Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (3/20/20)

Friday Night GRONKDOWN!

Published

4 years ago

March 20, 2020

Steven Mitchell

SmackDown welcomes the host of WrestleMania 36: Rob Gronkowski!

WWE welcomes the NFL superstar to Friday Night SmackDown ahead of his hosting the special two-night WrestleMania 36 event!

If you can read this text, this content was STOLEN.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

The Artist Collective VS Daniel Bryan & Drew Gulak; Bryan & Gulak win.
From WrestleMania 30: John Cena VS Bray Wyatt.
The Miz & John Morrison VS Heavy Machinery; Miz & Morrison win.

PLAY BY PLAY

SmackDown shares a huge announcement!

Given the circumstances, WrestleMania 36 can no longer be just one night! BOTH April 4th and 5th will be part of a two-night WrestleMania event! And a big event means a big host. A former NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl player, ROB GRONKOWSKI! Gronk let the world know himself in a tweet, but of course Mojo Rawley let the WWE Universe know, too. And speaking of, the Hype Bro is back and getting Michael Cole hype. Mojo introduces his “best friend,” Rob Gronkowski to SmackDown! Gronk breaks it down as he heads down the ramp and to the ring where he joins Mojo and Michael.

Has it been a dream of Gronk’s to be part of WrestleMania? Gronk has been watching since Second Grade in the nosebleeds when the WWE came to Buffalo, New York. He watched FCW to support Mojo Rawley. Gronk has been to sold out events, and now he’s here in front of no one, STILL HYPED because he’s hosting! Mojo is pumped, too, but he warns Gronk to be careful. You can get hit on the field, off the field and everywhere in between. Mojo is to help Gronk out, Gronk will help Mojo out, and they pump each other up with CHOPS! “WOO~!” But wait, here comes Baron Corbin to ruin the fun.

Corbin congratulates Gronk but says he’s setting himself up for failure listening to Mojo. As we all know, this is King Corbin. And as king, Corbin expects a specific greeting: get down on your knees and bow down! Nah, Gronk’s good. Alright, fine. Corbin says this isn’t for Gronk. He’s just a party guy. Corbin’s done both the NFL and the WWE. Gronk’s used to shoulder pads, hip pads and helmets. They don’t have any of that in the WWE! Cobin is bigger and stronger, so Gronk better fall in line like everyone else. Or else, the party will be over. But ladies and gentlemen: It’s Elias.

Corbin accuses Elias of being a stalker but Elias says that he’s been sitting on a song that he wants Corbin to listen to. If Corbin listens, will Elias go away? Sure, sure. Elias plays and sings, “Corbin~ can’t you hear how dumb you sound? Gronk will rip your skull off and spike it like a touchdown~! So it’s off with your head~, I don’t think you’ll survive. I just wish there were actually people here to see it live.” Corbin says the song is over and won’t let Gronk laugh anymore. The two get face to face with jackets off, but Corbin talks trash about Gronk getting hurt. Mojo and Gronk table top Corbin! They taunt Corbin back, but Elias gets in to give Corbin a kick and a toss!

Gronk says as the host of Mania, he may not have the power to make a match, but he WANTS Corbin and Elias to have one! Will The Drifter make the Wolf King look like a fool during the event “too big for one night?”

The Artist Collective VS Daniel Bryan & Drew Gulak!

Sami Zayn supports his team of the Swiss Cyborg and King of Strong Style, but will he be boasting and bragging after they run into the double-tough duo of technicians?

SmackDown returns and Sami’s team makes their entrance. The teams sort out and we begin with Nakamura and Bryan. They circle and feel it out. Sami joins commentary as Nakamura gets the wrist. Bryan wrenches back to a waistlock but Nakamura drops to trip Bryan up. The two trade facelocks and Bryan gets control. Bryan brings Nakamura over and tags Gulak. Gulak wrenches Nakamura now and shifts to a hammerlock. Nakamura pulls Gulak’s ear to bring him tot he corner. Tag to Cesaro and Cesaro throws body shots. Cesaro throws Gulak with a headlock but Gulak headscissors back. Cesaro works his way around to lace the legs and then shifts to a facelock.

