Friday Night SmackDown Results 5/9: Four days after Evolution roared back from their Extreme Rules loss by decimating The Shield on Raw, The Hounds of Justice were forced to compete in individual matches to "redeem themselves" in the eyes of WWE COO Triple H - including a U.S. Title rematch. Plus, John Cena & The Usos went head-to-head with The Wyatt Family in SmackDown's main event.
Sheamus def. Dean Ambrose in a United States Championship Match
Still favoring a visibly hurt shoulder - compliments of Evolution this past Monday - Dean Ambrose attempted to regain the United States Championship from new titleholder Sheamus.
In the pinnacle of the hard-fought showdown, Sheamus' Brogue Kick drove Ambrose completely out of the ring. While the Lunatic Fringe heroically managed to beat the ten-count, he unfortunately walked into a second dose of The Celtic Warrior's earth-shattering finisher moments later, bringing an abrupt end to the contest.
Cesaro & Bad News Barrett def. Rob Van Dam & Big E
When Cesaro's outspoken advocate, Paul Heyman, joined the SmackDown announce team for a highly competitive tag team match, new Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett took Rob Van Dam out of the equation and set up "The King of Swing" to overcome Big E with The Neutralizer.
Rusev def. Kofi Kingston
The Ravishing Russian, Lana, further expounded the virtues of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and Mother Russia in general, paving the way for Rusev to dominate Kofi Kingston with an onslaught that ended thanks to the Accolade.
Fandango & Layla def. Santino Marella & Emma
On the back of an altercation between their respective mixed tag team partners, Fandango and Santino, Layla rolled up Emma for the win - preventing her from utilizing "Ven-Emma" in the process.
In the wake of victory, the English-born Diva proceeded to engage in a passionate kiss with Fandango - definitely ending the question as to whether they were, in fact, an item.
Roman Reigns def. Mark Henry
Being a past recipient of a 3-on-1 assault by The Shield, Mark Henry entered his match against Roman Reigns with payback on his mind - looking to induct his fierce foe into the Hall of Pain.
The World's Strongest Spear!
However, moments after Reigns executed an incredible Samoan drop that seized momentum from The World's Strongest Man, the lone Hound of Justice finished off his massive opponent with a Spear. The victory made The Shield 1-1 in the challenging series of matches set up by The Game.
Los Matadores & El Torito def. 3MB & Hornswoggle
While Heath Slater tagged into an extremely heated Six-Man Tag Team Match with the intention of bullying El Torito, the pint-sized competitor quickly turned the tables and pinned the air guitar enthusiast! Fear the bull!
El Torito pinned Slater!
Batista def. Seth Rollins
While clearly not 100%, Seth Rollins stepped between the ropes to battle Evolution's Batista in the rubber match of The Shield's SmackDown singles match challenges.
When the action spilled outside the ring, however, Batista caught Rollins launching an attack from the top turnbuckle and slammed him into the announce table before his feet could reach the ground - ultimately giving him the victory by count-out. Then, the former World Champion delivered a post-match Batista Bomb on his war-torn adversary.
The Wyatt Family def. John Cena & The Usos
Following Bray Wyatt's earlier statement that he and John Cena were going somewhere from which they would not come back, The Wyatt Family battled the Cenation leader & WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos in a fierce SmackDown main event.
In the match's final moments, amidst the pandemonium that resulted from an Usos aerial assault that broke up a 2-on-1 attack on Cena outside the ring, Luke Harper delivered an earth-shattering clothesline inside the ring to score a victory over one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions!
