Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Live Results & Report! (4/2/19)

Will Kofi Kingston FINALLY sign that WWE Championship match contract?

Published

5 years ago

April 2, 2019

SmackDown brings combustible elements together! The Viper and AJ Styles appear on the KO Show while #KOFIMANIA signs the WWE Championship match contract!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

8 Man Tag: The Usos, Aleister Black & Ricochet VS The Bar, Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev w/ Lana; The Usos, Aleister & Ricochet win.
3v1 Handicap Match: The Miz VS SAnitY; becomes…
3v1 Handicap Falls Count Anywhere match: The Miz VS SAnitY; Miz wins.
18 Superstar Mixed Tag: No Contest.
Samoa Joe VS Mustafa Ali; Joe wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

SmackDown opens with the Kevin Owens Show!

The Prizefighter is in the ring with his set and note cards as he welcomes fans to a very special edition of his talk show. Just five days from Wrestlemania, and his guests will look to continue their respective legacies in a grudge match. So without further ado, The Viper, Randy Orton! Orton appears to both cheers and jeers as he heads down the ramp. And then the Phenomenal, AJ Styles! Fans are much happier to see him come out to the ring. Orton and Styles take their seats on clear opposite ends of the table. Kevin brings up how Orton ruined the WWE dream match of Angle VS Styles. And clearly Orton is amused, so is he proud of what he did?

“Hell yeah I’m proud.” Orton saved the WWE Universe from watching a washed up Olympian beat a guy who thinks he’s at the top of his game. And Orton also saved us from that match. Oh Orton’s one to talk. He’s been in the ring with legends year after year, yet only has one move? It’s a deadly move, but it’s his only move. All Orton needs is one, not that Styles would get that. The fans wouldn’t, either. Everyone says the indie guys have it so hard traveling around the world to make ends meat, from high school gymnasium to high school gymnasium to an armory back to another high school gymnasium, all to entertain dozens of fans. But while Styles was doing that, Orton was main-eventing in fronts of tens of tens of thousands!

Styles admits to that. He was wrestling in front of dozens while Orton was in the WWE, getting suspended for failing drug tests! Oof. Orton has to mull over that one. “The truth is, AJ, if you were as good as you think you are, you would’ve been in the WWE a long, long, long time ago.” Styles thinks his legacy of hard work will pay off? No, his legacy will be this: John Cena’s gone Hollywood, and now Styles takes over as “corporate b*tch.” Kevin clears the ring because we all know what’s coming. Orton and Styles stand up and fans egg them on. Styles and Orton start swinging! Styles has Orton in a corner then on the table but Orton turns it around to bounce Styles off the table! Orton uppercuts Styles to the apron but Styles forearms back! And then Styles springboards, but into an RKO!!

Orton shouts, “That’s how you do it!” as he fires up and marches around Styles. The Viper struck and vows to do it again at Wrestlemania! Will Orton bring down the House that AJ Styles Built with another RKO outta nowhere? Or can Styles prove he’s truly Phenomenal?

The New Day notarize Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship contract.

To make sure there isn’t any chicanery, no shenanigans and no flim-flam, Big E and Xavier Woods help Kofi go over every page of the document. Will there be no tricks this time from Vince McMahon?

8 Man Tag: The Usos, Aleister Black & Ricochet VS The Bar, Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev w/ Lana!

Jimmy & Jey are the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, and they’re completely aware of how many teams want after them. But they’ll find common ground with the Dutch Destroyer and King of Flight to take on the Swiss Cyborg, Celtic Gladiator, King of Strong Style and Bulgarian Brute. Which side comes out looking the strongest this close to The Road to Wrestlemania’s finish line?

SmackDown returns as all four teams are finally present. The teams sort out and we begin with Ricochet and Cesaro. Cesaro and Ricochet circle and tie up. Cesaro puts Ricochet in a corner then dare shim to come back. Ricochet does and they go around, but Cesaro puts Ricochet in the opposite corner. Cesaro backs off but SLAPS Ricochet! Ricochet leaps for a huricanrana but Cesaro blocks with his super strength! Ricochet flips out of his grasp, however, and hits back with forearms! Cesaro swings but misses, Ricochet tilt-o-whirls to a sunset flip! Cover, TWO, and a European Uppercut decks Ricochet! Tag to Sheamus and he adds his own EuroUppers. Sheamus whips Ricochet but Ricochet rolls off his back to mule kick. Ricocht runs but into a trophy lift! He escapes, tag to Aleister!

Aleister dodges and quebradas Sheamus down! He sweeps the legs then drives in the knee! Cover, TWO! Aleister drags Sheamus over and Jimmy tags in. Jimmy elbows Sheamus’ elbow but Sheamus hits back. Sheamus whips but Jimmy slides to a stop, and uppercuts Sheamus back. Jimmy powers Sheamus to the corner and tags in Jey. Jey hits Sheamus with a forearm smash, then runs, only to be carried to the other corner! He fights his way out but Sheamus still runs him over! Tag to Nakamura and he drags Jey up for knee strikes. Nakamura drags Jey back over but Jey uppercuts him back. Jey whips but Rusev tags in. Nakamura reverses and Rusev dumps Jey out! Fans boo while Rusev drags Jey up. He throws Jey itno steel steps!

Jimmy, Aleister and Ricochet protest but are unable to do anything as Rusev throws Jey into barriers! Rusev roars before he puts Jey back in the ring. Cover, TWO! Rusev toys with Jey as he tags Nakamura in. They mug Jey together, then Nakamura gives Jey some Bad Vibrations. Nakamura brings Jey up for knees, then runs, only to get an elbow! Fans rally and Sheamus tags in to stomp Jey down. Sheamus throws Jey out for Cesaro to get some cheap shots in! The Bar, Brute and Rockstar have control while we go picture in picture.

Cesaro keeps Jimmy at bay with a part of the LED apron that came off. Cesaro tags in and fetches Jey to throw him onto the exposed apron! Then he puts Jey in and stays between Jey and his team. Jey hits back with uppercuts! Jey then back drops Cesaro down! Both men crawl for their corners, Rusev tags in to clobber Jey! Rusev drags Jey back to his corner and rams in his shoulder. He lets up at 4, to then choke Jey on the ropes! He backs off again and now Lana gets in a cheap shot! Tag to Sheamus while Jey’s team protests. Sheamus stomps Jey then drags him up into his modified chinlock. Jey endures as he’s being thrashed and bent back. Fans rally and Jey feeds off the energy. He reaches for his corner but Sheamus keeps him back with all his might.

Sheamus knees low but Jey hits teh dragon whip kick! Both men are down and Jey flounders for his corner. Hot tag to Cesaro and he takes Jey away again! Jey holds ropes and tosses Cesaro out! Jey hurries for his corner, but Nakamura stomps him out! Nakamura is now legal as he puts Jey in an open corner for more Bad Vibrations. Nakamura sees Jimmy trash talking and swings at him. He tags Rusev and the two whip Jey into fireman’s carry suplex! Sliding knee added! Rusev covers, TWO! We return to single picture as Rusev glares down at Jey.

Rusev hits Ricochet and misses Aleister, but tags in Nakamura. They split the wishbone on Jey. Nakamura drags Jey up and puts him on the top rope. Nakamura hits the Top Shelf Knee! Cover, TWO! Nakamura keeps on Jey with a facelock guillotine. Fans rally up and Jey fights his way up again. Jey fights out with body shots and a Samoan Drop! Both men crawl, hot tags to Rusev and Jimmy! Jimmy rallies on all his opponents! Mule kick to uppercut for Rusev! Samoan Drop escaped, but roundhouse ducked for a SUPERKICK! Cover, but Nakamura breaks it! Ricochet somersault shotguns Nakamura! Cesaro pop-up EuroUppers Ricochet! Aleister roundhouses Cesaro! Sheamus knees Aleister! Jey SUPERKICKS Sheamus! Rusev throws Jey out and suplexes JImmy. Jimmy escapes and tags Jey. Double kicks for Rusev! Tag back to Jey, double SUPERKICKS! Cover, Usos and team win!

Winners: Aleister Black, Ricochet & The Usos, Jimmy Uso pinning

But just as teh celebration begins, here comes Alexa Bliss! The Goddess and host of Wrestlemania 35 is back on SmackDown, “long time no see.” Not that she wants to be here. But as the host, duty calls. Alexa sees a lot has changed. The juvenile delinquents, Charlotte, Becky and Ronda, are free from jail and will still main event. Kofi Kingston will have his title match. ANd Kevin thinks he’s a better talk show host than her? Please. But the main thing is that SmackDown’s lost its spirit of competition. Such as the Usos.

