and talk about something more relevant, like Roman Reigns winning while the Bloodline main evented both nights of Mania. Roman is almost 1000 days into his reign, but here comes Jey Uso to somewhat interrupt. Jey asks if Jimmy’s here, Heyman says Jimmy wont be here tonight as Roman wanted him watching things as Jey reminded us all that he’s Main Event Jey Uso by taking out Sami Zayn. Jey seems a little unsettled but walks off. Heyman tells Solo that Jey either solves the Sami problem tonight, or Solo solves all of their problems tonight.

Back to the ring, here comes Ricochet who will take on Ivar after this break.

We get a series of pictures from Mania as we come back from break.

Ivar actually gets an entrance.

Match #2: Ricochet vs. Ivar w/ Valhalla

Apparently Erik and Braun Strowman have been banned from this match. Ricochet with some strikes as he looks to hit and move around the big man. Head scissors from Ricochet then a dropkick sends Ivar out of the ring, setting up a dive from Ricochet but Ivar catches him and just slings him into the LED board around the ring then follows up with a crossbody against the ring. Back in the ring Ivar unloads with corner offense, and what sounds like canned boos. Ivar sets Ricochet on the ropes but Ricochet fights him off then tries a Sunset Flip only for Ivar to stall the motion and try a suplex but Ricochet slips free and lands a knee, then a dropkick. Ricochet goes to hoist Ivar up, but can’t lift him and Ivar cuts him down with a spin kick for a 2 count. Now Ivar goes up top for the Iceberg Plunge but Ricochet cuts him off up there and they start fighting in the ropes. Both men land strikes then Ricochet hits a top rope rana. Ricochet up top, Shooting Star Press and that’ll do it.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Ricochet won

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Competent but we’ve seen a lot of these two in various combinations so it was a little heatless.

In the back Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn talk. Owens denies staring at the titles, claiming he was leering. They talk about tonight, Owens bringing up that Sami could finally put the Bloodline stuff behind them if Sami can settle the personal stuff then they can move on. Sami seems hesitant, something about all of this feels off and Sami can’t shake the feeling like there’s something up with Jey. Owens can’t quite believe this, Sami agrees that Owens is right but Sami still feels a sense of obligation going on here. Owens doesn’t get this, because Jey is going to try and take Sami’s head off tonight and he knows he can’t talk Sami out of this but tells him it’s a bad idea. Sami knows, and says it’ll be OK.

To the ring and here come our presumptive top contenders for the women’s tag team titles. They’ll take on Natalya and Shotzi after this. Face vs. face dynamic, odds on something weird happening just went up. Well we’ll find out after this break.

Post match here come Shotzi and Natalya.

Match #3 – Tag Team Match: Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan vs. Natalya and Shotzi

Raquel runs over Natalya a few times, Shotzi with a blind tag leading to Natalya sending Raquel out of the ring to set up a suicide dive from Shotzi. Off screen Morgan takes out Natalya but nothing much comes of it. Back in the ring Shotzi tries a DDT but Raquel stalls her out a few times then tries a Tejana Bomb, winds up grabbing a Stretch Muffler and tagging in Morgan. Morgan with some kicks then a float over DDT leading to Natalya breaking up the pin. Natalya tags in and blocks an ObLIVion before she and Morgan trade roll ups before Natalya hits a German suplex and a discus clothesline leading to Raquel breaking up the pin. Shotzi tags in now and hits an assisted Shiranui then they try an Hart Attack but Raquel runs over Natalya then helps Morgan hit a DDT. ObLIVion follows and that ends things.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan won

Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts: Short and existed mostly to remind you that Raquel and Morgan have a title shot coming up on Monday.

In the back Madcap Moss and Xavier Woods play video games. LA Knight walks in and disapproves, then objects to being left off of WrestleMania. Knight and Woods start arguing, Woods is sick of Knight complaining and tells him to work as much as he talks. This sets up a match between them at some point in the future. Can’t wait for Woods to win again.

In the back Triple H walks as we head to break.

More WrestleMania pictures.

Now Triple H shows up to tell us all everything is fine, while blinking in Morse Code “Please help!” Trips gets a mic, he says coming out here will never get old. He welcomes everyone to Smackdown, and says nothing in the world is like WrestleMania. It’s a place where hearts are broken and dreams fulfilled. This year Mania exceeded all expectations, record setting millions of fans watched the event over two nights and they broke every WWE record they had. Can we stop patting ourselves on the back yet? He puts over all the different records that were broken, but as great as Mania was it’s behind us. Now we have to look to the future, and he’s out here to talk about the future. In just a few short weeks we’ll have the Draft. OK then. A night that changes, well pretty much nothing given that they ignore it more than half the time. But he says it’ll be bigger this year, everyone will be up for the draft and when it’s all said and done this will truly change the game. Sure buddy. But speaking of changing the game, here’s someone doing just that in the form of Rhea Ripley.

