The Taz Show Recap – Smackdown Analysis, Carmella Wins Again, Where’s Tye Dillinger? More!

Taz opens today’s show speaking about last night’s episode of Smackdown Live.

He says that it was nice to see Carmella scale the ladder and claim the Money in the Bank briefcase on her own this time, but James Ellsworth found a way to get back into the building and got involved in the match again, even after being banned from the building by GM Daniel Bryan.

Taz thinks that Daniel Bryan and/or Shane McMahon need to do something to maintain their credibility moving forward, such as suspending Ellsworth for some amount of time. Bryan specifically ordered Ellsworth to stay out of the building and Ellsworth ignored him. Taz says that Bryan needs to show Ellsworth who’s boss.

He thought that Randy Orton cut a good, convincing promo last night and Mahal’s interruption was well done as well. He’s exciting to see the return of the Punjabi Prison match, but if he was WWE he wouldn’t have had Mahal talk nicely about The Great Khali. Taz says that Mahal should be a dirty, nasty heel who shouldn’t talk nicely about anyone.

The Taz Show Recap – Bryan Teases A Return to the Ring, Ranallo Back in WWE, Women’s MITB Rematch, More!

Blocks 1 & 2:

A listener calls into the show and asks Taz if he thinks WWE would throw us all a curve ball and have one of the Money in the Bank winners emerge on RAW to cash in their briefcase against Alexa Bliss or Brock Lesnar. Taz admits that would be a very shocking and surprising turn of events, and would make for a very memorable moment.

However, he doesn’t think cashing in on RAW (especially the day after the PPV) is a good idea. He has always been a fan of the Money in the Bank creative, and more often than not the goal is to get as much longevity out of that angle as possible each year. The briefcase holders can use that contract to boost themselves up throughout the year, and the constant threat of cashing in adds intrigue to the product throughout the year as well.

A listener calls into the show and says that he purchased the ROH PPV this past weekend, and this was the first PPV he purchased since 2014. He’s very happy he decided to spend the money on this PPV because it was a great wrestling show. Taz says that he’s a big fan of ROH, and there’s a lot of hard working people who make that company work on a daily basis.

Possible Plans for Rusev When He Returns to WWE

According to Cageside Seats, former 2-time United States Champion Rusev is scheduled to enter into the US title picture upon his return on SmackDown Live. Rusev’s wife, Lana has already made her return and had a shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Money In The Bank event.

Rusev has been out of action for some months because of an injury that required surgery. He posted a video demanding a WWE Title match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view and the said video was also aired on the post-Superstar Shakeup episode of SmackDown Live. WWE ultimately dropped the plans for Rusev to go after the WWE Championship after they finalized long-term plans for Jinder Mahal to keep the title.

What do you think about Rusev’s future? Sound off in the comments!

Bischoff on Wrestling Recap w/ Joe Koff – ROH Talk, Money in the Bank Thoughts, McGregor vs. Mayweather, More!

Bischoff mentions that he predicted months ago that Mayweather vs. McGregor was going to happen, because there was too much money to be made on both sides for it not to happen. He says that while Mayweather might be the favourite, McGregor is not your typical boxer. This might lead to Mcgregor putting Mayweather in some uncomfortable positions in the boxing ring.

Bischoff says that he can’t even compare this bout to CM Punk’s debut UFC outing against Mickey Gall. He says that McGregor has a much better chance to beat Mayweather than Punk had to beat Gall. At least McGregor is a fighter, where Cm Punk is not.

Bischoff informs that at one point he had an opportunity to purchase the UFC for $2 Million. This was ’98-’99, and the UFC brand was in the toilet. He took the call and listened, but he had no interest in the company at that time. The Fertitta brothers and Dana White would soon come into the picture and turn the UFC into a massive organization.

Speaking about the controversy surrounding the finish of the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, Bischoff thinks all the fan backlash is silly. He says that this is a storyline, and if you’re trying to make some kind of social/political statement from this, you’re going too far.

WWE Plants the Seeds for Upcoming SummerSlam Match

As seen at Sunday’s WWE Money in the Bank during the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, WWE had a spot that saw AJ Styles and Nakamura square off in a little one-on-one action near the closing moments of the match. Bryan Alvarez discussed this angle on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Live and indicated that this spot was done to setup a match between the two at a future date — presumably at this year’s SummerSlam.

As of this writing, the following matches are being rumored for the show:

Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman
John Cena vs. Jinder Mahal
Triple H vs. Kurt Angle
AJ Styles vs. Nakamura

With WWE holding for back-to-back shows in the row at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, they are expecting to make this show as big as possible. Those events include NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III on August 19th, SummerSlam on the 20th, RAW on the 21st and SmackDown Live on the 22nd.

Speculation On A Sixth Participant In The Women’s Money In The Bank Match

We noted earlier this week that WWE may have spoiled a six participant in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match for Sunday’s event when they mentioned on Twitter that six women would be in the match. Dave Meltzer discussed WWE’s tweet that may have spoiled the match on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio.