The Usos won this week but they gave up in that tag team gauntlet last week. That was noble of them, but also deserving of repercussions. Therefore, Alexa will have the Usos defend those titles against… Well all three teams here. It will be a Fatal 4 Way Tag Team Championship match! The Usos suddenly have to fight off everyone! There are no alliances for the tag titles, as Ricochet throws the Usos out! Sheamus goes after Ricochet only to get a code breaker, into Aleister’s BLACK MASS! Ricochet then aims and FLIES onto everyone else! The Embodiment of the End and the One and Only are already competing for NXT Tag Team Championships at TakeOver: New York, but can they take the SmackDown titles, too?!

The IIconics are here!

Billie Kay & Peyton Royce look to address their opponents in the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal 4 Way! What will they have to say about the Divas of Doom, Samoan Dynasty and the #LegitHuggable duo after the break?

SmackDown returns and the IIconics are given proper introductions. And you know what’s great? The state of the SmackDown Tag Team Divisions at Wrestlemania! It’s dramatic because the Usos must now defend their tag titles in a Fatal 4 Way. But there’s also a Women’s Tag Fatal 4 Way coincidentally. Peyton could pin Natty, and boom, new champions! Or Billie can pin the shoulda-stayed-retired Beth Phoenix. Or they could pin Nia or Tamina, which is what they deserve for ditching them on Raw! And of course, they’ve already beaten the champions on SmackDown. So it’s a no brainer that this Sunday, the IIconics will win the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles, to make Wrestlemania truly… IICONIC! Strike the pose and drop the mics! But as confident as they are, will Billie & Peyton really win against three talented teams?

3v1 Handicap Match: The Miz VS SAnitY!

The Most Must-See Superstar is going to be in a truly crazy match against the craziest stable on SmackDown! Can Miz survive Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain to then go Falls Count Anywhere against Shane McMahon?

SmackDown returns and Miz speaks. “Wrestlemania means different things for different people.” For Ronda, Charlote and Becky, it’s about history. For Kofi Kingston, it’s about finally breaking through. And for Miz, it means retribution. He took stock as to who he is as a husband, father and even a son. He is now the best version of The Miz because of his incredible family. Watch Miz & Mrs to find out why. This isn’t just a cheap plug, this is a family project that they can all be proud of. Miz loves and is proud of both Maryse and baby Monroe. This is the best Miz because he fights with a full heart and more motivation than ever before! That’s why Miz wanted Falls Count Anywhere, because what he wants to do cannot be contained in this ring! Wrestlemania will be Miz beating Shane anywhere and everywhere!

Miz used to fight for his dad’s approval, but after what Shane did to Papa Miz, this is a fight of his honor. Shane’s got a dad, doesn’t he? So Shane really is a son of a bitch. But after those strong words, SAnitY makes their entrance and we begin!

But wait, Shane makes his presence known! Fans boo and Miz glares as Shane does his shuffle on stage. Shane assures Miz he just wanted to see this with his own eyes. But first, a proper introduction: “The BEST in the Wooooooorld~! SHAAANE! McMAAAHON!” Shane lets this match start, ding ding ding. The bell does ring, and Eric starts first. Miz goes at him with hands in the corner! Miz rains down lefts on the top rope, but then leaps at Wolfe as he comes in. He boots Dain down but Eric hits a running neckbreaker! SAnitY stomps Miz out while we go to break!

SmackDown returns and Wolfe whips Dain in but Miz fights his way out of the corner! Miz boots Wolfe down then dodges Dain! Eric tags in but Miz back drops him away! Miz gives Eric body shots and haymakers, then It Kicks in the corner! Miz fires up and hits Dain with a knee, then Eric with a knee, then Dain with the A-List Lariat! Dain goes down but Shane returns?! Shane “forgot” something. And no, not the introduction for himself. Shane tells Miz that one: just like at Mania, this match is Falls Count Anywhere! But also, Shane’s new screensaver: him grabbing Potato Face Papa Miz! See you Sunday, Miz.

3v1 Handicap Falls Count Anywhere match: The Miz VS SAnitY!

And with this sudden change, Dain and Eric blast Miz out to the floor! Wolfe is on Miz with stomps while Eric and Dain hurry to join him. SAnitY beat down Miz then throw him into barriers! Wolfe holds Miz in place for Dain to run in, but Miz dodges again! Miz throws Eric out into the crowd then decides Wolfe should join him! Miz fights both Eric and Wolfe in the front row! Wolfe hits back and they brawl their way towards the back. Miz bounces Wolfe off production desks, and then drops him through a table with a back suplex! Cover, but Eric breaks it just in time!

Eric drags Miz up and they brawl towards the stage! Miz throws Eric into railing then into railing. Miz pursues Eric into the backstage area and he throws him into a trash bin! He throws trash on Eric then drags him up to throw him into trunks. Eric staggers and Miz throws him through doors! They end up in the photo shoot area! For Miz to run Eric all the way over into a garage door! Cover, but Dain breaks it! Now Dain throws Miz around! Dain stalks Miz and scoops him, but Miz slips out to throw Dain into a fuse box! Eric clobbers Miz and brings him to the parking lot. It rains as Miz rains hands on Eric. Miz throws Eric into covered trunks then rains down more hands! Miz sits Eric up against the trunks, to knee him into them!

Eric sputters while Miz brings over a wheeled crate. Miz smashes Eric’s head between them! Cover, Miz wins!

Winner: The Miz, by pinfall

Shane O’Mac tried to stack the deck against Miz, but now he’s only unlocked more of Miz’s animosity! SAnitY got a sample, what more will Miz give Shane at Mania?

But who is this pulling up in a police squad car?

It’s The Man! Becky Lynch has an unorthodox police escort as she arrives in Baltimore! And she’s surely heading to the ring! What will she have to say this close to the Winner Takes All Triple Threat?

Corey Graves is in the ring when SmackDown returns.

We all know all three women, Charlotte, Becky and Ronda, were arrested on Raw for their violent brawl, they were all released under their own recognizance. That said, as we also already know, Becky Lynch is here! Becky heads to the ring to an ovation from Baltimore! Becky borrows the mic from Corey then exits the ring to stand on the announce desk! “It’s good to be out free in Baltimore!” And no disrespect, Corey, but The Man answers the fans. So her shirt aged well, huh? Her mugshot shirt, that is.

But Becky was just thinking in the back of that cop car, “What a difference a year makes.” This time last year, Becky and Charlotte were best friends while Ronda was just debuting. It was all the stars aligning for Ronda VS Charlotte this year. Until Becky smacked the smug off Charlotte’s mug at Summerslam! And from there, everything changed. Becky was determined to fight into this year’s Wrestlemania, “and look at us now!” Fans agree as they chant her name. Becky continues by saying that this Sunday at MetLife in front of 80 THOUSAND, the first-ever women’s main event of Wrestlemania! The Queen, The Baddest and The Man herself, head-to-head-to-head.

The revolution, the REAL revolution, that started just last Summerslam with a slap, will blow up this Sunday. When it’s Winner Takes All and Becky gets one of them dopes to tap, you’ll see Becky as the champ she always knew she was: a double champ! Becky drops the mic and stands with her head held high. But who walks out of New York holding not just one but two titles high above her head?

Daniel Bryan and Rowan also review the WWE Championship contract.

They may not like that Kofi Kingston finally has his shot, but they can’t seem to find a flaw in the legalese. Will the Planet’s Champion have to admit he might not be world champion much longer?

18 Superstar Mixed Tag!

This is NOT a late April Fool’s Joke. This will be THE BIGGEST tag team match in WWE history, as Asuka, Naomi, Nikki Cross, The Hardy Boys, Heavy Machinery and the FABULOUS Truth take on Lana, Zelina Vega, Andrade Almas, EC3, Shelton Benjamin, The Club and Fire & Desire, all in the same match! Which side will gain massive momentum towards the Andrew the Giant Memorial and Women’s Wrestlemania Battle Royals?

The two large teams sort out, and Nikki is crazy enough to dare a man to step to her. She starts for her team against La Muneca, but immediately scares her. They circle and tie up, and Nikki arm-drags Zelina. She crossbodies and thrashes Zelina about, but here comes Lacey Evans! The Sassy Southern Belle waves and struts, taking all the attention away from the huge match going on. She leaves without a word or action yet again, and Zelina smashes Nikki into buckles! Zelina kicks and tilt-o-whirls into a crucifix stretch on the ropes! She lets go at 4 but Nikki standing switches and back suplexes Zelina down! Cover, ONE! Zelina scrambles and EC3 tags in. Nikki must tag out to a male superstar, so here comes Jeff Hardy!

