Let's Go! - LFG recap for May 17, 2026

We see Tate Wilder working on his motorcycle. We also meet his wife and daughter, and his wife talks about how she announced she was pregnant while he was in the middle of a taping. Tate Wilder knows what kind of standard WWE holds as well as what is at stake, and he knows that not everything will go his way. In the end, he does not want to let his family down.

We are introduced to WWE Performance Center Terry Taylor. Booker T will be working with Bayley Humphrey (now Myka Lockwood) and Nikkita Lyons for the first match. For the second match, Chris Island (who has since been released) will take on Tate Wilder, and Terry Taylor will work with them. Matt Bloom wants to see Island's personality, and notes that while Wilder is great, he seems to be straying from the basics. Bubba Ray Dudley will work with Zena Sterling and Chantel Monroe. Bloom wants to see a less bubbly personality out of Zena, while wanting to see Chantel dial it up a bit.

Nikkita Lyons meets with Booker T and finds out that she will have to be the ring general in her match, and she will also have to dial the sex appeal down as opposed to losing it altogether. Booker T then meets with Bayley, who admits that Season 2 was tough for her and that she has been changing up not just her mindset, but also what she is doing, and even working a babyface role. Booker tells Bayley that tonight will be more about learning it than doing it.

Bayley Humphrey beats Nikkita Lyons. Booker T enjoys what he is seeing, but needs Bayley to take her time during the match. He and Bubba Ray also wince at Bayley's attempt at a hip toss out of an abdominal stretch. After the match, Booker T feels like Nikkita and Bayley did well. Bayley knows she needs to slow down, and Booker T tells Bayley to pantomime more. Matt Bloom needs Nikkita Lyons to pump the brakes a bit against a bigger competitor, and mentions that Bayley is getting better at selling moves on her feet.

Tate Wilder, Chris Island and Terry Taylor watch Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock from WrestleMania 18 as part of a lesson on how to tell a story and emote feeling during a match. We hear from Chris Island, who says that he had to do a lot of self-reflection after Season 2 after a lot of things he tried has not worked, and that he is not afraid to fall on his face and he is unapologetically himself.

Tate Wilder beats Chris Island. After the match, Terry Taylor wants Chris Island to be more urgent and pin after big moves. He also says that Tate Wilder lived up to his last name during the comeback. Terry mentions that they did not hit the emotional side of things during their match. Matt Bloom tells Terry Taylor that intensity and volume are two different things, and says that his screaming took him out of the match. He mentions that Island may have hit some moves cleanly, but WWE is full of storytellers, not stuntmen. Chris Island says that he feels like he may have plateaud.

We are introduced to Chantel Monroe. Bubba Ray Dudley wants to see a personality switch out of Chantel. We are re-introduced to Zena Sterling, who is excited to work with Bubba Ray again, and Bubby Ray wants to see anger and violence and vitriol out of Zena and make her make Chantel fight for her life. Before the match, Bubba Ray feels they are both on the same page and will be taking a step forward after this match, and tells Chantel to be the heel and tells Zena to show that fire.

Chantel Monroe beats Zena Sterling after the referee is out of position when Chantel rakes Zena in the face. Bubba Ray Dudley notes that the two of them are connecting with the live audience, and that Chantel took his advice regarding the trash talk before the slap to Zena's face. After the match, Chantel feels she could have done better in striking and facing. Zena says the match went well. Bubba Ray agrees, saying that he felt Chantel's swagger during her entrance. Bubba tells Zena that her fire needs to be bigger and that she cannot do it from the mat, and tells her that she needs to step up her game. Zena says she has learned a lot, but she feels she has not shown that improvement. Matt Bloom says that Zena has something, but feels that something is missing, as does Bubba Ray.