Tonight’s SmackDown from Barcelona served as the go-home show for Clash in Italy, and if the card is even half as electric as the setting, we’re in for a treat next weekend. Cody Rhodes addressing Gunther’s attack and Jade Cargill sending her final message to Rhea Ripley — two of WWE’s most compelling feuds getting their last push before the pay-per-view bell rings. The European tour has been a genuine spectacle of production and crowd energy, and it’s a reminder that WWE’s international fanbase doesn’t just show up — they *bring* it. Consider appetites whetted.
JBL: Danhausen Is ‘A Freaking Mega Star’
When JBL — a man not exactly known for handing out compliments freely — calls you a mega star, you pay attention. Danhausen’s crossover into NBA Finals visibility is the kind of organic, unscripted mainstream moment that money genuinely cannot buy, and WWE would be wise to lean into it aggressively rather than quietly pocket the goodwill. The very nice, very evil one has stumbled into a cultural moment, and if he ends up courtside at MSG for the Finals, that’s a marketing opportunity that makes even the most cynical executive smile.
Eric Bischoff Says He Knew Nothing About NWO Reboot During COVID Era
Sheamus, Cesaro, Lars Sullivan, and Shinsuke Nakamura as a new nWo. Let that marinate. Bischoff’s reaction — “it could be silly internet stupid shit” — is probably the most accurate description of this pitch available, and the fact that it apparently got far enough for a former WWE wrestler to be aware of it says everything about the creative chaos of the Performance Center era. Some ideas deserve to die quietly in a notebook, and this was absolutely one of them.
Cody Rhodes On 2016 WWE Exit: ‘It Was A Very Big Bluff’
Cody’s admission that his 2016 departure was essentially a high-stakes gamble that only became real once the fans validated it is one of the most honest things any top star has said about their own career trajectory in years. What makes the story remarkable is not that he bluffed — it’s that the bluff worked, spectacularly, in a way that reshaped the entire landscape of the industry. The American Dream’s son bet on himself with nothing but a gut feeling and a prayer, and he cashed it in at WrestleMania. That’s a genuine wrestling fairy tale, and it holds up every time he tells it.
Major Vince McMahon Idea Rejected By Ex-WWE Star
Credit where it’s due — Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins) pushing back on Vince McMahon wanting to end the losing streak on a random Main Event is a genuinely savvy piece of self-preservation. The streak had become the most interesting thing about his character by a distance, and killing it on a show that barely registers a pulse would have been a burial dressed up as a favour. The fact that he had the nerve to say no to Vince and lived to tell the tale is its own kind of undercard miracle.
Rhea Ripley Says She Collapsed Backstage After WWE Australia Shows
This is the story that deserves the most respect today. Rhea Ripley revealing she suffered a panic attack and collapsed backstage during the 2025 Australian tour is a sobering reminder of the brutal pressure these performers carry — especially someone who was, at that point, the biggest star in the company on home soil. The fact that she’s speaking openly about it on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast shows real courage, and hopefully it sparks a broader conversation about mental health infrastructure in professional wrestling, which has historically been, let’s be honest, non-existent.
Lil Yachty Training At Performance Center With Dreams Of WWE Match
Celebrity involvement in WWE is always a coin flip — you get a Mr. T or you get a disaster with a microphone. Yachty has been doing his homework alongside Trick Williams, which at least suggests genuine commitment rather than a PR stunt, and the Performance Center training is a serious step. Whether it translates to something watchable in a ring remains to be seen, but the partnership with Trick has real charisma on paper.
The Undertaker Was ‘Genuinely Moved’ By Support for R-Truth After WWE Release
The picture of an entire production crew — camera operators, production staff, wrestlers — presenting a united backstage front to advocate for R-Truth is quietly one of the most heartwarming things to emerge from behind the curtain in recent memory. The Undertaker being moved by it tells you everything about how Truth is regarded by the people who actually work alongside him. Whatever the business reasons for that release were, the human response to it was unambiguous.
ROH TV Results (5/28): Bandido, Mark Davis, AR Fox Compete
Mark Davis retaining the AEW National Championship and Mance Warner calling out Lee Moriarty are both threads worth following — ROH TV remains a quietly reliable product for people who just want good wrestling without the production circus. The Pure Rules match with Rachael Ellering continuing to build her profile is exactly the kind of thing HonorClub was built for. It won’t break the internet, but it’ll satisfy the people who actually seek it out.
WWE Head Of Digital Comments On WWE Vault YouTube Channel
The WWE Vault channel consistently punching above its weight in viewership is not surprising to anyone who has spent three hours accidentally rewatching 1998 Raw clips at midnight. Steve Braband’s comment that the performance “shocks” him every week suggests even the people running it haven’t fully reckoned with how deep the nostalgia well goes. The AAA integration on YouTube is a smart play too — building a bilingual audience quietly, without fanfare, is exactly the kind of long-game thinking the digital side of WWE does better than anyone wants to give them credit for.
WWE SmackDown 5/29: Clash in Italy Go Home Show from Barcelona
Barcelona doing what Barcelona does — making everything look like a prestige event. The Cody-Gunther build has had real weight to it, and a live Rhodes promo with that crowd behind him should’ve been appointment viewing. Jade Cargill sending a final warning to Ripley is exactly the kind of physical, personal heat this feud needs heading into Italy — no filler, just fire.
That’s your Friday briefing — go-home energy is real, Danhausen is somehow an NBA fixture, and somewhere in a vault, a pitch document for nWo 2020 featuring Lars Sullivan is gathering dust exactly where it belongs. Enjoy your weekend, keep your expectations calibrated for Clash in Italy, and remember: the best surprises in wrestling are always the ones nobody saw coming. See you on the other side.
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