WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (May 5, 2023) with a live show emanating from Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, featuring the go home show ahead of tomorrow night’s Backlash event in the very same venue.
Advertised for tonight: Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny makes an appearance on the blue brand before he wrestles Damian Priest in a street fight at Backlash.
Tonight’s show also features Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karrion Kross, The O.C. (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. The Viking Raiders, an appearance from “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, and more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR MAY 5
They’re coming ‘round again, I’ve returned and they’ve been waiting. Their aged offerings received and returned, passed through wet eyes. I tremble as I feel them rolling in and I liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you folks.
The show opens with a drone fly-by of the very excited crowd in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Rey Mysterio and the Latino World Order make their entrance.
Rey gets on the mic and cuts a promo in Spanish before tossing to “future SmackDown Women’s Champion” Zelina Vega.
Before she can say anything, Judgment Day (without Damian Priest tonight) make their entrance.
A fan tosses an LWO shirt to Dominik Mysterio and he tears it in half and steps on it.
Judgment Day get in the ring and Dominik starts on the mic, in Spanish, but as usual he’s drowned out in boos and can’t start talking. He calls Rey a deadbeat in English but Mysterio the Elder answers back in Spanish. Rey challenges him to a WrestleMania rematch tonight!
But Rhea Ripley suggests fighting her instead, so Zelina Vega steps up and gets in her face. Dom suggests a mixed tag instead, and Rey accepts!
The OC make their entrance.
Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. the Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)
AJ Styles is on commentary for this one.
Vikings beating Anderson down at first, Gallows with the tag, Ivar beating on him in the corner, whip across, action to the floor, Mia Yim and Valhalla jaw at each other to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Gallows tags in hot, lariats all around, big uppercut, corner elbow, off the ropes, shoulder block and Big LG is fired up! Tag to Warbeard, Luke hits a powerbomb… NOPE! Trading blows, Erik catches a boot into a short powerbomb!
Tag made, Ivar off the top… ANDERSON BREAKS IT UP! Ivar goes for a suplex, Mia Yim takes Valhalla out, Gallows slips away, kick connects, tag to Karl, setting him up…
Good Brothers win by pinfall with Magic Killer on Ivar.
Bianca Belair makes her entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video recap of this year’s spring tour of Europe.
Bianca Belair gets on the mic and talks about how great Europe was an how hyped she is to be drafted to SmackDown and to be here in Puerto Rico. The blue brand is special to her and IYO SKY is unpredictable but she’s faced the best of the best and she’s proven she’s always going to show up and show out.
She says she’s gonna become the longest-reigning women’s champion of the modern era, and—
Enter Damage CTRL.
Bayley gets on the mic and says she made Bianca on this show and soon enough the title will belong to Damage CTRL.
They surround the ring but Bianca attacks first and fends them off! Jawing at IYO SKY, backbreaker, Bayley slips out and SKY blasts her with a missile dropkick! Damage CTRL put boots to her but Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez make the save!
Karrion Kross and Scarlett cut a creepy promo backstage.
Tonight he plants another seed to defeat Mr. Nakamura, and how much is his honor really worth to him?
Street Profits make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a recap of Bloodlien business.
Solo Sikoa is taping his thumb backstage when the Usos roll up to hype everyone up for tomorrow’s trios match. Solo says he’s gonna do his part and Jimmy and Jey better do theirs.
Imperium (Giovanni Vinci & Ludwig Kaiser) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Vinci and Ford to start, Kaiser with a blind tag out the gates and the Europeans are in control! Giovanni back in, moonsault off the top! Working him over, Montez with a back suplex, tag to Dawkins! In hot with lariats, spinebuster sets him up, tag to Ford…
Street Profits win by pinfall with a frog splash from Montez Ford on Giovanni Vinci.
We see Cody Rhodes walking backstage and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Latino World Order chatting backstage.
We get a video package for Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.
Cody Rhodes makes his entrance and gets on the mic.
