Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Live Report! (7/31/18)

Published

6 years ago

July 31, 2018

Tonight’s SmackDown promises to be BIG with Lana VS Zelina Vega for the first time ever, and The Usos VS The Bar in the tag title contenders tournament!

All images courtesy of the WWE’s official Twitter

OFFICIAL RESULTS

SmackDown Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders Tournament: The Usos VS The Bar; The Bar wins and advances to the finals.
Zelina Vega w/ Andrade “Cien” Almas VS Lana; Zelina wins.
Carmella VS Charlotte Flair; Charlotte wins and joins the SmackDown Women’s Championship match at Summerslam.

PLAY BY PLAY

Renee Young introduces Becky Lynch!

The Lass Kicker is the new #1 Contender to the SmackDown Women’s Champion after pinning the champ herself last week. Now the inaugural champion has a chance to become champion once again at Summerslam! Renee interviews Becky about finally being back in the title scene. “When you wait so long for something, sometimes you doubt that it’s ever gonna happen.” Becky had those doubts, but knew that if she kept going, she’d get back. She has some disheartening facts, though: she hasn’t been champion since September 2016, and hasn’t had a match for the title since Wrestlemania 33. Becky kept thinking what it means to be SmackDown Women’s Champion, and it is the honor and excitement and pressure of having a target on your back. Becky wasn’t born to be champoin, she earned becoming a champion.

Come Summerslam, it will be Becky’s honor to win, and then go to WWE Evolution as THE SmackDown Women’s Champion! But speaking of, here comes the current champion, Carmella! She wants everyone to stay calm, this isn’t what they think. Normally Carmella makes excuses, like how James Ellsworth getting fired distracted her. But that’s not the case this time. Carmella admits Becky won fair and square to earn her chance. In fact, Carmella was so focused that she only just got to think about WWE Evolution. Carmella was thinking how to win, and then she was hit by a tidal wave: they’ll be part of the All Women’s PPV. They’ll represent every woman who has ever been in the WWE. That made Carmella’s skin crawl, because she’s failed as a representative. They need to build each other up. She was just jealous, because Becky’s always been a step ahead.

From NXT where they said Carmella was only ever going to be a valet, but Becky encouraged her to keep going. Then Becky was SmackDown’s #1 female draft pick! And Carmella was The last pick. Carmella was the afterthought. The fans have always loved Becky. Fans cheer Becky even now. But the WWE Universe doesn’t think Carmella is deserving. Carmella is close to crying, because she tries so hard to tune it all out. Fans still chant “You Suck!” at her even now. There’re legends who even think she should just go away! Carmella is exhausted from it all.

But she puts on a brave face and tells herself she’s as deserving as anyone. Becky is deserving. Carmella having this match with someone she’s looked up to, she can’t be more excited. She is ready to kill it and prove everyone wrong with Becky. So Carmella simply wishes Becky good luck. She offers her hand, but out comes James Ellsworth!? Not! Carmella attacks in the distraction with a blindside attack and a FABULOUS Kick! Carmella even fetches a chair! She drags Becky over, but here comes Charlotte! The Queen of Flair returns to save her friend! She boots the chair away, then throws Carmella with an exploder! The Princess is down while the Queen helps Becky up. Charlotte shouts at Carmella as she retreats. No more crocodile tears or underhanded tricks, will Carmella survive the Straight Fire?

The Usos speak.

Jimmy & Jey has everything from top to bottom coming through them. Usos, Bar, the thumbs. They have an idea: shine up the thumbs, turn them sideways again, and stick them straight up yo’ candy– Whoa, hold on, PG13. They were just trying to get their ROck on. Well time to get their Uso on, because the Uso Penitentiary is open, and next!

Carmella complains to Paige.

Did the GM not see what Charlotte did to her?! Carmella has beaten Charlotte twice, and yet she has no respect for Carmella! But Paige tells her how Carmella actually fooled her into thinking she was respectful. Carmella should be ashamed. Sorry for not being a role model like Paige. But there is one thing Carmella is that Paige won’t ever be again: champion! This title isn’t going anywhere. Fine, let’s go there. Paige will teach Carmella what it’s like to be a real champ. The odds are always stacked against a champ, but a champ finds a way to overcome them. Carmella will face Charlotte tonight, and if Charlotte wins, the title match becomes a TRIPLE THREAT! Now go get ready, and “good luck”. Will Carmella have anything but that tonight?

SmackDown Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders Tournament: The Usos VS The Bar!

Both teams are former tag team champions, but must go through this tournament for a shot at the Bludgeon Brothers. Who will advance to face the awaiting New Day in the final round?

Awwwww Tampa! Don’t you dare be sour, because the New Day joins commentary, and feel~, the power~! Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods want to be front row to see who their competition will be. In fact, they have their own announce desk, stacked with pancakes!

The bell rings and Sheamus starts against Jey. Jey gets a waistlock but Sheamus fights out with elbows. Sheamus gives European Uppercuts then whips Jey corner to corner. Jey stops himself then gives Uso uppercuts. Jey runs and dropkicks Sheamus out. Cesaro keeps Sheamus from rushing back into the ring while we go picture in picture.

The Usos wait while Cesaro calms Sheamus down. The New Day seem to be taunting The Bar from commentary. Sheamus tags Cesaro and Cesaro circles with Jey. They tie up, and Cesaro gets a headlock. Cesaro grinds Jey’s head, but Jey powers out. Things speed up, and Jey runs Cesaro over with a back elbow. Jey powers Cesaro to the corner and Jimmy tags in. Jimmy taunts Sheamus before giving Cesaro a forearm smash. Jimmy brings Cesaro up into an armlock, then a shoulder breaker. Tag to Jey, who flies in for double ax handles. Jey wrenches but Cesaro pulls hair. Cesaro has Jey on the ropes, but Sheamus gets a cheap shot in. Cesaro tags Sheamus, and Sheamus drops a knee on Jey. Sheamus drags Jey up into the Bar’s corner for body shots and EuroUppers.

Tag to Cesaro for Super Saiyan Kicks! Cover, TWO, so it’s back to the chinlock. Fans rally and Jey gets up. He reaches but Cesaro brings him over. Tag to Sheamus and The Bar stomps away on Jey. Sheamus drags Jey up for beats of the Bodhrain. He then shoves Jey down, and tags Cesaro. Cesaro fetches Jey and puts him back in. Cesaro climbs up and hits ax handles as we return to single picture. Cover, TWO!

Cesaro puts the chinlock back on. Fans rally up for the Usos, New Day admit either team would be a great opponent next week. Jey fights out but Cesaro keeps him from Jimmy. Jey throws hands, but Cesaro won’t let go. Cesaro tags Sheamus and Sheamus kicks Jey down. The Bar whip for the Bar lariat, then cover. TWO, but Sheamus drops another knee. He drops another knee, then wraps Jey up in a keylock. The New Day like the look of that move. Fans rally up for Usos, and Jey fights his way up. Sheamus rams in knees to keep him down. Jey gets up again, but Sheamus throws him down by his hair. Sheamus puts more weight on Jey. The fans rally up, “Uce! O!”

Jey fights up with haymakers and uppercuts! Sheamus knees low then brings Jey up. Jey slips out, dodges from the corner and Sheamus hits post! Fans rally again, hot tags to Jimmy and Cesaro! Jimmy rallies, mule kick to uppercut. Jimmy dodges Cesaro for the Samoan Drop! Cover, TWO! Cesaro blocks a kick but gets a dragon whip enziguri! Jimmy fires the fans up, then runs corner to corner, but Cearo bails out. Jimmy changes plans and FLIES! Sheamus saves Csesaro, but Cesaro still gets a SUPERKICK! Jimmy climbs up while Cesaro enters the ring, crossbody! Cover, TWO! Jimmy is surprised, but he keeps on Cesaro. He drags Cesaro up but Cesaro shoves him away. Jimmy uppercuts Cesaro, then climbs up, but Cesaro shoves him down! Jimmy hits barriers while we go to break.

SmackDown returns and The Bar climb up to the top rope. Jey saves Jimmy by dragging Sheamus down. Jimmy fights Cesaro off with headbutts, then adjusts for a corkscrew senton! Both men are down while the New Day are having so much fun watching. Fans rally up as Cesaro and Jimmy brawl with uppercuts. Jimmy chops, but his kick is blocked. Cesaro rocks him with a EuroUppercut, and Sheamus tags in. Sheamus picks Jimmy up in White Noise position, and Cesaro springboards, but Jey SUPERKICKS him down! Sheamus shoves Jey out but Jimmy rolls him up. TWO, SUPERKICK! Tag to Jey, Uso Splash! Cover, but Cesaro breaks it just in time! That was so close, the New Day are shocked for everyone.

All four men are down, but Jey and Cesaro get up. Cesaro runs at Jey but gets hip tossed out! Jey tags Jimmy, and they each take a corner. They both aim at Sheamus, but Cesaro UPPERCUTS Jey! Jimmy gets knees! Cover, THE BAR WINS!!

Winners: The Bar, by pinfall; advance to the tournament finals

What a way to return to the ring! The Swiss Cyborg & Celtic Gladiator survive the Uso Penitentiary! Now they will face The New Day next round for THE #1 contender spot. The Bar dare The New Day to meet them in the ring now, and the New Day obliges. All five men stand in the ring and trash talk, but the Bar decides to wait a week. Will Cesaro & Sheamus set the bar against the longest reigning tag team champions in WWE history?

Backstage interview with Charlotte Flair.

How does it feel to have a chance back into the title scene? This wild night gets wilder. Charlotte was just covering Becky’s back, but Carmella’s mouth gives Charlotte this chance. Charlotte didn’t even think she’d be going to Summerslam this year. Carmella rubs it in that she’s “won” twice. Charlotte vows that she’s going to take back the throne, WOO~!

Samoa Joe heads to the ring.

The Destroyer faces the Phenomenal One at Summerslam for the WWE Championship. He made it official when he signed the contract after ambushing AJ Styles in the ring. Granted, Paige still had him planned as the #1 contender, but he wanted to prove just how dangerous he can be. Joe takes a seat and a mic to call out Styles. What Joe did last week was just a message, and Styles is more than familiar with Joe’s way of communicating. No hard feelings, because truth be told, Joe respects Styles. Truth be told, Joe respects this House AJ Styles Built, and that Styles made the WWE Championship THE championship in WWE. Joe respects the grind and sacrifice Styles has made. Styles puts everything behind being champion. He put it in front of even being with his family.

Joe finds that funny, because of how Styles talked about looking his daughter in his eyes and encouraging her to be anything she wants to be. But Joe has known Styles a long, long time. The fact is, Styles is barely home long enough to hug his daughter, let alone look her in the eyes. The truth is, Styles feels much more comfortable on the road than being a husband to his wife. Joe understands the sacrifices. Styles put being champion in front of everything, even if it means failing as a father. Joe knows it hurts, but he’ll make Styles’ sacrifice worth it when Joe takes it all away! The fans will be chanting for Styles, but his family will be cheering for Joe. Because after Joe tears this house down and puts Styles to sleep, the family will have daddy back, but Joe will be champion.

Jeff Hardy heads to the ring!

The Charismatic Enigma has become the target of the returning Viper, from the low blow stomp at Extreme Rules to the gruesome ear gauge attack. “The US Championship is more than a title to me.” It’s part of Hardy’s life force, his fifth eye that revitalizes him and heightens his sense of purpose. It also strengthens his bond with the WWE Universe. When Shinsuke Nakamura took it, a part of Hardy went with it. Hardy wants to beat Nakamura and take it back. However, there’s something almost as important: beating the hell out of Orton! Hardy calls out The Viper, because it’s time to fight! And Orton appears!

The Apex Predator steadily makes his way to the ring and Hardy is ready to DELETE! But Nakamura gets him from behind! Nakamura throws knee after knee into Hardy while Orton stalks around them. Nakamura takes aim, Hardy stands, KIN- No, Orton stops Nakamura in his tracks. The Viper stares the King of Strong Style down, and fans chant “RKO! RKO!” But then Orton gives Nakamura permission? KINSHASA! Then Orton gets in Nakamura’s face again. This rivalry is indirectly renewed but Hardy is the one taking the hits. And speaking of Hardy, Orton locks eyes on him now. Orton hypes up the fans and prepares to strike. Hardy slowly stands up, but Orton instead trips him. Orton trolls the fans more than anything as he instead stomps every bit of Hardy into the mat.

Hardy is gasping and groaning but Orton drags him up from the apron. Orton pulls him through the ropes, for the draping DDT! The referees try to get Orton to stop, but he doesn’t. He drags Hardy out on the apron, and gives a draping DDT to the floor! Orton still isn’t done! He clears the announce desk and drags Hardy up and over there. The vicious Viper of old has returned as he rams Hardy’s head into the table top, then rains down rights. The referees can’t stop Orton as he tears Hardy’s arm sleeves and shirt away. Orton even takes his Team Extreme necklace!

Orton adds one last insult to injury as he pours water all over Hardy’s face, rains down more rights, then wipes away the paint Hardy painstakingly applied. “Enigma? You’re a waste.” Orton glares at the WWE Universe, who he blames for putting Hardy above him. He leaves Hardy gasping and sputtering. What more will the Legend Killer turned Killer Legend do to finally end the Enigma?

