WWE SmackDown: Madcap Moss gets serious
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
Happy Corbin got what was coming to him this week — after Madcap Moss returned with revenge on his mind.
Welcome back to another SmackDown roundup, this time covering the June 3 episode featuring a tag team title defense from The Usos, the return of Madcap Moss and Natalya earning a title opportunity.
Here’s a quick recap of the match results:
- The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch) defeated New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods via pinfall
- Jinder Mahal defeated Humberto Carrillo via roll-up pinfall
- Natalya defeated Shayna Baszler, Raquel Rodriguez, Shotzi, Xia Li and Aliyah via pinfall to earn a SmackDown Women’s title opportunity
- Happy Corbin defeated Madcap Moss via disqualification
- The Usos defeated Riddle and Nakamura via pinfall to retain the Undisputed Tag Team titles
Match of the night: Riddle/Nakamura vs. The Usos
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Riddle found himself taking on The Usos alone on Friday Night SmackDown after Shinske Nakamura was injured by Jimmy and Jey Usos, similar to the other half of RK-Bro, Randy Orton.
Once Nakamura got taken out of the match, Riddle believably wrestling against both Usos alone was impressive.
Riddle continues to shine with every opportunity passed in his direction now that he’s without Randy Orton in his corner.
Sami Zayn trying to become part of The Bloodline is also one of my favorite parts of SmackDown right now, so I enjoyed his involvement in the finish. Having him distract Riddle from the truck was a nice touch.
Best moment: Madcap Moss returns
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Madcap Moss got his highly-anticipated shot at revenge against Happy Corbin after suffering a neck injury and calling Corbin out for disrespecting André the Giant’s legacy.
This was a promising return for Happy Corbin’s former joke man.
If he’s ever going to mean more in WWE, ditching the suspenders and lame jokes for something serious badly needed to happen. Hopefully, they alter his name next. Madcap alone suits him better.
The most surprising part was the crowd favoring Moss so heavily.
Whether people want to believe it or not, his face turn seems to have been a success, and this segment showed more of the potential higher-ups see in him. That's a win in my book.
Additional highlights:
Natalya being Ronda Rousey’s next title challenger was surprising, but the most interesting part will be how Shayna Baszler gets involved.
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Ronda Rousey found out who her next competitor will be on Friday Night SmackDown as Shotzi Blackheart, Aliyah, Natalya, Shayna Baszler and Xia Li battled for a chance at The Baddest Woman on the Planet.
Lacey Evans is apparently a SmackDown Superstar again.
Hopefully, she can get back on track now. The brand switcheroo killed any anticipation built up by her return vignettes.
Lingering question: Is the SmackDown roster too thin right now?
Lack of roster depth seems to be hurting this show.
New Day have been feuding with Sheamus, Ridge and Butch since before WrestleMania, and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.
The addition of Gunther and Raquel Rodriguez helped, but those are stars who still need to be built up into bigger names.
Until that happens, SmackDown needs a few more established stars — especially if Roman Reigns is going to be more absent.
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Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.