Gulak gets out of the hold and gets a hold of Cesaro’s leg. Gulak keeps Cesaro anchored as he tags in Bryan. Bryan runs to jump onto the leg! Cesaro blocks the toehold and headlocks to then throw an uppercut. Nakamura tags in, stomps Bryan then brings him up. Bryan ROCKS Nakamura with European Uppercuts of his own! Bryan whips but Cesaro tags in. Nakamura kicks Bryan away but Bryan throws him out. Bryan runs to DIVE! Nakamura ends up on the announce desk and Sami freaks out! Bryan shoulders Cesaro away then goes up top. He leaps but into Cesaro’s arms, and BACKBREAKER! Sami marks out as Cesaro BOOTS Gulak down! The Artist Collective praises itself as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns as Cesaro and Bryan are trading EuroUppers! Bryan hits, Cesaro hits, repeat! Cesaro hits low with body shots then tags in Nakamura. Cesaro gives another EuroUpper and sets Bryan up in the ropes for Nakamura’s SLIDING GERMAN! Nakamura stomps Bryan then brings him up. Bryan hits back so Nakamura snapmares and drops a knee! Cover, TWO! Tag to Cesaro and Sami sings the praises of his fellow artists. Cesaro dead lift gut wrenches, Bryan tries to fight out with punches to the legs, but Cesaro still gut wrench suplexes him! Cover, TWO! Cesaro looms over Bryan and stalks him to ropes.

Cesaro stomps Bryan’s hands and throws big forearms in the corner. He whips Bryan corner to corner then hits a clothesline! Cesaro goes back the other way with another EuroUpper! And then the other way, but Bryan dropkicks back! Both men are down and Gulak coaches Bryan up. Hot tags to Nakamura and Gulak! The Philly Stretcher shotgun dropkicks Nakamura down! Gulak throws haymakers and body shots but the ref backs him off. Nakamura runs into a counter punch and a GERMAN! Cover, TWO! Sami complains but Gulak stalks Nakamura. Gulak has the dragon sleeper but Nakamura counters to an armbar! Gulak makes it a cover, TWO! Nakamura hits a BIG swinging kick!

Tag to Cesaro and Nakamura feeds Gulak to Cesaro’s fireman’s carry. Cesaro puts Gulak up top for the Top Shelf Knee! Then a feed to the Pop-up UPPERCUT! Cesaro covers, Bryan breaks it! Nakamura and Cesaro mug Bryan and then dump him out. Sami taunts Bryan while Cesaro goes after Gulak with slaps and EuroUppers! Tag to Nakamura and Nakamura kicks and knees Gulak. Nakamura gourd busters Gulak, then runs in, but Gulak dodges to LARIAT! Both men are down and crawling, Cesaro tags in and he drags Gulak away from his corner. Cesaro gives EuroUpper after uppercut, then whips. Gulak sunset flips out of the back drop, but Cesaro pries him off the hold, for another EuroUpper!

Gulak elbows Cesaro away then boots him. Bryan tags in and Gulak leaps! But Cesaro catches him! Gulak slips out, Bryan sunset flips, Bryan and Gulak win!!

Winners: Drew Gulak & Daniel Bryan

The two join in the Yes Movement fingers to celebrate. Seems Gulak has forgone his old ways of “No Chanting.” Sami complains about the chaotic cooperation between Gulak and Bryan. “Another injustice!” But will Sami run out of excuses on the Road to WrestleMania Weekend?

SmackDown returns to Sami arguing with Bryan backstage.

