 Naomi Confronted Bianca BelairBelair has been out injured since WrestleMania 41, but I like how her return was saved for her hometown of Knoxville. Even though she didn't get physical, it was established that she'll be involved in the drama with Naomi and Jade Cargill again when she returns, which is the most logical direction for her considering she has unfinished business with both women. Speaking of which, Cargill prevented Naomi from going after Belair here, and I thought Belair and Naomi had a solid verbal exchange prior to that. Naomi def. Nia Jax and Jade Cargill in a Triple Threat Match to Qualify for the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder MatchThis was easily the most star-studded, unpredictable Money in the Bank qualifier we've had yet. Usually, there's at least one person you know for a fact is eating the pinfall loss, so it was refreshing that wasn't the case here. This was an entertaining Triple Threat where the crowd started out quiet but got into the action as it progressed. I'm stoked Naomi qualified because she was already my pick to win the briefcase if she was in the match. JC Mateo def. R-TruthI dig the new theme for Mateo. Sure, it's a def Rebel special, but it's better than him just coming out to Solo Sikoa's entrance music. Truth scored some offense, but otherwise, this was basically a squash for Mateo, which is exactly what it should have been. Jimmy Uso made the save for Truth afterward. Not only has Uso has been interacting with Truth in backstage segments for the last month, Sikoa's also been trying to get Uso to reunite with him, so all of this played out logically. The Wyatt Sicks Attacked WWE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits, Fraxiom, The Motor City Machine Guns and #DIYSmackDown's tag team division has been cooking for a while now, but the biggest issue with the division is that they haven't been afforded a ton of promo time in the ring. I feel like that's what these teams need to get over more. The mic work here was nothing special, but at least it effectively recapped the tandems in the tag title mix at the moment with The Wyatt Sicks getting the loudest reaction by far. Los Garza def. Je'Von Evans and Rey FenixEvans making his main roster debut was cool. For those unfamiliar, he's a hell of an athlete and a special talent from NXT. He and Fenix will be involved in the Fatal 4-Way for NXT North American Championship at Worlds Collide, so this was supposed to serve as a preview of that and it was fun. Los Garza was overdue for a victory, especially ahead of their six-man tag team match at Worlds Collide that I expect them to lose. NXT North American Champion Ethan Page sitting in on commentary and costing Evans the win Women's United States Champion Zelina Vega def. Alba Fyre (Non-Title)Fyre was fantastic in NXT UK (where she held the NXT UK Women's Championship for almost two years), but it's been a long time since she's been able to showcase her skills on her own. I appreciated getting to see her in singles competition for a change and that it was a competitive contest, but it's tough to take her seriously while she's wearing the stupid suit attire, even though this was a well-worked match. I thought Vega would be done with Chelsea Green and her cronies after the latest Saturday Night's Main Event, but apparently not. She's officially beaten her, Piper Niven and now Fyre individually. Can we please move on? Damian Priest Addressed Drew McIntyrePriest showing respect to McIntyre (who will reportedly be off television for a bit) was a nice touch. It makes perfect sense for him to target Fatu since he wasn't pinned in that United States Championship Fatal 4-Way at Backlash, as well as planting the seeds for Fatu breaking away from Sikoa. This was a good, straightforward promo from Priest that made it clear what's next for him. Andrade def. Carmelo Hayes and United States Champion Jacob Fatu in a Triple Threat Match to Qualify for the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Non-Title)We know just how strong Hayes and Andrade's chemistry is, so it was wonderful to get them back in the ring together. Fatu is awesome in his own right, so this was nothing short of an enjoyable affair. It's a shame the crowd wasn't hotter for this, but it could have been an issue with it being so late in the show and that they knew it wouldn't end until Sikoa and Mateo factored into the finish somehow. Sure enough, Uso attacking Sikoa and Mateo at ringside distracted Sikoa, allowing Andrade to pick up the win. I fully expected Andrade to take the loss here, so the fact he actually qualified was a pleasant surprise. World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes Attacked Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena and Logan PaulThis was fairly standard hype for the tag team match at Money in the Bank, but it worked and getting Uso and Paul out there with Rhodes and Cena (who were advertised in advance) was smart. Cena's mic work wasn't as cringeworthy as it has been as a heel and Paul generated great heat. It's worth noting that Cena and Paul teased tension right before they went after the babyfaces, so I'm getting the sense that Cena will be back to being a babyface before long and Paul will be his first feud at that point. Overall ShowI hate to inform those who weren't aware, but it's been reported SmackDown is sticking with the three-hour format for the foreseeable future despite there being a belief it'd be back to two hours by early June. Thankfully, this was a thumbs-up episode, but the show won't always have Money in the Bank qualifiers and this much star power to fall back on. Everything served a purpose ahead of Worlds Collide and Money in the Bank and most of the matches were given an ample amount of time, so the three-hour format has its benefits when the creative effort is there.
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