WWE SmackDown 17th of May 2024

Queen of the Ring Quarterfinals Match: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair vs. Tiffany Stratton
Belair forces Stratton into the corner. Belair gives Stratton a clean break. The crowd cheers as Belair flexes in Stratton’s face. Stratton slaps Belair and yanks her down by her hair. Stratton mocks Belair. Belair kips up and slaps the dye out of Stratton’s head. Belair runs over Stratton. Stratton kicks Belair as she tries to take over with a headstand. Stratton hits the ropes and gets blasted with a gut buster by Belair. Belair starts favoring her previously injured knee.
Corner 10 punches by Belair. Stratton tries to pull Belair by her hair. Belair pulls Stratton into the turnbuckle. Stratton rolls out of the ring. Belair tries to follow, but Stratton pulls Belair’s braid, causing Belair’s knee to get caught in the ropes. As Belair writhes in pain, Stratton sends her into the steel ring steps, knee first. After the break, Stratton continues her assault on Belair’s knee. Belair fires up and lands a suplex for a near fall.
Stratton tries her basement stomp, but Belair counters into a roll up. Stratton kicks out. Belair picks up Sratton for the KOD. Stratton lands on her feet, takes Belair down, and lands her double stomp. Only a two count. Stratton tries a handspring attack in the corner. Belair reverses it into a German suplex that turns Belair inside out. Stratton kicks out. Stratton pokes Belair in the eyes while the referee is distracted. Basement Lariat by Stratton. Stratton goes up for her moonsault. Belair crotches Stratton on the top rope. KOD by Belair. Belair pins Stratton.
Winner- Bianca Belair
After the match, Belair says she is going to win the Queen of the Ring.

Backstage, Jade Cargill says she’s heard all about Nia Jax… but to Cargill, Jax is just in her way. Belair walks in, and they chop it up. Cargill asks Belair if her knee is ok. Belair says it will be fine by next week when she faces Cargill. Cargill smiles and says they should take this one match at a time.

Backstage, Logan Paul tries to walk into GM Nick Aldis’ office, but LA Knight walks out first. Knight and Paul go nose-to-nose.

King of the Ring Quarterfinals: Tama Tonga w/The Bloodline vs. LA Knight
Tonga charges at Knight as the bell rings. Knight lights up Tonga with jabs. Tonga puts Knight in a sleeper. Knight escapes. Knight telegraphs a backbody drop, allowing Tonga to boot Knight in the face. Lariat by Tonga. Tonga misses a splash in the corner. Knight launches Tonga in the air with a blackbody drop. Knight stomps Tonga out in the corner. Running knee by Knight. Solo Sikoa and Tonga Loa both hop up on the apron.
Tonga crushes Knight in the corner as he’s distracted by the rest of The Bloodline. Tonga almost decapitates Knight with a diving lariat off the apron. After the break, the crowd chants that they want Roman as Tonga works over Knight. Knight fires up and calls for the BFT. Loa pulls Tonga out of the ring. Knight dropkicks Loa into the announce desk. Sikoa gets in Knight’s face. Knight begs Sikoa to hit him. As Knight gets back in the ring, Tonga drops him with the Complete Shot. Tonga pins Knight.
Winner- Tama Tonga

Backstage, Carmelo Hayes runs into LA Knight. Hayes mocks Knight for not getting the job done. Knight pushes Hayes. Referees and officials break up the scuffle.

SmackDown GM Nick Aldis is in the ring. Aldis introduces the first half of the King and Queen of the Ring main event, United States Champion Logan Paul. Paul comes to the ring with an entourage and a lawyer. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is out next. Rhodes puts over the Jacksonville crowd. Rhodes tells a story about WarGames 1992, which happened in this arena over 30 years ago. Paul has no idea what Rhodes is talking about. Rhodes says the reason Paul doesn’t know about this is because Paul isn’t a fan; he’s a tourist.
And that’s why Rhodes is going to beat Paul and become a double champion for the first time. Paul says Rhodes is saying what every other challenger he’s had has said. He’s here to sign a contract, not waste time. Paul rips up the contract. The original one isn’t what Paul agreed to. Paul has his own contract that states he never agreed to put his title on the line. Paul yells at Aldis to get this done.
Aldis bows up and tells Paul this isn’t what they agreed to, and he’s not going to stand for any more of Paul’s crap. Paul’s lawyer steps up to Aldis and asks if he is threatening his client. Rhodes asks Aldis to step away. He’ll handle the paperwork. Aldis leaves. Paul screams about Rhodes not having done enough to get a shot at the United States Championship. Paul mentions that on the same weekend, his brother is going to beat Mike Tyson, and he’s going to win the WWE Championship. Rhodes gets pissed and calls Paul a human hat rack.
The honeymoon with Paul is over. At the PLE, we are going to find out who Paul really is. Rhodes notes that in a week, a WWE Hall of Famer is going to knock out Paul’s brother, and Paul is going to get beaten by a future Hall of Famer. Rhodes signs the contract. Paul takes a shot at Rhodes. Rhodes ducks and sends Paul over the top rope. One of Paul’s lackeys attacks Rhodes. Rhodes powerbomb broccoli head guy through a table.

Backstage, Nia Jax says Jade Cargill is everything she says she is… but she will not be the Queen of the Ring. Nia Jax is going to be the Queen of the Ring.

Queen of the Ring Quarterfinals Match: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax
Jax and Cargill go nose-to-nose. Jax decks Cargill. Cargill lands a spinebuster. Jax rolls out of the ring. Cargill follows. Jax tosses Cargill. Cargill’s daughter is in the crowd, yelling at Jax to leave her mother alone. Cargill crawls toward her daughter. Jax yanks Cargill away and screams in Cargill’s daughter’s face that her mother sucks. Cargill attacks Jax. Both women fight outside the ring. Jax sends Cargill over the barricade. Jax grabs a chair. Cargill blocks a chair shot, yanks the chair away, and hits Jax with it, causing a disqualification.
Winner- Nia Jax
After the match, Jax and Cargill keep fighting. Referees eventually separate both women.

#DIY vs. Legado del Fantasma
Ciampa looks despondent on the way to the ring. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory are at the announce desk for commentary. Escobar and Lopez try to get involved. The referee kicks them out from ringside. Gargano and Ciampa Meet in the Middle on Garza for the win.
Winners- #DIY

Backstage, AJ Styles says he’s going to go speak to Nick Aldis about his future.

After the break, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven neg Bayley into her challenge Green to a match next week.

King of the Ring Quarterfinals: Carmelo Hayes vs. Randy Orton
Hayes and Orton circle each other. Hayes kicks Orton in the knee. Orton goes down. Hayes slaps Orton on the back of the head. Hayes jaws with the crowd as Orton looks like he’s about to choke a you know what. Orton tosses Hayes into the ring post repeatedly. Orton lights Hayes up in the corner. Hayes falls out of the ring. Orton tries to suplex Hayes on the table, but Hayes pokes Orton in the eye. Hayes stands on the table and hotdogs.
Orton trips Hayes on the desk. Orton suplex Hayes on the desk. Before Hayes can breathe, Orton does it again. Hayes manages to get to his feet. Orton suplexes Hayes on the desk for a third time. After the break, Hayes is working over Orton’s previously injured knee. Orton fires up and lands a flurry of clotheslines. Orton sends Hayes into the ropes for a snap powerslam, but Hayes hooks the rope.
Hayes stalks Orton and tries the Orton Punt Kick. Orton avoids it and hits his snap powerslam. Hayes kicks out. Orton sets up the hangman’s DDT. Hayes reverses it into the First 48. Orton kicks out. Hayes lays in a series of punches to Orton’s knee. Hayes misses Nothing but Net but lands on his feet. Orton hits the hangman’s DDT. Orton calls for the RKO. After a series of reversals, Hayes tries a springboard and eats an RKO. Orton pins Hayes.
Winner- Randy Orton