The show kicks off with all five ladies that will be participating in tonight’s Fatal 5-Way elimination match to determine the new #1 contender to the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship. They take turns telling the fans why they deserve to win, in pre-recorded videos.

#1 Contender’s Elimination Match
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka vs. Carmella

A brawl starts out the match with all five women going after each other, and the action immediately spills to the floor. Becky goes flying off the barricade to take down Carmella in the timekeeper’s area. Snuka goes crazy and starts ripping apart the commentary table, throwing monitors everywhere. Charlotte takes her out from behind and hits a huge moonsault off the top turnbuckle, all the way to the floor to take down three of them. Carmella flies over the barricade with a splash on the Queen, but turns around into an Exploder Suplex from Becky. Natalya spears Charlotte and it’s absolute chaos, as the match technically hasn’t even started yet. Multiple referees come out and try to get control of the match, but it has zero effect. Natalya tries to put Charlotte through the commentary table, but the Queen throws her into the steel steps instead, then puts her through the table with a powerbomb. A loud “holy s—” chant erupts as all five women are down.

Shane McMahon comes out and applauds the women for creating an awesome moment for the fans. He says they all want to become #1 contender so badly, that this can’t end in just any match here tonight. And so, there will officially be a five-way Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match at the upcoming pay-per-view!

CARMELLA & NATALYA vs. BECKY LYNCH & CHARLOTTE

Carmella and Becky start things off, trading headlocks back and forth. Carmella tries for an armdrag but Lynch rolls her into a pin for two. A brawl breaks out between all four, with the heels getting dumped to the floor to regroup as we go to commercial. Looks like they’re bringing back the picture-in-picture display so we can keep watching the match during commercial breaks!

Natalya has Becky in a headlock as they come back from commercial, but she kicks herself free and makes the hot tag to the Queen. Charlotte comes in and cleans house, knocking Carmella off the apron and dropping Nattie with a neckbreaker. She heads up to the top rope, but the heels cause a distraction knocking her down. Becky tags back in and dropkicks Natalya from the ring, but runs into forearms from Carmella. Ellsworth gets up on the apron, but Becky knocks him down and locks in the Disarmher for the submission victory.

Winners: Becky Lynch & Charlotte

Backstage Segment

Shane McMahon is on the phone with someone, and says that the main event is up next. Natalya comes in and asks him for an opportunity at the women’s title. Becky Lynch interrupts and makes her claim to the title as well. Carmella, Tamina Snuka and Charlotte all follow and make their cases to challenge for the belt. Shane announces that next week there will be a Fatal 5-Way match between all of them, with the winner getting a championship match at Money in the Bank.

In-Ring: WWE Backlash Contract Signing

Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon is out, and asks the Manchester crowd how they’re doing. He calls Smackdown the premiere brand of the WWE, before introducing the Welcoming Committee: Natalya, Tamina Snuka and Carmella, with James Ellsworth. He then brings out Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and the WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Naomi. After all the introductions are through, Natalya says it’s funny to see the three of them pretending to be best friends. She calls them pathetic, and tells Becky she missed her chance to join the WC. The heels all sign the contract.

Becky Lynch says there was no chance in hell that she would join Natalya and her goon squad, and said she’s going to slap the taste out of all of them at Backlash. Naomi says they should be worried about their next hair opponent, because come Sunday she’s gonna snatch them all, then says she’s gonna snatch Ellsworth’s balls. Charlotte is next to talk, and says the WC has done nothing but whine and complain since she arrived on Smackdown Live. She says after they deal with the WC at Backlash, the queen is coming for her crown. Shane says the match is official, but he’s cut off by James Ellsworth, who rambles about how much Becky is in love with him. Shane straight up says that he has no idea what Ellsworth is talking about. He goes on to say that Charlotte doesn’t have a chance with him either, because he’s always going to be the Prince to the Princess of Staten Island. Naomi tries to go after him but Carmella throws her into the table, and Shane gets in between all of them. McMahon makes a match between Carmella and Naomi, right here, right now.

NAOMI vs. CARMELLA

Back from a commercial break (that’s three for three) the champion is in control of the match, working over Carmella with rest holds and kick combinations. Carmella gets a brief advantage after going for the hair, but Naomi quickly takes it back with a big kick. James Ellsworth tries to get involved and the referee ejects him from ringside, as we go to yet another commercial break.

After the break, Naomi is destroying Carmella with kick after kick, then did her rapid fire kick spot. Carmella bailed to the outside looking for her man, then faked trying to run away from the match, only to superkick the champion. She rolled Naomi back into the ring and put on a side headlock, then hit a Bronco Buster for two. Back into the side headlock. They jockey for position on the ropes, until Naomi hits a big flash kick, then a sit-down jawbreaker. She heads up to the top rope but is cut off by Tamina Snuka, until the referee ejects her and Natalya from the match as well. The go to leave but instead go after Charlotte and Becky in a big brawl on the floor. Naomi drops Tamina with a kick through the ropes, but Carmella rolls her up from behind with a handful of tights for the pin. Winner: Carmella

Carmella, James Ellsworth and Tamina Snuka came out to introduce their partner, “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be”, Natalya. James Ellsworth told the crowd to get down on one knee, because they didn’t deserve to be on the same level as the Welcoming Committee. Naomi was next out, and did a terrible British accent, telling the crowd to make some noise. She introduced her friend Becky Lynch, who got a decent reaction as the somewhat local-ish UK star. Charlotte then came out last, and said she needed no introduction.

BECKY LYNCH vs. NATALYA

Becky got a good reaction throughout the first portion of the match. They even gave her the “Tyler, Tyler Tyler Bate” chant, but with her name obviously. This one didn’t last very long. Becky started out in control, the brawled to the floor, and Natalya took over. Becky made the comeback a few minutes later with a few clotheslines and a dropkick. She hit an exploder suplex and looked to finish things off, but Tamina got up on the apron to make the save. Naomi went after Tamina and the obligatory brawl broke out. Charlotte pulled Naomi off the heels, and the distraction was enough for Natalya to roll up Becky for the win. Winner: Natalya

Charlotte was backstage yelling at Naomi, saying that she’s the reason Becky Lynch lost. Naomi told her to get out of her face or she’d “snatch her bald”, and Charlotte snapped back “or what, you’ll glow on me?” Good banter. Becky Lynch came to the rescue and got in between them. She said they’re playing into the Welcome Committee’s game, and the only way to beat them is to create a bond even closer. Naomi agreed to work together, and Charlotte reluctantly agreed, saying “whatever, I’m the best at bonding”.