Backstage interview with Becky Lynch.

How does the Lass Kicker feel about her best friend, Charlotte, possibly being added to the SmackDown Women’s Championship match? Becky’s happy that Charlotte is back and knows Charlotte has a big opportunity. If Charlotte wins, the match becomes a Triple Threat. The math calls for Becky to shift from emotion to logic. Becky is excited Charlotte’s back, but not for this. She knows she can win against anyone 1v1, but what does that mean about tonight’s match? Becky never roots against her best friend, but will her best friend get in her way?

Zelina Vega w/ Andrade “Cien” Almas VS Lana!

La Muneca and the Ravishing Russian got into it both in an argument and in a cat fight last week, but the distraction would coast the Bulgarian Brute against El Idolo. The arguments would continue online, and that forced GM Paige to give these women a chance to settle things in the ring. Will Lana be the best, Lana Number One? Or will Vega be as Trainquilo as her client and keep the duo undefeated?

The bell rings and the two circle. Vega rolls and Tranquilos already. Lana dares her to fight, but Vega fights when she’s ready to fight. In the meantime, Lana shows off her flexibility, but Vega shoves her. Lana shoves back, so Vega shoves her again. Now it’s a scrap! Vega gets away, but Lana dares her to return. El Idolo coaches Vega up while we go picture in picture.

Lana waits while Vega calms herself down. Vega slowly returns, and ties up with Lana agani. Lana gets a wristlock and whips but Vega reverses. Vega runs into headscissors and a heel kick. Lana bulldogs Vega down! Cover, TWO, and Vega scrambles away again. Lana stalks her to ropes but ends up in the ropes with a yank. Vega chokes Lana but backs off at the ref’s count. Vega yanks Lana back, then embraces the heat. She even pats herself on the back. She drags Lana up for a seated dragon sleeper. Lana endures and powers up, but Vega wrangles her back down. Lana refuses to quit as she works against the hold. We return to single picture as Vega holds on. Lana stands up but is thrown down again. Vega goes back to her dragon sleeper while fans rally for Lana.

The two stand up and Lana fights out with body shots. Vega throws her down again, then sits her up for a new chinlock. Lana stands so Vega hops on for a backpack sleeper. Lana backs Vega into buckles but Vega holds on. Another bump gets he r to let go, but then Vega throws Lana into buckles. Vega pump kicks Lana, then copies Almas with the CIEN KNEES! Cover, TWO! Vega is furious, but Almas tells her to keep it together. She brings Lana back up, and wants the hammerlock DDT, but Lana back drops Vega off! Lana rallies and fans fire up! She kicks low, Machka Neckbreaker! Lana-roonie! Then knees to the back on the ropes! Cover, TWO!

Lana grimaces down at Vega, and brings her up to whip her in a corner. She hits a back elbow, then whips again. Vega reverses but runs into another elbow. Lana hops up but Almas copies Vega by distracting. Lana still kicks Vega away, so Almas tries again. Aiden English gets Almas! But Vega rolls Lana up with tights! Vega wins!!

Winner: Zelina Vega, by pinfall

Now English has messed Lana up! Whether it’s Mr. or Mrs. Machka, it’s always MC Artiste trying too hard to help. Will Aiden English ever get it right on Rusev Day?

The Bludgeon Brothers speak.

Harper & Rowan are all smiles. If Cesaro & Sheamus want to set The Bar, they’ll gladly break it. And they’ll positively shatter The New Day. No one escapes at Summerslam, because no one can. Who will face the bludgeoning in Brooklyn?

Aiden English apologizes to Lana.

She wants to be left alone. Rusev needs his space but English thought he was doing the right thing. The right thing is to leave. Rusev comes storming by, and English disappears. Rusev asks if Lana is okay. He should’ve been out there instead. Lana knows Rusev needs to figure out his problem, but yeah, Lana could’ve used him out there. Now everyone is mad at everyone else. Will the Machka household be okay after this?

Daniel Bryan heads to the ring!

The Goat got one over on The Miz last week with his edited Miz & Mrs trailer, but the Miz got one over on Bryan with the fake baby. Now Bryan is here to address his long-standing archenemy in the WWE. Bryan makes sure to plug WWE Evolution, and lets us know he’s proud of his wife, Brie Bella. Brie was in the ring in that infamous 30 second match when #GiveDivasAChance. Both Bryan & Brie have fought for the respect of themselves and their peers, so this PPV is a “huge step forward.” But that said, when taking two step forwards, it seems like there’s one step back. And yes, he means that baby doll fake-out.

Watching that back, Bryan is bothered. For two years, Miz taunted, trolled and baited Bryan all because Bryan couldn’t compete. Miz thought he was safe, but then Bryan was cleared. That wall came crumbling down around Miz, so what did he do to further protect himself? He brought his wife, and what we thought was Miz’s own child. Why? To build one last line of defense, because if they were to ever get in a real fight, Bryan would destroy Miz. Fans agree with that. Bryan calls The Miz out to prove him wrong. Bryan would love nothing more than to punch Miz right in the face!

But Miz communicates via titantron. Miz thought Bryan would’ve learned as GM that this isn’t the indies or a high school gym. Miz is an elite talent, you have to earn a match. Call his manager, because he’s on location for more Miz & Mrs, the highest rated reality show in seven years! Just wait to see tonight’s second episode where they throw the best baby shower ever. And if there’s any doubt, Miz has security to keep fans from getting near him. Who cares about his pretentious lifestyle? Bryan wants a fight, but Miz just being somewhere else only proves Bryan right: Miz is “nothing more than a coward.”

Miz is a coward? He’s a coward? “YES! YES!” The last time Bryan said that, Miz was on Talking Smack, and what did Bryan do when Miz countered him? Bryan walked away! All Bryan really wants is an endless conflict to further Bryan’s career! Miz has carried Bryan ever since the original NXT reality show! But that’s the difference: Bryan is about passion, Miz is about fame. But Miz’s dream of sports entertainer to movie star, has been done by better men than Miz. Miz is not going to be The Rock. Heck, he won’t even be John Cena! And no one will remember Miz is a great wrestler, because he’s too soft. But if Miz insists on a big stage, talk to that manager, walk off the set and fight Bryan… at Summerslam!

This cycle continues. Bryan creates sympathy, get people to cry, repeat. When is Bryan going to accept reality? The Yes Movement is over, Team Hell No is over, everyone has moved on so why can’t Bryan? Let the contract expire so that you can go entertain everyone in gymnasiums. Everyone is annoyed with Bryan. Why can’t he quietly go away? All people see when they look at Bryan is a crying baby. Many crying babies. Miz has the final word, but who will be the one crying like a baby should these two have that grudge match?

