Belair and Cargill Stay On Top; Piper Niven Reminds Bayley of Her Journey

This week’s Friday Night SmackDown emanated from Louisville, Kentucky inside the finger lickin’ good KFC Yum! Center with some important developments brewing among the femme fatales of Friday nights as we inch closer and closer to Glasgow, Scotland, where Clash at the Castle will be taking place on Saturday, June 15th.

Originally scheduled to be a one-on-one match between Jade Cargill and Indi Hartwell, the team of Hartwell and Candice LeRae would complain to SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis about the match being unfair, so Aldis made the decision to change it into a tag team match with Bianca and Candice now involved.

With two teams already in the ring, two other teams were outside the ring in the form of two tag teams from Raw: Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler at the end of the ramp plus The Unholy Union of Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre near the commentary desk. 

Cargill won the match for her and Belair by pinning LeRae, but the two teams wouldn’t just observe the champions with envy, making statements by attacking them and laying them out into the ringside area. With Stark and Baszler attacking Cargill and Fyre and Dawn attacking Belair, the teams took each of their respective belts, but Cargill and Belair launched an assault on both teams and ensured the women’s tag team championships remained in their possession in the lead up to Clash at the Castle.

Later on, as Belair and Cargill were seen exiting Aldis’ office, it was revealed by Belair that there would be a triple threat tag team match at Clash at the Castle for the Women’s Tag Team Championship, with them facing off against The Unholy Union and Stark/Baszler.

Backstage, Tiffany Stratton quickly approached Nia Jax about forming a potential partnership. Jax didn’t seem phased by it, and Stratton left. 

Jax then turned around to face Michin, who she had insulted last week. Nia tried to once again make AJ Styles’s false retirement the main topic of discussion but Michin wouldn’t have it, pouring a drink in Nia’s face and immediately breaking out into a fight with Jax that was broken up by officials, with Michin warning her to keep AJ’s name out of her mouth.

WWE Women’s Champion Bayley made her way out to the ring to cut a promo but was interrupted by Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. Green made sure to mention that Bayley was a loser in various ways: a loser in Saudi Arabia, a loser last week, a loser tag team partner in Naomi, and a loser again, when her “sweet little P” would become Women’s Champion at Clash at the Castle. 

Bayley would take aim at Chelsea’s association with Piper, stating that Piper didn’t need her and mentioning that she respected Piper going back to her participation in the Mae Young Classic in 2017, and that she understood the feeling of fighting in front of her hometown with family and friends watching. What Bayley takes issue with though, is that Piper could have easily asked for a title shot, but instead jumped her from behind.

Piper retorts, stating that she embarrassed Bayley enough last week and will save the rest for her in eight days’ time. She appreciates knowing Bayley’s respect for her and her journey, but that’s the thing: Bayley knows nothing about Piper’s journey, which goes beyond the Mae Young Classic to 2008. Comparing her experience to Bayley’s, she didn’t get to enter the Performance Center giving hugs and high-fives, she had to make a name for herself in the wrestling scene internationally, winning multiple championships and earning the privilege of being a world champion before even stepping into WWE. She caps off the promo by stating that Bayley can respect her all she likes, but it won’t stop her from drilling her head into the mat and standing tall as the new Women’s Champion on June 15th. The promo ended there with a staredown between Piper and Bayley as the champion held her title high.

Now backstage, Chelsea and Piper were discussing post-championship victory plans when they encountered Nick Aldis speaking to Naomi. The Girl With The Glow had taken exception to Green’s comments about her, warning her to stop bringing her name up. Green continued to mock a heated Naomi. With Aldis remarking that he’s had a stressful night, a match was made between Green and Naomi for next week.

Here’s what will take place on next week’s episode of SmackDown, airing from the site of Clash at the Castle, the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland: