As a part of WWE’s annual European tour that’s traditionally held around WrestleMania season, the Superstars of Friday Night SmackDown ventured out into Barcelona, Spain for this week’s edition of the show.
Following a video package featuring Jade Cargill’s Elimination Chamber return and Naomi‘s subsequent reveal during last week’s episode that she was the woman who attacked her in November, Cathy Kelley conducted a pre-taped interview with Cargill before fans entered the Olimpic Arena earlier today.
Kelley asks her where she is at both physically and emotionally. Cargill says she is physically okay and ready to go. After last week’s events though, seeing Naomi cry about all her struggles and acting as if she was a victim, Cargill considers her former friend pathetic in thinking that she needed to use anyone to get to her position in WWE.
Kelley then asks Cargill how she knew of Naomi’s involvement in the attack and why she didn’t alert anyone sooner. Jade says the only thing she can recall from the attack was being hit from the back and being thrown on a car, and as “everything grew dark” (presumably fading into unconsciousness), seeing Naomi run away. Cargill had a look of disappointment on her face as she said Naomi was her “big sis”, a friend to her and Bianca Belair; they were “The Big Three”. To Cargill, Naomi did not just attack her physically – she attacked her integrity, her loyalty, and her heart, questioning how she can trust anyone after that. Seeing Bianca and Naomi become a team as if nothing ever happened was when she knew she had to take matters into her own hands. She finally says Naomi did get one thing right: she should have pushed her sooner.
Although the interview was set to continue, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez crashed the proceedings, quickly starting an argument between Cargill and Morgan as Jade felt that the interview was not the right time to discuss. Morgan says that her and Rodriguez are upset with her as they were wrongfully blamed and believed to be the perpetrators of her attack for weeks, calling Jade a “joke”. Cargill bites back by saying that if she were not attacked, her and Rodriguez would not be the current Women’s Tag Team Champions, and if she is such a “joke”, she doesn’t need a title to take on Morgan’s ass, promising to see her in a match next week. Morgan and Rodriguez walk away still in a bantering mood while Cargill exits the stands, leaving Cathy all by herself and ending the segment.
With the interview over, the show cut to a live shot of B-Fab walking backstage before her match with Charlotte Flair. Flexing her Spanish muscles, The Fab Female had this to say:
“Siempre hermosa, Barcelona!” (“Always beautiful, Barcelona!”)
“Me encanta la vibra, me encanta el ambiente, y me encanta todo el amor que tienen por el WWE.” (“I enjoy the vibe, I enjoy the environment, and I enjoy all the love that you have for the WWE.”)
Looks like Rosa Mendes and Lola Vice have some competition there! Anyways, as for Charlotte Flair, she hopes The Queen hasn’t slept on her, because she knows Flair has accomplished a lot in WWE, but she’s also here to build her own legacy, and if her legacy has to start with Flair, that is perfect for her because in her words, “that’s just how it B.”
The match began with the two locking up, although B-Fab wasn’t phased by Charlotte’s attitude one bit. Flair hit three chops onto the chest of B-Fab, who would retaliate with a kick, a clothesline, and a side slam, sending The Queen out to ringside. Flair tried to avoid B-Fab as she got into the ring to get her lick back, or as I should say, her “kick back”, as she unleashed several kicks onto B-Fab’s back before grabbing her in a headlock. B-Fab would fight off the headlock but couldn’t take control of the match as Flair played to the crowd. B-Fab would start gaining momentum for a minute, and got a near fall in the process, but would get hit with a superkick and then Natural Selection.
Once she was put in the Figure Eight, it was tap-out time for B-Fab, but Flair wouldn’t let go, leading to Tiffany Stratton running out to the ring and breaking out into a big scuffle with her WrestleMania opponent. A large swarm of officials separated the two, but failed to contain them, with Charlotte jumping off the commentary desk and Tiffany jumping off the top turnbuckle as hands continued to fly.
Although it had been believed that things had been settled, by the time The Miz had started Miz TV, the two continued fighting at the entranceway and into the barricade. Stratton ended up climbing the top of the stage and hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever onto Flair and the officials, who were still trying to stop them.
Cathy Kelley was now in the backstage area with the “Secret Hervice” tandem of Piper Niven and Alba Fyre alongside the Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green. After mentioning Alba’s interference playing a part in Green’s successful title defense against Michin last week, Green says that as the first-ever, longest reigning, “most dangerous” Women’s United States Champion, she has been dealing with injustices such as being thrown into matches by “Nicholas” (Nick Aldis) and putting her body in harm’s way against people like Michin, so she did what any great leader would do when she had her back against the wall by bringing her secret weapon in Alba Fyre, and now, the Green administration is in full force.
The trio’s interview is interrupted by Zelina Vega, who thinks becoming the next Women’s United States Champion would sound a lot better than the Green administration. Piper Niven tells the “habanero” that if she wants to get to Chelsea, she’ll have to go through her. Vega says that is fine and challenges Niven to a match next week, and after that, the Women’s United States Championship will be all hers.
Here’s what is set to take place next week on Friday Night SmackDown, set to air from Bologna, Italy inside the Unipol Arena:
- Jade Cargill vs. Liv Morgan
- Zelina Vega vs. Piper Niven
Make sure to share your thoughts on this week’s edition of SmackDown in the comments below!
