WWE SmackDown May 5, 2023 Live Results, Updates, Highlights
Welcome to the live results blog for WWE SmackDown May 5, 2023 episode which was the go-home episode for Backlash 2023 event.
2 matches were announced for the show. Shinsuke Nakamura had one final match before going to RAW as he took on Karrion Kross in a singles match. The second match was Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows of The OC taking on The Viking Raiders in a tag team match.
Bad Bunny was set to appear on the show before his San Juan Street Fight against Damian Priest at Backlash. Cody Rhodes was also announced to appear before his fight against Brock Lesnar. SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley and more build-up for Backlash continued. RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair also appeared on the show.
Tune in below as we post results from WWE SmackDown May 5, 2023 episode with live updates, highlights and complete action.
RESULTS
- The OC(Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) defeated The Viking Raiders(Erik & Ivar) in a tag team match via pinfall.
- The Street Profits(Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated Imperium(Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) in a tag team match via pinfall.
- Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Karrion Kross in a singles match via pinfall.
- LWO(Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega) defeated Judgment Day(Rhea Ripley & Dominik Mysterio) in a tag team match via pinfall.
LIVE UPDATES
LWO in Puerto Rico
Rey Mysterio and LWO open the show. Rey starts the promo in Spanish and he continues for a while. He talks about LWO, Bad Bunny on Backlash, Zelina Vega challenging for SmackDown Women’s Championship. They get intrupted by Judgment Day. No Damian Priest with them. Dominik snatches a “LWO” shirt from a fan in the front row and tears it. They get into the ring and stand face-to-face with LWO amid heavy boos from the crowd.
The boos get heavier when Dominik tries to speak. LWO chants start now. Dominik says Rey is going to be the same deadbeat dad as he always was. More talks in Spanish and the crowd is hyped. Rey challenges Dominik for a WrestleMania rematch for tonight. Rhea gets in front of Dominik to protect him and counters with a challenge to fight her. Zelina has a face-off with Rhea. Dominik proposes a mixed-tag team match. Rey and Zelina accept the challenge. Dominik hits Rey with the mic before leaving.
The OC(Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs The Viking Raiders(Erik & Ivar)
AJ Styles is on commentary and says this is the house that he built. Ivar and Anderson start the match. Ivar takes Karl to the corner and unloads. Erik tags in for more shots before Karl fights back with his shots. Karl with some big chops before a low dropkick. Ivar and Gallows tag in now. Ivar sends Gallows to the corner and hits back elbows.
Gallows hits back with big uppercut. Anderson tags in and turns a big boot from Gallows into a Russian Leg Sweep on Ivar. Valhalla runs a distraction as Anderson goes to the top. Ivar pushes him to the mat. Mia Yim argues with Valhalla on the floor as we cut to a break.
Gallows gets a hot tag and runs over Erik multiple times with tackles and clotheslines. Erik decks him and tags in Ivar. Gallows hits a powerbomb on Ivar for a near fall. Erik tags in now and gets into a right hand from Gallows. Erik hits a one-handed powerbomb now. Ivar goes to the top and hits a splash. Anderson breaks the pin. Anderson hits a kick on Erik in the corner.
Ivar hits him with a seated senton on Anderson. Gallows hits an uppercut on Ivar. Valhalla distracts Gallows but Mia Yim drops her with a dropkick. Ivar goes for a powerbomb but Gallows counter. Anderson tags in and Good Brothers hit Magic Killer to get the pinfall.
Winners – The OC(Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows)
Bianca and Damage CTRL!
RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair is out to the ring now. She says the blue brand holds a special place in her heart since she made history when she won that title. She says she has defended RAW Women’s Champion against the best of the best all around the world, and has proved that she is gonna show up and show down. Bianca says she would tie the record for the longest women’s title reign when she defends the title successfully.
Damage CTRL interrupt her with their entrance. Bayley says Bianca holds a special place in Bianca’s heart because Bayley made her on this show. Bayley says Bianca’s focus should be on Iyo Sky and how she would end her title reign. She also says she and Dakota are thinking about becoming women’s tag team champions. Damage CTRL surround the ring before attacking Bianca.
Bianca fights them off for a while but Iyo hits a springboard dropkick to take over control. Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez run out and make the save. All 3 champions stand tall in the ring.
Karrion Kross says everyone is so sure when everything is in right place for them. That is until one thing changes and they start to panic. Kross asks Nakamura how much his honor is worth to him.
Solo Sikoa is backstage when The Usos come in all hyped up. They ask Solo if he is up for Backlash. When Solo does not say anything, Jey asks him if he heard them. Solo says he is ready to do his job, but they both also have to do their job. Solo leaves and Jey is miffed. Jimmy tells him that he has to say something.
The Street Profits(Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) vs Imperium(Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
A quick start from Imperium. They send both opponents to the floor. Vinci hits a crossbody on the floor. Back to the ring, Vinci is in control against Ford. Kaiser tags in and Ford blocks his boot in the corner. Kaisers hits a suplex. Ford fires back with chops. He hits a back body drop to get Dawkins tagged in. Vinci comes in but Dawkins hits quick moves and tackles to drop him. He also runs over Kaiser. Ford tags in and hits a splash from the top rope to get the pinfall.
Winners – The Street Profits
The American Nightmare
We see a video package for Cody Rhodes vs Brock Lesnar match at Backlash. Cody makes his way out to the ring with a huge ovation from the crowd. Cody starts talking in Spanish before switching to English when he starts to talk about Brock. He calls him a cowboy, a coward… He also has another name in his mind – gatekeeper. Cody says his coach use to say that when you reach the top, you are standing in the kingdom, and Brock is standing at the gate of kingdom.
Cody says one might not need to fight Brock at all, but Brock is the one who picked up this fight. Brock is yet to explain why he attacked Cody, and he will beat it out of Brock tomorrow at Backlash. Cody says he said in the package that he is not afraid of Brock and he stands on it. Cody fires up and says he is beating Brock tomorrow.
Shinsuke Nakamura is interviewed at Gorilla Position before his entrance. He is asked if he has anything to say to Kross about his blindsided attack from last week. Nakamura says he does not have anything. He makes his grand entrance with the crowd joining in singing his theme.
Matt Riddle is backstage with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Riddle keeps talking and hyping themselves up for the match against The Bloodline tomorrow. Riddle asks if he was talking too much. Sami tells him that Riddle is ok, but they just do not have anything left to say.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Karrion Kross
Kross makes his spooky entrance with Scarlett. Kross starts with a knee strike to cut off Nakamura’s charge. He hits some punches before Nakamura counters in the corner with some kicks. Kross whips him to the corner. Nakamura comes back with a single leg dropkick. Kross moves to the floor and hits a knee on Nakamura’s midsection. Kross hits a powerbomb on Nakamura by slamming his head into the ringpost.
Kross is in control and tells Nakamura that he is not the king of strong styles but a trash. Nakamura gets up and gets into his face. Nakamura drops Kross before hitting a flurry of kicks. He ducks Kross in the corne and hits a roundhouse kick. Kross is set up on the top rope and hits with a knee. Kross hits kicks at his face. Scarlett runs a distraction. Kross takes advantage by hitting a Saito suplex. Kroos puts on the Kross Jacket but Nakamura counters and goes for the arm bar. Kross blocks the arm extension and rolls up Nakamura for a two-count.
Nakamura goes for a guillotine. Kross counters it with a suplex. Nakamura hits a German suplex. He goes for a Kinshasa but Kross hits a clothesline to stop him. Nakamura goes a knee strike but Kross hits back with a knee strike. Kross hits a saito suplex to get a near fall. Kross waits for the hammer blow but Nakamura catches him with a knee strike. Nakamura hits Kinshasa to get the pinfall.
Winner – Shinsuke Nakamura
A recap for WWE Draft 2023. We see Cameron Grimes backstage meeting WWE Official Adam Pearce when Baron Corbin interrupts them. Corbin mocks Grimes for being the last pick in Draft 2023. Grimes replies that it is better than not being picked at all. Corbin claims that he is too big of a star, and just like Brock Lesnar, neither brand could decide which wanted him more.
LWO(Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega) vs Judgment Day(Rhea Ripley & Dominik Mysterio)
Rhea and Zelina start the match. Rhea hits a kick. Zelina hits back with a punch. Rhea tries to pick her up but Zelina keeps escaping her attack with quick counters. Zelina hits a hurricanrana to send Rhea to the corner. Rey and Dominik come in. Dominik hits a kick to midsection. Rey hits back with a kick himself. Rhea hits a knee to Rey’s back. Dominik slams him to the mat. Rey counters and knocks Rhea off the apron. He hits a dropkick on Dominik. Zelina tags in and hits a hurricanrana on Dominik to set up 619. Rhea nails her with a big kick to drop Zelina. We cut to a break with Rey and Zelina regrouping on the floor.
Zelina tags in Rey. Dominik comes in and Rey hits him with punches before a sprinboard crossbody. A hurricanrana sends Dominik into the turnbuckle. Dominik avoids knee in the corner and gets Rey up on his shoulders. Dominik hits a Michinoku driver on Rey to get a two-count. Rhea hits Zelina and takes her to the floor when she tries to interfere. Rey hits a hurricanrana to set up 619 and hits it. Balor distracts Rey to stop the final splash. Rey kicks him off the apron and goes to the top. Dominik pulls Rey down and goes for three amigos suplexes. Rey counters the third suplex and gets Dominik in an inside cradle to get the pinfall.
Winner – LWO(Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega)
Finn Balor attacks Rey to start a beatdown from Judgment Day. Rhea beats up Zelina on the floor. Damian Priest also join them. Bad Bunny brings out other LWO members to counter and make the save. He has a kendo stick in his hands and stares down Damian before getting into the ring. Damian leaves the ring before they get to brawling. Judgment Day run off to the ramp. LWO stand tall in the ring. Bad Bunny puts on a “LWO” shirt to close SmackDown.