Carmella VS Charlotte Flair!

The Queen of Flair kept the Princess of Staten Island from beating up Becky, so Carmella ran her mouth to the Glampire Manager. Paige didn’t take too kindly to anything Carmella did or said, so she upped the ante on her SmackDown Women’s Championship match. Can Charlotte turn this first night back into a golden opportunity?

Before the match, Renee interviews Carmella. Carmella is obviously aware of the situation she’s in, but her math and fashion sense are both Fabulous. Carmella wants Becky 1v1 because Carmella knows she can win. And despite what Becky says, Carmella knows she is cheering against Charlotte tonight.

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, and Charlotte powers Carmella to a corner. She honors the break but Carmella turns it around. Carmella ducks the chop to then moonwalk away. Becky watches backstage as the two tie up again. Carmella gets a headlock but Charlotte lifts her up. Carmella gets a headlock takedown but Charlotte goes for a Figure Four. The champ gets away and Charlotte says it was close. Carmella disagrees as they circle again. They tie up and Charlotte gets a headlock. Carmella powers out but Charlotte runs her over. Fans “WOO~” as Charlotte styles and profiles. Carmella swings but gets rolled up into Charlotte’s Web, TWO. Charlotte throws Carmella up and over, and Carmella rolls out of the ring. Charlotte slingshots but misses! Carmella throws her into the LED apron then into barriers! The Princess has control while we go to break.

SmackDown returns once more, and Charlotte hits ax handles on Carmella. Now she chops away as only a Flair can! Carmella runs into a back suplex! Charlotte kips up and walks over Carmella. She goes up top, but her Moonsault gets boots! Carmella gets on Charlotte to throw her out! Carmella shouts for a count out and the ref counts. Charlotte stirs at about 4 but Carmella kicks her back out at 6. The count restarts, but Carmella uses that to kick. Charlotte blocks it but misses her boot, and gets tilt-o-whirl headscissor’d into the barriers! Carmella throws Charlotte into the timekeepers area! She returns to the ring and shouts for a count! The ref counts and Charlotte slowly crawls out of the timekeeper’s area. She gets to the ring at 9! Carmella is on her with furious hands, going after the ribs!

Becky continues to watch backstage. Carmella wraps a chinlock on Charlotte, but fans rally up. Charlotte feeds off the energy, but Carmella throws and thrashes her back to the mat. Charlotte reaches as fans rally up again. Carmella hops on as a backpack but is powered into buckles. Charlotte frees herself, but Carmella throws her into buckles in return. Carmella glares at Charlotte as she stalks her. Carmella boots Charlotte, but Charlotte boots back! Cover, TWO! Charlotte grows frustrated, but she easily brings Carmella up. Carmella slips out but Charlotte rolls her up, ONE! Figure Four, but Carmella gets a quick ropebreak. Charlotte baseball slides Carmella into barriers. Charlotte climbs a barrier, for an ASAI moonsault! She hits Carmella then fires back up.

Charlotte puts Carmella in, then stalks her for NATURAL SELECTION! Cover, TWO!! Becky can’t be sure what she feels with that one. Charlotte herself is shocked Carmella survived, but that’s what a 1v1 match means. Charlotte runs but into a kick! She still gets Carmella down, but Carmella package counters! TWO, FABULOUS KICK!! Cover, TWO!? Carmella can’t believe that didn’t do it! The champ thinks on what else she can do. She steals the Figure Four! But gets caught into Charlotte’s Figure EIGHT! Carmella taps, Charlotte wins!!

Winner: Charlotte Flair, by submission; joins the SmackDown Women’s championship match at Summerslam

Becky is again conflicted, but Charlotte is elated! Three women fight over one title, who makes the best of it in Brooklyn?

My Thoughts:

This isn’t saying much, but SmackDown was much better than last night’s Raw. There was more talking than wrestling but almost everything had something important to contribute and was entertaining. Opening with Becky and Carmella was great. Carmella may not be the best in the ring, but she did really good on the mic with that fake emotional confession of her insecurities and all that. Using Ellsworth’s theme as a distraction was clever, too. Great to see Charlotte back, and WWE is doing great setting up their own “friends on the rocks” story with her and Becky now that they’re both going after the title. However, I am sensing it will cost them both the title and Carmella holds it until Hell in a Cell in September. But as I’ve been saying. I’d love to see #TeaGenerationX VS #LegitHuggable at WWE Evolution for the Women’s Tag Titles.

That tag team match of Usos VS The Bar was incredible. That was approaching the level of a tag team championship match already. The Bar winning was done well with a sudden reversal of things, and The Bar VS New Day will be a nice, fresh match-up. We didn’t get enough of this match up before The Bar inexplicably disappeared from TV. I actually hope The Bar wins so that we get a completely fresh match for Summerslam, and I hope both The Bar and Bludgeon Brothers stay Heel so that WWE will actually do something else that’s fresh. Samoa Joe’s message to AJ Styles was definitely personal, and pure gold. I thought we were getting Orton VS Hardy tonight, but Orton and Nakamura beating down Hardy was actually better. I’m still sensing a Triple Threat for the US Championship.

Vega VS Lana was pretty fun, and I hope this means Vega will throw her name into the Women’s Division full time so that there’ll be more women to fight for the singles title. At the same time, it does a great job of feeding the overall Rusev Day story. I still don’t want Team Rusev Day to break up, but it’s much more organic to have it happen because English is failing to of help rather than Lana driving a wedge between them. Also I want a Mixed Tag of Rusev-Lana VS Almas-Vega before then. And while Joe’s promo was gold, so was the back and forth between Bryan and Miz. They both got great shots in (especially Bryan’s lines about Rock & Cena), but it really means a lot for Miz to get the last word because Bryan likely gets the win.

My Score: 8.5/10

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

Up Next

Mitchell’s WWE 205 Live Report! (7/31/18)

Don't Miss

Mitchell’s WWE Monday Night Raw Report! (7/30/18)

Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (4/26/24)

It’s Draft Day!

Published

7 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Steven Mitchell

And with the first overall pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects…

The WWE Draft returns for 2024, the first four rounds being right here on Friday Night SmackDown! With champions protected, who ends up where to challenge them?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo; Rey & Dragon win.
Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander; Bron wins.
WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton; No Contest.
Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes; Cody wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Backstage interview with Paul Heyman.

Kayla Braxton is with the Wise Man and says that here on night one of the Draft, there are already rumors circulating, including those about The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman will clarify these are not rumors regarding The Tribal Chief, Roman… Reigns. These are facts! Ladies and gentlemen, Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, has voluntarily withdrawn from eligibility for this year’s Draft. That is not a negative but a positive. Who built SmackDown since the Pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future?