Sami says Bryan shouldn’t be with a “nobody” like Gulak. Gulak says he’s helping Bryan get better, but Sami says Gulak’s just helping Bryan become “more mediocre.” That was a mediocre win, as was last week’s win. The only thing Bryan is learning is how to squeak out wins, just like Gulak squeaked out a spot on SmackDown’s roster. So when is Bryan going to come to his senses and listen to the WWE Intercontinental Champion, the Great Liberator, Sami Zayn? Gulak gets mad but Sami has his back-up. Sami says he is UNTOUCHABLE!

Untouchable? Bryan points out that Sami is barely a champion. If Sami thinks Gulak is only teaching Bryan how to be mediocre, then put the title on the line! Sami VS Bryan, as part of WrestleMania! Sami says Bryan has lost his mind. If we’re talking putting money where mouths are, fine! If “the great teacher” Gulak can somehow defeat Nakamura 1v1 next week, Sami will happily agree to that challenge. Bryan doesn’t even have to think about it. Challenge accepted! Will Gulak be able to bring the King of Strong Style down to open the way to a title match?

Paige returns to SmackDown!

Well, via video call given the circumstances. But before she can say much, Bayley and Sasha Banks appear! They’re upset that Paige no-showed last week, and now is only on SmackDown by satellite? The Boss and Bayley excuse Cole to welcome Paige back to “our show.” Wow, baby girl, what a way with words. Yep, now get your words out and go away again. Right, because no one can touch them. The Women’s (R)Evolution is over, and the Role Model Era has begun! That’s right, baby girl. Good almost accent, Bayley.

Paige says that it’s bad enough to hear them week after week on SmackDown talking down to the roster, but talking bad on the Women’s (R)Evolution? C’mon, now. They should know better. They should know that it takes more than greatness to change people’s hearts. It takes courage. Any woman who stepped into that ring showed courage. That courage is something the bullies suddenly lack. Bayley says it isn’t her fault she’s the most dominant women’s champion in SmackDown history! She’s beaten everyone, unless Paige wants to try? No wait, she can’t! So just finish talking since you couldn’t even show up!

Paige gets it, this is #BadBayley now. And yes, Paige’s in-ring career is over. Her passion was taken from her and it breaks her heart. She wouldn’t wish that on anyone, not even these two. But they’re wrong that she’s stuck in the past. She can’t wait to see who takes her title. Paige spoke to her friends at Fox, and is allowed to announce Bayley’s WrestleMania match. Whoa, whoa, what? There can’t be a match! Bayley and Sasha are going to straight to the Hall of Fame so bye! No, no. The SmackDown Women’s Championship match will be Bayley VS Lacey Evans- Uh, she already beat her. Paige wasn’t done. Bayley VS Lacey Evans VS Dana Brooke- Oh wow, really? So scary! What about Tamina? Does she even work here anymore?

Paige still isn’t done. Bayley VS Lacey VS Dana VS Tamina. Wow, whoa, relax, you don’t have to be so jealous. Well, Bayley said she’s the most dominant women’s champion for SmackDown ever, so they should raise the stakes. Bayley VS Lacey VS Dana VS Tamina VS Naomi! What?! Sasha gets mad and calls Paige a “b*tch” for doing this! Wow, such big girl words. But good to hear her finally talk. Because lastly, it is a SIX PACK ELIMINATION MATCH! And the sixth person, is Sasha. The best friends must face each other again, among a stacked field of contenders! Will either “role model” come away with the title? Or will they both get what they deserve? And what’s that smirk from Sasha about?

From WrestleMania 30: John Cena VS Bray Wyatt!

SmackDown brings us the match that Bray Wyatt himself claims was the beginning of a downward spiral into the darkness that brought The Fiend into existence. Let’s all relive the nightmare in New Orleans!

The Wyatt Family, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper, lurk at ringside as the bell rings. Wyatt sits on his perch of the top rope before circling with Cena. Fans are thunderous and dueling, but Wyatt drops to his knees. He dares Cena to end this right now! “Show them! Give them what they came to see! Be the monster you are, John! Finish me!” Cena tells Wyatt to get up but Wyatt keeps shouting, “Finish me!” Cena refuses so Wyatt rushes him! But Cena dodges and Wyatt hits buckles, and Cena headlocks and throws Wyatt down. Wyatt works his way up from the mat and powers Cena to a corner. The ref calls for the ropebreak but Wyatt thrusts in a shoulder. Cena gets clear and gets another headlock takedown.

Fans rally and duel as Wyatt works his way up to his feet. Wyatt elbows out of the headlock and uppercuts Cena off his feet! Wyatt adds headbutts and has Cena in a corner. He throws body shots and more headbutts and laughs. “He don’t even wanna fight me!” Wyatt drags Cena up to throw uppercuts and Cena falls. Fans rally and duel as Wyatt toys with Cena. Wyatt drags Cena up to knock him back down. Wyatt headubtts Cena over and over then stomps him into the mat. The ref backs Wyatt off but Wyatt roars at the fans. Many fans boo but Wyatt just smirks. Wyatt drags Cena up and shoves him to whip. Wyatt body checks Cena down! Rowan and Harper watch closely as Wyatt sits Cena up. “This is your hero?!”

Wyatt drives more elbows into Cena then puts him in a corner. Wyatt whips Cena corner to corner and Cena hits buckles hard. Cena grits his teeth as Wyatt soaks up the heat. Wyatt runs corner to corner but into Cena’s LARIAT! Fans are divided with cheers and jeers but Cena has a very angry look on his face. Cena goes after Wyatt with furious fists, and RAKES Wyatt’s eyes! But Wyatt laughs as the ref pulls Cena away. Cena stomps Wyatt and drags him up for big forearms. Wyatt gets to a corner but Cena is on him with furious body shots and haymakers. The ref counts and Cena backs off at 2, to glare at the ref. Harper and Rowan are on the apron now, but Wyatt tells them to stand down. Cena bites his fingers in frustration as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns as Cena whips but Wyatt reverses. Wyatt catches Cena into a sleeper hold! Cena drops to a knee and Wyatt grinds him to the mat. Fans are still buzzing as Wyatt grins and cranks on Cena’s head. But Cena fights his way up and powers his way out, then blocks a kick. Cena dodges, runs and starts up the shoulder tackles! Fans boo as Cena hits the spin-out bomb! Cena revels in the fans that disapprove as he says, “You Can’t See Me!” But Wyatt pops up with the spider walk! Cena is freaked out, Harper distracts him, and Wyatt gets Cena with the URENAGE! Wyatt covers, TWO! Wyatt drags Cena up to ROCK him with a right. Fans still duel as Wyatt puts Cena in a corner.

Fans sing “He’s got the whole~ world, in his hands!” as Wyatt runs corner to corner. Wyatt hits a HUGE corner splash! Cena flounders to the other corner, and Wyatt runs in. Cena boots him away then hops up, for a tornado DDT! Cover, TWO! Rowan and his sheep mask lurks closer and Cena is wary of him as he climbs up top. Cena leaps, but his leg drop is turned into a BOMB! Matchbook cover, TWO!! Wyatt grows frustrated but he keeps focus on Cena. “Show it to me!” Cena gets Wyatt’s leg but Wyatt pushes him away. Wyatt runs into a second spin-out bomb! FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! Cena fireman’s carries but Wyatt slips off to give Cena a swinging GUT BUSTER! Cover, TWO!!

Wyatt paces as Cena gets to the apron. Wyatt brings Cena up to punch him back down. Harper keeps Rowan back while Cena fireman’s carries! Wyatt slips out and clubs Cena, and gives him a DDT TO THE APRON! Wyatt hurries back in to cover, TWO!! Cena survives but fans still sing for Wyatt. Wyatt revels in the chorus of the buzzards as Cena drags himself to a corner. Wyatt throws body shots on Cena then puts him up top for an uppercut! Cena teeters while Wyatt climbs up to join him. Cena resists the superplex and headbutts Wyatt! He knocks Wyatt down then adjusts, to LEAP onto Harper and Rowan!! Cena takes out the henchmen and fans lose their minds!

