Layin' da SmackDown - SmackDown recap for May 31, 2024

General Manager Nick Aldis is in the ring to start tonight's show. He says there is no better feeling than when one of your top draft picks comes through in the clutch, then introduces Nia Jax, the 2024 Queen of the Ring. Nia enters the ring and puts the crown on, then brags about being Queen of the Ring and having a title shot at SummerSlam before commanding Bayley's presence in the ring right now. Bayley shows up, but she is attacked from behind by Piper Niven while Chelsea Green directs traffic. Piper tosses Bayley in the ring, where she continues to attack Bayley until she is laid out. Chelsea tells Nia not to worry about facing Bayley, because Piper Niven will be the new WWE Women's Champion by the time SummerSlam rolls around. Nia says she does not care who is champion, as she will A-Nia-Late her regardless.

A QR code and a weird "Hello Goodbye" message is shown as General Manager Nick Aldis meets with "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, who is in a suit. Styles says he has thought about what Aldis has told him, and if there is time, he wants to address his future tonight. Aldis says he can find the time, but wants to know if there is something Styles wants to tell him. Styles says it will be hard to do just once, and just asks for some time in the ring. Aldis tells him that he has his time, then they shake hands.

Backstage, Naomi checks on Bayley in the trainer's room and says Chelsea Green and Piper Niven will not get away with what they did. Bayley says she is good to fight tonight, and Naomi tells Bayley that she has her back.

Tommaso Ciampa beats Austin Theory after Grayson Waller mouths off about Austin Theory and takes credit for his success. This distracts Theory, and Ciampa wins with a schoolkid pin.

Backstage, General Manager Nick Aldis is meeting with Blair Davenport when Naomi shows up wanting a tag team with Bayley against Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. Blair takes offense to this and says Naomi will find out who she is messing with, then leaves. Aldis tells Naomi that she and Bayley have their match tonight. LA Knight shows up as Naomi leaves, then asks Aldis about AJ Styles before wanting to know where Logan Paul is.

Backstage, Kayla Braxton interviews LA Knight, who says that Logan Paul is not here this week, then pretends to leave before challenging Logan Paul for the United States Championship. Carmelo Hayes shows up and says LA Knight does a lot of talking without saying anything and that Logan Paul would rather face him than LA Knight, and says that LA Knight talks the talk while he walks the walk.

Andrade beats Apollo Crews. Before the match, it is revealed that Andrade has turned down an invitation to join Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Elektra Lopez, Garza, Berto) when the invitation is extended to him by Garza. Garza shows up at ringside during the match, and he distracts Apollo in order for Andrade to get the win. After the match, the rest of Legado del Fantasma shows up to look at Andrade, who just walks past the rest of the group. Santos Escobar looks at Garza disappointedly.

Backstage, Solo Sikoa tells Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa to do everything in their power tonight, then Paul Heyman shows up and tells Sikoa that he has been doing a lot of thinking about how he can better serve Solo while he is in charge. He says that any violence under Roman Reigns was to preserve the family and that there was a lot of counsel from himself before any of it occurred, then says that Solo is recruiting some very violent men and that while he sees random acts of violence, he sees no strategy, and the strategy is that Cody Rhodes must be kept in check when Roman Reigns comes back. Solo says that "we have Cody currently in check" and does not even know it. Heyman then asks who "we" is.

Backstage, Garza confronts Andrade when Apollo Crews suddenly attacks Garza.

Kevin Owens heads to the ring. Owens talks about his return last week and how he made sure he had Randy Orton's back at Saudi Arabia, as Randy has had his over the last few years and he wanted to make sure The Bloodline did not ruin Randy's chances at becoming King of the Ring. While he admits that Orton did not become King of the Ring and that Orton did not win, he does know that The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa) is here, and he figured he would be here, too. Paul Heyman shows up, wanting to talk to Owens man-to-man, and when the crowd chants "We Want Roman!", Heyman says nobody wants Roman here more than him, and says that while Roman has respect for Owens, Solo has no respect for him and is recruiting criminals. Heyman says he rejected everyone that Solo wanted to join because of their violent backgrounds and that the people he says Owens is trying to antagonize in The Bloodline are looking for an excuse to take him out. He says that if Owens keeps calling out Solo Sikoa, something really bad will happen to him, and asks Owens to back off from The Bloodline. Owens says he has no reason to believe anything that comes out of Heyman's mouth and calls what Heyman is doing "an act" following everything The Bloodline has done to him, then says he will keep fighting The Bloodline and kick them out of his world. He then tells Heyman he does not need his help, but Heyman says he is not trying to help him, but to save him, and calls Owens' answer hypocritical for not allowing him to redeem himself, especially after what Owens is up against, and goes on a tirade as he does. As Owens is about to confront Heyman, The Bloodline shows up, but so does The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford). This leads to a brawl in and around the ring in which The Street Profits get the upper hand as Owens and Solo brawl to the back.

The Bloodline (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) beat The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford).

Backstage, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are met by Indi Hartwell, who says they are heading to Raw to hurt more people like they did Candice LeRae, who is now at home. Bianca says Candice started it and she finished it, and Jade threatens to put Indi on the shelf, which causes Indi to back off.

Backstage, Kayla Braxton interviews "Michin" Mia Yim when Nia Jax shows up and interrupts to talk about herself. Michin takes offense to this, and steps up Nia Yim when Nia tells her not to step up to her. Nia says she will regret that, then leaves.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven beat Bayley and Naomi after Naomi hits Chelsea with Rear View only for Piper to hit both Naomi with a splash and place Chelsea on top of Naomi.

Backstage, LA Knight confronts "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, then says "If the rumors are true...respect." AJ then shakes hands with "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes and whispers something into Cody's ear, then meets The O.C. (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) and asks them to be in the ring with him tonight.

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles and The O.C. (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) head to the ring. Styles says he has had dwelled on what General Manager Nick Aldis has had to say recently, then says he cannot go back to the back of the line at this point in his career and his life, for he has been doing this for over two decades. He says he has busted his body all over the world for all this time so that he can become phenomenal, but this past week, his son graduated high school and he realized just how many things in his family he has missed. He says he should stay at home and be a phenomenal father, then says he could not have done this without Gallows and Anderson, whom he calls brothers, then the three of them do the "Too Sweet" hand signal and embrace. Styles then mentions whispering something in "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes' ear, then asks him to head to the ring. Cody shows up and meets Styles in the ring. Styles tells Cody he had one of the best matches of his life against him at Backlash, and if he were to have one last match, that would be it. He then says SmackDown is still "the house that AJ Styles built." He then says he is here to hand Cody the keys to that house, then Cody admits they only exchanged one text message after their match and that Styles answered "I'm all good, lil' bro," and Cody thanks Styles for all he has done. Cody and Styles hug, and the crowd cheers. Cody raises Styles' hand for all sides of the arena to see, then Styles hits Cody with a right hand and beats him up. Referees show up only to be blocked by The O.C. before Styles hits Cody with a Styles Clash off the ring steps.

Here are the highlights for tonight's show!

This week on The SmackDown LowDown: #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa)! Indi Hartwell! Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Elektra Lopez, Garza, Berto)!

Here are the top ten moments from tonight's show!