Read into his words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis. Because if Roman Reigns isn’t the first draft pick, then who is? The first two picks make history in a brand new era. And Heyman doesn’t know about you, but he is intrigued. No Tribal Chief up for grabs, who gets their opportunity to shine in the spotlight?

SmackDown throws it to the NXT Performance Center.

Jackie Redmond says the emotion down here is palpable! There is excitement, hope, and a little bit of nerves. But for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of self-belief. It was just last year that the NEW WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, was hoping his name would be called. And it is funny this is NXT, but time to buy a vowel, throw in an E! Who is next? We find out tonight! The draft pool is deep, who rises to the top of the list?

Corey Graves is in the ring.

Corey welcomes Cincinnati and all of us at home to night one of the 2024 WWE Draft. Understandably, the GMs have their hands full, so Corey will be moderating the contract signing for the WWE Championship match that takes place next Saturday for Backlash: France. Without further ado, it’s the #1 contender, The Phenomenal AJ Styles! Styles makes his entrance, taking a seat at the table on camera right. And now, the Undisputed WWE Champion, the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! Cincy fires up and sings along, “WHOA~ OH~!” as Cody makes his entrance and gets his pyro before joining everyone in the ring.

Styles looks over the contract, absolutely tuning out the fans going wild for “CODY! CODY!” Styles then gets the mic to say before he signs, he doesn’t know if we realize that we’ve got two Georgia boys about to mix it up for the first time, and for the biggest prize in the game. Styles understands why they boo, but they gotta know that he doesn’t respect LA Knight, LA Knight got under his skin. He accepts that. But that’s why Styles lost at Mania. But what happened? Styles got his composure back and realized that he is Phenomenal. Styles BEAT Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash.

Now unlike Knight, Styles does respect Cody. They hadn’t crossed paths yet, but they’ve been down the same roads. They had to prove themselves outside of the WWE. And Styles is willing to believe that the same man who gave him advice a long time ago gave Cody the same advice, on how to stand on their own two feet and be the men they are today. That man was The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. The fans cheer for “DUSTY! DUSTY!” Styles learned a lot from Dusty. Styles gets a little emotional thinking about Dusty, he was a good man. Dusty taught Styles how to carry himself, and to carry the weight of a championship.

And Styles looks at this WWE Championship here. The weight of this isn’t just the leather and gold. And at Backlash, we see if Cody can carry it. Styles goes back to his table, signs the contract, and then hands it off to Corey. Corey brings that to Cody, and Cody picks up his mic. “So… Cincinnati…! Whadda we wanna talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on Earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say you are the modern day Excellence of Execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled down to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I have.

“Mutual respect, much respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words to a degree. You’ve been here before. And it seems you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me not far from where I sit now used to tell me all the time, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it.” The fans cheer that. Cody says boy does he respect Styles’ familiarity with Cody’s last name. But when you put C O D Y in front of it on this paper, that means they’ve never touched before. That means Backlash is a level playing field.

That means no matter how Phenomenal Styles is, this isn’t a dream match for Cody. It’s a must-win! Cody signs while the fans cheer, and it is official! Cody even throws the pen to the crowd as a free souvenir. Cody then offers a handshake, and Styles says y’know what? It was a beautiful thing to see Cody #FInishTheStory and win the title. But it’s a shame that Cody’s title reign will end at Backlash. Styles still shakes Cody’s hand, and then walks away. Cody picks up the belt and holds it high, will he get to hold it high again in Lyon, France?

Triple H is here!

Just as Cody was on his way to the back, The Game makes his way out here! HHH raises Cody’s hand, then invites him over to the podium. HHH welcomes us to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft. It is a night that changes the landscape of the WWE going into the future, and things are a bit different this year. As the GMs ponder their next steps, they have to understand it is about protecting the roster they have as it is making the roster they want. Meaning that when they use their picks, they have just as much of a chance gaining a superstar as they do losing one they already have.

HHH just felt that since champs are protected and Cody will be staying here on SmackDown, maybe Cody could help read the SmackDown picks and HHH can read the Raw picks. And since SmackDown goes first, Cody reads first. Cody takes the card to say that with the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… The E S T, Bianca Belair! The stongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST stays on Friday nights! HHH reads that for the second pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects… YEET! JEY USO! Monday nights will still have Main Event Jey Uso! And the fans “YEET!” Cody says for the third pick, SmackDown selects… NXT’s Carmelo Hayes!

The fans fire up as SmackDown manages to snag… HIM! The former NXT Champion makes history again by being the first NXT superstar to be chosen this high in the Draft! HHH says that’s a hell of a pick. But then the fourth and final pick of this first round, Raw selects… SETH! FREAKIN’! ROLLINS! It is still going to be Monday Night Rollins as the Visionary stays on the red brand! Cody and HHH shake hands, and then Melo makes his way out! Melo has the mic to say when they talk about who’s next up, about who’s the hottest out, they don’t call them “the hottest out,” they just call him “Carmelo Hayes.”

The fans chant “WHOOP DAT TRICK!” to remind Melo how he’s leaving NXT. Melo says okay, okay. But then to Cody Rhodes, ever since Cody won the title, he’s been talking about “If you aim for the king, you best not miss.” Well, funny how that works. Because when Melo shoots, Melo don’t miss. And as a first round draft pick, what better way to shoot his shot on SmackDown than to shoot it right at Cody? Melo leaves the mic with Cody but Cody picks it up to say, “Fortune certainly favors the bold, but I dunno. You folks don’t wanna see me in action tonight, do ya?” The fans go wild! Oh, but what if Cody forgot his gear?

Oh that’s right! He didn’t forget his gear! And this title right here, for Cody, means absolutely 100%, Melo’s on! They shake on it, and we’re about to see a huge first-time-ever showdown! But will this bold first move work out for… HIM?

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/ Zelina Vega & Carlito VS Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo!

The LWO is still not convinced Legado Del Fantasma had nothing to do with the beating that took the Boy Wonder out ahead of WrestleMania. Will the King of Lucha help get to the bottom of things? Or will Angel & “Berto” make it as easy as ABC, 1-2-3?

The teams sort out, Dragon runs up on Humberto but Humberto LARIATS him down! Humberto drags Dragon up, tears the shirt away and CHOPS! Humberto whips, Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges to RANA! Humberto tumbles out, Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit and down goes Humberto! The fans fire up as Dragon pushes Humberto into the ring, goes up a corner, and then CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! Dragon facelocks to drag Humberto up, but Humberto wrenches out to CLUB Dragon down. Humberto waistlocks but Dragon throws elbows. Angel tags in as Humberto shoves Dragon. Dragon ducks but Angel holds ropes open, and Dragon tumbles to the floor!