Meltzer claims that he reached out to WWE regarding the entry of a six competitor in the match but he said hasn’t received any response back. With the company not responding back to Meltzer, it would be an further indication that a sixth member could be injected into the match. Historically if something is completely false, WWE responds back.

While Meltzer couldn’t specify who the six participant could be, several names speculated for the match include Summer Rae, Page, Lita, Asuka and among others.

Betting Odds for Tonight’s Money in the Bank Event

Here are the betting odds for tonight’s Money in the Bank event:
(the lower the number, the higher their chances of winning are)

WWE Money in the Bank Match
Baron Corbin -350
Sami Zayn +1200
Kevin Owens +2200
AJ Styles +1300
Shinsuke Nakamura +500
Dolph Ziggler +5000

WWE Women’s Money in the Bank Match
Carmella -265
Becky Lynch +1050
Natalya +750
Charlotte Flair +400
Tamina +6000

WWE Championship Match
Jinder Mahal(c) -900 vs Randy Orton +500

WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship Match
Naomi(c) -270 vs Lana +190

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos(c) -185 vs The New Day +145

Mike Bennett and Maria Spotted In St. Louis

As we noted earlier this week, Mike Bennett and Maria would be working with the SmackDown crew over the weekend and could possibly appear at tonight’s Money in the Bank event.

The two were actually spotted at the airport in St. Louis, which is the site of tonight’s Money in the Bank event.

Possible Reason Why WWE Called Several Legends In for Sunday’s Money in the Bank Event

Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair, Greg Gagne, Larry Hennig and Baron Von Raschke have all been spotted in St. Louis this afternoon.

As previously noted via Wrestling Observer, these legends are expected to take part in a segment at Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view event. While it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s very possible that they could be doing some sort of “father’s day” segment, considering that is tomorrow’s holiday. We will keep you updated if we hear anything as we head into tomorrow’s event.

Someone Please Tell Me Where the Smackdown Midcard Is

These last few weeks on Smackdown, there’s been a noticeable lack of superstars on the show. I’m not even referring to American Alpha.

“We used to be your tag team champions!”

You’d think that with the Money in the Bank ladder match coming up, the blue brand would want to use that match to help build up some of their lower players. There’s no reason that Tye Dillinger, Luke Harper, or even Aiden English shouldn’t be in the match. Even if management didn’t want them there, at least have qualifying matches and have those guys lose. As much as I hate to say it, Smackdown’s been recycling matches ever since Backlash. Some variation of the 6 men in the ladder match will fight, they’ll tag against each other, etc. Quite a few people have been missing action, and it’s a shame, because the roster is so talented right now.

The United States Championship Is on Lock Right Now

Did you know that Luke Harper and Tye Dillinger won their matches at Backlash? Crazy, right? What are they up to now? Nothing, that’s what. They could have very easily been put into a program for the United States Championship. You know, the title that’s meant for the midcard guys? Instead, Kevin Owens is in the ladder match, and the title will not be defended at all this Sunday.

After Money in the Bank, I’m sure Shinsuke Nakamura will go on to take the title from Mr. Kevin Owens. I don’t mind that. I’m cool with that. However, it is highly unlikely that Nakamura will spend his time defending the title against Erick Rowan or Aiden English. It’s not happening.

They don’t have to win the title. I get that. Not everyone can be a champion. But give the guys some exposure. Rusev defended the title against Kalisto, Zack Ryder, and Titus O’Neil. John Cena fought the likes of Stardust and Neville for the US title. The point is, these guys who aren’t being used need a purpose.

Create Engaging Feuds For Them

Tye Dillinger had something interesting going on with Aiden English. Dillinger would beat him, and English would cry. English would also sing a lot and Dillinger would interrupt and kick him in the face. That was something.

Erick Rowan was angry at Luke Harper for leaving the family. He had a whole bunch of masks, and it was sort of cool. That was something.

After Backlash, what happened to Luke Harper and Erick Rowan? Absolutely nothing. What happened to Tye Dillinger and Aiden English? Absolutely nothing. Apparently they’re trying to start a program between Luke Harper and Aiden English. But how is someone supposed to know that if it isn’t even televised?

One of the best parts of Smackdown last year was the fact that almost everyone had something to do. Heath Slater got a job. The Usos became thugs. Kalisto wanted to fight Baron Corbin. When Raw was struggling to use more than 5 people per show, Smackdown had something for everyone. Sure, the roster was thinner, but even with the current roster  you should still be able to create engaging stories for everyone. Heck, that’s what Raw is doing right now. Who attacked Enzo? Who will join the Titus Brand? Even Goldust and R-Truth are battling each other via film quotes and vignettes.

Please, Smackdown. Make better use of your roster. It’s too talented to waste.