WWE SmackDown Live Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades for May 9

Follow along with our review of Tuesday’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live.

Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live was not live, despite the second word of the show’s name. It took place from London, England, at the O2 Center. This was part of WWE’s ongoing tour of the United Kingdom, which will wrap up this weekend.

This show got us one step closer to the Backlash pay-per-view, which takes place on Sunday, May 21. Matches were confirmed and feuds were furthered to set the stage. What became of these developments?

A star-studded main event occurred, too. This saw Randy Orton, AJ Styles and Sami Zayn team to face Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin. Which trio got a win to close WWE’s UK TV shows?

All of this, and more, can be seen in our review of SmackDown Live. Let’s break it down:

WWE.com

Randy Orton Opens SmackDown Live

Orton says he didn’t lose at Payback because of Bray Wyatt or the refrigerator. He blames it on Jinder Mahal, who quickly makes his way out with the Singh Brothers. Mahal brings up the photo shoot he did with the WWE Championship and shows off the images on the big screen.

Mahal says Backlash will be his time. He gets ready to speak, but is interrupted by Kevin Owens. Owens talks about ending Jericho’s career and brags. He says he’ll end AJ Styles’ career at Backlash and target the WWE Championship.

Styles calls Owens delusional and says KO will never be the face of SmackDown Live. It brings Baron Corbin out, who quickly gets attacked by Sami Zayn. Everyone starts brawling, with the babyfaces standing tall.

A simple but effective segment to kick off the show. We’re going to get these six Superstars in a six-man tag in the main event, which should be fun and a way to push the narrative forward for all three feuds.

These three pairings should make for an intriguing Backlash PPV. More is still to come to get there, but we’re off to a good start.