WWE SmackDown Results (05/12) - Roman Reigns Returns, Women's Tag Team Title Match And More
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s results of "WWE SmackDown" on May 12, 2023, coming to you live from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee!
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will be making his long-awaited return to programming tonight to address what's on his mind. Although issues within The Bloodline continue to grow, The Usos and Solo Sikoa managed to score a victory over Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Matt Riddle in a Six-Man Tag Team match at WWE Backlash last Saturday.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez will be defending their WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against Damage CTRL's Bayley and Dakota Kai. Bayley and Kai managed to pick up a win over Morgan and Rodriguez when the two teams battled it out in a non-title match a couple of weeks ago on "WWE Raw", despite the tensions that have risen between Damage CTRL over the past few weeks.
Seth "Freakin" Rollins secured his spot in the finals of the World Heavyweight Tournament at Night of Champions on May 27 during this past Monday's "Raw". His opponent for the upcoming Premium Live Event will be determined tonight as United States Champion Austin Theory will go head-to-head with The Brawling Brutes' Sheamus and Bobby Lashley while AJ Styles of The O.C. will take on WWE Hall of Famers Rey Mysterio and Edge in two first round Triple Threat matches. The winners of those contests will then go one-on-one later in the show during the Semi-Finals.
We are live! Michael Cole and Wade Barrett greet audiences at home as Edge heads to the ring. AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio are already waiting in the ring.
Edge vs. AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio in a First Round Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament
The bell rings and both Styles and Mysterio go after Edge. The three men then go back and forth rolling one another up before Edge fires off stomps on Styles. Mysterio catches Edge with an enziguri, but Edge catapults Edge on Mysterio. Edge then plants Styles on top of Mysterio before hitting him with an Edge-O-Matic and whipping him into the corner. He sends Mysterio crashing to the outside, but Mysterio gets back in. Styles hits him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, then clotheslines Edge to the outside. Mysterio delivers a floating hurricanrana to Styles, then delivers a kick to his head. Edge delivers a Fallaway Slam to Mysterio and sets up for a Spear on both Mysterio and Styles. The pair catch Edge with double boots, and Mysterio then executes a Sunset Flip. Styles and Mysterio remain standing in the ring, and Styles looks to send Mysterio to the outside, but Edge catches him and Styles delivers a baseball dropkick.
Back from the break, Edge delivers a double Spear to Mysterio and Styles off the apron. He gets Mysterio back in the ring and goes for a pin, but Mysterio kicks out. Mysterio then delivers a step-up enziguri to Styles, but Styles manages to lock in the Calf Crusher. Edge then locks in a Crossface on Mysterio, but Styles catches Edge with a headbutt. Edge takes a few shots at Styles, forcing him to relinquish the hold. Edge and Styles then go back and forth with right hands, but Mysterio delivers a hurricanrana to both men.
Mysterio sets up for the 619, but Edge and Styles both escape and level Mysterio. They then take down one another, and once they get back to their feet, Edge sends Styles into the middle turnbuckle face first. He ascends to the top, but Mysterio meets him up there. Styles joins the fun and delivers a powerbomb to Mysterio, then ascends to the middle rope and looks for a superplex. Mysterio pulls both men down before Styles sets up for a Phenomenal Forearm on Edge, but Edge gets out of the way and lands in the ropes. Mysterio sets up for the 619 on Edge, but Edge catches Mysterio's legs and locks in the Edgecator. Styles looks to break the hold, but Edge locks one in on Styles instead. Styles escapes and then delivers a Phenomenal Forearm to Edge for the win.
Winner: AJ Styles
We then head to a series of videos recapping the feud between The Bloodline and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
Back at ringside, Sheamus heads down. Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory follow.