Fans rally for Jeff as he circles with EC3. They tie up and Jeff elbows EC3’s elbow. Jeff wrenches him and tags in brother Matt! Matt climbs up and drops an elbow of his own! Matt wrenches EC3 into shoulder breakers! Fans chant “DELETE! DELETE!” but EC3 forearms Matt. EC3 whips but Matt reverses, only to run into an elbow. EC3 runs into a Side Effect! Cover, but Almas breaks it! Almas backs off but Matt puts EC3 into buckles! Tag to Tucker Knight who tags in Otis Dozovic. Heavy Machinery whips EC3 to an open corner, and then sets up for Poetry in Motion!? Tucker runs and does leap off of Dozer for a splash! That was WONDERFUL~! EC3 staggers and falls. So Dozer pumps it up! Caterpillar Elbow! Baltimore is fired up with Otis while we go to break!

SmackDown returns as Mandy sunset flips Naomi. Naomi rolls through to facebust Mandy! Both women stagger and sway, hot tags to Almas and Truth! Truth rallies, splits and calf kicks El Idolo! What’s Up?! More splits, and a corner to corner splash! Truth brings in Carmella for a FABULOUS Dance Break! Time to floss and kick-step! But then Zelina and Anderson jump them! Carmella throws Zelina out then Naomi throws Anderson out! Things are breaking down and the ref calls this off!

No Contest

Now it’s just chaos! Like any battle royal, of course. Naomi hits Luke Gallows with a Rear View! And then Tucker takes care of the rest as he clotheslines Gallows out! Lana throws Naomi out, Fire & Desire go after Carmella, and Almas ends up tumbling out with Truth! Asuka throws Lana out, and bumps her out with a hip attack! Fire & Desire go to suplex Carmella out but she fights them off, only to get kicked down onto Truth! Mandy and Sonya go after Asuka now, but she fights them both off! Sonya kicks Asuka but gets thrown out instead! Mandy gets Asuka with forearms, but she gets distracted by Otis shouts, “Hey pretty lady~!”

Dozer likes the Golden Goddess but Mandy doesn’t like him back. But Benjamin throws Dozer out! Mandy high-fives him in thanks, but then Nikki throws Mandy out! Crazy Cross is running wild and wants to fight Benjamin! Benjamin says no, but she jumps on! Nikki causes Benjamin to tumble out! He still deals with her while EC3 throws Matt out. Matt trips EC3 up but EC3 fights him off. Only tot urn into Jeff’s Twist of Fate! Asuka adds the buzzsaw! Jeff and Asuka work together to throw EC3 out! They’re the last man and woman standing! And then she throws him out! Asuka is THE last superstar standing, but will she win the battle royal for real at Wrestlemania?

Samoa Joe VS Mustafa Ali!

The Destroyer looks to destroy a dream on Sunday as he defends his WWE United States Championship against Rey Mysterio. Joe vows to put Mysterio to bed while his son, Dominic, watches, but will he first make an example out of the Beacon of Light? Or will Joe be the one caught sleeping instead?

The bell rings and the two circle fast. Joe kicks Ali in the leg but Ali stays up. Joe keeps kicking but Ali dodges and hits back! Ali fights but Joe puts him back in a corner for swift jabs and heavy headbutts! Joe dares Ali to get up while he stalks Ali to ropes. Joe stands Ali up to CHOP him! He drags Ali up then whips him, but Ali flapjack dropkicks Joe back! Joe bails out of the ring but Ali builds speed to DIVE! Direct hit sends Joe into barriers! Ali keeps on Joe with clubbing forearms. Joe throws Ali in the ring, though, only to run into a kick! Ali jumps and tornado DDT’s Joe down! Cover, TWO! Ali came close but Joe’s tougher than that.

Ali keeps on Joe but Joe hits back. Joe runs in but misses in the corner. Ali roundhouses Joe back, then somersaults for the facebuster! Joe’s in a drop zone, and Ali hurries up high! 450 but it FLOPS! Joe is seething as he puts Ali in the sleeper hold! And then he drops down, full Coquina Clutch! Ali fades out, Joe wins!

Winner: Samoa Joe, by submission

Joe lets go, having put the Beacon to bed. Will Joe be able to do the same to the King of Lucha Libre? Or will he find himself hearing the numbers 619 followed by 1-2-3?

Daniel Bryan heads to the ring!

The Planet’s Champion doesn’t want to wait any longer. He and Big Red Rowan are here for the contract signing, after the break!

SmackDown returns once more, and Michael Cole is here to preside over this meeting. He notes that the title is on the line between Daniel Bryan, and The New Day’s Kofi Kingston! Awwwww~ Baltimore! Don’t you dare be sour, clap for your world famous five-time champs, and feel~, the power~! The New Day walks out with Kofi as fans hold up their #Kofimania signs! Kofi takes his seat at the table while fans continue their ovation. Cole gives Kofi his time to talk but Bryan doesn’t. Bryan hushes the crowd, then tells Cole that he’s got it from here. Fans continue to chant for Kofi despite Bryan’s bad mood.

Bryan signs his part of the contract, but then tells Kofi that while Kofi will sign this contract and they’ll have their match at Mania, Bryan isn’t here to stop that. Bryan is here to educate the masses, like he has been all along. This is for everyone to hear. That is, if the fans would shut up! Fans boo while still cheering for “Kofimania!” Bryan says he has a very important life lesson to teach. “Baltimore is so ignorant.” Fans boo but Bryan gives the lesson: “do not be complacent” the way Kofi has been for 11 years! Don’t think that “good” is good enough for 11 years! Do not think that a little success is enough success for 11 years! Again, do NOT be complacent! But the fans and New Day tune it out with their own chants.

Bryan realizes he has another lesson to teach everyone. “Don’t be a bystander in your own lives”, the way Kofi has been in his! Don’t sit on the sidelines and wait to be pushed to the top like Kofi did as Big E and Xavier Woods helped push him! Do not sit idly by in your own life!! Bryan calms himself down as he says that before he passes the contract over, he has yet one more lesson to teach. Fans keep cheering but Bryan does his best to drown them out. This lesson applies to Kofi most of all: don’t mistake a fad for reality. Bryan was where Kofi is once. The way fans chanted “Yes! Yes!” is the same as “Kofi! Kofi!” today. Bryan knows how it feels. He knows how it reverberates through his body. He knows how this love and adoration makes him feel stronger.

But the reality is: Kofi doesn’t feed off the fans, fans feed off of Kofi. Fans are parasites! The fans need Kofi to fulfill their fantasies, but once that’s over, they’ll discard him. Fans tell Bryan what they think of him. People always say about great truth-tellers in history. But here’s the truth of this situation: Kofi needs to soak it all up, because this is the best it’ll ever be. Kofi finally stands up hearing that. “For months, we have had to listen to you as you claim to educate all of us.” Now Bryan should shut up while Kofi educates him! Bryan claims to be what Kofi is, and vice-versa. He claims to know what Kofi feels, but Bryan doesn’t know a damn thing about Kofi! Bryan became champion in his first two years! Kofi watched not as a bystander, but as someone who studied and understood.

Kofi cuts to the chase and says that Bryan hasn’t been through what Kofi’s been through. 11 years, not a single 1v1 match for that title, but that’s fine because it’s led to this moment! Kofi saw how Bryan trembled when they faced off, and he sees through the mind games! Bryan knows Kofi is READY! The only common thread between these two is that Bryan does know what this feels like! And Bryan is scared, because he knows what comes next. And what is that? Wrestlemania, Kofi beats Bryan to become the NEW WWE Champion!! Kofi slams the mic down and signs the contract! It is official, and it will finally happen! But will Kofi truly, definitively and finally become THE champion in the WWE?!

My Thoughts:

What a great SmackDown! It was great to have the Kevin Owens Show section start, and naturally it devolves into fighting between Styles and Orton because that’s how it should go. This helps skew the math and I can’t really call it. The 8 Man Tag was great, and the news of the SmackDown Tag Team Championships being in a Fatal 4 Way is great. This still keeps the tease for Aleister Black & Ricochet becoming dual tag champs going, but it’s still anyone’s guess for TakeOver: New York. The IIconics dropped a good promo, but I don’t think that’s enough to say they’ll be the new Women’s Tag Champs at Mania. The Miz handicap segment was great, because naturally Shane would abuse his power. It sucks for SAnitY, but it’s not like they’ve been used that well on the main roster. But sadly, this probably means Miz loses.

Becky arriving in a squad car was pretty great, and that recap package for the brawl on Raw was again very well made. I just don’t know why they needed to tease it with snippets beforehand, just recap it all or not at all. Becky’s still heavily favored in my mind, and I’m looking forward to where things go with her as the champion of both brands. And hopefully Asuka is the woman to meet her next, because she clearly got a great push towards the Women’s Battle Royal in that crazy 9v9 match. Of course, for having such a big match, it was a shame it just broke down like that. They could’ve just let it be 4v4 and still end up the same way.

Meanwhile, it’s a shame we didn’t get Mysterio VS Almas here, but perhaps Mysterio needs to rest for his match with Joe. Joe put Ali away rather quickly to redeem himself, and I’m also unsure how this one goes. Joe could win to go on a tear of defenses or Mysterio could win so that when he does have another rematch with Almas, it’s for the title. And of course, the thing everyone has wanted to see perhaps equal to Becky as champ is Kofi as champ! Bryan had a great Heel promo but Kofi had an amazing Face promo. Kofi cannot be the odd one out on the big three. If Rollins has to lose so Kofi can win, then that’s the sacrifice everyone will have to accept. As the story of this has been, Kofi’s done more than enough to be champ, and he truly does deserve this.

My Score: 8.7/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Steven Mitchell

Did you know that challenger in French is still “challenger?”

In a WrestleMania rematch, AJ Styles takes on LA Knight in a #1 contender’s match, to challenge WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at Backlash in France!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Undisputed WWE Championship #1 Contender’s match: AJ Styles VS LA Knight; Styles wins and will challenge Cody Rhodes for the title at Backlash.
SmackDown/WWE Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way: The Street Profits VS New Catch Republic VS The Authors of Pain VS Legado Del Fantasma; The Profits win and will challenge A-Town Down Under for the titles.
Carlito w/ Zelina Vega VS Santos Escobar w/ Elektra Lopez; Santos wins.
WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley VS Naomi; Bayley wins, by disqualification, and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Undisputed WWE Championship #1 Contender’s match: AJ Styles VS LA Knight!

After fighting their way through Triple Threats, the Phenomenal One and the Mega Star meet again, YEAH! It’s a WrestleMania Rematch, the winner moving on to Backlash, YEAH! Will AJ Styles avenge his loss at the biggest WrestleMania ever? Or will everyone from here to France know whose game it is?

The bell rings and the two step to each other. The fans in Pittsburgh “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” and Knight lets Styles know it. Styles snarls, they tie up, and they go around. Knight puts Styles in a corner, the ref counts, but Knight lets off slowly. Styles kicks low! The fans boo but Styles headlocks. Knight pulls hair, throws body shots, then headlocks in return. Styles pushes Knight to ropes, powers up and out, then hurdles, drops and DROP- NO, Knight avoids the dropkick to BOOT, and LARIAT! Knight then TOSSES Styles out of the ring, storms out after him, and brings him to commentary. Knight SMACKS Styles off the desk! And again! And again!

The fans chant “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” with every SMACK, then Knight tops it off with one last SMACK! Knight drags Styles up and into the ring, storms in, but Styles KICKS Knight in the ropes! Styles reels Knight in, but Knight back drops Styles up and out! Styles flounders on the floor, Knight runs to WRECK him with a dropkick! Styles hits desk again and Steel City is loving “L! A! KNIGHT, YEAH!” as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Styles soaks up the heat as he taunts Knight. Styles brings Knight up, but Knight fires haymakers! “YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!” Knight backs Styles down, whips, but Styles ducks ‘n dodges! Knight ducks ‘n’ dodges, then DOUBLE CROSSBODIES collide! Both men are down and the fans fire up. Both men slowly sit up, crawl around, and then stand. Styles fires a shot, but Knight gives it back! The haymakers go back and forth, “YEAH! BOO! YEAH!” Styles staggers but he still ROCKS Knight! Knight ROCKS Styles again and again, but Styles throat chops! Styles fires off the Phenomenal Blitz, but Knight ducks the lariat!

Knight JABS, JABS, JABS, and DECKS Styles! Knight stomps a mudhole in at the corner, “YEAH!” Knight then runs corner to corner to KNEE Styles down! The fans fire up, Knight puts Styles up, and Knight ROCKS Styles. Knight climbs, but Styles ROCKS him back! Knight staggers away, but returns to spring right up! SUPER DUPER PLEX! Cover, TWO!! Styles survives that crash but both men are down again. The fans rally as Knight rises, and he brings Styles around. Knight reels Styles in, suplexes, but Styles slips free! Styles goes to a corner, ELBOWS Knight away, then goes up to QUEBRADA DDT! Cover, TWO!

The fans fire up as Knight stays in this and Styles starts losing his cool. The fans rally for Knight but Styles looms over him. Styles brings Knight up and in, but Knight RAMS him into a corner! Knight then scoops Styles, but Styles slips free to roll up, TWO!! Knight escapes, swings, but Styles dodges to PELE! Knight ends up in a corner, Styles runs in, but Knight puts Styles on the apron! Styles ROCKS Knight, springboards, but Knight gets under! Styles comes back, into a scoop and POWERSLAM! Then JUMP ELBOW DROP! The fans fire up with with Knight as he storms around. Styles rises, Knight winds up, B F- NO, Styles bails out!

The fans boo but Knight storms over. Knight drags Styles up but Styles HOTSHOTS him! And pokes him in the eyes! Then ROCKS him! And springboards, to PHENOMENAL FOREARM!! Cover, Styles wins!

Winner: AJ Styles, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the Undisputed WWE Championship)

Styles bent the rules, but a win is a win! He will get his shot at the American Nightmare in Lyon, France, will this year’s Backlash be phenomenal?

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

The car pulls up, Solo Sikoa steps out in a suit, and Paul Heyman is there to greet him. Nice threads, Solo. Tama Tonga walks over and Solo says meet the newest member of The Bloodline, Solo’s MFT. The Wise Man is stunned. But Solo cuts him off to ask if Kevin Owens is here. Heyman hesitates and Solo asks again, is Kevin here? If he is, he’s probably already in the locker room. Then take them to him. Heyman obeys and leads on. There have already been changes to the chain of command, is there about to be a change to the landscape of SmackDown, too?

Nick Aldis is in the ring.

In a familiar scene to Monday Night Raw, there is a podium with something under a satin sheet. The SmackDown General Manager welcomes to Pittsburgh the Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque! The fans fire up as The Game makes his way to the ring! HHH joins Aldis in the ring, gets a mic, looks around at the crowd as he revels in the cheers, then says, “On the heels of the biggest, most epic, history making, record breaking, epic, unbelievable WrestleMania of all time, we are here tonight, sold out, 15 thousand strong, Pittsburgh, PA! So let me say, welcome to SmackDown!” The fans cheer that!

HHH wants to take a moment to say that he thinks Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis are both doing great jobs at leading their respective brands into the future. Thank you to both of them. And when we talk about the future, we have to talk about the history made coming into the future. So when history is made, HHH wants it to be represented here befitting of those that make it. So Aldis, if we could, let us bring the… champions out here. Aldis says without further ado, the NEW SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Austin Theory & Grayson Waller. The fans boo as A-Town Down Under make their way, blue belts in hand.

Theory & Waller join Aldis and HHH in the ring, mics already in hand, and they soak up the heat from Steel City. Waller says this is huge. Monday, we saw the second place champions get new belts. And now A-Town Down Under will be presented new titles! Theory says speaking of truth, didn’t Truth think HHH was a magician? Well, who knows what magic trick HHH has to make these guys look better than they already do, but hey, give it a try. HHH says congratulations on becoming tag team champions, so he will show them what they will wear going forward. From now on, they will be the WWE Tag Team Champions.

Reveal! In the style of the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era belts, the solid gold shines. HHH offers a handshake, but Waller leaves him hanging to shake Theory’s hand! Aldis makes it clear to them. They ever pop off and disrespect HHH like that, here’s a real magic trick: A-Clown Down Under will disappear, permanently! The fans like the sound of that! Aldis snatches the blue belts away since they won’t need them, and speaking of disappearing, there’s a chance one of the following four teams will make their title reign disappear. That #1 contenders match starts right now! The fans fire up, but which team defies the odds to get some golden tickets to France?

Backstage interview with Naomi.