The fans boo and LWO hurries to check on Dragon! Angel & Humberto just soak up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and both Dragon and Humberto are down! They crawl, hot tags to Angel and Rey! The fans fire up as Rey ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirl RANAS! Angel ends up in a corner, he puts Rey on the apron, but Rey ROCKS Angel! Rey goes up to SEATED SENTON! Rey keeps moving, wrenches and kicks, then hops on! CODE RED! Cover, Humberto breaks it! The fans boo but Humberto hauls Rey up. Rey fights and RANAS Humberto up and out! But Angelo kicks, scoops, but Rey slips free! Angelo kicks low, reels REy in, and underhooks, but Rey fights those to RANA Angel onto ropes! Rey dials it up to 619!

Tag to Dragon and he takes aim! Angel stands, into the tilt-o-whirl, PROJECT DRAGON!! Cover, LWO wins!

Winners: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee, by pinfall

Carlito and Zelina hug it out with the team, but then Santos Escobar & Elektra Lopez walk out here. Santos says whoa, whoa, whoa, hold that celebration. Because Santos is many things, but a liar is not one of them. And when Santos said he did NOT attack Dragon that night before Mania, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that night. And Rey… Oh, Rey. What you’re about to see, you will find very, very interesting. The footage plays, and it was CARLITO!! Carlito throw Dragon around backstage! No one can believe it, because of how well Carlito fooled even Dragno.

Speaking of, Carlito RAMS Dragon into Rey, then hits a BACKSTABBER! Never has that move’s name been more fitting! Carlito runs away in a panic, and Rey stands back up in a rage! Santos says he told Rey that he was right all along. They were supposed to be family, and yet look how that turned out. How will the LWO recover from this shocking development?

Bron Breakker VS Cedric Alexander!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew has been making a case for himself ever since showing up on SmackDown, and he’s already bringing the straps down! Is he going to break PRIMED Alexander while also breaking match time records? Or will Cedric prove he’s too fly for Bron?

The bell rings and Cedric dodges Bron to CHOP and ROCK! Cedric whips, Bron reverses and Cedric handsprings, into a SPEAR!! Cover, Bron wins!

Winner: Bron Breakker, by pinfall

Well, hard to say if that’s an all-time fast match, but that was a fast match! QR Code stuff going on, but will we all see Bron take the world by storm?

Nick Aldis heads out.

And waiting is Tiffany Stratton. She asks if he saw what she did last week. Wait, of course he did. Because she is the Center of the Universe. She dropped Naomi and Bayley, where is her title match? Aldis tells Tiff to look at his watch. It is NOT set to #TiffyTime. And he was this close to sending her to the back of the line. But then someone convinced him otherwise, good for her. Tonight, she goes 1v1 with Naomi again, and the winner faces Bayley for the title at Backlash. Whose stupid idea was that?! Bayley says DING DONG, it was hers. It is a win-win situation here. If Naomi wins, she gets the match she got cheated out of.

And if Tiff wins, then she’ll find out when she attacks the Role Model. Tiff gasps as she has a #TiffanyEpiphany. Bayley should be ringside for that match so she can see Tiff do what Bayley couldn’t, and that’s beat Naomi. Tootles. Tiff leaves, but will the only thing she gets is to #FeelTheGlow?

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson are here!

One is a former WWE Women’s Champion, the other is a WWE Hall of Famer, but they’re both here to present Draft picks! Michelle says with the first pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… The Viper, Randy Orton! SmackDown will still have to watch out for an RKO outta nowhere! Torrie says that with the second pick of the second round, Raw selects… BRON BREAKKER! We just saw Bron make quick work of opponents here on SmackDown, but now he’s gonna be rampaging on Raw!

Michelle says that with the third pick of the second round, SmackDown selects… NIA JAX! The Irresistible Force may have to change targets from the Women’s World to the Undisputed Women’s title, but will she be unstoppable all the same? And with the fourth and final pick of this round, Raw selects… LIV MORGAN! The Revenge Tour will still be part of Monday nights, will we watch Liv rise to the top?

The Bloodline arrives backstage.

Paul Heyman is there to greet them and open the door to the SUV. He apologizes for not being faster about that, but Solo Sikoa asks The Bloodline if they’ve been drafted. Not yet. Then give Solo the details. Okay, well, Roman Reigns withdrew right before the show began, and then Solo keeps adding members, so no one really knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline! Solo sighs, and here comes Tama Tonga. Heyman asks they be patient but Solo wants Heyman to repeat that for him. Heyman gets scared, but then KEVIN OWENS jumps in! Kevin fires off on Tama, security and refs rush in to stop it!

The Prizefighter wants Solo’s “MFT” to bring the fight like he did last week! Security still drags Kevin away, but will he get that fight he wants?

Kayla Braxton is on stage.

SmackDown returns and Kayla welcomes us back to the show. And please welcome out the first overall pick, Bianca Belair! The fans fire up as The EST walks out on stage, and Kayla congratulates her on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash. Breaking news, Bianca and Jade Cargill are going to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, against the Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying would it be to dethrone them on the stage of this magnitude? Bianca says so satisfying. She really hopes Jade gets drafted to SmackDown because given all this history with Damage CTRL, all the partners by her side, Bianca has never been the one to finally end it with them.

For everything they’ve done to her and this division, Bianca feels Jade is the perfect woman to help her end this. Now, DMG CTRL is falling apart piece by piece, and that final piece is the tag titles. So once Bianca & Jade take the gold at Backlash, the Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to come back to SmackDown. But wait, they’re here now! Asuka & Kairi walk out here and Kayla moves aside. The Empress of Tomorrow and the Pirate Princess taunt the EST, but here comes The Storm! Jade makes her way to stand right by Bianca’s side. The four shout and argue, but this will be settled on May 4th!

WHOA! Tama and Kevin are brawling their way out here! The ladies move aside so the gentlemen can brawl all the way down to ringside! Tama hits low, gets in the ring, but Kevin pursues! Kevin TACKLES Tama, but Solo CLOBBERS Kevin! The fans boo as The Bloodline beats Kevin down! The refs hurry out here but clearly Solo’s Bloodline won’t listen! Tama DECKS producers, DECKS guards, HEADBUTTS them, throws hands and even THROWS the guards! Tama and Solo beat Kevin down again, but here comes Randy Orton! The Viper is still on SmackDown and he’s still pals with Kevin, so here he comes!

