This is a huge week for WWE. Not only do they have their four weekly shows, but there are also two Pay-Per-Views and a United Kingdom Championship Live Event airing on the WWE Network. It’s a lot to unpack, but let’s see what is in store for this week.
Monday Night Raw
Now that Braun Strowman is out of action for several weeks, we find out what is next for Roman Reigns and what this means for the Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View in a few weeks. Adversited matches for tonight include Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus (the Hardy Boyz defend the Raw Tag Team Championships at Extreme Rules) and The Miz challenging Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship.
We should be getting more development in the Women’s Division since Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss has been prominently featured every week. There is also a chance we could see more of the Samoa Joe/Seth Rollins feud, and possibly what’s next for Apollo Crews. To wrap up Raw, there will inevitably be some Cruiserweight action as well.
SmackDown Live
Since this week’s episode of SmackDown Live is the “go-home” show, a lot has to be packed into those two hours. Backlash is Sunday and we should get excited about every match we will see on the card.
The only thing advertised for this week is the SmackDown Live debut of Rusev, who has demanded a championship opportunity from Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan for the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View. He is only showing up because McMahon and Bryan have not responded to his demands and he is offended.
Expect build for the matches at Backlash (more on that below) and perhaps another match (Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin, probably) getting added to the card.
205 Live
As usual, nothing is currently advertised for this week’s episode of 205 Live. Rich Swann and Noam Dar seem to be finishing up their feud revolving around Alicia Fox, and Brian Kendrick seems to finally be done with Akira Tozawa. Aside from Austin Aries and Jack Gallagher feuding with Neville and TJP, this should hopefully provide some new storylines for the Cruiserweights.
NXT
NXT TakeOver: Chicago is this week, so this is yet another “go-home” show for the week. The only match advertised is Andrade “Cien” Almas taking on Kassius Ohno, but there could be another added to the show amidst the video packages hyping Saturday’s event (more on that below).
United Kingdom Championship Special
WWE took a tour of Europe over the last week or so, so of course, they took this time to film a house show centered around their eventual WWE United Kingdom Championship weekly show. The four following matches are advertised for the show, expected to air Friday, May 19 at 3 PM ET:
- Rich Swann & Dan Moloney vs. The Brian Kendrick & TJP
- Wolfgang vs. Joseph Connors
- Pete Dunne vs. Trent Seven – #1 Contender’s Match (WWE United Kingdom Championship)
- Tyler Bate (c) vs. Mark Andrews – WWE United Kingdom Championship
The #1 Contender’s match between Dunne and Seven determines who will face the United Kingdom Champion at TakeOver: Chicago. This was previously taped, so if you want to avoid spoilers, don’t look at the TakeOver: Chicago preview below.
NXT TakeOver: Chicago
It’s a bit rare the NXT hosts a TakeOver special outside of a “Big Four” Pay-Per-View weekend, but it is much needed to show off how much talent NXT has. With the Superstar Shake-up taking most of NXT’s top stars, this is the perfect time for the developmental brand to start getting back to its glory days. With our usual in-depth preview coming later in the week, here is the match card as of this writing:
- Tyler Bate (c) vs. Pete Dunne – WWE United Kingdom Championship
- The Authors of Pain (c) vs. #DIY – Ladder Match (NXT Tag Team Championships)
- Asuka (c) vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross – NXT Women’s Championship
- Bobby Roode (c) vs. Hideo Itami – NXT Championship
Normally, these events have more than four matches, so another match or two could be added to the card. Roderick Strong, Aleister Black, Drew McIntyre, SAnitY, and a ton of other talent could benefit from a spot here so it would be surprising if something doesn’t change.
Backlash
For the first time since WrestleMania, SmackDown Live Superstars get to be showcased on Pay-Per-View (excluding two Payback matches). The card is full of underutilized talent getting opportunities they normally wouldn’t, from Jinder Mahal to Breezango to the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura. All titles except the Women’s Championship are being defended, and the following card looks like it is going to be a great show:
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler
- Charlotte, Naomi, & Becky Lynch vs. The Welcoming Committee (Natalya, Carmella, & Tamina)
- Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles – WWE United States Championship
- The Usos (c) vs. Breezango – SmackDown Tag Team Championships
- Randy Orton (c) vs. Jinder Mahal – WWE Championship