Wyatt hurries out with wild eyes to stomp Cena down. Wyatt whips Cena into steel steps! The ref says to get this back in the ring bu Wyatt insists “I know what to do! I figured it out, man!” Wyatt goes to Cena and picks up steel steps. The ref warns Wyatt but Cena hits first! Cena punches then throws Wyatt into the post! Wyatt tumbles over the steps, and Cena picks them up! Cena glares at Wyatt, but between the ring count and the disqualification, Cena tosses them away. He puts Wyatt in the ring, runs but gets another BODY CHECK! Cover, TWO!! Wyatt still smiles as he brings Cena over. Wyatt sings as he pats Cena on the head. But then Wyatt runs, but Cena dodges the back senton! ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!! Cover, TWO!! Wyatt survives but Cena is too exhausted to be frustrated. And it’s here that SmackDown takes another break.

SmackDown returns again while both men are down. Rowan tries to get in but the ref keeps him out. That’s just a distraction so Harper and SUPERKICK Cena down! Wyatt drops the back senton! Cover, TWO!! Wyatt throws Cena out of the ring and then waits in the ring. Cena RAMS Harper through barriers!! Wyatt is as shocked as we are! He goes after Cena to stomp and headbutt. Wyatt checks on Harper and wants him to get up. But Wyatt then goes back to Cena and puts him in the ring. Wyatt goes to a corner and grins before leaning back with the spider walk! He drags Cena up and into position, but no Sister Abigail as Cena gets a takedown! To the STF!! Fans are thunderous but divided as Wyatt endures. Wyatt drags himself and Cena to the ROPEBREAK!

Cena lets go and gets to the far side. He runs into SISTER ABIGAIL!! Cover, TWO!?! Wyatt can’t believe Cena survives! But he still smiles and laughs. Wyatt rolls out of the ring and pulls apart an announce desk! Wyatt paces about before glaring at the ring announcers. They move aside as he storms over and grabs a chair. Wyatt brings that over even as the ref warns him. Wyatt goes in, Rowan distracts the ref, but Wyatt gives the chair to Cena…? Cena is confused but Wyatt says, “We’re almost there. Grow your legacy, John! Finish me!” Wyatt still wants Cena to become a monster! Cena has the chair, the ref says it’s not who he is, but Cena looks like he wants to be! Cena SMACKS Rowan instead!

Wyatt rolls Cena, TWO!! Wyatt kicks Cena, drags him into position, but Cena fireman’s carries out! ANOTHER AA!! Cover, Cena wins!!

Winner: John Cena, by pinfall

Cena is not the monster Wyatt thinks he is! At least, not on this night. Cena himself can feel how close he was, but he saved himself at the last moment.

But that was six years ago. This is now. That moment is what changed Bray’s career, and now he has The Fiend. Bray says Cena took something from him. Will Bray take everything from Cena this time around?

Backstage interview with Bliss-Cross!

Alexa and Nikki are still in bad moods after Asuka made sure they lost their tag team match against Bayley & Banks. Nikki is all fired up so Alexa talks to Asuka. Asuka crashed the party, but if that’s how she wants to play, fine. Because the Goddess has played that game, but better. Bliss-Cross will do whatever they have to in order to get what they want. What does their schedule look like next week? Wide open! Then Asuka and Kairi Sane, you don’t have to crash SmackDown’s party because Alexa is inviting you personally. Alexa VS Asuka 1v1 next week! Will the Goddess defeat the Empress to get one step closer to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships?

The Miz and John Morrison head to the ring!

