Major technical difficulties resulted in an absurd delay in the release of this Episode. Better late than never, especially when you hear the awesome interview with Amber Nova.
We begin by recapping some of the events leading into the Money In The Bank and Extreme Rules PPVs. We begin by looking back at the May 23 and May 30, 2017 installments of Smackdown Live. The May 23rd installment looked at the fallout from Backlash and to set the stage for Money In The Bank as Shane McMahon announced the six men who would vie for the coveted MITB Briefcase. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair looked for a bit of payback against Natalya and Carmella, Sami Zayn took on Baron Corbin in a Backlash rematch, Breezeango ended up with a Smackdown Live Tag Team Championship rematch against The Usos and, in the Main Event, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura formed a dream team as they took on the United States Champion, Kevin Owens, and Dolph Ziggler. Meanwhile, the new WWE Champion, Jinder Mahal, celebrated his title with a Punjabi celebration. Dave runs down all the action for you on Episode 197.
The May 30th edition of Smackdown Live was a historic one. A Fatal 5 Way Elimination match between Carmella, Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Tamina, and Natalya disintegrated before it ever started. This led Shane McMahon to announce the first ever Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match to be decided at the MITB PPV. Also on the card this night, Shinsuke Nakamura teamed up with Sami Zayn to take on Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin. The New Day made their Smackdown Live debut and immediately challenged The Usos for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles at MITB. In the Main Event, AJ Styles took on Dolph Ziggler. Did you miss anything on this pretty important Episode? We fill you in on the details on Episode 197.
Dave changes gears and then reviews 205 Live from May 23rd and 30th. On the May 23rd edition, the war of words between Neville and Austin Aries continued as they readied themselves for their Submission Match at Extreme Rules. Cedric Alexander returned from his knee injury, Rich Swan took on Ariya Daivari, while Drew Gulak continued to lobby for his No Fly Zone. In the Main Event, the bitter feud between Akira Tozawa and Brian Kendrick came to an end in a brutal, but excellent, Street Fight. Who came out on top? We review that for you on Episode 197.
On the May 30th installment of 205 Live, Rich Swan took on Noam Dar, Drew Gulak went up against Mustafa Ali, and Cedric Alexander continued his comeback. Austin Aries was quite full of himself having made the King of the Cruiserweights, Neville, tap out the night before. But the Cruiserweight Champion and TJP had a bit of a surprise for the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. We fill you in on all the details on Episode 197.
Dave then recaps the May 24th and May 31st installments of NXT. The May 24th edition dealt with the fallout from NXT Takeover: Chicago. Alestair Black went up against Curt Hawkins in a rematch from Main Event a couple of weeks ago. The Velveteen Dream made his debut and Drew McIntyre tangled with Wesley Blake in the Main Event. As is often the case with the Episodes after Takeover, this installment focused a lot on recapping the action from Takeover. This one was no exception, although Black and McIntyre certainly made their presence felt. We have the details for you on Episode 197.
The May 31st edition of NXT was much more substantial as it began with Tomasso Ciampa offerring an explanation for his actions at the conclusion of NXT Takeover: Chicago. Why did the Psycho Killer turn on his best friend, Johnny Gargano? We let you know on Episode 197. Danny Burch took on the new United Kingdom Champion, Peter Dunne, Andrade “Cien” Almas suffered a stunning defeat and in the Main Event, Roderick Strong and Kassius Ohno took on Alexander Wolfe and Eric Young on SAniTY. This match saw the surprising return of an NXT Superstar to help turn the tide for Strong and Ohno and we give you all the details here on Episode 197.
From here, Dave and Ol’ Gator review Extreme Rules ’17, the Raw exclusive PPV from June 4, 2017. Did The Miz become a 7 time Intercontinental Champion? Could Bayley get extreme against the Raw Women’s Champion, Alexa Bliss? Would the Hardy Boyz’s choice of a stipulation for their Raw Tag Team Championship match against Sheamus and Cesaro backfire? Did Austin Aries finally force the King of the Cruiserweights to relinquish his crown? And who won the Fatal 5 Way Extreme Rules match to earn the right to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at Great Balls of Fire? In case you have been living under a rock the past couple of weeks, or just want to hear what we thought, tune in to Episode 197 to find out.
We then close out this Episode with the true Main Event, an awesome interview with Amber Nova. Amber is really making a name for herself having just debuted on Impact Wrestling. She discusses that experience and her thoughts on the opportunities the Women’s Revolution is creating for all female wrestlers. She also talks about the first ever Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match, her diet and insane training regimen, the Mae Young Classic, and much more. It is an excellent interview you won’t want to miss.