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Jacob Fatu revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Booker T helped him get into WWE. This assistance came despite Fatu previously no-showing a Reality of Wrestling event.
Carmelo Hayes returned to WWE television during the May 15 episode of SmackDown after a two-month hiatus, appearing in a backstage interview segment to discuss his upcoming match against Ricky Starks. Hayes had last competed on March 4, 2026, when he unsuccessfully challenged Sami Zayn for the WWE United States Championship. During the backstage segment, Starks interrupted Hayes' promo and dismissed his chances of winning after taking time off.
WWE United States Champion Trick Williams received a homecoming celebration on the May 15 episode of SmackDown in Columbia, South Carolina, where he was joined by Lil Yachty and the Gamecocks' mascot. The Miz and Kit Wilson interrupted Williams' promo, leading to an exchange where Lil Yachty insulted The Miz, prompting Miz to demand a referee and resulting in Williams fighting off both opponents before posing for the home crowd.
WWE SmackDown aired live from Columbia, South Carolina on May 15, 2026, dealing with fallout from the Backlash Premium Live Event. GUNTHER was scheduled to make a decision about officially joining the SmackDown roster, which would make his Undisputed WWE Championship match against Cody Rhodes at Clash in Italy official. The show also featured Jade Cargill addressing her return and attack on Rhea Ripley, plus a homecoming celebration for United States Champion Trick Williams at the University of South Carolina.
WWE made several last-minute changes to the May 15 SmackDown card, pulling R-Truth from competition after he was not medically cleared to compete and changing the originally advertised tag match featuring Damian Priest and R-Truth against Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga to a singles match between Damian Priest and Tama Tonga. WWE also added a new women's tag team match to the card featuring WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige against Giulia and Kiana James.
The May 12 edition of WWE NXT drew less than 500,000 viewers, setting a record low for the developmental brand.
A judge in Maryland District Court has ruled that plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the McMahons and WWE may continue their case under anonymity. The lawsuit is described as a WWE Ring Boy lawsuit.
Scott Steiner's recent social media behavior, which included begging for followers and offering "follow for follow" deals on X, has been explained after fans found it odd. According to Sean Ross Sapp's report on Fightful Select, Scott Steiner's Twitter account is run by a manager with Steiner's permission, meaning it wasn't actually Steiner himself making the follower requests.
WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Paige and Brie Bella appear to be operating under the team name "Scream Mode." New merchandise featuring this team name has been released for the champions.
The producers behind key Bloodline storyline segments on the May 11 WWE RAW have been revealed, with Michael Kirshenbaum producing the Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso material and Bobby Roode handling Jacob Fatu's segment. The May 11 RAW episode, which carried the internal title "Unceremonious," also announced two championship matches for the upcoming Saturday Night's Main Event special on May 23, including Penta defending the Intercontinental Championship against Ethan Page and The Vision defending the WWE World Tag Team Titles against The Street Profits.
R-Truth is reportedly not cleared to compete and has been pulled from a match that was advertised for tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown. The reason for R-Truth not being cleared to wrestle was not specified.
Carmelo Hayes will return to action on the May 15, 2026 episode of Friday Night SmackDown in a singles match against Ricky Saints. WWE announced the match on Twitter just hours before the show, marking Hayes' return to television after being pulled from WrestleMania 42 plans and losing the United States Championship to Sami Zayn.