Kayla Braxton is with The Glow and says last week, she beat Tiffany Stratton to get this title opportunity tonight. Will the friendship with Bayley get in the way of this match? Naomi says no, of course not. Bayley’s her sister, and she needed help against Damage CTRL, so Naomi was more than happy to help. But in no way will friendship get in the way of this opportunity. It has been over two YEARS since Naomi’s last WWE singles championship match, and there is nothing that will get in the way of making the most of this moment. Now last week, Tiffy Time felt the glow, so that same energy keeps going tonight.

Naomi is also looking forward to next week’s WWE Draft, where she will walk in the NEW WWE Women’s Champion. Naomi is ready, but will she be able to best Bayley in Bayley’s first title defense?

WWE Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way: The Street Profits VS New Catch Republic VS The Authors of Pain VS Legado Del Fantasma!

SmackDown returns as Legado makes their entrance, followed by Akam & Rezar with the Final Testament. Waller & Theory are on commentary, Waller admitting he wants any team but AOP, and Theory saying these teams are fortunate to have real superstars leading their division. In this form of Fatal 4 Way, only two teams are active, so the Big Strong Boi, Tyler Bate, starts against Montez Ford. They circle, tie up, and Ford headlocks. Bate powers up to pry at the hold but Ford clamps on tighter. Bate powers up and out, drops, but Ford leaps over! The fans cheer, things keep moving, Bate feints high to drop low!

Bate shows knuckle lock, Ford obliges, but Bate wrenches, baits and double pump handles to FLIP Ford! Cover, TWO! Ford gets up to sweep and cover, TWO! Bate steps over, La Magistrol, TWO! Ford gets up, dropkicks cancel out, and both men kip up! The fans fire up and the two reset. But then Humberto Carrillo sneaks a tag, before he DECKS Bate with a sucker punch! Ford dodges Humberto but Angel Garza holds the ropes open! Ford tumbles out, Garza tags in, and Humberto sits Ford up. Garza runs in to KNEE Ford down! The fans boo, Garza drags Ford to a cover, TWO! Garza back suplexes, Ford lands out!

Ford tags Dawkins and he dodges Garza to FLYING ELBOW! Garza tags out to Akam, but then the Bruiserweight, Pete Dunne, tags in off Dawkins! Rezar tags, Dunne runs up but Akam LARIATS him down! Rezar DECKS Dawkins, then the AOP start clearing the corners! But Ford goes up to leap, but into an URENAGE! The fans boo but the AOP roar and soak up the heat. Waller’s worst case scenario might end up reality, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and the fans rally as Ford endures a facelock. Ford fights up, pries at the hold, but Rezar shoves him to ELBOW him down! Rezar talks trash, Waller taunts the Steelers players sitting in the front row that they don’t really know what championships are, and then Rezar sucker punches Dawkins down! Rezar stands Ford up, Canadian Racks and bends him! Ford endures, the fans rally, but Rezar thrashes Ford around! Ford kicks and flails, he gets free, hot tag to Dunne! Bate sneaks a tag, Dunne GAMANGIRIS Akam and then NCR fire off on Rezar! The fans fire up, Humberto runs in, but Dunne dodges to SNAP GERMAN!

Bate & Dunne STOMP Humberto’s hands! Then BASEMENT DROPKICK! Garza runs up, but into the REBOUNDER GERMAN COMBO!! The fans fire up with NCR, but Rezar runs up! He grabs Dunne, but Bate says Bop up, BANG! Bate fireman’s carries Rezar?! But Rezar ELBOWS right free! Dunne GAMANGIRIS, Ford SUPERKICKS, and Dawkins ENZIGIRIS! Rezar wobbles, and everyone helps Bate gets Rezar up! BIG STRONG AIRPLANE SPINE! But then Legado CLOBBER Bate and Rezar! They BOOT Dunne, whip the Profits but the Profits reverse to TOSS Legado out! Ellering coaches Rezar while the Profits regroup.

Bate gets up, Dawkins ROCKS him! Dawkins brings Bate to the very top, but Dunne CLUBS Dawkins! NCR mug Dawkins but Ford joins in! They brawl, but AOP add on! Humberto finds Rezar to tag in, before the DOUBLE TOWER OF DOOM!! Bate’s the only one left up top, so Legado mug him! They double trophy lift Bate, to DOUBLE ROCKET LAUNCH him onto everyone!! Humberto then finds Bate, sunset flips and rewinds, Garza jumps, MISSILE DROPKICK DOOMSDAY! Cover, DUNNE BREAKS IT! “This is Awesome!” as all eight men are down around ringside, and Waller says this is gonna be easy pickings for A-Town Down Under now.

Dunne grabs Garza, Bate has Humberto, STEREO ANKLE LOCKS!! Grapevine for Garza! But Humberto BOOTS Bate onto Dunne! Legado is free, Ellering has AOP regroup, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Rezar CLUBS Dawkins down. Rezar soaks up heat, taunts the other teams, then CLUBS Dawkins again. Rezar brings Dawkins up again, but Dawkins fires off body shots! Rezar KNEES low, reels Dawkins in, talks more trash, and lifts Dawkins up, to POWERBOMB! But then Dunne runs up to ROCK Rezar! Akam gets in to scoop Dunne and SLAM him on Dawkins! Cover, TWO! Rezar looks to Ellering and he coaches AOP. Rezar HAMMERS Dawkins, Akam tags, and AOP get NCR up! The fans boo but NCR RANA free to send AOP into each other! Ford jumps in, as does Garza.

All the teams realize, they gotta do something about AOP. So they all mug AOP! The fans fire up as AOP tumble out, but now who strikes first? Dunne runs up but Garza SUPERKICKS him first! Bate waistlocks Garza and Ford winds up, but Garza ducks so the BACKHAND hits Bate! Garza SUPERKICKS Ford, but Dawkins DECKS Garza! Humberto springboards to FLYING CHUCK! Cover, TWO!! Theory says if A-Town Down Under were in this match, he’d knock everyone out and Waller could just sneak in to cover. Humberto and Dawkins rise and go to corners. Humberto runs up, but Dawkins POUNCES him away!

Dawkins gets Humberto up, Ford returns and tags in! Dawkins Electric Chair Lifts Humberto and Ford climbs! The stars are out for the BLOCKBUSTER DOOMSDAY! Cover, DUNNE BREAKS IT! Another save from the Bruiserweight and Ford is frustrated. Dunne drags Dawkins up to CHOP, but Dawkins ROCKS him! Dawkins whips Dunne out of the ring, but Dunne grabs the arm! And he pulls off the glove so he can SNAP fingers! The fans fire up, but Ford ENZIGIRIS Dunne down! Ford brings Humberto up, Humberto JAWBREAKERS! Bate tags in off Ford, BOOTS Garza, then runs up, but into a POP-UP! But Bate RANAS Humberto!!

Bate then DUMPS Garza out, goes to the apron, and Dunne lines up targets. Bate and Dunne climb, Ford runs in, NCR DOUBLE ARIHARA MOONSAULT while Ford FLIES over the corner post!! Down goes Legado and AOP!! The fans are losing their minds as Bate hurries to get Humberto up. Bate puts Humberto in, reels him in, underhooks, but Humberto fights it! Humberto back drops but Bate lands on his feet! Humberto cradles, TWO! Humberto LARIATS Bate, tag to Garza! Legado gets Bate up, feed to the POP-UP KICK!! #FTY! Humberto then DIVES to take out Dunne! Garza goes up the ropes to LIONSAULT!!

But Ford flies in FROM THE HEAVENS!! The fans are thunderous as everyone is down again! Bate flounders, Dawkins tags in! Dawkins whips Legado, Ford joins in, THE REVELATION!! Cover, PROFITS WIN!

Winners: The Street Profits, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championships)

Waller & Theory are relieved it isn’t AOP, but they still look a bit annoyed that it is Ford & Dawkins. The Profits are Triple Crown Tag Team Champions from Raw to SmackDown to NXT, but will they soon add the WWE Tag Team Championships to make it a grand slam?

Backstage interview with Bayley.

Byron Saxton is with The Role Model, and brings up the emotional moment from Monday Night Raw where Rhea Ripley had to relinquish her title. But let us focus on Bayley’s title, as she defends it for the first time against Naomi. Where is her head at ahead of the main event? Bayley says after seeing Rhea vacate the Women’s World Championship on Raw, Bayley appreciates her reign more. She is focused, and she has realized she’s THE Women’s Champion in WWE right now, something she does not take for granted. Because we all know that with the WWE Draft, things are bound to change.

