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WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN: Asuka and Santos Escobar Turn Heel

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: WWE

On WWE Friday Night Smackdown on Fox, two heel turns and a suspension feuled the episode while setting up some major battles down the line, especially heading into the Survivor Series premium live event on November 25th from Chicago.

At the start of the episode, the LWO came out to the ring. Rey Mysterio Jr. discussed losing the United States championship to Logan Paul at Crown Jewel. Demanding a rematch, Mysterio says Paul couldn’t have defeated him without the use of brass knuckles.

Carlito then came to the ring and told Mysterio he was blaming the wrong person. He points out that it was LWO member, Santos Escobar, who left the brass knuckles on the ring apron for Paul to use. Next, Escobar storms off as Mysterio and Zelina Vega try to catch up with him.

Courtesy/WWE

Later, during Carlito’s match with Bobby Lashley, all hell breaks loose. After Lashley pins Carlito, the Street Profits beat down Carlito. Escobar has now shown up, but just stood at the side of the ring while Carlito was being roughed up.  When Mysterio appeared, he shoved Escobar and tended to Carlito before Escobar struck Mysterio in the back.

After that, Mysterio hit Escobar, but Escobar snapped and shoved Mysterio into the ring post and then smashed his knee between the post and ring steps, saying he thought that they were supposed to be family.  Next, Escobar made his way up the ramp to a chorus of “boo’s” from the crowd. Backstage, Santos was seen leaving the arena and stopped to offer the interviewer one comment, which was “Rey, had it coming to him.”

In the main event, Asuka teamed with Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair in a match that came about because Belair was fired up over interference by a returning Kairi Sane at Crown Jewel; that cost her the match against Iyo Sky for the Women’s championship.

Bayley, the leader of Damage CTRL, had a moment of reckoning earlier in the evening that Sane would be a part of the faction moving forward, even though Bayley was the one responsible for putting Sane out of action. With Sane willing to let bygones be bygones, Bayley reconciled with her.

Going into the SmackDown closing bout it would be Bayley, Sane and Sky vs. Flair, Belair and Asuka. At a key moment in the match, Belair needed to tag Asuka to get out of trouble from Damage CTRL, but Asuka refused to tag Bianca. Next, she spit mist in Belair’s face and eyes and began to beat her down.

It was then it became clear that Asuka has aligned herself with her former tag partner, Kairi Sane and the rest of Damage CTRL. At the end of the night, the five women held hands up in the air in unity.  As a shocked crowd was left stunned.  Looks like Damage CTRL will be a team of five going into Survivor Series if Dakota Kai gets cleared to wrestle in time, since she had been recovering from injury.

Kevin Owens, who was the special guest commentator of the night, found himself being suspended by SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis, when Owens mocked Austin Theory and Grayson Waller.  Theory dumped water on Owens prompting KO to get up and fight them off. Aldis had one rule for him not to violate –  to not get involved or touch any wrestlers during his commentating – which KO failed.

So, what did you think of Asuka and Santos Escobar turning heel? Did you see it coming? Comment below.

Beyond the Gates

BEYOND THE GATES Throws it Back to the 70s and ‘Foxy Brown’ with Andre and Dani Fantasy

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On the Friday, May 8 episode of Beyond the Gates, the CBS daytime drama served up another fantasy sequence between married couple Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman) and Dani Dupree (Karla Mosley). The moment happened after Dani overheard a suspicious conversation and teasingly asks her hubby if he is spy?

This launches into story time by Dani, when she dreams up a scenario straight out of the look of the Blaxploitation films of the early to mid 70s. We are talking Pam Grier in Foxy Brown, Richard Roundtree in Shaft, and Sweet Sweet Badassses Song from Melvin Van Peoples and others.

In Dani’s story, both she and Andre are spies at Orphey Gene’s. Andre reveals he wears an eye patch. In the fantasy, Andre is also deemed to be a men’s underwear photographer from Iowa. The two seems to be double agents.

Courtesy/CBS

After the scenes aired, the official Beyond the Gates Instagram account and Karla Mosley shared it on social, and many of the BTG cast jumped in the comment thread, as the series always brings it in the hair and make-up and wardrobe department and they had this down.

Sean Freeman said, “Sooo much fun shooting this one 🔥,” while Karla Mosley added, “The way I have been waiting for this episode to drop!” BTG Writer, Danielle Paige shared, “One of my fave days to write!!!”

While some fans loved it, others were not so in love with it. Check out the satire below featuring Dani and Andre’s 70s Foxy Brown-esque fantasy.

Then let us know, did you enjoy the repartee and think it was clever, plus the wardrobe, make-up and hair throwing it back to decades ago in the cinema … or do you think it was a waste of time on an episode and would prefer not to see fantasy sequences? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Nina Stabs Brennan with Drew’s Meds During His Brawl with Valentin

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Nina Reeves (Cynthia Watros) was all over the place and frantic on the Friday, May 8 cliffhanger of General Hospital leading to disastrous consequences, plus Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) learns from intel from Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) that Rocco is the culprit who shot Cullum, and Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ethan (Nathan Parsons) catch Ric (Rick Hearst) and Ava (Maura West) seemingly scheming over a big payday.

Here’s what went down: in the major turning point, Nina is once again unable to inject Drew (Cameron Mathison) for the second time with the syringe Willow gave her to keep Drew in his locked-in state. She starts rambling in Drew’s room on how she doesn’t want to be doing this, and for him to not stare at her. Suddenly the front door rings, and she puts down the syringe, while Drew looks on.

Once she gets to the door, it’s Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna), who Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) forced her to invite over. Nina hides the syringe and places it under a toy truck on the bookcase. When Jack entered, he questioned her as to why he is here, assuming it’s news about Valentin. Jack reminds Nina she should be concerned about their arrangement, not the one he has with Willow.

Courtesy/ABC

NEEDLE POINT

Now, Nina is becoming more hysterical as she needs an update from him on the evidence she wants to use against Drew. However, Jack does not give her any details or prognosis. He also adds that his boss is on him, and until Cullum lets up, she and Willow need to be patient. With nothing to hold over Drew she could use, Nina wants to get Jack out of the house before Valentin arrived, but it’s too late. Valentin confronts his nemesis with gun drawn.

As Valentin holds both Nina and Jack at gunpoint, he came at her for double-crossing him, and Jack realized Nina lured him into this trap! Valentin demands to  know where Jack sent Josslyn, but Jack says he has no idea what he is talking about!

Next, the two go at it for control of the gun, while Nina is screaming for them to stop. Meanwhile, Drew can hear the whole thing down the hall. Panicked once again, Nina grabs the syringe to seemingly jab Valentin, but the men switched places as they fought, and Jack got the syringe-full of Drew’s meds instead.

Courtesy/ABC

MY SON THE SHOOTER

Elizabeth comes to see Dante and they walk through who could have been on the pier the night Cullum was shot. It is then she admits that when Rocco was brought into GH for what he and Lulu claimed was a knife cut, she knew then, the hand injury looked like a slide bite from shooting a gun. Suddenly, the pieces all come together for Dante and why Jason would take the fall for his son, because he is Sonny’s grandson and Danny’s brother. Dante also figures out that Britt and Lulu have known the truth and kept it from him. He is rocked to the core.

Speaking of Rocco, Lulu (Alexa Havins) is now seeing the other more menacing side of the man she believes is Nathan West. However, his twin, Cassius Faison (Ryan Paevey) is firmly telling Lulu they have to get Rocco out of town to keep him safe now that Cullum is getting out of the hospital, but she takes his demands badly. Lulu tells Cassius he has no right to tell her what to do with her child. Could you see Lulu ending up just like Josslyn? Kidnapped under Wyndemere? Stay tuned.

Courtesy/ABC

BROTHERLY BETRAYAL?

Sonny is spiraling over his distrust for his brother Ric, especially after Ethan reported to him what he saw between Ric and Ava. Now at Ava’s gallery, Ric finishes his business with a mysterious seller. Next, he hands over a hefty commission to Ava at the moment Sonny and Ethan arrive. Sonny aims a gun at his brother,  accusing him of betraying him and Ric looks stunned. We fade to black.

So, what do you think will happen now to Brennan? Will Willow and Nina have to keep drugging him too? If Drew missed his dose, will he come out of his locked-in state and start to have some motion in his arms or legs and make some sort of escape? Do you think Sonny is truly being double-crossed by Ric? And, what did you think of when Dante realized that Rocco shot Cullum and who is the person Jason took the fall for her? Weigh-in via the comment section, but first check out these key moments from today’s GH below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Josslyn Learns She’s Been Kidnapped by Cassius Faison

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Now it’s sink or swim time for WSB agent Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy)! Can the skills she learned training under Agent Vaughn and being lured into the world of being a spy by Brennan, help her survive being locked up in the same room Anna Devane was? That is the latest wrinkle to her reality that kicked off on the Thursday, May 7 episode of General Hospital.

In story, after having a knockdown drag out fight with “Nathan,” eventually Josslyn is left unconscious and wakes up in the same room that Pascal and company had tormented Anna in for weeks. When she comes to, Josslyn is in a panic and does her best by breaking a hanger, (there are nice clothes left for her on clothing rack, and some snacks) and attempting to unlock the door to her freedom.

Enter, the ominous Cassius (Ryan Paevey). Believing he was still “Nathan” who has developed some sort of psychotic mental break, she pleads with him to let her help him. It’s at that moment, Agent Jacks gets an earful. Cassius reveals he is Nathan’s twin, Cassius Faison.

Courtesy/ABC

THE BIRTH OF CASSIUS

Josslyn tries to figure out how Liesl would not know she gave birth to twins. Cassius tells her Liesl believed he’d died at birth. It was his father, Cesar, who arranged the entire thing when he was born.

Next, Josslyn wondered how Nathan’s body could be gone from his grave, if he wasn’t still alive. Cassius shared he arranged to have Nathan’s body removed, and then hacked the PCPD database to replace Nathan’s fingerprints with his own. He gloats that no one would suspect him, since he is known as the good-guy cop at the PCPD.

Then, in a real kicker to Josslyn, she leans that Britt is the one who told Cassius she was a WSB agent, and then the lightbulb went off that Britt and Cassius are working alongside Sidwell and Cullum. Insisting he and his sister wanted out from under Sidwell and Cullum, and that he doesn’t want to have to kill Josslyn, Cassius warns her that her best shot at surviving is to do as he tells her and not cause trouble.

NO ONE WOULD SUSPECT

Josslyn says people will come looking her for, but in a smug manner, Cassius says nobody will ever suspect that “Nathan” would have anything to do with her disappearing. As she pleads, he walks out and locks her back in the room and regains his composure before he leaves.

Eden McCoy spoke with Soap Opera Digest about Josslyn’s shocking new predicament and shared, “I  think Josslyn’s whole journey here is walking the line between being really vulnerable and really, really scared in this situation, but not being able to show that because it’s her job not to react that way. She’s trapped, she’s been kidnapped by a stranger and now she has to work overtime not to give in to her instinct to be scared. Instead, she’s got to incorporate her new training (as an agent).”

So, who will find Josslyn? What will happen when she comes face to face with Pascal again? Are they leaving just enough room for Cassius to come out of this without being a total “bad guy,” so when this storyline ends, it keeps Ryan Paevey on the canvas? Weigh-in via the comment section. In case you missed it, watch the moments below where Josslyn learns her captor is Cassius Faison!

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