Orton DECKS Tama, fires hands on Solo, then RK- NO, Solo gets free and gets away! Orton wants to pursue, almost runs Jamie Noble and refs over to do it, but the Bloodline has gotten away! The fans cheer Randy on, and KAevin even hugs him! But then Kevin and Randy try to give chase! Security stops this, when and where will we see #RKKO strike down Solo and Tama?

The Dudley Boyz are here!

The fans fire up as Bubba Ray & D-Von are both here for the next round of picks! Cincy chants for “E C DUB! E C DUB!” Bubba and D-Von look at the cards, it’s hard to read. So out come the glasses! Bubba says with the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects… L A KNIGHT! YEAH!! The Mega Star stays on Fridays! D-Von says with the second pick of the third round, Raw selects… RICOCHET! Mondays still has the One and Only, is Ricochet going to bring that WWE Speed Championship home to Raw, too?

Bubba says with the third pick of the third round, SmackDown selects… THE BLOODLINE! That means Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman are staying right here on Friday nights. And D-Von says with the final pick of this round, Raw selects… SHEAMUS! The Celtic Warrior just got back, but he won’t have to worry about going anywhere else but Monday nights.

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton!

It’s time to run it back once again! The Glow got robbed by the Spoiled Rich Girl, but supposedly, it’s #TiffyTime. Will Naomi prove there’s no such time on the clock? Or will Bayley be the one feeling the Backlash over giving Tiffany one more chance?

The bell rings and Naomi hits a THESZ PRESS! Naomi rains down fists, Tiffy shoves her away and goes to ropes, but Naomi gets up in Tiff’s face. Naomi whips, Tiff holds ropes to bail out and fans boo. Naomi scowls, runs in and WRECKS Tiff with a dropkick! Naomi then gets Tiff up, SMACKS her off the apron, and then SMACKS her off it again! And again! Naomi puts Tiff in, goes up a corner, but Tiff gets under the jump! Naomi runs back up but Tiff YANKS her into ropes! Tiff runs to HIP ATTACK! Naomi sputters, Tiff scowls and drags Naomi up, to then put through ropes. But Naomi RAMS into Tiff!

Naomi reels Tiff in, for a HEATSEEKER! Tiff flops to the floor, and then Naomi SPLIT LEG DROPS! Naomi says it’s #NaomiTime, but SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Naomi runs, but into a SPINEBUSTER! High stack, TWO! Naomi survives and Tiff is frustrated but the fans rally up. Tiff drags Naomi up, whips her to a corner, but Naomi goes up and sunset flips! TWO! Tiff escapes, knees Naomi low, then whips. Naomi slides under the lariat to then mule kick! Then she headscissor SPIKES Tiff down! Cover, TWO! Tiff survives but barely, and Naomi keeps her cool. Naomi headlocks, but Tiff shoves her into buckles! Tiff runs, but Naomi follows, DOUBLE RUNNING FACEBUSTERS take them both down! The fans fire up as the two rise!

Naomi KICKS, ROCKS and ROCKS Tiff again! Naomi fires shots again and again but Tiff knees low! Tiff reels Naomi in, but Naomi wrenches out to ENZIGIRI! And then BUCKLE BULLDOG! But then NIA JAX attacks Bayley!? Nia SMACKS Bayley off buckles, rains down fists, and this momentarily distracts Naomi. Naomi refocuses, but by now, Tiff’s slipped away! Nia KICKS Bayley in the side, so Naomi goes out to ROCK her! Nia POSTS Naomi and that throws the match out!

No Contest

The fans boo as Nia ruins the fun, then runs Bayley over! Nia smiles as she blows kisses to Cincy. Tiff smiles, she drags Naomi up and puts her in the ring. Then she drags Bayley in! Tiff wants a repeat of last week as she puts them side by side in the drop zone! Tiff then goes up and up for the PRETTIEST MOONSAULT EVER!! Tiff says it’s her time, but the #1 contendership is still in question. Who gets their shot at the Role Model at Backlash?

B-Fab and the Street Profits meet up backstage.

Angelo Dawkins has a “WHO-DEY” sign, but Montez Ford is wondering where Bobby Lashley is right now. B-Fab says calm down, he’ll be here. Byron Saxton walks over and apologizes for interrupting. He doesn’t know what the Draft destination for this group will be until Monday Night Raw, but we do know that The Profits will challenge A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Championships. YESSIIIIIIR~! B-Fab says it doesn’t matter where they get drafted. The Profits are going to take down A-Town Down Under and take those titles. Then they’ll have their first class tickets right back to SmackDown.

SmackDown? Did someone say SmackDown~? In walk Austin Theory & Grayson Waller, showing off the titles. And Theory says you can’t have SmackDown without the GREATEST undefeated tag team of all time. And sorry, Dawkins, but these are championships, something the Bengals know nothing about! B-Fab keeps Dawkins back, but then in steps Bobby Lashley! The All Mighty scares Theory & Waller right off, and Dawkins says see y’all next Friday! Will there be nothing keeping these Profits down the night before Backlash?

The Final Testament speaks.

Karrion Kross says good evening. What’s going on here? You guessed it! More random acts of violence! Just follow him. Kross & Scarlett lead the way to show The Authors of Pain beating down New Catch Republic! Rezar beats down Pete Dunne while Akam victimizes Tyler Bate! Paul Ellering says they will know about sacrifice! Kross says whether they get drafted to Raw or stay on SmackDown, the violence will continue until they get what they want! So sayeth The Final Testament!!

Teddy Long and JBL are here!

The Hall of Famer General Manager and the Hall of Famer WWE Champion are both here, ready to give us the fourth and final round of picks tonight! Teddy gets right to it! The first pick of the fourth round, SmackDown selects… AJ STYLES! The Phenomenal One is really an obvious choice, because one way or another, the WWE Championship stays with SmackDown! JBL says the second pick of the fourth round, Raw selects… THE ALPHA ACADEMY! Raw keeps Chad Gable, Otis, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa, A THANK YEW~!

Teddy says with the third pick of this round, SmackDown selects… ANDRADE! A big move as now El Idolo will be part of Friday nights. And with the final pick of this fourth round, Raw selects… NXT’S Kiana James! The Calculator, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, has the Raw hat to put on, and after a quick hype package, Jackie Redmond is there to interview her. Kiana, congratulations! You are heading to Monday Night Raw! How much does this mean to her? This means the world to her. She is filled with gratitude, but also knows every decision she has made up to this point has been by design to get her here.

Kiana is so proud of her time in NXT, but she’s ready to show Raw why she is the One Percent. Was she surprised? Of course she was! HBK is here to wish her luck and congratulations. Is Kiana going to start the hostile takeover of the Raw Women’s Division?

Backstage interview with Nick Aldis.