And as excited as Bayley is to face her friend, Naomi, one thing that won’t change is her as THE WWE Women’s Champion. Bayley is just as confident at Naomi, so something’s gotta give! Will The Role Model #FeelTheGlow? Or will she still be shining with gold after tonight?

Paul Heyman talks with Solo Sikoa.

The Wise Man apologizes that they haven’t found Kevin Owens, but he has to be here somewhere. Just look at the time. They will find him, somewhere. Solo stops listening and heads to gorilla. Heyman follows after, but Solo gives him a look. Heyman says he isn’t trying to upset Solo. Please believe him. The last person on this planet Heyman wants to piss off is Solo. But respectfully, Solo is making decisions that are not his to make, yet. One day, these will all be Solo’s decisions. But not now, not here! These are decisions that can only be made by one man. Solo asks Heyman if he’s done talking. Heyman asks if MFT is coming with Solo.

Solo just gives a thumbs up, with that taped thumb. The music hits and Solo makes his entrance, Heyman still following all the way into the ring. What does the Enforcer have planned? We’ll find out, after the break.

SmackDown returns and Heyman has the mic to give his usual introduction. And he doesn’t know if there is a list of the most brilliant backstage maneuvering politicians int he history of the WWE, but if there were, Heyman would have to think that he personally is in the top… Well, permit Heyman, with Solo’s permission, to explain what’s going on right now within The Bloodline, “the premier act in the history of WWE.” The fans chant, “We Want Roman!” but Solo shrugs that off. Heyman assures us that as The Wise Man for… Heyman gets emotional, so Solo just snatches the mic! The fans boo but Solo paces.

Solo tries to talk but the fans boo. Solo says last week, he had to lose a brother! He had to! It was in order for him to find a new one! His MFT, Tama Tonga! And with that, a bloodied Kevin Owens is tossed out, by the Good Bad Guy! Tama shoves Kevin down the ramp, stalks behind him, and referees rush out to stop him from doing anything further! Kevin can’t even sit up, but Tama steps over him to go to the ring. The fans boo as Tama joins Solo in the ring while the refs help Kevin to his feet and to the back. Tama raises his finger to the sky, because he acknowledges Solo! Heyman has no choice but to go along, but wait! Kevin is heading back down the ramp!?

The fans fire up as Kevin shows his grit and defiance! He drags Tama out to fire off hands!! The fans cheer but then Solo whips Kevin into steel steps! Solo drags Kevin back up, puts him in the ring, but now security rushes in! Tama storms in after Kevin but Kevin TACKLES Tama! The security gets Kevin away from Tama, but Solo SAMOAN SPIKES Kevin down!! The fans boo but then Tama SPLASHES Kevin! Tama rains down fists on that bloody wound, then he DECKS guard after guard! Producers try but Tama is a madman! Tama shoves everyone away so he can slip out of the ring, to grab a chair!!

The fans boo as Tama storms back in, but now Aldis steps up! Aldis warns The Bloodline here, and Solo has Tama stand down. Solo takes the chair from Tama to show they’re done here. The fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” but the damage is done. Solo & Tama are a dangerous duo, will nothing and no one stop them from taking over SmackDown?

Heyman goes to the parking lot.

He’s in shock, but Aldis finds him and pulls him along. Was Heyman aware of this? Aldis shows Heyman the aftermath of one car T-boning another! And in case Heyman can’t guess, the struck car was Kevin’s. The attacking car was Tama’s! Heyman says this wasn’t authorized! No, Heyman, Aldis is speaking now. He gets this is a conflict within The Bloodline, but on his show, things are settle din the ring. Next week is the Draft, a lot of eyeballs on it, and a lot top brass are gonna be here. So Aldis will not tolerate this behavior. So make sure The Bloodline understands. Because, Heyman, if you don’t, the repercussions will be equally savage.

Aldis brings Heyman in close to tell him losing isn’t the only thing that has consequences. Will the Wise Man be able to rein in such an unruly force as Solo and Tama?

Carlito w/ Zelina Vega VS Santos Escobar w/ Elektra Lopez!

The LWO still doesn’t believe Legado’s claims that they had nothing to do with Dragon Lee going down before WrestleMania, so they’re going to get to the bottom of this one themselves! Will Caribbean Cool make the Emperor of Lucha confess his crimes? Or will Santos prove he was right all along?

The bell rings and the two talk trash. Then they start throwing hands! Carlito backs Santos down but Santos gets around to whisper something in Carlito’s ear. Carlito ELBOWS Santos away, runs up and hits a THESZ PRESS! Carlito then bumps Santos off buckles, fires hands, then has him in another corner. Carlito whips corner to corner, runs up, but Santos BOOTS him! Santos runs up, but into a SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Vega coaches Carlito to stay on Santos and he brings Santos up. Carlito ROCKS Santos, whips, but Santos KICKS him! Santos runs, but into a DROPKICK! Carlito kips up and the fans fire up!

Santos is on the outside, the ref won’t let Carlito go after him, but then Carlito WRECKS Santos with a dropkick! Carlito loads up to PLANCHA! Direct hit on Santos and Carlito hoists Vega up to celebrate! The fans cheer the LWO on as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Santos whips Carlito hard into buckles. Carlito falls over, Santos soaks up the heat, then Santos HEADBUTTS Carlito to a corner. Santos then CHOPS, gets space and runs in, to DOUBLE KNEE! Carlito slumps in the corner but Santos puts him up top! Santos GAMANGIRIS then climbs up! SUPER STEINER! Carlito flounders, Santos pushes him to a cover, TWO! Vega is relieved but Santos huffs and puffs. Santos rains down fists on Carlito, then clamps on a top wristlock. Carlito endures and Vega coaches him while the fans rally. Carlito rises, throws body shots, then LARIATS!

The fans rally as Carlito starts to rally with more clotheslines, and an ELBOW! Carlito kicks, runs, and KNEE LIFTS! Santos wobbles, Carlito LARIATS again! Cover, TWO! Santos is tougher than that but Carlito says he’s going up! Carlito climbs, but then Lopez gets on the apron! Vega storms right over to YANK her down! The fans fire up as Vega goes up, and RANAS, only for Lopez to block! Lopez SWINGS Vega into barriers! Carlito ROCKS Santos, steps in, but the ref is reprimanding Lopez so he misses Santos KICK ropes to jam Carlito low! Santos reels Carlito in to POST him, then brings him back for the fireman’s carry! PHANTOM DRIVER!! Cover, Santos wins!

Winner: Santos Escobar, by pinfall

La Madrina helps The Emperor steal this victory, them taking down the Caribbean Cool and La Muneca! Whether or not Legado beat down Dragon Lee, will nothing stop them from conquering SmackDown?

VIP Skybox interview with Damage CTRL!

Kayla is with Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane & Asuka as they sit way up in the back. What made the former WWE Women’s Champion and crew want a special view of this main event? Dakota takes offense for Iyo with the use of “former” there. Is Kayla trying to disrespect them? Iyo will take that title back when they’re good and ready. But for now, they’re here to watch two people they can’t stand tear each other apart! Does Dakota need to remind everyone here that DMG CTRL is still the most dominant force in the WWE!? The fans boo but Dakota says the Kabuki Warriors are STILL the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, and that will not change-

WAID! Jade Cargill is here! She makes her entrance from the other skybox, with Bianca Belair alongside her! The strongEST duo argues with DMG CTRL, their own title intentions clear. But for now, it’s time for the main event! Who shines with gold here in the Steel City? We find out, after the break!

Cody Rhodes speaks.

The American Nightmare is in the UK as part of Raw’s tour, but he still took time to say, “What is the task? Run up the score, leave no doubt, right? Formerly, the task was ‘win the big belt, in the big place.’ We’ve done that. Now, it’s a whole new frontier for us, undiscovered country.” There’s an old expression: the title can make the man, or the man makes the title. Which will it be for Cody? He’s in London tonight, the O2, 16 THOUSAND, then it’s on to Belfast, Ireland. Cody is keeping his promise to bring this title all around the world. Back home, AJ Styles has emerged the #1 contender to this championship.

So then, it will be two Georgia boys duking it out in Lyon, France. The first time ever, at that. Styles has an unprecedented reputation in pro-wrestling. The modern day Excellence of Execution, if you will. Styles rarely misses. But the same goes for Cody. So Backlash in France, Cody looks forward to it. The contract signing is next week, even as the WWE Draft is going on! Will things be explosive when American Nightmare and Phenomenal One meet face to face?

WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley VS Naomi!

SmackDown returns and Bayley makes her entrance. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and either we shine or we glow!

The bell rings, the fans rally, and the two circle. The two tie up, go around, and Bayley headlocks. Naomi powers up but Bayley wrenches to wristlock. Naomi slips through, rolls Bayley up, ONE!! The fans rally as the two go again. Naomi waistlocks, Bayley headlocks to hit a takeover, and she makes it a cover, TWO! Naomi fights up to her feet, powers up but Bayley wrenches gain. Naomi waistlocks, O’Conner Rolls, ONE! Both women get up, Naomi ducks the boot but Bayley arm-drags her around! Bayley has the cording hold, the fans rally up, and Naomi fights to her feet. Naomi whips Bayley away, but Bayley runs her over!

The fans cheer and Bayley tells DMG CTRL she’s watching them, too. Things speed up, Naomi does the splits to duck under, then she comes back to kick from below! She drags Bayley into a cradle, ONE!! Bayley hurries to step over, LA MAGISTROL! ONE!! Naomi and Bayley get up, Naomi trips Bayley to jackknife, ONE!! Ghost pin, TWO! Both women hurry up, DOUBLE CROSSBODIES collide! The fans rally while both women are down, evenly matched in this chess game so far. Both women rise, and Naomi SHOTGUNS first! Then she runs up, uses the ropes to slingshot and BULLDOG! Cover, TWO! Naomi is frustrated but keeps her focus.

Naomi drags Bayley up, Bayley shoves her away. Naomi dodges the lariat to hit REAR VIEW! Cover, TWO!! Bayley survives but Naomi lets her know it was that close, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Bayley whips Naomi to a corner, runs in, but into a BOOT! Bayley gets up, Naomi runs up, JAWBREAKER! Bayley ends up in a corner now, Naomi runs in, and she forearm SMASHES! Naomi then runs Bayley corner to corner for a BUCKLE BULLDOG! Naomi slips out to the apron while Bayley flounders, and Naomi climbs. The fans duel as Naomi CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Bayley is tougher than that but Naomi knows that. Naomi keeps her focus while DMG CTRL, Bianca & Jade all focus on them. Naomi ROCKS Bayley, tries the ropes again, but Bayley stops the bulldog to SMACK Naomi off buckles!

Bayley then reels Naomi in, SAIDO! High stack, TWO! Naomi is still in this and Bayley remembers Naomi’s tougher than that, too. Bayley drags Naomi into a drop zone, then goes up the corner! Bayley aims, to MACHO ELBOW onto knees! Bayley writhes, Naomi goes to the apron. Bayley stands, runs up, but into a ROUNDHOUSE! Naomi slingshots, for a FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Bayley survives and Naomi is stunned! Naomi refocuses, goes to the corner, and goes up to SPLIT LEG MOONSAULT onto knees! Bayley returns the favor and both women are down. Bayley shakes out the leg, stands and runs, to KNEE Naomi down!

Bayley hurries to put Naomi back in a drop zone, and then hobbles her way to a corner. Bayley climbs, to MACHO ELBOW!! Direct hit this time and Bayley covers, TWO!! Naomi survives and Bayley is frustrated. Bayley hobbles on the bad leg, leans on ropes while she catches her breath, and the fans duel even more. Bayley stalks Naomi, hooks her up, but Naomi PELES free! Naomi hurries to a corner, Bayley runs up, but Naomi goes up to sunset flip! TWO!! But into the BUTTERFLY LOCK!! Bayley endures, reaches out with her legs, but then she tucks to a cover, TWO!! Naomi gets up, both women throw forearms!

They both wobble, storm up, and Bayley eggs Naomi on. Naomi wants this, right? So hit her! Naomi fires a forearm, Bayley hits back! Naomi winds up to forearm, Bayley comes back with another! The fans fire up as the forearms go harder and faster! Bayley gets the edge, but Naomi SWATS one, to SCORPION KICK, and then JUMP KNEE! Bayley tumbles out of the ring, Naomi PLANCHAS! Direct hit and a hard one, both women are down on the floor! The ring count starts, Naomi stirs at 3 of 10. Naomi brings Bayley up, but BAYLEY2BELLY onto the desk!! The count is 7! Naomi flounders on the desk, but then TIFFANY ATTACKS BAYLEY!!!

Winner: Bayley, by disqualification (still WWE Women’s Champion)

Tiffany makes herself the center of attention as always as she ruins this main event! She dribbles Naomi off the desk, then RAMS Bayley into steel steps! Then she drags Naomi off the desk to POST her! Tiff storms back over to Bayley, puts her in the ring, then adds Naomi in, too. Tiff says sorry not sorry, but it’s Tiffy Time! Tiffy goes to the corner, for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER! Tiff flexes over both champion and challenger, having upset Bianca & Jade but having entertained DMG CTRL. But will Wrestling Barbie pay for pissing off the Role Model?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown that also acted as a WWE Draft go-home. Great match from Styles and Knight to open the night but also follow-up their WrestleMania match. Naturally, Styles wins because then he and Knight are 1-1 in 1v1 matches, and also natural Face VS Heel right there. Good promo from Cody Rhodes, that title match is going to be awesome. Awesome new looks for the WWE Tag Team Championships, though maybe too much gold. Nothing really pops when it’s all the same color, so they should’ve had silver on the WWE logo and the words, “Tag Team Champions,” but it’s still a great redesign.

We also got an awesome Fatal 4 Way tag match, with Theory & Waller decent on commentary. And pieces are falling into place for what I was thinking: Profits win the right to face Theory & Waller, we’ll surely get Lashley wanting the US Championship, we’ll get a good faction feud there as we approach those title matches. Also good continuation of the LWO VS Legado feud with Carlito VS Santos, and distractions of course helped Santos win. There’s gotta come a point where Carlito reveals it was him, Dragon Lee, it was him all along! Now, that would make like the third turn since the start of this rivalry (Santos to Heel, Andrade to Face and Carlito to Heel) but hey, the drama is heightened each time, and maybe Dragon Lee will actually get a win in this feud.

Great stuff in Bayley VS Naomi, as well as all the promos. DMG CTRL watching from the skybox, same as Bianca & Jade, was good stuff. The tag title match is definitely coming for Backlash, that will be great stuff. But I should’ve figured Tiffany would “ruin” the main event so that there won’t really be a choice between Bayley and Naomi. The Draft is coming, hopefully they think to keep all three on the same brand, and probably here on SmackDown, so that those three can have it out. I don’t know the chances of a Triple Threat for Backlash but it still feels possible. Though at the same time, I don’t think they’d take the title off Bayley after only a month, so she’d probably use Tiffany against Naomi to retain.

And what wild stuff with this new, more vicious Bloodline. Solo is in a suit because he certainly thinks he is Tribal Chief already, given Roman Reigns did give him the nod as “Tribal Heir” a few months ago. And while Tama is the MFT, which everyone is already wondering what that even means, it’s clear he’s also the right hand man and a loose cannon at that. Without the Draft, it’d be pretty wild for Jimmy to come back and help Kevin against this new Bloodline. With the Draft, we could get Jey back on the same brand as his family and then he and Jimmy stand against Solo and Tama. But either way, it’ll be a wild ride in this new chapter and I’m all for it.

My Score: 8.9/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Coverage

Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.18.2024

Motor City Machine Guns either go out on their backs, or head to Rebellion as champs! Lets see how they finish their current run in TNA!

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Andrew Balaz

No burying the lead here! The Main Event is The System versus Motor City Machine Guns, and it’s the Go Home episode before Rebellion! So we’re guaranteed a damn good tag match, and we should get either new wrinkles, or ways to keep the storylines cooking going into the Pay-per-View.

With all the rumors and innuendo about the Guns being on their way out, I think we all assume that MCMG is losing, but my inner fanboy is still excited.

Part Three: Acceptance @TheJonGresham #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/NE9FPzCCz2

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Ratings:

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone: Hammerstone wins via Torture Rack – SQUASH
LSG vs Joe Hendry: Hendry wins via Standing Ovation – SQUASH
Mustafa Ali & GYV vs Cody Deaner, Jake Something & Rhyno: Ali wins via 450 Splash – ** 3/4
Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna: Rosemary wins via Spear – ***
Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) w/Alisha Edwards: System wins via Roster Cut + Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

So we kick off the match with Josh coming out to commentary again to watch Hammerstone’s match. They really need a new way to try and keep heat without reusing the same tired gimmick of “ring side seat” to a Squash match.