The SmackDown Tag Team Champions are back again, and again take a seat in the directors chairs. SmackDown will have another new episode of The Dirt Sheet after the break!

SmackDown returns as Miz and Morrison introduce themselves. Morrison taught himself how to whip and nae nae. Wow, really? Oh yeah, and he nailed it. Miz says they’re still missing something. Other than an arena full of fans chanting, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Miz ‘n’ Morrison,” you mean? They have the titles, the chairs, the sunglasses, but where are their WrestleMania challengers? Very true. But they beat everyone in the Elimination Chamber. Miz says they should ask the “audience here tonight” to suggest challengers. Who does the audience think they should face at WrestleMania?

Awwwwww Miz ‘n’ Morrisooon~! Who should be the #1 contenders? Who who who? Wait how are Miz and Morrison mocking New Day fans from the crowd? Oh right, the magic of television. But these “presidents of the New Day fan club” obviously suggest Kofi Kingston and Big E for the match, and then throw pancakes. Miz and Morrison pretend those “fans” “snuck in.” Now two more “fans” say “Whoa! Whoa!” It’s Friday Night Lockdown, and if any team deserves a title match for WrestleMania, it’s the UCE! OHHS~! “Hol’ up.” Two bacon cosplayers (still Miz and Morrison) say the title opportunity should go to two men as Blue Collar as they come: Otis and Tucker.

Wait why are they ham? They’re BACON! And why’re the New Day fans unicorns? And why are the other fans dressed as “back-up dancers in a rap video?” Calling them ham? Don’t you dare- BE SOUR~! Clap for your world famous seven-time-champs- That intro is so stupid! Wow, they’re right. It’s just been around for so long, they never realized. This is all so stupid. Thank you, Heavy Machinery fans. Your welcome. USO! PENITENTIARY! Why is everyone interrupting the hams? Hey, Uce, that ham is getting hot. “We! Are! BACON!” Why is that hard to understand?! Otis loves meat on a stick, but there weren’t no meat on a stick costumes! Why does no one take us seriously?! “Our guy can do a 300 pound caterpillar! Can anyone else do that?!”

Wow, that ham is mad. But not even those ridiculously good looking fans can decide who the #1 contenders should be! Guess that means they get the night off. Now that is an idea. But wait! Heavy Machinery is here in person! They’re going to show Miz ‘n’ Morrison what they get for hamming it up!

The Miz & John Morrison VS Heavy Machinery!

SmackDown returns and the match is already underway as Otis SLAMS Miz down! Miz hurries to his corner and tags in Morrison. Morrison circles with Otis and puffs himself up. Morrison kicks Otis low but Otis just powers up. Now Morrison throws forearms but Otis keeps pumping up. Morrison unloads but it won’t slow Otis down! He does get Otis down to a knee with a flurry of strikes, but Otis blocks the whip! Otis whips Morrison to the corner instead, but Morrison slips out and slides under. Morrison goes around to roundhouse! Morrison springboards, but Otis gets under! Otis runs Morrison over with his belly!

Otis drags Morrison up to suplex and hold him up. Tag to Tucker and Tucker takes the hand-off to keep Morrison up. Morrison drops after 20 and Tucker covers, TWO! Tucker keeps Morrison from Miz with a facelock and whip. Morrison rolls off Tucker’s back to tag in Miz! Miz runs into a BIG hip toss! Otis taunts “Mizzy” as Tucker hits a corner splash! Tag and Otis whips Tucker in to corner splash. Tucker feeds Miz to Otis’ shoulder! Otis drags Miz around to cover, TWO! Morrison coaches Miz on but Otis tags in Tucker. Heavy Machinery double whip and body shot, then march around for a BELLY SANDWICH! Morrison runs in but gets a double tackle! And a BOOM SHAKA LOO double falling headbutt! Otis clotheslines Morrison out, Tucker CANNONBALLS!

