Daniel Bryan announced that The Hype Bros will face The Usos on next week’s episode of SmackDown Live. If they defeat the Usos, they will get a shot at the SmackDown Live championship titles.
The following matches are confirmed for next week’s show:
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Lana vs. Naomi
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
The Hype Bros vs. The Usos
Daniel Bryan stripped Carmella of her Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase on tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live. He announced that there will be a rematch on next week’s show with the same competitors as Sunday night.
The following matches are confirmed for next week’s show:
Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Lana vs. Naomi
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
The Hype Bros vs. The Usos
PWInsider reports that Rusev is backstage for tonight’s SmackDown taping in Dayton, Ohio.
While the the website claimed over the weekend that he would be returning to WWE television, they can no longer confirm those are the plans.
Considering that the SmackDown brand just had a pay-per-view on Sunday, many would suggest that the chances of him returning are very high. WWE normally kicks off or follows up to feuds after most pay-per-view events, so now would be the time for Rusev to inject himself into some sort of storyline.
Rusev had been out since March following shoulder surgery and was recently cleared to return to action.
WWE announced that Daniel Bryan would be returning to tonight’s episode of SmackdDown Live for the first time in a while. He took time off from WWE programming because his wife Brie gave birth to their new child. Bryan is expected to address the controversial finish in the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match that saw James Ellsworth capture the briefcase only to give it to Carmella.
Bryan Alvarez discussed Daniel Bryan’s return on yesterday’s installment of Wrestling Observer Live. Alvarez speculates that Carmella will be stripped of the briefcase. There is a possibility that they may even have another match to determine a new holder of the contract that allows a shot at the Women’s Championship anytime they want.
Taz gets right into his analysis of last night’s Money in the Bank PPV.
He thought the opening package before the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match was terrific. It did a wonderful job of paying tribute to women who paved the way for today’s performers, while also highlighting each woman who was participating in last night’s ladder match.
He thought all five women worked hard in the match, but in the end, Taz questions whether this match lived up to it’s ‘historic’ nature. Carmella’s victory is tainted by the fact that James Ellsworth physically climbed the ladder and unhooked the briefcase for her. Taz thinks it’s a shame that in the first ever Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, a man was the one to retrieve the briefcase.
Taz thinks that WWE needs to address Carmella’s victory on this Tuesday’s episode of Smackdown Live and he truly believes that they will. He suggests that Shane McMahon should appear on RAW tonight to announce a Money in the Bank rematch for tomorrow night’s Smackdown Live. Having Shane appear on the opposing brand to make this announcement will make this feel like a very important moment, and Taz ultimately thinks that Carmella will lose this briefcase one way or another on Tuesday night.
In spite of all the controversy surrounding the finish, Taz thought that these five women earned a lot of people’s respect last night, and they raised the bar for all women entering a WWE ring moving forward.
We noted earlier today that Kevin Owens apparently got hurt during the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and was helped to the back following the bout.
In an update, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that he is fine and there is nothing serious wrong with him. Owens is still scheduled to work this week’s SmackDown Live event in Dayton, Ohio.
Many of you are aware now that John Cena is being billed as a “free agent” and the company plans to have him work both RAW and SmackDown brand shows moving forward.
Cena has just been announced for the first RAW-brand event for July 15th at a WWE Live Event. Cena is scheduled to face Bray Wyatt on the card. It is possible that the company starts adding him to even more RAW and SmackDown events as he gets closer to his July 4th return to the company.
