5 must-see moments from WWE SmackDown LIVE (May 23rd, 2017)
SmackDown Live is still in a hangover of sorts from Sunday’s Backlash event, a show that featured the crowning of a brand new WWE Champion. The historic title was captured by a relative newcomer to the top of the card, Jinder Mahal. The man who refers to himself as The Maharaja celebrated his victory in front of fans in Toledo, Ohio.
Mahal’s Championship celebration involved an entrance ramp full of drummers and dancers, providing a unique backdrop for a new top titleholder in WWE. He declared himself to already be the greatest WWE Champion of all time and to Jinder’s credit, it was a fairly solid segment. Perhaps the champ might not be too bad in this unexpected role?
The Punjabi celebration was one of the more important segments for this episode of SmackDown Live and should be sought out, but when considering the most must-see moments of the night, 5 more events edged it out. From Shinsuke Nakamura’s first blue brand match to Tyler Breeze dropping his pants on live television, there were several things that will be buzzworthy topics over the coming week.
Continue on to read and see the top moments of the night
#5 The field is set
The opening segment was must-see because, during that time, Shane McMahon announced the competitors for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match for the upcoming eponymous pay-per-view.
The United States Champion, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Sami Zayn, A.J. Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura will try to ascend the ladder in hopes of retrieving the contract briefcase on June 18th in the city of St. Louis. That’s a field loaded with talent.
Originally, there were only going to be five wrestlers in this lineup. However, Kevin Owens successfully lobbied his way in. He correctly pointed out that several of Shane’s picks were coming off of notable losses while he is a current title holder who won at Backlash.
Thankfully, the SmackDown Live Commissioner saw things from his point of view and let him in.