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone

Guido tries to shoot the half, but Hammerstone shrugs him off, lifts him like a child and runs him into a corner, few short shots and then just tosses him across the ring. Hammer gets a little distracted talking smack to Josh and eats a foot, but then tosses Guido with the ole Sack of Shit move and keeps working over Guido.

Hammer shoves Clayton, and provokes him to push him back right in front of the referee. She ejects them, Guido tries to take advantage but when he goes for the pinfall Hammer kicks out immediately and presses Guido out of thing through the ropes. Continues to dog walk Guido, puts the head gear on the ECW Original and then Torture Racks him while staring directly at Josh, and of course picks up the submission victory.

.@XiaBrookside and @Ashamae_Sebera face off NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/Q0S3wSRpeu

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

LSG vs Joe Hendry

Hendry cuts a little promo, mentioning the Fat Uncle Phil joke…something about shopping at the TOP Dollar Store. Solid mic work.

LSG is a damn good local talent, he’s been seen in ROH and AEW in the past (perhaps others, but that’s what comes to mind immediately for me), but we all know this is an enhancement match. A few nice chain wrestling spots early, but Hendry uses his power to stop the smaller wrestler, Sack of Shit into Standing Ovation and the match is over quickly.

Mustafa Ali & GYV vs Cody Deaner, Jake Something & Rhyno

Well okay, having Deaner ask the crowd if they wanted a 3v2 or their third member…RHYNO…is pretty much a no brainer in Philly. But at least the gimmick isn’t quite as cringe as I expected.

Jake starts with Zack Gibson and throws him around. Jake goes for the tag and Deaner asks the crowd who Jake should tag, and the crowd picks Rhyno. Rhyno Whips Gibson into a corner, Drake actually softens the impact, allowing Gibson to fire back, tag out, but Rhyno levels both GYV members and then even knocks Ali off the apron. Rhyno tries to call to the crowd to tag in Deaner and that goes over like a fart in church. He tags him in anyway, and the crowd is kinda dead and doing whatever it wants after the obvious ECW chants when Rhyno tagged in.

GYV take a couple lumps but they of course start to work over Deaner and capture some momentum. Solid tandem work from GYV, they cut off Deaner from making a tag and goad Jake a little to cause the ref to block off the babyfaces so the heels can take a few shortcuts. Cody eventually makes the tag to Rhyno, hot tag, he tries to set up the Gore but the GYV manage to stop him in his tracks and hit an Enzuigiri to daze the Man Beast, he falls to his corner and Jake tags himself in. Jake literally runs them all over, tags in Cody and Launches him from the Top Rope into Zack Gibson. Ali makes the save and Jake tries to get his hands on Ali, but the GYV keep throwing themselves at him, literally. The triple team finally gets the best of Jake, they hit 3 Dives and then post Jake, so they gather around Cody like hyenas.

They forgot about Rhyno, he’s set up for a Gore, he Gores Drake, Gibson and Ali take out Rhyno, but then Cody starts to fight back. Ali stops Deaner’s offense with an Avalanche Sunset Bomb, then hits his 450 Splash. Jake barely misses being able to break up the pin.

.@TheEricYoung channels "The Sickness" as he prepares for FULL METAL MAYHEM with @FrankieKazarian at #Rebellion! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/tm1TqxZBLo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna

Jody tries to start quickly with Shoulder Tackles, Lariats and Scoop Slams, and it does seem somewhat effective. Rosemary is having trouble finding offense against the intensity, but she keeps kicking out. Shotgun Dropkick finally gives Rosemary an opening, she goes into full mount and rains down strikes. Rosemary shoves Jody into a corner and Bites her in the corner. Jody tries to fight out, they go across and Rosemary catches her with the legs and puts her in the Upside Down. Splash in the corner from Rosemary, Exploder Suplex and Jody is eating a lot of offense.

Rosemary looks like she’s caught after she gets tripped up into the ropes and Jody goes for her Rope Knee into the German, but Rosemary dodges. Rosemary hits her own suplex and pulls out a beautiful Last Chancery! I haven’t seen her do that in a long time. Jody manages to fight to the ropes, Rosemary is a little slow to capitalize and eats a Pump Kick. Rosemary goes flying into the ropes, Jody hits the Double Knees into the German this time for 2, and they trade a few haymakers after that. Jody folds Rosemary with a low Lariat, Zombie rise spot a few times, Jody goes for a pinfall and Rosemary kicks out.

Havok jumps up on the apron, Dani meets her and they decide to step down, but the distraction was enough. Jody turns around and eats a Spear. Rosemary wins!

Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) w/Alisha Edwards

Eddie and Shelley start off, and its a very simple slow start. Mostly an early stalemate, the typical Japanese style the TNA seem to love to employ. Starters tag out, but then Shelley with the blind tag, Sabin Baseball Slides out, picks Eddie’s ankle and sends his face bouncing off the apron, while Shelley sneaks up being Myers and they hit a tandem move before we cut to commercial. Off of the commercial it looks like Eddie and Myers regained control. But a nice Jawbreaker from Shelley sends Eddie falling back into the MCMG corner. Dragon Screws to both legs from Sabin and Shelley, and we get the Dragon Screw dissection spot for the Guns.

Myers gets sick of things, tries to get involved, but Simultaneous Figure Fours from the MCMG makes The System look silly. Alisha does the classic “push the rope forward” gimmick to assist Eddie in breaking the hold. She keeps chirping at Shelley until she finally grabs his foot. Shelley doesn’t take kindly, tries to grab her by the hair but she gets away, Shelley eats a strike and falls back to the ropes so Lish can just throttle him with the rope, Sabin walks over and acts like he’s going to PK her and the look of disgust on her face is hilarious, like “how dare he threaten to kick her”. Would I be mad is Masha decides to team with Lish and they win the Knockouts Tag titles? No, because the Knockouts Tags are trash. But I still prefer Lish as valet/manager.

Shelley starts fighting back after another commercial break, Eddie tries to cut him off, but Sabin clocks Eddie and Shelley manages to make the tag and Sabin comes in. Lights up both System members, Kick off Tornado DDT, into a Running Gamengiri. Eddie tries to counter but Shelley assists, tandem strikes, Double Baseball Slide into the classic MCMG spot 5 Hole Dive! Keeping up with the classics Shelley stacks the System members on each other and hit the Missile Dropkick/Flatliner spot. As the Guns are rolling, Sabin accidentally catches Sabin with his foot and The System take control! They hit their pieces of the System Overload spot, but Sabin kicks out. Roster Cut attempt from Myers, but Shelley is back. High Speed Dirt, Machine Gun Sandwich, but Lish grabs Shelley’s foot when they’re setting up Skull and Bones. Shelley gets dropped on the turnbuckle and thrown out, Sabin eats the Roster Cut followed up with Boston Knee Party and System retains!

Its a little weird to have had the two commercial cuts and the fact there’s still Nic Nemeth to follow. So it feels a little flat, I hope this wasn’t their swan song match, because it was nice to see some classic spots, but it was entirely too abbreviated.

Nemeth comes out, goes into the crowd and finds a kid with a kendo stick and borrows a beer from someone, so he does a bit of a Sandman tribute. Moose cuts off his promo basically immediately. He throws out the “can’t beat the system” line again, and Nic rolls with the punches well. Moose uses a few cute analogies about Nic having a failure laden past, but Nemeth bites back and its really damn good. He says he can see it in Moose’s eyes that he thinks he’s getting in the ring with Dolph Ziggler, but no, there is no more old Dolph Ziggler, just the new Nic Nemeth. And Moose’s cool seems to be slightly shaken after those words. Good promo.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

So this was okay, if it didn’t end as strongly as it did, I would’ve rated this much lower. Two squash matches in the beginning, reusing the Josh comes out to the announce table to watch trope is boring, hell even Clayton’s shove to Hammerstone was super lame looking. The Deaner match was luke warm at best, but things picked up around the Rosemary match.

Lets also not overlook the segments with ASH & Xia, Jonathan Gresham’s whole deal and EY having to return to the violence/sickness/world class maniac, whatever you want to call it, were all great building blocks. This definitely wasn’t what I would call a strong Go Home, but it didn’t hurt things for Rebellion. The whole injury of Cardona was addressed, which honestly sounded weird since Jordynne basically said she was expecting them to have a backup plan so she has a backup plan. I don’t really like how that video package came across.

But who knows, all I know is, this wasn’t an awful episode, it just wasn’t really strong either. Here’s to hoping Rebellion Saturday is still strong.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!