The May 8 episode of WWE SmackDown featured the return of Tama Tonga, further developments involving The MFTs, continued mystery partner teases from Danhausen, and a tribute to Ted Turner.
5/8 WWE SmackDown News and Notes
After missing last week’s episode, Tama Tonga returned during the match between Damian Priest and Talla Tonga.
Tonga’s interference allowed Solo Sikoa to become involved on Talla’s behalf before R-Truth attempted to even the odds by coming to Priest’s aid.
Despite the assistance, Talla eventually overwhelmed Priest after attacking him at ringside before securing the victory with a chokeslam.
Following the match, The MFTs surrounded Priest until Royce Keys arrived to make the save.
Backstage, Tama Tonga confronted Solo Sikoa over attempts to recruit Keys into the faction and claimed he would personally deal with the situation.
However, those plans quickly backfired later in the show when Keys defeated Tonga following a spinebuster.
Another backstage segment later featured Tama Tonga encountering Shinsuke Nakamura.
Nakamura told Tonga he was disappointed he remained aligned with The MFTs before Talla Tonga arrived and confronted Nakamura face-to-face.
The segment appeared to tease possible future tension involving Nakamura and the group.
Tama Tonga’s return also addressed recent fan speculation following the departures of Tonga Loa and JC Mateo from WWE.
Because Tonga was absent from last week’s SmackDown, some fans had wondered whether he had also been released.
Danhausen Attempts to Clone Himself
Elsewhere on the show, Danhausen continued teasing the identity of his mystery partner ahead of WWE Backlash 2026.
During a segment involving The Miz, Miz joked that Danhausen’s only possible tag team partner would be himself.
That led to Danhausen unveiling a cloning machine in an attempt to literally create a duplicate version of himself.
Danhausen claimed the clone would be ready within 24 hours before the machine malfunctioned and broke down.
Tribute to Ted Turner
SmackDown also opened with WWE paying tribute to Ted Turner following news of his passing earlier this week.
An on-screen graphic honored the former WCW owner and media executive, whose history with WWE included the famous Monday Night Wars rivalry with Vince McMahon during the 1990s.
5/8 WWE SmackDown News and Notes
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