Austin Theory vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus in a First Round Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament
The bell rings and Theory hops out of the ring. Sheamus and Lashley follow him out there and beat him down. Sheamus tosses Theory back in the ring, and Lashley delivers a shoulder to his midsection. He follows it up with a swinging neckbreaker, and Sheamus delivers a jumping knee to Theory. He then hits a jumping senton, and Lashley clotheslines him out of the ring. Lashley and Sheamus are left in the ring, and Lashley delivers a shoulder to Sheamus' midsection and fires off back elbows. Sheamus delivers a bodyslam and knocks Lashley onto the apron, then sets up for The Ten Beats of the Bodhran. Theory sends Lashley crashing to the outside before Sheamus catches him with The Ten Beats of the Bodhran.
Back from the break, Lashley knocks Theory to the floor on the outside. He then gets him up on his shoulders and sends him colliding with the ring post. Lashley joins Sheamus in the ring and the pair stare one another down before going back and forth with right hands. Lashley delivers a clothesline and charges at Sheamus in the corner, but Sheamus manages to deliver the double boots and ascends to the top. He goes flying, but Lashley catches him and plants him with a Back Suplex. He sets up for The Hurt Lock, but Theory prevents him from cinching in the hold with a dropkick.
Lashley whips Theory into the corner, but Theory gets his boot up and delivers a Blockbuster. He goes for a pin, but Sheamus breaks the fall. The action spills to the outside, and Theory sends Lashley crashing into the ring steps. He gets back in the ring and looks to deliver a move to Sheamus, but Sheamus hits him with an Irish Curse Backbreaker. He then delivers a pair of back elbows and a pair of splashes in the corner, then gets Theory on his shoulders and ascends to the middle rope. He delivers White Noise and goes for a pin, but Theory kicks out.
Sheamus sets up for Razor's Edge, but Theory rolls him up. Sheamus kicks out and delivers a kick to his face, then calls for the Brogue Kick. Lashley catches him with a Spear before he can deliver it, but Theory sends him into the ring post shoulder first and goes for the pin. Sheamus kicks out and Theory looks for A-Town Down, but Lashley escapes and cinches in The Hurt Lock. Sheamus delivers a Brogue Kick to break the hold before Lashley dumps him to the outside and pins Theory for the win.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Back from the break, we see Grayson Waller approaching Adam Pearce backstage. He says since he was drafted late to "SmackDown" during the WWE Draft, Pearce would be able to make it up to him by hosting the winner of the Semi-Finals match later tonight on "The Grayson Waller Effect". Pearce agrees to do so.
Back at ringside, Baron Corbin heads down. Cameron Grimes follows.
Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin
Corbin grabs a mic and tells Grimes he'll have him flat on his back in two minutes wishing that he was back in "WWE NXT". The bell then rings and Grimes delivers the Cave-In for the win.
Winner: Cameron Grimes
We then head to a video recapping what happened between Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes this past Monday on "Raw".
Back at ringside, The Bloodline heads down.
We Hear From Roman Reigns and The Bloodline
Reigns tells Knoxville to acknowledge him, then says greatness garners respect. He says regardless of reaction, there is only one royal family. He says every man in the ring main evented both nights of WrestleMania 39. He says The Bloodline are the only ones who will main event "The Showcase of the Immortals" and notes someone had to step up at WWE Backlash in his absence. He says Solo Sikoa was the one to do so and while there was concern about whether he would sink or swim, he has managed to swim like a shark. He says Sikoa eliminates problems and says despite what Sikoa thinks, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are no longer the problem. He says The Usos have become the problem.
Reigns walks over to The Usos and says they'd be wrong if they thought that they weren't going to talk about their loss of the Undisputed Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania. He berates them for dedicating their title rematch to him and says he's not even in a tag team. He says there are Hall of Fame tag teams in their family, and yet they dedicated the match to him. He says The Usos embarrassed and misrepresented himself, The Bloodline and their family. He tells them to apologize, and nothing should come out of their mouths unless it's that.
