Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (9/3/21)

Will the Prince reign again?

Published

3 years ago

September 3, 2021

Steven Mitchell

The Bloodline has challengers coming for their gold!

While Roman Reigns finally defends his title against Finn Balor, the Usos battle the Street Profits, with a SmackDown Tag title opportunity on the line! Will things drastically change for the Head of the Table and his cousins?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Contenders Match: The Usos VS The Street Profits; The Street Profits win and have a future title opportunity.
Rick Boogs w/ Shinsuke Nakamura VS Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode; Boogs wins.
Cesaro VS Seth Rollins; Cesaro wins, by disqualification.
Dominik Mysterio VS Sami Zayn; Zayn wins.
WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman VS Finn Balor; Roman wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Contenders Match: The Usos VS The Street Profits!

Jimmy & Jey know their Tribal Chief is taking on the Prince tonight, but they need to still hold it down in the SmackDown Tag Team Division! Will Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins turn the tables on the Bloodline to open Memorial Day weekend? Or will the Usos make Roman Reigns proud as he watches intently backstage?

Before the match, the Usos get mics to speak. “The Bloodline is now in your city!” And you know what, Uce? All last week, all Jimmy could think was, “Why the hell would the Street Profits want to stick they nose in some family bidness?” Jey also asks, “Why?” Jimmy says maybe it’s because the Profits are trying to make a name for themselves. Jey still asks, “Why?” Well, maybe the Profits want to prove themselves. Jey says, “No. All they did was disrespect the Head of the Table. What they did was disrespect the Bloodline! If you want to prove yourselves, prove yourselves to the seven-time WWE Tag Team Champions, Jimmy and Jey, the U-SOS!” Because they ARE the ones.

Now the Profits make their entrance! Ford & Dawkins also have mics as the SOLO cups rain down and are just as fired up. But Ford says he and Dawkins feel like fools for embarrassing the champions in front of the Head of the Table~! Aw…! But wait, wait. What are they doing in the ring without their permission slips? Roman didn’t sign anything for them, did he? But the Usos be spittin’ facts. They truly are the ones… about to get their asses whooped here in Jacksonville! DUVAL~! And y’know why? Because the Profits are up, and #WeWanttheSmoke! A lot of shots have been fired, but who hits the mark in this golden opportunity?

The teams sort out, Dawks starts with Jimmy at the bell. Jimmy and Dawkins tie up, go around, and Jimmy headlocks. Dawkins powers out but Jimmy runs him over. The Usos gloat already but Jimmy turns around into a BIG dropkick! Dawkins whips Jimmy to a corner, runs in and hits the CYCLONE! Dawkins talks smack, tags in Ford, and they whip Jimmy for another BIG dropkick! Jey gets in but gets a dropkick, too! Ford is fired up and so is Jacksonville as he builds speed. The Usos save each other, Ford “takes a sip” and then LEAPS! The Usos catch the crossbody and SWING Ford into barriers! The champs are in charge as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Ford fights up as he’s caught in Jey’s chinlock. Jey keeps him from Dawkins by mere fingertips before he CLUBS him down! Jey back suplexes but Ford lands on his feet to ENZIGURI! Both men are down, fans fire up and both men crawl for their corners. Hot tag to Jimmy and he goes past Ford to DECK Dawkins! Jimmy whips Ford to a corner, runs in but Ford goes up so that Jimmy POSTS himself! Ford is still down and Heyman stresses as he watches Roman’s disappointed expression. Dawkins and the fans rally up, hot tags to Dawkins and Jey! Dawkins rallies on Jey, dodges and hurdles but runs into a SAMOAN DROP! Jey covers, TWO!

Jey stalks Dawkins to a corner, stomps a mudhole in, then lets off to HIP ATTACK! Tag to Jimmy and the Usos get Dawkins up top. Jimmy throws hands, he and Jey climb up together, but Dawkins fights back! Dawkins fires off big forearm sand elbows back and forth! Jey falls, Jimmy fights back but Dawkins shoves him away. Dawkins adjusts, leaps over Jimmy, but blocks a superkick! Only to get the DRAGON WHIP! Ford tags in, Dawkins gives Jimmy the THE ANOINTING! Ford is up top, FROM THE HEAVENS! With a turn, even! Cover, Jey breaks it!! Jey fires off hands on Ford, drags him up and POSTS him!

The ref reprimands but Jey just POSTS Ford again! The ref calls for the bell!

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

Dawkins returns and CLOBBERS Jey! Jey bails out, Dawkins pursues but Jimmy is there! Dawkins is 2v1 against the Usos, the Usos RAM him into steel steps! But then Ford FLIES in!! He wrecks the Usos into the announce desk! Fans lose their minds as Dawkins helps Ford back up, and the Profits stand tall together on the announce desk!

As for Roman, he is not happy with how this went down. Roman refers to Heyman as “Wise man,” and Heyman replies, “Yes, my Tribal Chief?” Roman wants Heyman to fetch his cousins. Heyman nods and heads out. What will Roman have to say to Jimmy & Jey when they’re all face to face again?

Just as Heyman walks out of Roman’s room and whispers something into his phone, Kayla Braxton startles him. She says between the Usos and the Profits, then Roman VS Balor, “there’s a whole lot going on here tonight.” If he may offer some criticism, Kayla needs to enjoy the moment. We’re on worldwide live television, so- Wait, is that ringtone Brock Lesnar’s theme song?! Is Brock calling Heyman?! Kayla points the phone ringing, and Heyman tells “Mistress of the Obvious” that as he was just saying, there comes a time in everyone’s life- Lesnar’s calling again… Heyman checks behind him before he answers.

“Hi, um… Timing’s a little- No no no, I always love- … Yes. Yes. Well, I don’t have a lot of privacy right here right now…” Heyman promises to deliver the message. But then whoever this is, Lesnar or not, hangs up. Kayla says Heyman is so right. She is definitely enjoying this moment. Heyman storms off but bumps into a janitor. If he wants to take out the trash, start with Kayla. Wait it’s Big E! And he’s laughing up a storm as he holds up his Money in the Bank contract! Is Big E going to be laughing all the way to the bank should this Roman-Lesnar situation come to a head?

Becky Lynch is here!

The Man is back again, and knows just as everyone does that The EST, Bianca Belair, is coming back for the SmackDown Women’s Championship! But what will she have to say about that? We hear from the Lass Kicker, after the break.

SmackDown returns and Becky has a mic. She takes a few more moments to enjoy fans chanting her name before she says, “The Man has come around to Jacksonville!” Last week, during her return as our champion, she walked out to the ring and didn’t get any “You Deserve It” chants but oh well. Wait, the fans here chant it for her. “That’s what I’m talking about!” Maybe she should’ve waited until this week! And she was going on about SummerSlam until practically the entire women’s roster came out. They all want that Becks Rub, but she wanted to focus her attention on Bianca Belair. Bianca is “one hell of an athlete, probably the most athletic woman we’ve ever had in WWE.”

And yes, Bianca is the only other woman to win the main event of WrestleMania. So just imagine how excited Becky was to go toe-to-toe with her at SummerSlam! But now, somehow, in all of this, Becky’s being painted as the “bad guy?” Fans boo that idea, and Becky wants to explain something to the “Esther.” Becky’s return saved SummerSlam. When Sasha Banks went down at the last minute, “the higher powers” called for the biggest name they had, and they called The Man. Becky has been preparing to get her championship back since the moment she left. Bianca wasn’t ready, and that’s on her, not Becky. No one gets to cry about losing too fast when they weren’t ready and Becky was. Just because Becky hasn’t played the game in awhile, doesn’t mean she’s forgotten how to win!

And Bianca can call herself the EST and pretend she’s the best, but we know that’s a lie. Bianca can fool fans with flips and tricks, but you can’t fake experience, and that is why all it took was one flip of a fist to Bianca’s face to end Bianca’s title reign. But speaking of, here comes Bianca! She gets a mic and the fans chant for the EST, which annoys Becky. Bianca tells Becky, “That championship was more to me than just a title. It was a part of me for 132 days, and it etched my name into the WWE history books. So that moment at SummerSlam, it keeps replaying over and over again in my head. So… Let’s talk about it.”

Bianca had come so far, accomplished so much and lost it in 26 seconds. But y’know what? Bianca isn’t afraid to admit she was embarrassed, because how that all went down was embarrassing. She’s still hurt, but she stands in it, because that’s her truth. What she won’t do is build herself up by bringing another down, and she will never make excuses for herself. Fans cheer that sentiment. Bianca says Becky is talking like she knows Bianca, but #GirlUhUh. Becky doesn’t know Bianca! So Bianca will explain this in a way Becky can fully understand as to why Bianca’s the EST.

Bianca showed she was the strongEST beat three women in one match. While Becky was away, Bianca showed us that she’s the fastEST rising star, and she will bounce back because she’s the toughEST. And when Bianca takes back that title, becoming a two-time SmackDown Women’s Champion, Bianca will then be known as the greatEST, and that’s just facts. Becky is amused by this but Bianca continues: Since Becky didn’t give her a rematch, Bianca earned one, just like everything else she’s earned in her career. It isn’t a matter of if but when. So Roman’s defending a title tonight, and Becky is now #BigTime? Then show up, show out and do the same thing tonight!

Fans like that idea! They want to see another title match, and Bianca waits for an answer. Becky looks around, takes a moment to think, and then the fans chant for the EST again. Becky says, “I don’t give a damn what Roman does! NO!” Becky storms off, but she can’t say no forever. The strongEST, toughEST and perhaps greatEST rematch is on the horizon, but will it get extreme?

The Dirty Dawgs head out.

Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler talk things out as they get ready for a match, but Ziggler then spots Toni Storm all alone. Ziggler says he’ll meet up with Roode in a moment, and he talks with the new kid. Toni lives life on the wild side, right? Nice. She gonna check out his match? Yeah, of course. Well he has some pull, he can get her a ringside seat for it. She thanks him for that, and says he’s great. But uh… She’s rooting for Boogs. Oh, okay. