WWE SmackDown results, May 19, 2016: Roman Reigns and AJ Styles take their rivalry to the extreme in post-match steel chair throw down

GREENVILLE, S.C. — With Intercontinental Champion The Miz, his wife Maryse and Sami Zayn all sitting in on commentary, distractions were a plenty as Cesaro and Kevin Owens battled in a heated head-to-head showdown to kick off Thursday’s hottest show.

Emotions ran high as all four Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way competitors were within sight of one another. The animosity between these Superstars could not be contained as the forthcoming opponents all ended up in the ring with KO taking full advantage by using a handful of tights to roll up a distracted Swiss Superman for the victory.

After the contest, a frustrated Cesaro attacked The A-lister, only to end up on the receiving end of a Helluva Kick from Zayn. The Intercontinental Champion wasted no time sneaking back into the fray, hitting The Underdog from the Underground with a Skull-Crushing Finale as a delighted Owens watched from the entrance ramp.

Chris Jericho continued his verbal attack against Dean Ambrose just days before they clash in the first Asylum Match at Extreme Rules this Sunday. The Ayatollah of Rock ’n’ Rolla not only declared himself smarter than The Lunatic Fringe, but also crazier.

The legendary Superstar predicted an extended stay in the hospital for the unstable Ambrose after this Sunday, but what he didn’t see coming was the beating he was about to receive at the hands of his rival. The nine-time Intercontinental Champion voluntarily asked for the Asylum to be lowered around him, but as he demanded the WWE Universe to drink in the gift of Jericho, Ambrose appeared behind him in disguise. The unpredictable Ambrose proceeded to deliver an extreme drubbing to Jericho before the embattled Superstar finally escaped.

Before they defend their WWE Tag Team Championship against The Vaudevillains this Sunday at Extreme Rules, The New Day joined forces with Big Cass to battle their Extreme Rules challengers & The Dudley Boyz in a huge 8-Man Tag Team Match.

Although Simon Gotch & Aiden English certainly made a statement with their old-school onslaught against their tag team foes, the 7-foot-tall Cass proved to be the difference maker on this night. He delivered a big boot to D-Von Dudley before hitting the East River Crossing and the Empire Elbow on Bubba Ray for the victory.

With the rest of “The Bloodline” and The Club watching at ringside, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and Luke Gallows engaged in a huge slugfest in SmackDown’s main event. The two powerhouses traded blows in a hard-hitting showdown that soon erupted into pure bedlam after AJ Styles grabbed the foot of his Extreme Rules opponent.

Extreme Rules: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles - Extreme Rules Match preview

The contest completely broke down when Karl Anderson entered the contest to help Gallows take out the titleholder, prompting the referee to call for the bell. This was just the beginning of the fight, however, with all hell breaking loose around the SmackDown announce table as the show went off the air.

With their fight continuing to escalate, the cameras kept rolling as the two factions brawled around the ring and Jimmy & Jey battled Gallows & Anderson throughout the arena. This left the two WWE World Heavyweight Championship Extreme Rules Match opponents alone inside the squared circle to face off. The evenly matched rivals proceeded to not only smash their steel chairs together in a thunderous collision, but then take turns sending one another from the ring with vicious steel chair strikes to the back. In the end, The Big Dog stood tall inside the squared circle, but will we see a similar sight Sunday at Extreme Rules? 

Check out the free-for-all that took place all through the arena after SmackDown went off the air.