Kayla is with the SmackDown GM and says that with night one in the books, how does he feel about SmackDown’s selections? He feels really good about them. SmackDown’s future is bright, he can’t wait for the new recruits to show up and show out for the blue brand. But he also wants to turn attentions to Backlash, because he’s got some new matches to announce! The first PLE in France, this is exciting stuff, Kayla. Aldis says that the WWE Women’s Championship will now be on the line in a Triple Threat! Bayley VS Naomi VS Tiffany Stratton! Will the odds make it that much harder for the Role Model to succeed?

There’s one more match to announce, but Aldis will let the GM GOAT take it from here. Teddy Long steps in, and don’t forget. We’ll talk about this tag team match. The Bloodline VS Kevin Owens & Randy Orton! Holla, players. Solo & Tama will have to face The Viper and the Prizefighter, will #RKKO strike fast and strike hard?

Cody Rhodes VS Carmelo Hayes!

The American Nightmare just put pen to paper for his match with the Phenomenal One, but he isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. The former NXT Champion is shooting his shot, but will this be nothing but net? Or will it be a frustrating airball?

The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, the fans rally for Cody as he puts Melo in a corner then arm-drags him away. Melo runs up, Cody headlocks, Melo powers out then drops. Melo hurdles, but Cody kicks low to RHODES UPPERCUT! Melo staggers to ropes, the fans fire up, but then melo throat chops and springboard FLYING LARIATS! Melo says that’s why he’s a first round pick! But then Cody CLOBBERS him! Cody asks if Melo’s ready for this, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again and Cody has a headlock. Cody hits a takeover, Melo flails and kicks around, but Cody grinds him down. Melo pushes with his forearm, then headscissors, but Cody kips free. Melo CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” but Cody brushes himself off. Melo pie faces Cody! Cody fires forearms on Melo, then whips, but Melo reverses. Melo ELBOWS Cody, then runs up to KICK him in the side! Melo fires forearms and CHOPS in a corner, then throws body shots. Melo digs his boot in, the ref counts, and Cody goes to another corner. Cody eggs Melo on, Melo storms up, but Cody puts him in the corner to CHOP!

Cody swings, Melo dodges and CHOPS! Cody turns things around to CHOP! The fans rally, Cody whips corner to corner, then he back drops Melo away! Melo staggers up, Cody runs, and he rallies on Melo with forearms! Cody goes up and over in a corner but Melo tilt-o-whirls, LA MYSTICA! Melo springboards, FADE AWAY! Cover, TWO! Cody survives that flying DDT, but we see the NXT roster all fired up watching Melo take it to the champ. Melo sits Cody up, drags him into a facelock, but the fans rally for Cody. Cody fireman’s carries but Melo slips free to dragon sleeper! Melo grins, but Cody cradles! TWO!!

Melo swings, Cody boots, then Cody springboards to BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! Melo flips inside-out, Cody covers, TWO! Melo is still in this and he snarls up at Cody. Melo gives a forearm, Cody gives it back, and the fans rally up. Cody scoops Melo, storms around, and then hits a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Melo survives and Cody grows frustrated. Cody pounds the mat, the fans rally up, and then Cody goes to ropes. Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Melo survives yet again, proving why he’s a former NXT Champion, on top of NXT North American Champion! But then Cody drags him up!

Cody back suplexes, Melo lands out of it, then FIRST 48! Doe goes Cody and Melo goes up! Melo is setting up for the game winner! NOTHING BUT- NO, Cody avoids the flying leg drop! Melo rolls through, Cody dodges to SUPERKICK! Cody brings Melo around, but Melo gets free! They both run, both springboard, but completely miss each other, and Cody takes a rough landing! Melo drags Cody up, reels him in, but Cody wrenches out to dragon sleeper! CROSS RHODES!! Cody shakes out the bad arm but still makes the cover, and Cody wins!

Winner: Cody Rhodes, by pinfall

Melo took his shot but it was blocked! Even so, Cody sits Melo up to show him respect and tell him he’s still the future. But did this match end up more of a trap game for Cody after that crash landing? Or will he be alright in time for Backlash and his phenomenal opponent?

Speaking of, Styles sneaks right into the ring! Cody sees him in time and Styles stays back. Cody and Styles stare down, but Styles says it was that close. Styles offers a handshake, and Cody takes it. There’s still respect here, for now. But will nothing stop Styles from turning Cody’s story into a tragedy after all?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown to open the WWE Draft but to also set up Backlash. To recap, SmackDown took Bianca, Melo, Orton, Nia, LA Knight, The Bloodline, Styles and Andrade while Raw took Jey, Rollins, Bron, Liv, Ricochet, Sheamus, The Alpha Academy, and Kiana. Many of those choices made sense, as picks won’t be wasted on keeping champions on brands, and just need to be used to keep most stories alive and change up a few others. Kiana is perhaps one of the more surprising moves, but well-deserved. She has been a solid character and solid in-ring performer almost from the start, she’s a solid addition to Raw.

Bron of course demolished his opponent tonight, it’s just a shame it was Cedric and not local enhancement talent. But Bron will also be a good addition to Raw, but maybe he can move past his squash match phase and get right to story. Melo being a first round pick was great stuff, and he had a great promo with Cody to give us tonight’s main event. That double springboard whiff was definitely a timing problem, but at the same time, a Fade Away countered into a Cody Cutter would’ve been way too epic just for TV. Cody with a great win, and we got a really good contract signing segment, but you can bet Cody retains.

Really good tag match from LWO VS Legado but naturally Rey & Dragon won. I knew it was only a matter of time before Carlito was outed, and how he handled being exposed was pretty good. And with Andrade being drafted to SmackDown, you just know that means Andrade joins the LWO. The Final Testament attacking New Catch Republic was a wild moment, I almost thought Ellering was going to use the pliers in his hands to grab at fingers. Maybe we get that next week for SmackDown in France. Good promos from A-Town Down Under and the still technically unnamed faction of Bobby Lashley’s. As great as The Profits are, it feels like Theory & Waller will cheat to retain.

Really good promo with Tiff and Bayley to set up Naomi VS Tiff round 3, but I did not think Nia Jax would disrupt all that. A Triple Threat at Backlash is good stuff, it will protect Bayley if she loses, but can also protect Naomi and Tiff if Bayley uses them against each other to win. Good promo from Bianca that then turned into the shouting match of Bianca & Jade with Kabuki Warriors. Their tag title match is official, and I’m pretty sure Bianca & Jade win. I also liked that this segment ended up having Kevin and Tama brawl right through it. Orton saving Kevin was a great move, RKKO VS Solo & Tama is going to be awesome stuff, I can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.8/10

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: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

Andrew Balaz

Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Ratings:

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.

.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.

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