Today is Sunday, May 17th. I hope you found a few hours to relax this weekend, or maybe you're already locked in for tomorrow night's RAW at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. With that said, here is all the pro wrestling news you need to know for today.
Three of the four major weekly broadcasts landed this week with title pictures sharpened. SmackDown set Gunther up to challenge Cody Rhodes at Clash in Italy. Dynamite locked MJF into a Hair vs. Title match against Darby Allin at Double or Nothing. NXT debuted Naraku while moving Mason Rook directly into Tony D'Angelo's path. The next seven days move fast.
Friday's SmackDown ended with Gunther winning a Number One Contender's match over Royce Keys, then taking a Cross Rhodes from Cody Rhodes during the contract signing that followed. Clash in Italy now has its main event. Trick Williams retained the U.S. Title against The Miz in Miz's hometown, Carmelo Hayes returned with a rope-assisted win over Ricky Saints, and Jade Cargill attacked Charlotte Flair after a tag-team DQ finish, advancing the storyline we framed earlier this month around the Cargill–Belair timing window. The road to Saturday Night's Main Event runs through Greensboro tomorrow.
Tuesday's NXT gave Naraku a debut win over Lince Dorado and put Mason Rook front and center. Rook signed his NXT contract and laid out both Tony D'Angelo and Kam Hendrix on the floor. The women's side is splitting two directions at once: Tatum Paxley and Lizzy Rain ran through Zaria and Nikkita Lyons before Zaria walked out on her partner mid-match, and a Lola Vice vs. Izzi Dame brawl took out an already-injured Wren Sinclair at ringside. Paxley vs. Rain for the Women's North American Title is set for next Tuesday.
Wednesday's Dynamite from Asheville (full recap here) closed with Darby Allin retaining the AEW World Title over Konosuke Takeshita, MJF signing the Hair vs. Title contract for Double or Nothing, and TNT Champion Kevin Knight chasing MJF off after a Diamond Ring shot to the champ. For why Allin's reign keeps reframing what we ask of a world champion, our Darby column from last week holds up. The Owen Hart Tournament bracket also dropped: Samoa Joe vs. Will Ospreay, Swerve Strickland vs. Bandido, Jack Perry vs. Mark Davis, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King, finals at Forbidden Door on June 28.
Saturday's Lucha Libre AAA episode from the Auditorio General Jose Maria Arteaga in Queretaro put Mr. Iguana and La Parka over a four-way tag, gave Galeno a win over Chris Carter and Drago, and ended with a post-match brawl involving Rayo, Bravo Americano, and two versions of El Grande Americano. AAA also confirmed Bayley and The War Raiders for Noches de Los Grandes on May 30, with the title matches officially set.
The week's center of gravity is Wednesday. MJF putting his hair on the line against Allin's title at Double or Nothing is the kind of stakes AEW does better than anyone right now, and it gives the next eleven days a clear destination. WWE's path to Clash in Italy is now Gunther vs. Cody, which is the match every long-form plan since Backlash has been pointing at.
Is Cody vs. Gunther at Clash in Italy the match WWE has been building toward all year, or does it land flat because we already saw the version of it at WrestleMania 40?
 | Opinion The Pipeline Is the ProofThe women's division didn't get better because WWE decided to care. It got better because the front door moved. Everything else is a downstream effect. Read the take → |
The go-home show for Saturday Night's Main Event on May 23. Paige and Brie Bella defend the Women's Tag Titles against Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez. Oba Femi's open challenge continues.
The May 23 edition runs through Fort Wayne. Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther is now on the books for Clash in Italy after Friday's contract signing.