Tucker keeps Miz from running away through the empty crowd to put him back in the ring. Tucker goes around to run in but Miz passes him off and Morrison dumps Tucker out! The champs play dumb as to what happened but Miz starts up their chant. “Hey hey! Ho ho!” Miz wrecks Tucker with a dropkick! Otis protests but there’s nothing he can do. Miz puts Tucker in and drags him around to tag in Morrison. The 21st Century Classic DECKS Tucker into the elbow drop! Cover, TWO! Morrison runs to hit a SLIDING WIZARD! Cover, TWO! Tucker is tough but Morrison keeps on him with a chinlock. Morrison drives in elbows and thrashes Tucker down. Otis shouts that Morrison can’t hold Tucker down but Morrison shouts back that he in fact IS holding Tucker down.

Tucker endures and fights his way up to throw body shots. Morrison knees low then tags in Miz. The champs double gut buster Tucker! Miz mocks Otis while Morrison says “Tucky’s feeling yucky.” But Tucker fights back with big hands! He decks Morrison and CLOBBERS Miz! Otis fires up as Tucker crawls over. Miz flounders after Tucker but here comes ZIGGLER! Dolph wants to rub it in that he sniped Mandy Rose’s affections, and that allows Miz to CLOBBER Otis off the apron! Miz goes after Tucker with the basement DDT! cover, TWO!! Morrison BOOTS Otis down and laughs his way back to his corner. Ziggler joins commentary as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Morrison grinds Tucker down with a chinlock. Morrison cranks on Tucker but Tucker fights his way up. Tucker throws body shots and haymakers. Morrison mule kicks and then a ROUNDHOUSE! Cover, TWO! Morrison keeps on Tucker while Ziggler explains there wasn’t anything to steal with Mandy and Otis, because she wasn’t his at all. Morrison tags in Miz and they double suplex Tucker, only for Tucker to double suplex them! Tucker crawls over and glitching happens, hot tag to Otis! The Dozer bulldozes and rallies on Miz and Morrison! Otis fires up as he scoops, spins and SLAMS Miz down! Morrison runs into a pop-up flapjack! Otis throws Morrison into Miz, then corner to corner to sandwich them!

Morrison and Miz are both down in the zone, and Ziggler taunts Otis with the fact that there are no fans to cheer him on. Otis hits the Caterpillar, but Ziggler speaks on the mic to distract him! Otis may be smitten with Ziggler’s kitten, but Ziggler wants Otis to see some recent pictures of theirs. The two on the road together, so happy and smiling. Too bad Otis will never know what that’s like. Good guys finish last, and alone. Is Otis okay? There’s nothing wrong with being second, aka the first loser. Otis stops being sad, and starts getting mad. Otis storms out after Ziggler! The chase is on! Otis grabs Ziggler and drags him back over the barriers, and TOSSES him!

The ref tells Otis to leave Ziggler alone but Otis has a chair! Morrison and Miz save Ziggler to club and punch Otis. They put Otis in the ring, but Otis clotheslines them both back out! Otis throws Morrison into steel steps! And Miz into the announce desk! Otis bounces Miz’s head over and over on the hood! “You don’t know me!!” Otis throws Miz into the post! Morrison leaps but into Otis’ arms, to be RAMMED into the post! The Dozer is like the Hulk because of Ziggler rubbing the romance in his face. Otis runs at Miz ‘n’ Morrison and BULLDOZES them THROUGH BARRIERS!! If there were fans live, they’d be losing their minds!

Otis grabs a chair but Tucker works to calm Otis down. Otis is angry, and rightfully so, but the match is more important. Not to Otis! He gives Morrison a SMACK! And then Miz a SMACK!

Winners: The Miz & John Morrison, by disqualification

Dozer smash as he SMACKS Miz and Morrison over and over again! Tucker still tries to stop his friend but Otis’ rage is as big as he is! And Ziggler is in shock as Otis throws an armchair into the stands! Will the Show-Off regret unleashing the rage of Otis Dozovic?

