{"id":119699,"date":"2021-05-21T11:17:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T16:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=119699"},"modified":"2021-05-21T11:17:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T16:17:55","slug":"wwe-friday-night-smackdown-primer-5-21-continued-wrestlemania-backlash-fallout-ic-championship-fatal-four-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2021\/05\/21\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-primer-5-21-continued-wrestlemania-backlash-fallout-ic-championship-fatal-four-way\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER 5\/21: Continued WrestleMania Backlash Fallout, IC Championship Fatal Four-Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2475979019\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER<br \/>\nMAY 21, 2021<br \/>\nTAMPA, FL. IN THE THUNDERDOME AT THE YUENGLING CENTER<br \/>\nAIRS ON FOX NETWORK, 8:00 p.m. EDT<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Michael Cole and Pat McAfee<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Match Results and Key Segments from Last Week<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Natalya &amp; Tamina defeated Nia Jax &amp; Shayna Baszler to win the Women\u2019s Tag Team Championship.<\/li>\n<li>Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews presented Commander Azeez a Nigerian Medal of Honor. He was interrupted by former champion Sami Zayn followed by Kevin Owens and then Big E.<\/li>\n<li>Rey Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rey &amp; Domink confident heading into WrestleMania Backlash: SmackDown Exclusive, May 14, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LHlpXLLmPI0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion Bianca Belair and Bayley hyped their match at WrestleMania Backlash. Bianca said, \u201cwhen you shine like I shine, you get a whole lot of hate.\u201d Bayley laughed and cackled.<\/li>\n<li>King Corbin defeated Shinsuke Nakamura. Shinsuke later took Corbin\u2019s crown and wore it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shinsuke Nakamura is a mood with King Corbin\u2019s crown: SmackDown Exclusive, May 14, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OMUbN3vhFtM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Another Aleister Black vignette aired.<\/li>\n<li>Cesaro defeated Jimmy Uso via DQ when Roman Reigns attacked Jimmy at ringside. Jimmy, his brother Jey, Roman, and Cesaro were weaved throughout the show starting with the opening promo where they set up the match between Jimmy and Cesaro and multiple backstage segments and interviews.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cesaro ready for a championship moment years in the making: SmackDown Exclusive, May 14, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iQZQmhnI2g0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>WrestleMania Backlash Results Pertinent to Smackdown<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Rey &amp; Dominik Mysterio defeated Robert Roode &amp; Dolph Ziggler to win the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. They become the first father-son combination to win a WWE tag team title. Dominik was injured by Roode &amp; Ziggler prior to the match. Rey went it alone to start, but Dominik made his way out as the match progressed to join his father.<\/li>\n<li>Bianca Belair defeated Bayley to retain the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bianca Belair happy to silence a hater: WWE Network Exclusive, May 16, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8rHnVkFwN7s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Roman Reigns defeated Cesaro to retain the Universal Championship. After the match Jey Uso attacked Cesaro, followed by Seth Rollins, whom Cesaro defeated to earn the right to face Roman for the championship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul Heyman never doubts Roman Reigns: WWE Network Exclusive, May 16, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zbyjx-0U5nE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Live Shows<\/h4>\n<p>WWE announced a return to live touring with fans starting this July. The first event will be Smackdown in the Toyota Center in Houston, TX on July 16. Two other shows were announced including Money in the Bank on July 18 in Forth Worth, TX and Raw the next night in the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX. This was announced on their website and on Twitter:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WWE Live Events are back! A 25-city tour, including <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWERaw?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WWERaw<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SmackDown<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MITB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MITB<\/a> kicks off on July 16. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/52qKC9iRcV\">https:\/\/t.co\/52qKC9iRcV<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4EAriULXqC\">pic.twitter.com\/4EAriULXqC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1395719858122338304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 21, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>They announced a \u201c25-city tour\u201d through Labor Day, with further details coming.<\/p>\n<h4>Items Advertised by WWE<\/h4>\n<p>We move past WrestleMania Backlash and head towards Hell in a Cell, which was announced by WWE as taking place on June 20 (Father\u2019s Day). We\u2019ll continue with the fallout as we did on Raw, especially as it relates to what\u2019s next for the current champions including the new Smackdown Tag Team Champions (the Mysterios). Last week we learned about a fatal four-way for the Intercontinental Championship. WWE has not advertised any other matches or segments for tonight\u2019s show.<\/p>\n<h4>Intercontinental Championship Fatal Four-Way: Apollo Crews (champ) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Big E<\/h4>\n<p>After last week\u2019s segment where Commander Azeez was being presented with a Nigerian Medal of Honor, Apollo Crews will now have to defend his Intercontinental Championship against three former champions. Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Big E will vie for the title Apollo won at WrestleMania from Big E in a Nigerian Drum Fight.<\/p>\n<p>Sami held the championship late last year after defeating Jeff Hardy and A.J. Styles in a ladder match. Kevin Owens held the title multiple times back in 2015-\u201916. He once defeated Ryback for the title and won it again in a fatal five-way involving, believe it or not, Cody Rhodes (as Stardust). Big E held the title in late 2013-\u201914 and defeated Sami Zayn in a Lumberjack match that aired on the Christmas Day edition of Smackdown. Here\u2019s some Twitter talk:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I may not be the people\u2019s champion, but I will always be champion of the people. <\/p>\n<p>This Friday, I win back my Intercontinental Championship and regain my status as a champion and a representative for the people on every continent. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TePzZlFeMx\">pic.twitter.com\/TePzZlFeMx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamiZayn\/status\/1395391385990275075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 20, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In the slightly altered words of the late, great Paul Mooney, \u201cEverybody wanna be [Big E] but nobody wanna be [Big E].\u201d See you tomorrow, Apollo &amp; friends. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Smackdown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Smackdown<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/y01mMxrwqj\">pic.twitter.com\/y01mMxrwqj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ettore \u201cBig E\u201d Ewen (@WWEBigE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEBigE\/status\/1395407797454508033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 20, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: I don\u2019t see Apollo giving up the title just yet, although you never know when it comes to the Intercontinental title. It\u2019ll be interesting to see the interaction of the characters considering babyface Big E gave babyface Kevin Owens a Big Ending last week. In addition, Sami Zayn claiming the title is his to heel Apollo has also been interesting to watch. There was a time I couldn\u2019t imagine Sami being a heel and now, it\u2019s hard to imagine him being a babyface. All that said, I\u2019m interested to see how things move forward as I feel like there\u2019s a reason that they\u2019re doing this fatal four-way.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankPeteani. Thank you for reading!<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1668140987\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-769440687\"><div id=\"pwtor-2995980567\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER MAY 21, 2021 TAMPA, FL. IN THE THUNDERDOME AT THE YUENGLING CENTER AIRS ON FOX NETWORK, 8:00 p.m. EDT BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTOR Announcers: Michael Cole and Pat <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2021\/05\/21\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-primer-5-21-continued-wrestlemania-backlash-fallout-ic-championship-fatal-four-way\/\" title=\"WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER 5\/21: Continued WrestleMania Backlash Fallout, IC Championship Fatal Four-Way\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":19507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,52,4403,27,5893,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-smackdown-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/CrewsApollo_3x2Lunn.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119699"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119701,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119699\/revisions\/119701"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}