WWE SmackDown takeaways: Bianca Belair returns; Andrade, Naomi qualify for MITB

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2 days ago

WWE SmackDown takeaways: Bianca Belair returns; Andrade, Naomi qualify for MITB
WWE Friday Night SmackDown on May 30 took place at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., and featured a face-to-face with Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, John Cena and Logan Paul.
This week's episode was packed with solid segments and very good matches. There were two more Money in the Bank qualifiers and Bianca Belair returned. JC Mateo pinned R-Truth, the entire tag team division had a melee including the Wyatt Sicks, and we heard Damian Priest call out Jacob Fatu.
Check out the top takeaways from this episode:
Bianca Belair gets hometown welcome, warns Naomi
Kicking off this week's show was Knoxville's own Bianca Belair, who returned to WWE programming after a few weeks away to heal up, but is still sporting tape and a splint on her left hand. Belair took the mic and started the University of Tennessee's unofficial fight song, "Rocky Top," which went over well with the crowd.
After Belair talked about her recovery and eventual return, Naomi joined her in the ring. Naomi begged for Belair's forgiveness for her betrayal. She said she even went to Belair's parents' house and let herself in when nobody was home.
Belair said if she ever came around her family again that putting Jade through the roof of a car would pale in comparison to what she would do to her. Naomi dropped the forgiving vibe and then let through a sinister laugh as she said she'd hate for Bianca to join her mother in a wheelchair (Belair's mother was sitting front row in a wheelchair).
Jade Cargill's music hit, and she quickly cleared Naomi from the ring. Cargill and Belair stared at each other, but their friendship remains unclear.
This was an intense promo between Belair and Naomi. Bringing in the real-life family just adds a whole different layer to the story. It's unfortunate that Belair is injured, which has paused the story's progression, but this was a great way to keep it fresh.
Naomi qualifies for Money in the Bank
The first match of the show was a triple threat Money in the Bank qualifier. Two of the competitors were already near the ring, Naomi and Jade Cargill. The third woman was Nia Jax.
The big spots in this match kept the crowd invested, most of which were from Jax. We saw a second-rope leg drop, a double cross body, and a second-rope Samoan drop from the former champ. Cargill had her displays of power throughout the match as well.
But the finishing sequence was another big moment from Jax - a superplex powerbomb followed by an Annihilator to Cargill. Jax had them both stacked initially, but Naomi moved at the last moment, and secured a three count by rolling up Jax.
A win here was big for Naomi, as her heel persona continues to look very strong. The match was solid and Jax's big moments looked legitimately damaging. But what does this mean for Cargill and Jax? Will they find their way into the MITB match?
Je'Von Evans, Rey Fenix shine in tag match vs. Los Garza
The bouncy one from NXT, Je'Von Evans made his SmackDown debut in a tag match alongside Rey Fenix against Berto and Angel, as Santos Escobar and Ethan Page watched from ringside.
Seeing Evans and Fenix on the same team felt like something straight out of WWE 2K as they flew around the ring, inside and out, wowing the Tennessee audience.
Unfortunately for the high-flying team, Page got involved, attacking Fenix and Evans from behind while the referee was distracted. Los Garza hit their double-team finisher to score the pin.
Page, the NXT North American Champion, will put his title on the line at Worlds Collide next weekend against Evans, Fenix and Laredo Kid. This match was obviously a primer for that match, while also getting Los Garza a much needed win. Everyone looked great here, and it was a fun match that the crowd enjoyed.
Zelina Vega disrespected, defends title against Alba Fyre
Zelina Vega continues to be the most disrespected current titleholder. For her match against Alba Fyre, Vega's entrance wasn't televised. No, instead, it was "Sign of the Night" time, and then we return to the ring to see Vega holding her Women's United States Championship high while sitting on the ropes. Meanwhile, Fyre, along with Chelsea Green and Piper Niven got a full entrance.
Maybe that was payback for Vega breaking Green's nose at Saturday Night's Main Event. Green covered her injury with a colorful, bedazzled facemask, which we first saw in a backstage segment earlier when she demanded Vega be stripped for causing the injury, which led to the match between Vega and Fyre.
The match was moving along nicely, until Green decided to get involved when things spilled to the outside. Green removed the facemask, revealing her severely bruised face. She attempted to hit Vega with the mask as Niven held her up, but the champ ducked. A moment later, Vega hit a Code Red to pin Fyre.
When was the last time a champion didn't get an entrance on television? I can't recall. WWE seems to treat Vega as if she's a jobber even while holding gold, and this was just the latest example. Yes, the accident at SNME sucked, but those things can happen to anyone at anytime.
Her reign might not be long since Giulia has set her sights on belt, but until that happens, do right by Vega, WWE.
Andrade qualifies for MITB
The second MITB qualifier was between United States Champion Jacob Fatu, Carmelo Hayes and Andrade.
Unsurprisingly, Fatu dominated early, and even took out The Miz after he tried to prevent him from attacking Hayes. But as the match wore on, Hayes and Andrade had their moments, which was fun to watch because they always work so well together.
"This is awesome" chants poured in after Andrade hit his top-rope moonsault into a backflip on Fatu. "Holy sh*t" chants soon followed when Fatu attempted to send both opponents through the barrier, but they moved at the last moment.
The match continued to cook until Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo arrived ringside to cause distractions. Fatu was putting the finishing touches on the match. He hit his signature top-rope moonsault, but before he could go for the pin, Sikoa hopped on the apron telling him to do it again. Mateo hopped up too, demanding a second. Jimmy Uso appeared to attack Mateo.
Meanwhile, Andrade and Hayes went at it in a wild back-and-forth sequence. Andrade hit his finisher to get the three count. Fatu was rightfully ticked off.
On paper, this was one of the best qualifiers for MITB, and it certainly delivered. Andrade winning was somewhat of a surprise. Between him and Hayes, two wrestlers who deserve much more, one of them had to eat the pin here. Fatu didn't need the MITB, but Andrade and Hayes can greatly benefit from the briefcase. We'll see what happens with Andrade advancing to the big match.
Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso get their hands on John Cena, Logan Paul
The final segment of the show featured Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, John Cena and Logan Paul. Rhodes entered first and delivered a short promo before welcoming Uso to the ring. Cena came in next.
After Cena called Rhodes and Uso "John Cena wannabes," Paul joined the group in the ring. With Paul and Cena set to tag against Rhodes and Uso, the hard sell was on for the heel team. Cena put over Paul, while Paul focused on belittling the crowd. He then likened the matchup to two "nepo babies" against two self-made men.
Uso challenged Cena and Paul to throw down right now instead of at MITB. Cena wanted to leave, Paul wanted to fight. Rhodes delivered a sharp one liner, and the brawl was on until the show concluded.
Paul did well on the mic here, but there was no back and forth, which left more to be desired. In fact, Rhodes and Uso only delivered one line each after Paul was done talking. The melee was expected, but it did show that Rhodes and Uso know how to work together, foreshadowing what could happen at MITB. Considering Cena showed up, the segment gets points on that alone, but it could have been better with more banter on the mic.