Jimmy starts to giggle and Reigns tells him that if he were him, then he would apologize. He pushes Jimmy, and Jimmy becomes angered. Reigns provokes him and asks him if he wants to do something about it. Jimmy looks to charge at him, but Jey steps in between Reigns and Jimmy. He says they both apologize and asks for one more shot to bring back the Undisputed Tag Team Championship to The Bloodline. Reigns says the tag team title will come back to The Bloodline and calls for Paul Heyman to fill them in.
Heyman says Reigns has shown up with a game plan and has pulled every string to get an Undisputed Tag Team Championship match for Reigns and Sikoa at Night of Champions. The Usos become enraged, and Reigns says he dedicates the victory to The Wild Samoans.
Back at ringside, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez head down.
Back from the break, we see a confrontation between an LWO and an infuriated Jimmy and Jey Uso.
Back at ringside, Damage CTRL heads down.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Damage CTRL (w/ IYO SKY) for the Women's Tag Team Championship
Rodriguez and Kai begin the action. The bell rings and Rodriguez whips Kai into the corner. She delivers a shoulder to her midsection, then tags in Morgan. Kai delivers a kick to Morgan's head as we see Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn watching on from backstage. Kai delivers a forearm to Morgan's head, then tags in Bayley. Bayley delivers a clothesline to Morgan.
Back from the break, Rodriguez tags in and delivers a series of clotheslines to Kai. She follows it up with a Fallaway Slam and a splash in the corner, then hits a second Fallaway Slam and looks for the Corkscrew Elbow. Kai rolls out of the way and tags in Bayley. Rodriguez then delivers a double chokeslam to Kai and Bayley. Morgan tags in and dumps Kai to the outside, then delivers a knee to Bayley's face and sits her on the top rope. Kai makes the blind tag as Morgan and Bayley teeter on the top rope. Bayley gets Morgan on her shoulders, and Kai goes flying to level her. Bayley tags in and orders the referee to check on Kai, allowing SKY to grab one of the Women's Tag Team Championship. Rodriguez prevents her from using it, and Bayley accidentally knocks her off the apron. This allows Morgan to pin her for the win.
Winner (and still): Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez
We head backstage and see Pretty Deadly approach The Brawling Brutes with clipboards in hand. Sheamus tells Kit Wilson and Elton Prince which one of them is pretty and which one of them is deadly. Prince and Wilson then mock Butch and Ridge Holland.
Back from the break, Bianca Belair heads down to a warm reception from the hometown crowd.
Asuka Crashes Bianca Belair's Championship Celebration
Before the celebration can kick off, Asuka's music hits and she heads down to the ring. Asuka offers her hand to Belair, and Belair shakes it. Asuka then spits the Blue Mist in Belair's face before officials run down to check on Belair.
Back from the break, we see Belair freaking out as she's being checked on by medical officials.
Back at ringside, AJ Styles heads down. Bobby Lashley follows.
AJ Styles vs. Bobby Lashley in a Semi-Finals Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament
The bell rings and Styles delivers a series of chops. Lashley responds with a knee to his midsection, then fires off several stomps and dumps Styles to the outside. He follows him, then sends him into the apron spine first before getting him on his shoulders and sending him crashing into the ring post.
Back from the break, Styles delivers a kick to Lashley's face and follows it up with a series of stomps to his knee. Lashley fires back with a back elbow, then rains down forearms and whips him into the corner. Styles manages to lock in the Calf Crusher, but Lashley escapes. Styles then delivers a kick to the back of his knee and follows it up with a DDT. He goes for a pin, but Lashley kicks out. Styles then gets him up on his shoulders, but is unable to do so and is caught with a Flatliner by Lashley. Lashley cinches in The Hurt Lock, but Styles escapes.
The action spills to the outside, where Styles delivers a kick to Lashley's head. He tosses him back in the ring and sets up for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Lashley gets him up on his shoulders before he can deliver it. Styles escapes before Lashley executes a running powerslam. He sets up for a Spear, but Styles slips out of the way and Lashley goes shoulder first into the ring post. Styles then delivers the Phenomenal Forearm for the win.
Winner: AJ Styles
After the match, The O.C. joins Styles to celebrate his victory.