Ripley along with the rest of Judgement Day are here, and they’ve got mics. Ripley says her win over Poochie will go down as changing sports entertainment forever. She destroyed and dethroned Charlotte Flair (no reaction for Charlotte’s name) and thinks it’s time everyone rises for her. She calls herself the greatest champion in all of WWE, and she’s really grateful Roman isn’t here tonight. Finn Balor wants to talk about Edge, and calls himself the real winner because despite having 14 staples in his head Edge is the one not here tonight while Balor is still standing. Dom can’t get a word in edgewise as we get a House of Black sign in the crowd. Now Dom says he decided not to show aggression towards his father. He held back at Mania, because he knew he couldn’t hurt his father at the end of the day as he still loved his father. Dom’s eyes are as dead as Miles Teller’s trying to get across emotion. Well now Dom says his family can go to hell, and take Bad Bunny with him. That leads to yet another recap as we get a recap of Bad Bunny stopping Dom from using a chain which set up Rey Mysterio to win. Next a recap of RAW and Dom costing Rey a match against Austin Theory and the further involvement of Bad Bunny. Priest talks to Bunny now, he speaks Spanish to say he and Bunny were friends but he and Dom are brothers, and hopes Bunny can forgive him because he forgives Bunny for making him do that on Monday. Tepid response. Here comes Rey Mysterio along with Legado del Fantasma. That tag team match will be up after the break.

Match #4 – Tag Team Match: Dominik Mysterio and Damien Priest w/ Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley vs. Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar w/ Zelina Vega, Cruz del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde

We start with Dom and Rey, but Dom tags right out. Priest lays in punches then tags in Dom. Dom with some punches then launches Rey into the corner. Suplex from Dom gets a 1 count. Rey starts to fight out of the corner, then tags in Escobar. Escobar runs wild for a bit including a tilt a whirl back breaker for Dom, then a second one. Rey launches Priest out of the ring to set up stereo dives from Rey and Escobar and they pose in the ring as we get another break.

Priest is working Escobar as we come back. Escobar fights back with some punches but Preist boxes his ears and hits a Flatliner for a 2 count. Dom tags in and grabs a front headlock. Santos can’t quite tag out, but eventually back body drops Dom and tags out. Rey is the old house of fire but eventually runs into a sloppy Michinoku Driver for a 2 count. Dom takes forever to do anything so Rey fights back with a dropkick and a Lionsault for a 2 count. Rey sets for the 619, but Ripley pulls Dom out of the way. That frees up Vega to take out Ripley which just really pisses off Ripley. Ripley chases Vega out through the crowd as Priest tags in. Escobar tags in as well, Dom eats a 619 but Priest stops a Phantom Driver from Escobar and hits South of Heaven to pick up the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Dominik Mysterio and Damien Priest won

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: Decent, Dom is still struggling with his timing though and this whole thing is starting to drag on just a bit too long. Backlash should blow this whole thing off finally.

In the back Sami looks for Jey Uso. He’s pointed in some direction by a PA as we head to break.

Post break we’re told Shinsuke Nakamura will return next week.

In the back Sami finds Jey and says there’s a way out for Jey still. Sami has warned him about all of this, now the Bloodline is crumbling. Jimmy’s gone, Roman’s mad at him, and Solo is looking like he’s willing to drop the hammer on Jey. Sami will beat sense into Jey if necessary, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s noise and Sami runs off finding Solo Sikoa dropping a box on the leg of Kevin Owens. Jey just looks on, then slowly heads off.

Back in the ring here’s Jey Uso for our main event, which will be up after this break. Odd pacing there.

Post break commentary talks about a few upcoming events. After that we cut to Sami at gorilla with Kayla. Kayla wants an update on Owens, Sami says Owens is at medical and that Owens was right about the Bloodline being more dangerous. Well now Jey gets to find out that he’s not the only one with a problem that’s going to get solved.

Match #5: Jey Uso vs. Sami Zayn

Some stalling at first, then they tie up. Nothing sells heated feuds like a collar and elbow. Sami backs Jey into the corner then jaw jacks before Jey shoves him away. Another tie up, this time Jey gets Sami in the corner and we get more talking before Jey pie faces Sami. Jey grabs a side headlock, then hits a shoulder block. Sami fights back now and starts laying in punches but Sami again cuts him off and clotheslines Jey out of the ring. Now Sami sets for a dive but sees Solo Sikoa wandering down to ringside as we head to break.

Sami and Jey are fighting on the ropes as we come back. Eventually Sami hits a top rope exploder suplex and both men are down. They start trading punches, Sami getting the better of things but Jey superkicks him then lands a punch and an enziguri. Sami fights back with a kick then climbs up top but his flying nothing is countered by a superkick. Jey yells at Sami but takes too long and Sami hits an exploder suplex into the corner. Sami wants a Helluva Kick, but Jey avoids him and grabs a School Boy for 2. Blue Thunder Bomb from Sami gets a near fall. Sami lays in some punches then yells at Jey before climbing up top, Jey catches him up there with a kick though. Jey climbs up with Sami, he wants a superplex but Sami fights back with strikes. Eventually Jey lands a headbutt and they fall down. Jey bothers the ref, allowing Solo to hit a Samoan Spike behind the refs back, Jey follows with a jumping kick and gets the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Jey Uso won

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Enough better than average to be good but for what this should be it felt a little heatless.

Post match Jey poses, but Solo starts attacking Sami with headbutts. Punches from Solo before he hauls Sami up for another Spike but Jey stops him. That didn’t get the kind of pop you’d expect. Jey and Solo argue, then Jey superkicks a kneeling Sami. Jey calls for a chair, Solo goes to get it but here’s Riddle for the save. Riddle cleans house on Jey and Solo, he’s after vengeance for Solo taking him out. Jey and Solo retreat as Riddle and Sami wait in the ring.