Note: The following contains spoilers for WWE NXT , airing on June 29, and WWE SmackDown , airing on June 30. A spoiler-free preview of this week’s WWE NXT is currently available.
Despite WWE’s attempts to make WWE SmackDown appear as important as Monday Night RAW , this week’s episode once again goes without an appearance by such big names as John Cena and Seth Rollins, relying primarily on the drawing power of current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Dean Ambrose. While RAW Rebound replays will certainly be shown of John Cena and The Club and current WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day, none of those superstars will be present on SmackDown this week. The Wyatt Family have no one to antagonize them, Ambrose is the only member of The Shield reporting to duty, and Sasha Banks is the only noteworthy member of the WWE Women’s Division that sees in-ring action.
What a battle it was in Monday Night #RAW ‘s main event between @AJStylesOrg and @WWE Champion @TheDeanAmbrose ! https://t.co/IAKULtxatY
— WWE (@WWE) June 29, 2016
On WWE NXT , the fans at Full Sail University were witness to build-up towards NXT TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn, and they were given clues as to who will be challenging The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Championship and Asuka for the NXT Women’s Championship in the near future. At the same time, NXT Champion Samoa Joe was in action, and American Alpha made their NXT television return just in time to deal with Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain.
WWE SmackDown Spoilers
This episode of WWE Thursday Night SmackDown was taped in Miami, Florida, on June 28.
- Fatal 4-Way Match : Cesaro defeated Alberto Del Rio, Apollo Crews and Sheamus in a United States Championship No. 1 Contenders Match. Post-match, Sheamus attacked Cesaro. The match between Rusev and Cesaro began immediately.
- United States Championship Match: Rusev (c) defeated Cesaro.
- Dana Brooke defeated Billie Kay (of NXT).
- In-ring segment: The Miz hosted MizTV with guest Dean Ambrose. A fight between the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and the WWE Intercontinental Champion would set up a non-title main event match between the two.
- Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman defeated local enhancement talent in a squash match. The New Day does not provoke The Wyatt Family like they did on Monday Night RAW .
- Sasha Banks defeated Summer Rae. Banks appears to be the next opponent for WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte.
- Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz in the main event.
Time to shake things up again! The #WWEDraft is coming July 19 on @WWE #SmackDown LIVE on @USA_Network ! https://t.co/jxf84bNh8u
— WWE (@WWE) June 28, 2016
These SmackDown spoilers have been corroborated by Bleacher Report .
RELATED REPORTS BY THE INQUISITR
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- WWE News: WWE Set to Bring Up Far More NXT Stars to the Main Roster Than Originally Anticipated
WWE NXT spoilers
The only thing confirmed by WWE.com’s preview of tonight’s NXT is that fans will probably get some clue as to who might challenge The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Championship at some point in the future ( NXT TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn , presumably). The preview mentions four teams besides the champs, including American Alpha, TM-61, the Authors of Pain, and Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa.
NOTE: WWE doesn’t always post a full list of matches for upcoming episodes of WWE NXT , and that is true for this week’s episode, as well. According to multiple sources, the following matches and segments were taped for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT at Full Sail University on June 9.
- Alexa Bliss defeated Carmella. It seems likely that Alexa Bliss will challenge for the NXT Women’s Championship in the not-too-distant future.
- Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Noah Kekoa to continue his undefeated streak at NXT.
- Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa defeated the Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley & Zack Ryder).
- In-ring segment: Post-match, Gargano and Ciampa say they deserve a NXT Tag Team Championship title shot. American Alpha come out and make the same claim. William Regal announced Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. American Alpha for next week’s WWE NXT , presumably to name the new No. 1 contenders. After the announcement, the Authors of Pain attacked Gargano and Ciampa.
- Samoa Joe defeated Oney Lorcan. A No. 1 contender for the NXT Championship has yet to be named.
The above WWE NXT spoilers have been confirmed by Ringside News .
Where To Watch
WWE Battleground 2016 will air live on the WWE Network on Sunday, July 24 at 8/7c. The WWE Battleground Kick-Off Show begins at 7/6c.
The WWE Network airs new episodes of WWE NXT on Wednesdays at 8/7c. It is available for streaming on-demand immediately. Additionally, on Thursdays, replays of WWE NXT are available to stream on-demand with a Hulu Plus subscription.
finished last week’s @WWE #SmackDown on @Hulu Plus on my @NintendoAmerica #WiiU ! #WWE https://t.co/iG10PQZ2au
— Joshuawott (@joshuawott) June 26, 2016
USA airs WWE Thursday Night SmackDown weekly at 8/7c. Episodes of WWE SmackDown are made available to stream on-demand through the WWE Network several weeks after the episodes air on the USA Network. Replays of SmackDown are made available on-demand with a Hulu Plus subscription beginning Fridays. However, beginning July 19, WWE SmackDown will air live on Tuesday nights at 8/7c.
[Image via WWE]