He speaks a little Spanish for the crowd and talks about how Brock is a coward and a gatekeeper. He wants an explanation from Brock and he’ll beat it out of him tomorrow. He admits he’s afraid of Lesnar but tomorrow he won’t have time to be afraid, because tomorrow he brings the pain.
Tomorrow it’s a fair fight, tomorrow he leaves this beautiful island etched into his heart because this will be the place where he got back on the road to finishing the story by defeating Brock Lesnar.
Shinsuke Nakamura is interviewed backstage.
He says he has something to say to Karrion Kross— “COME ON!”
Shinsuke makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Matt Riddle cuts a promo on the Bloodline at length backstage while Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens stand there.
Karrion Kross vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Kross right in with forearms and kicks into the corner, Nakamura turns him around with kicks of his own and Good Vibrations! Action to the floor, Karrion puts him into the post and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Kross kicking Nakamura in the head disdainfully, calling him the king of trash! Shinsuke with strikes, Karrion with a headbutt, duck a lariat, single leg dropkick from the King of Strong Style! Fired up, strike rush, enzuigiri connects!
Scarlett runs interference, Kross gets a pumphandle suplex… NOPE! Krossjacket blocked, Shinsuke with a flying armbar, Karrion rolls into a folding press, deadlift but Nakamura adjusts into a guillotine choke! German suplex follows, Kinshasa countered with a lariat and both men are down and out!
Kross with a slow cover for two, small package for two, Karrion with a knee, drawing Shinsuke up, Saito suplex… NOPE! Krosshammer denied, Nakamura lines him up…
Shinsuke Nakamura wins by pinfall with Kinshasa.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial we get a hype reel for SmackDown’s pulls from NXT in the draft.
Adam Pearce welcomes Cameron Grimes to SmackDown backstage when Baron Corbin rolls up to be crappy at Grimes for being the last pick in the draft.
Cameron says the way he says it he makes it sound like being picked last is worse than being picked at all, and Corbin makes like he’s the same kind of free agent as Brock Lesnar. Adam Pearce says Baron has it wrong, Corbin says Grimes is irrelevant and Cameron challenges him to a match.
Pearce makes it official for next week.
Commentary hypes up the Backlash card and recaps Bad Bunny’s confrontation with Damian Priest at today’s press conference.
Our Latino World Order main event team makes their entrance to send us to break.
Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio & Rhea Ripley) vs. Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega)
Ripley and Vega, Zelina duck under, big slap, Rhea goozles her, she slips out, sunset flip blocked. Keeping her distance, boot up, off the second, tijeras connects and Rhea falls into the corner! Tag to the men, Ripley with a cheap shot, Rey with an arm drag, tag to Vega, headscissors sets Dom in the ropes, Zelina charges and Rhea cuts her off with a boot and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Ripley clobbers Vega, Zelina back with a crucifix pin for two! Mysterio on Mysterio violence, Rhea jawing at Rey, going for a powerbomb, Vega fights out and hits a jawbreaker! Crawling under, on her feet, sidestep a charge and Rhea eats the post hard!
Tags made, Rey lighting Dom up with punches, springboard crossbody, tijeras into the turnbuckles! Mounted punches in the corner, slip under, electric chair, punches, Dom puts his dad into the turnbuckles, Michinoku Driver, Zelina breaks it up!
Mysterio the Elder with a tijeras that sets him up, Rhea up on the apron to block, Zelina takes her down and puts her into the barricade! 619 connects, Rey up top, Finn Balor runs interference and Dominik cuts him off! Three Amigos just like Uncle Eddy, reversed…
Latino World Order win by pinfall with a small package from Rey Mysterio on Dominik Mysterio.
Post-match, Judgment Day beat Rey down and are finally joined by Damian Priest! Right hands, but Bad Bunny brings the rest of the Latino World Order down as cavalry! Kendo stick in hand, he slides in the ring with Priest, but Dom runs interference and Damian gets away scot free!
Rey gives Bunny a Latino World Order shirt and he puts it on!
That’s the show, folks.
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