A clip was shown of Jinder Mahal having a photo shoot with the WWE Championship. Shane McMahon then interrupted and said that titles were earned. Jinder vowed to become champion. Shane took the title and said he would return it to its rightful owner, Randy Orton. He announced that Jinder would be facing Sami Zayn later in the night
Chris Jericho gets more than what he asked for on his arrival to SmackDown Live
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Shane McMahon introduced Chris Jericho to SmackDown Live. Shane said that he was thrilled to have him on the blue brand. He announced that he would be defending the US Title against Kevin Owens later in the night. AJ Styles then made his way out.
AJ Styles acknowledged the patchy history with Chris Jericho. He said that he didn’t forget the past that easily, and nothing would please him more than to take the US Title from him at Backlash. Chris Jericho said that he was the new face of America.
He teased putting AJ on the list for not thinking he would retain against Kevin Owens, and as he was about to do it, Kevin Owens came out. The crowd definitely wasn’t behind Owens. He said that the trio of AJ, Shane, and Y2J talking was the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen. He vowed to take back the United States Championship from him.
He told AJ that it wasn’t about him and told him to get out of “his ring”. As he was about to take a shot at Shane, AJ ran out and started a brawl with Owens. Referees and Shane McMahon cut in between to stop the fight.
Naomi & Charlotte vs Natalya & Carmella was announced for later. Jinder Mahal was seen backstage making his way out to the ring for his match against Sami Zayn.
Before the match, it was announced that AJ Styles would be banned from ringside for the main event between Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens.
Sami Zayn vs Jinder Mahal
In the early going of the match, Sami Zayn got the better of The Maharaja. Mahal had Zayn in a rest hold after the commercial break. During the commercial break, the Singh brothers distracted Sami, which led to Mahal getting the advantage, shoving him towards the barricade. Mahal was near hitting a suplex from the second turnbuckles, but Sami fought back, dropping Jinder with a headbutt.
After missing a jump from the top turnbuckle, Jinder struck him with a vicious knee, but as he tried to rebound and take another shot, he was met with a clothesline from Zayn. Sami landed a crossbody after that.
Sunil Singh caused the distraction, and Jinder almost scored a small package on Sami. Jinder prevented a blue thunder bomb right after. Sami Zayn was about to hit the Helluva Kick, but Sunil Singh managed to save Jinder. Sami was about to hit a suicide dive outside, but Samir caught his leg. Jinder then hit a full-nelson slam for the win.
Jinder Mahal defeated Sami Zayn
Backstage, Becky Lynch ran into the stable of Natalya, Carmella, Tamina, and James Ellsworth. Natalya tried to convince Becky to join them and turn on Charlotte.
In another segment, Dolph Ziggler with 3 others watched a clip of Shinsuke Nakamura and said it was ridiculous how Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon were promoting him(all while Shane was behind him. He had a confrontation with Shane before leaving.
Tye Dillinger vs Aiden English
Aiden English had the spotlight on him in the ring and was singing until Tye Dillinger came out. Aiden struck Dillinger from behind as he was removing his shirt. It didn’t take long for Dillinger to get the advantage over English. Dillinger hit the Tye Breaker quickly and won.
Tye Dillinger defeated Aiden English
After the match, Aiden English was absolutely distraught.
Backstage, Chris Jericho was walking and was being interviewed by Renee. He came across the distraught Aiden English and put him on the list for crying on SmackDown Live. He put Renee on the list too.
Charlotte Flair was interviewed backstage. She said that the “welcoming committee” couldn’t change the fact that she was on SmackDown Live. The interview ended abruptly after the trio of women surrounded her. She tried to fight them off but was beat down. Tamina then welcomed her to the blue brand.
Naomi & Charlotte Flair vs Natalya & Carmella
It appeared that Naomi was in a handicap match because of the beat down on Charlotte. Naomi started off against Carmella and no-sold her kick before striking her. She did this twice and even dominated Natalya when she was tagged in. Nattie finally got the advantage when she slammed Naomi’s face onto the steps.
Carmella and Natalya continued to dominate Naomi. She was neutralised with a crossbody from Naomi. As both women were down, Charlotte finally came out, clearly struggling. Charlotte was tagged in and took down Carmella and began attacking Natalya in the ring. This was probably the best reaction Charlotte got in a long time. It seems like she had turned face at that point.
After the break, Carmella had control over Charlotte, but The Queen tagged in the champion, who kicked Carmella to glory hitting the rear view. The referee was distracted by Natalya, and after Naomi took her out, James Ellsworth distracted her, and Carmella rolled her up for the win.
Natalya and Carmella defeated Naomi and Charlotte Flair
The post-match saw a beatdown after Naomi struck Carmella. Becky came out and teased joining the new faction. She shook everyone’s hands and hugged them, before shoving James Ellsworth against the women. She had the advantage for a little while before the numbers game caught up to her. The “Welcoming Committee” stood tall.
Sin Cara vs Dolph Ziggler
Sin Cara had new blue gear. Ziggler got control of him with a vicious elbow. Cara landed a moonsault on Ziggler but for some reason didn’t pin him. He nearly missed a suicide dive but thankfully landed it. Back inside the ring. After some back and forth, Ziggler won with a superkick.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Sin Cara
A promo package was shown for Beezango titled “The Fashion Files”, which was essentially a parody of Law & Order. They were trashing The Usos.
Chris Jericho(c) vs Kevin Owens – United States Championship
The crowd was clearly a more pro-Jericho one. Jericho worked on Owens’ injured fingers for a bit, but Owens then began to strike down Jericho ruthlessly. Jericho took Owens down with a dropkick from the top turnbuckles followed by a series of chest slaps.
The rivals kept hitting counter after counter. Y2J had gotten the Walls Of Jericho locked in, but Owens managed to make it to the bottom rope to break the submission. Owens followed up afterwards with a superkick. Owens nearly hit a pop-up powerbomb, but Jericho countered and got the Walls Of Jericho locked in once more. Owens was very close to tapping but once more made it to the bottom ropes.
Outside the ring, Owens hit a superkick and then hit the DDT outside. Owens hit a superkick inside the ring, but Jericho kicked out. Jericho nearly scored a small package victory but was then thrown for the pop-up powerbomb and the win. Owens became a 2-time champion.
Kevin Owens defeated Chris Jericho to become the new United States Champion
After the match, medical staff were checking on Jericho, but Owens came back inside and hit one more pop-up powerbomb. He then left as Jericho was being attended to. Owens came back out and jumped Jericho. He put a steel chair around his neck and slammed him against the ring post. Jericho screamed in pain and Owens walked away as SmackDown Live came to a close.