SmackDown returns with Michael Cole in the ring.

To close out tonight, one of the WrestleMania main events will be made official. This is the WWE Universal Championship contract signing! First out, Roman Reigns! And of course, second is Goldberg! Both men go right to the ring and stand at the table. Michael Cole asks they take their seats to get to this, but they both take their seats and THROW them out! Well alright. Cole wants them to relax. The match between them in two weeks was something “no one saw coming.” This dream match is happening.

Cole asks Goldberg about after winning the title, he marched out to simply ask, “Who’s next?” Who did he expect to answer the call? Goldberg says he hoped it would be Roman, but he didn’t think The Big Dog had the balls to actually do it. Roman did step up, but Cole asks why. Roman says he’s been very fortunate. Many of the greats chose Roman. John Cena, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker. They all lost to Roman, too. It won’t be any different for “Bill.” Cole now asks Roman about his tweet from some time ago, in reference to punching the stage for the pyro.

“It’s a little piece of pad. So I don’t break my hand on steel grate. I gotta perform like 48 weeks a year, man. So that would be stupid. It would be like (thinking emoji) headbutting a door before my match level of stupid.” Cole connects the dots for us and says it’s about Goldberg and his Super Showdown match with Taker. Why would Roman have said that? Roman says, “Why not?” The only thing Roman sees in front of him is “a little b*tch bulldog sitting in my yard,” holding the title he never earned and that Roman never lost. Roman signs his part of the contract, and puts it in front of Goldberg. Goldberg glares at Roman before telling the “punk” that he’s been destroying steel doors all across the world for years with that same headbutt. Come WrestleMania, Roman will be that headbutt’s next victim.

Goldberg signs his part of the contract, hands it to Cole, and then picks up the title. Goldberg then TOSSES the table, and both he and Roman stare down face to face. This is the intensity now before the match. What will it be like when the bell rings?

My Thoughts:

Well this wasn’t as good as last week’s episode, and that was because there was no HHH this week. A shame, really. I do appreciate that we got more original content than Raw gave us, but the encore match was actually very fitting. I personally didn’t see Cena VS Wyatt for WrestleMania 30 when it came out and I had never taken the time to see it on the Network, so seeing it tonight was good for me. It was a decent match, and definitely a moment that defines the path the WWE has been on these last six years. I think it would be very fitting if The Fiend won so that Bray can exact his revenge. I’m also curious as we’ll be getting a Firefly Fun House segment next week for one last push towards that match.

Gronk had a good segment with Mojo, Corbin and Elias. Corbin VS Elias was definitely meant to be a kickoff show match, but I’m thinking with Mania being divided into two days, they might as well just put Corbin VS Elias on at the start of night one just to get it done. All matches should be part of the main cards so that all stars get PPV pay to make up for working during these times. I suppose it’s fine Paige was only via video, because she didn’t need to be in person to make an announcement. A Six Pack ELIMINATION Challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship is going to be great. Especially because there will be MANY openings for Sasha to betray Bayley and finally get this title for herself. Sasha becoming the other Grand Slam Champion will make great story for Sasha and Bayley post-Mania.

I knew we were going to get a tag team match of Gulak & Bryan VS Cesaro & Nakamura at some point, but I didn’t think it’d be tonight. It seems it was to set up next week’s challenge. It might be obvious for Gulak to win and get Bryan the title match at Mania, but I don’t see it going any other way. Miz & Morrison were hilarious as their parodies of fans, especially the Heavy Machinery fans. The tag match was really good, but especially Otis going Incredible Hulk on everything. If it is just Otis VS Ziggler for Mania, that’s actually going to be pretty wild. The contract signing was pretty standard, and I knew that tweet would be brought up. I hope that match happens night one to also get it out of the way, since it won’t last long.

My Score: 8/10

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

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

It’s Draft Day!

Published

11 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!