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Paul Heyman Repays His Favor To Gunther On SmackDown

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Below are the complete results from tonight’s SmackDown before Backlash, which featured the reveal of the Paul Heyman – Gunther favor.

– WWE paid tribute to former WCW owner Ted Turner by showing an “In Memory Of” graphic.

Ted Turner In Memory Of Death Graphic WWE SmackDown

– Jacob Fatu said he’s going to take the World Heavyweight Championship from Roman Reigns tomorrow. He also told The Usos that if they interfere tomorrow at Backlash, he will burn the whole family tree down.

– Ricky Saints called Matt Cardona QB4 backstage.

– Royce Keys hyped up Jacob Fatu backstage. Solo Sikoa met Royce and said Royce was in the wrong place at the wrong time last week, and once again asked Royce to join his family.

– Women’s United States Championship Match: Tiffany Stratton (c) def. Kiana James to retain the title

During the match, Kiana had Tiffany pinned, but Giulia stood on the ring apron to distract the referee. Tiffany took out Giulia. This eventually cost Kiana the match and she wasn’t happy with Giulia.

– R-Truth tried to get Sami Zayn emotional for the funeral of The Gingerbread Man.

– Damian Priest told R-Truth to stay away when he faces Talla Tonga tonight.

– Alexa Bliss tried to ease the tension between WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair ahead of their match against Fatal Influence.

– Talla Tonga def. WWE Tag Team Champion Damian Priest

Tama Tonga returned to WWE TV during this match. R-Truth came out to help his tag team partner, but the WWE Tag Team Champions couldn’t overcome the numbers game of The MFTs, as Talla defeated Damian. After the match, The MFTs tried to gang up on the champs, but Royce Keys came out, which led to My Family Tree retreating.

– Gunther signed a contract to join SmackDown. Paul Heyman got the deal done, shook Gunther’s hand and said “as requested.” Heyman interrupted Cody Rhodes’ promo and said he owed Gunther a favor and he worked out a contract for an Undisputed WWE Championship match between Cody and Gunther at the Clash In Italy PLE on May 31. Cody questioned if Heyman is running out of options. Heyman said sooner or later, they all need The Wiseman. Gunther showed up from behind and a brawl broke out. Cody took out The Ring General and said he’s not afraid of Gunther just because he retired 3 legends. Cody ended his promo by saying his new catchphrase: he’s easy to find, but hard to beat.

– In a backstage segment, Tama Tonga said Royce Keys is a problem that needs to be dealt with because he embarrassed them out there. Solo Sikoa said Royce is not a problem, but a solution, and is a perfect fit for their family.

– Ricky Saints def. Matt Cardona

– Sami Zayn was disappointed that Rey Fenix showed up for The Gingerbread Man’s funeral.

– WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige challenged Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez to step up to them. Fatal Influence came out and said Brie & Paige have to worry about them before The Judgment Day. The Irresistible Forces (Nia Jax and Lash Legend) came out and attacked Brie and Paige. While they were leaving, Lash had a face-off with Rhea Ripley, who came out for her match.

During this segment, Nia revealed her new look. Wade Barrett said Nia looks like Beyoncé with her new hair color:

Nia Jax New Hair Color Colour Look WWE SmackDown May 8 2026

– Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid) def. WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss

Jacy pinned Alexa. Jade Cargill returned during the match and attacked Rhea. Michin and B-Fab also returned after the match to attack Charlotte and Alexa. This was Jade’s first appearance on WWE TV since her WrestleMania 42 loss.

– Royce Keys def. Tama Tonga

– Danhausen tried to create his Backlash tag team partner in a cloning machine, but faced a problem.

– Backstage, Talla Tonga told Shinsuke Nakamura to stay away from his brother, Tama Tonga.

– Trick Williams held a funeral for The Gingerbread Man and showed clips of memories of his life. Sami Zayn crashed the funeral and said main eventing SmackDown used to mean something, but now it has fallen to antics like this funeral. Sami said Trick played himself and he will embarrass Trick and take back the United States Championship tomorrow night at Backlash. Sami attacked Trick and posed with the U.S. Title. The Gingerbread Man rose up from the casket and is revealed to be Lil Yachty. Yachty attacked Sami from behind and Trick took out Sami to stand tall.

Also Read: Possible Spoiler On Danhausen’s Mystery Partner At Backlash

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