WWE SmackDown Live recap: The New Day are full strength

Shane McMahon continues to antagonize The Miz, The New Day are back at full strength and more from WWE SmackDown Live for June 11.

This week’s edition of WWE SmackDown Live opened with another edition of MizTV, this one foisted upon him by his longstanding rival, Shane McMahon (he also reveals a pretty sweet shirt featuring his father, George, putting his dukes up at WrestleMania 35). Yes, McMahon and Drew McIntyre, with Elias, are The Miz’s guests, giving us more of that sweet, sweet McMahon content that no one asked for.

Also a reminder: McMahon has no business wrestling on pay-per-views, beating The Miz or Roman Reigns, but yet, here we are. Anyway.

Elias noodles around on his electric guitar, but most importantly is wearing probably the most epic sleazy 1970s rock god robe he’s donned thus far. Sartorial choices — Elias’ robe, Miz’s t-shirt — are easily the highlights of this unnecessary segment.

The crowd in Sacramento isn’t about this at all, “What”-ing McIntyre, another example of how he’s too good for this storyline and how unfortunate it is that so many of WWE’s biggest Superstars are wrapped in McMahon’s orbit.

Anyhow, The Miz and McMahon trade insults leading McMahon setting up a match with The Miz — but only if Miz can first defeat Elias and then McIntyre.

Match No. 1: The Miz vs. Elias

After 15 minutes of blah-blah-blah and a commercial break, The Miz’s first test of the night gets underway against Elias.

Despite Elias having most of the control in the brief match, The Miz evades a big elbow drop, hits the Skull Crushing Finale and defeats Elias.

Match No. 2: The Miz vs. Drew McIntyre

The Miz then faces Drew McIntyre, with most of the match taking place picture-in-picture style during another commercial break. McIntyre, like Elias before him, held the advantage for the majority of the match.

The Miz dug deep, fueled by the chance to take on McMahon. But McMahon distracted The Miz, leading to a headbutt and then Claymore Kick from McIntyre. McIntyre wins, so The Miz won’t be getting a match with McMahon tonight.

Except …

Match No. 3: The Miz vs. Shane McMahon

With The Miz taken out by McIntyre, McMahon decides to have the match after all. The Miz fought back, doing a bit of pummeling, until McMahon locked in his … uh, triangle choke … and won via submission.

Same, Ember Moon. Same.

Match No. 4: The Planet’s Champions present Heavy Machinery vs. YOLO County

https://twitter.com/WWEgames/status/1138608419567357954

Prior to the match, Daniel Bryan gets on the microphone to alert us that we’re in for “a treat” tonight, as he and his partner, Rowan, will be putting the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line against the “YOLO County Champions,” some local talent, in a title unification match.

Before that exhibition can get underway, Heavy Machinery comes out and claims Bryan and Rowan are “elitist cowards” who won’t give them their due title shot. Otis, as usual, humps the air a lot.

Bryan notes that Heavy Machinery hasn’t actually done anything to earn said shot, and offers them the YOLO County Champions. Heavy Machinery accept. Otis hits his Caterpillar elbow drop, the two hit the Compactor and Heavy Machinery win and ostensibly have a pair of cardboard championship belts to show for it.

24/7 Championship

R-Truth laments the experiences he’s had as 24/7 Champion, such as making friends and immediately losing them and having to navigate a constantly traumatic existence as a hunted, paranoid champion.

Carmella, who has a match, locks Truth in an equipment box. Jinder Mahal stumbles upon a panicked, locked in Truth and, posing as Carmella, says he will get a crowbar to free him.

Before that can happen, the road case containing Truth is shipped to Los Angeles. Carmella just misses him, while Mahal arranges for travel to southern California.

Match No. 5: Carmella vs. Sonya Deville (with Mandy Rose)

Yes, Carmella had to bail on Truth to have a match with Sonya Deville, with Mandy Rose joining Deville outside of the ring. Carmella dives and takes out both Deville and Rose, but Deville’s Shining Wizard ultimately results in her defeating Carmella.

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross have a chat

Raw Superstars Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross have a locker room chat and Bliss is blaming Cross costing her her match on Monday and said that the social media backlash against Bliss (and mostly Cross) has been ugly. Bliss encourages Cross to use those social media taunts as fuel against Bayley later in the night because Bliss is challenging for Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s Championship at Stomping Grounds. Bliss, as we know, is a terrible friend.

The New Day is three men strong again!

Big E re-returned from his knee injury (which was “re-aggravated” by Kevin Owens last month) and joined his New Day Brothers Xavier Woods and WWE Champion Kofi Kingston in the ring to address the crowd ahead of their six-man tag match.

The New Day run down their opponents for the night, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Dolph Ziggler, noting that all three have beaten Owens/Zayn/Ziggler one-on-one. Kingston maintained confidence that in the steel cage at Stomping Grounds he will again best Ziggler and retain the title.

This, unsurprisingly, draws out Ziggler, who continues to cut variations of the same promo week after week. Ziggler has been taking a lot of acting lessons, it appears. He certainly seems excited about it.

The chit-chat leads to Owens and Zayn coming out to make points of their own, including the injustice of Kingston’s ongoing title reign, how baffled they are that the fans aren’t on their side, and that the fans don’t care about justice and lack an ethical code. The six men will meet in the ring, officially, later in the night.

Match No. 6: Bayley vs. Nikki Cross (with Alexa Bliss)

Nikki Cross comes to the ring to Alexa Bliss’ entrance music … oooookaaaay … and does get some early momentum against Bayley, including trapping the champion in the ring apron and pummeling her with fists. She maintains the control during the picture-in-picture commercial break.

However, Bayley eventually gets the win with her elbow drop, staring down Bliss the whole time. Bliss is displeased, particularly with Cross. Bliss, though, still needs Cross and won’t physically be punishing her until after Stomping Grounds. It’s inevitable that Bliss will be making an enemy out of Cross in due time.

So, is he stuck there, or what?

Another week, another Aleister Black promo from inside a dark closet. Black has started to beg for a fight, for any opponent to challenge him, and that continued on SmackDown this week. Black asked for the door to the room he’s in to be opened and, well, you can see for yourself:

Black should, yanno, probably just leave the closet and go out where the rest of the wrestlers are and try to find someone to wrestle that way. This sit-in-front-of-a-camera-wearing-a-tie approach isn’t getting him anywhere.

Also, this:

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1138621702403837952

Chad Gable showed up on 205 Live following SmackDown.

Match No. 7: The New Day vs. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Dolph Ziggler

Finally, we reach the main event, the aforementioned six-man tag between The New Day and Owens/Zayn/Ziggler. It was a solid enough match featuring competitors and partners who all know each other well and thus can work well together.

After both factions traded momentum (and employed various double- and triple-team tactics) Ziggler accidentally hit Zayn, the legal man, with a superkick. That led to Kingston hitting Trouble in Paradise first on Ziggler, to get him out of the way, and then on Zayn, for the pin. The New Day are victorious over their heel antagonists.

And that wraps up a mildly-eventful episode of SmackDown Live, unfortunately soured from the start by forcing Shane McMahon on us for the first 30 minutes of the show. The return of Big E should make the show — and inevitably, Raw given the “wild card” situation — a good measure more entertaining.

But who will finally challenge Aleister Black? Is R-Truth going to suffocate in the road case? Let us know your thoughts on the show in the comments below.