WWE SmackDown 5/31/2024: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s weekly review of "WWE SmackDown," the show where you can't trust people when they say they're retiring! Ever! It's happened twice now! Don't get fooled again!

Anyway, in case you can't tell, the Wrestling Inc. staff is absolutely here to talk AJ Styles' pulling a Mark Henry on Cody Rhodes, a sentence only a wrestling fan could read and understand without further context. We'll also talk Nia Jax establishing her queendom, Andrade beefing with Legado del Fantasma, and the guys with the most IWGP tag title reigns in history wrestling their first tag team match in WWE — actually, we're going to cover almost everything on this episode, though we'll stop short of being entirely comprehensive (sorry, Austin Theory vs. Tommaso Ciampa, we care about as much about the WWE tag titles right now as WWE does). Anything we don't cover here you can find on our "SmackDown" results page, but we assure you that here, there will be at least 200% more jokes.

With that in mind, it's time to dive into an offering from the blue brand that swiftly continued the task of setting up the car for Clash at the Castle in two weeks! Here are three things we hated and three things we loved from the 5/31/24 episode of "WWE SmackDown."

Some things just fit like a glove. Chocolate and strawberries. Rhythm and blues. Collars and elbows. And the Queen's crown on the contemporary version of Nia effin' Jax. This second WWE run of hers has been damn near flawless and I, without fact or first-hand confirmation, chalk that up to a whole new confidence for "The Irresistable Force." But see, that's the thing about confidence, isn't it? When it's there and it's authentic, it's palpable, even through a TV screen and thousands of miles away. It's been obvious since she came back at the 2023 Royal Rumble that her confidence has never been higher and that can only come from the reciprocity of those to whom she reports shining it right back upon her.

Following her coronation as Queen of the Ring at the titular event last weekend, Paul "Triple H" Levesque whispered certain somethings into Jax's ear which surely echoed the confidence from throughout WWE toward Jax that I referenced moments ago. Tonight, that shone through even further and in the most convincing ways possible, with fleeting utterances and the subtleties in facial expressions that are only becoming of those who believe in themselves and what they are doing wholeheartedly.

An eye roll at Michin scoffing about being interrupted. The placing of the crown upon her head. Her slow prance to the ring and just the way she is carrying herself in general. All of it is propping up the best Nia Jax we've seen to date. The megaheel persona fits her wonderfully and the Queen of the Ring crown atop her head takes that to the next level fittingly as well.

Written by Jon Jordan

Look, I'm never going to be upset that WWE put Kevin Owens and Paul Heyman in a promo segment together, so it's not like I thought that was bad, and the match between the former Guerrillas of Destiny and the Street Profits was perfectly serviceable. What I keep having an issue with is the specific way Heyman is talking about Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa.

While we've fortunately been spared further instances of Tonga gibbering like a cast member of "Gremlins," it's still very weird that Heyman (and, to a lesser extent, Corey Graves and Wade Barrett on commentary) keep referring to Tonga and Loa as "savage," as "thugs," basically as violent psychopaths who WWE had rejected in the past and even Roman Reigns had previously disqualified from Bloodline membership. Which is fine — I mean, it's racist, but it's racist in the very specific way in which WWE has always been racist, so I guess we just have to deal with it — except for the fact that, like, I've seen a Tanga Loa match. I've seen many of them. Hell, I'm old enough to remember the days when Tanga Loa was calling himself "Camacho," pretending to be Latino, and wrestling on the first-ever "NXT" Takeover against a drugged-up South African raver and his bunny entourage (shout-out to "NXT" Takeover, a decade old this past Wednesday). I know this man, WWE. You cannot tell me he is a violent psychopath that everybody needs to be desperately afraid of. I've seen too much evidence that he's actually just Tongan Marty Janetty with barely functional knees.

Also, with Heyman giving out warnings this dire, there had better be a real brutal payoff to this. If Paul Heyman is telling Kevin Owens he's trying to save him by warning him away from the New Bloodline, I'd better not see Kevin Owens just get put through an announce table or dropped on the steel stairs. Again, I've seen lots of terrible things happen to Kevin Owens, and even worse things to Kevin Steen. I love that man, but you're going to have to basically kill him for me to buy the stuff Heyman is selling right now, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure WWE (or Tanga Loa) has what it takes.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

You'd think that after spending literally the entirety of "WWE SmackDown" covering nearly everything on the new Wyatt 6 teaser site, I'd be ready to fight Uncle Howdy in a New York parking lot myself. However, as I trudged through cryptic video after cryptic video, trying to suss out anything new in the final days of the Wyatt 6's QR code era, I couldn't help but have some sort of respect for the entire thing.

Analog horror and alternate reality games exemplify this new generation of horror storytelling, and we are on the ground floor of something really cool.

As someone who's delved into various anthropological analyses of media, I can say with confidence that the medium of a story is just as important to a story's overall impact as the story itself. Wrestling is pretty cut-and-dry with its medium — sure, there are promos, video packages, and in-ring storytelling moments that are all fascinating to dissect, but not much else. Professional wrestling doesn't really delve into the experimental when it comes to storytelling, so when a storytelling opportunity that isn't a promo, video package, or in-ring moment arises, it is a big deal. When WWE, a company that is distinctly solid in their storytelling formula, takes a risk, it's an even bigger deal.

Both analog horror and alternate reality games are "new kids" on the proverbial storytelling block. Analog horror is a genre of storytelling that utilizes nostalgic elements of late-twentieth century broadcasting and analog video, and alternate reality games (ARGs) utilize the "real world" — our world — and its physical properties to offer multisensory and tangible storytelling experiences. While ARGs have been used by major movie promotions more recently, analog horror is still in its infancy. WWE has broken nearly all of the conventions of professional wrestling storytelling by going all-in on these two rather unconventional storytelling mediums, and the risk has paid off. There is something just so tangible about this story, and it just makes you want to explore more. Several Reddit threads are committed to discussing the codes and mysteries embedded in every Uncle Howdy drop, and it was so difficult to sift through all the Wyatt 6 theories on our own site in order to find dates for all of these videos. When we crack these small mysteries, and answer these small questions, we simultaneously feel the catharsis and accomplishment from our own effort, and are tempted to continue chasing that high as more questions are asked and more mysteries are unlocked. It is a positive feedback loop, where every code cracked adds onto our appreciation and desire to learn more. This form of interactive storytelling has people talking about the Wyatt 6 faction, and people are incredibly excited. This story is working.

Obviously, there is plenty to be said about the impact of the late Bray Wyatt onto this. It is very clear that even in death, his creative genius still captivates the WWE Universe, and if it weren't for his creative risk-taking, we wouldn't have this whole Uncle Howdy saga at all. I do also want to cautiously acknowledge how much production and effort has been put into this by the people in WWE creative who are helping establish Wyatt's legacy. Putting together all of these ARG elements — from shooting the cryptic videos to editing them to making entire websites that really capture the Wyatt and Uncle Howdy aesthetic — is not cheap, nor is it easy. All of it, though, is paying off in spades. There has never been anything like this in professional wrestling, not on this scale. As an aficionado for analog horror and ARGs, I'm in love with it.

There is some understandable concern for the other side of this hill. Once the Wyatt 6 debut, what comes next? This entire alternatively-told story has been so enriching in its novelty, so after the rush has worn off, how do we continue to break creative barriers and innovate stories, just as Wyatt would? I think that, if Wyatt and his creative innovation are kept at the heart of this whole faction, it will all be alright. He brought us the foundation for this entire innovation in professional wrestling storytelling, and as long as that foundation is honored, then whatever is built on top of it will be alright.

If anything, the wild success of this new form of storytelling is a sign to WWE creative to keep innovating. It is challenging the minds at such an institutional promotion such as World Wrestling Entertainment to not get too comfortable, and to keep pushing the boundaries of storytelling. That innovation alone should excite. We're on the foundation — Wyatt's foundation — of something great, and the only way we can go is up.

Written by Angeline Phu

It was a joy to see Andrade back in the ring for the first time since being drafted to "SmackDown." It was an even deeper joy to see Apollo Crews back on WWE television for the first time since March (ironically, in a loss to Andrade on "Raw"). While their match was just fine, as one would expect between two amazing technical wrestlers, my pause comes despite the prominence of a primetime spot on one of WWE's trademark shows, and even a little bit of story intertwined for both of our combatants here, as I don't yet have enough faith in Andrade's path to feel good about where he's going. Worse, though Crews will run it right back out there next week against Angel Garza, let's get serious: He's not winning that match, and from there, it's anyone's guess as to how long it takes to see the former Uhaa Nation again.

Prior to "SmackDown" kicking off tonight, Garza had already propositioned Andrade about joining Legado del Fantasma (a faction which, at least to this rambling writer, probably needs to just go ahead and dissolve at this point), to which "El Idolo" said, "Thank you but no thank you," setting up Garza's involvement as a distraction in the match later, the whole faction needling Andrade after the fact, and Crews getting all up in his feelings about it all later on. Like I said, it's great for these guys to, like, have stuff to do, but where it's going, I cannot say. Nor can you. And I hope someone can!

The smart money is on Andrade feuding with all of Legado 2.0 here until probably SummerSlam, with likely nothing to go down between one and all at Clash At the Castle and probably not at Money In the Bank either since it would make sense for Mr. Charlotte Flair to be in the ladder match itself, although I suppose his newfound adversaries could play a part as well. The most probably blowoff there? Andrade vs. Santos Escobar at SummerSlam (maybe even on a preshow), which once again, will be a great match but ... for what? As for Crews? Yikes. I love the guy and have for a long time. He's as good as it gets between the ropes. But between call-ups and accents and sorta pushes and back-to-"NXT" and here we are again ... who knows? Maybe we have a prime target to shine in what's to come of this WWE/TNA relationship. One can hope!

Written by Jon Jordan

It's a relatively rare instance that I like to see a champion lose any match even if it's a non-title bout, but having Piper Niven and Chelsea Green go over Bayley and Naomi in a tag team match in a fun, entertaining, and fast paced match was one of those cases where it was absolutely the right choices and was the call that needed to be made.

Far too often in WWE, the time isn't really taken to build up a challenger when it's needed and storylines are started right off the bat. This time it's different, as WWE are taking the time to build Niven up as a force of the women's division and make her a legitimate threat to Bayley's WWE Women's Championship. The company is clearly investing time in her, between having her and Green's win tonight, her having now successfully blindsided Bayley with attacks twice between the opening segment of this week and during last week's show, and Green being used as the mouthpiece of Niven with the latter not doing much talking as part of her character. It's a welcome and refreshing change of pace, and is a smart way to build up not only Niven, but the storyline at the same time with there only being two more weeks left before Clash At The Castle.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

AJ Styles has been hinting at wanting to make a change, and there have been undertones about a possible retirement. On "SmackDown," WWE played into it by having him make an announcement in the show's main event spot, with LA Knight, Cody Rhodes, and The Good Brothers stopping him on his way through the curtain to shake his hand. As he made his way down to the ring, his old friends Gallows and Anderson followed

Wearing a powder blue suit (distinctly opposite of a salmon suit jacket) and having a good hair day, Styles told the crowd that at his son's high school graduation party, he realized he wanted to be a "Phenomenal Father" (which the crowd booed, naturally). Styles then called the Undisputed WWE Champion down to join him. He told Rhodes that their match at Backlash was one of the "greatest I've ever had," seemingly passing the keys to "the house AJ Styles built" to the champ. Rhodes thanked him and then helped the crowd show their gratitude to Styles. And then, in a moment we all saw coming, Styles hit Rhodes with a lariat, ripped off his fake retirement coat, and beat up Rhodes.

At some point, Styles's shirt was unbuttoned and sadly didn't reveal a TNA "Cross the Line" t-shirt. While the Good Brothers held several members of security back, Styles continued his assault. The only cool thing in this segment was the Styles Clash off the steel steps.

I would have much rather Styles have a faux-WWE retirement and cross the line back into the place that made him a star, TNA. WWE and TNA have a burgeoning relationship. Knockouts champion Jordynne Grace showed up on "NXT" this week to challenge for Roxanne's title. If they're doing a talent exchange, Styles should go back to TNA for a while. He could have some new matchups and maybe hold another title while he's there. Styles is on the backside of his career, and it'd be nice to see him get on final TNA run that ends with him getting inducted into their Hall of Fame.

Written by Samantha Schipman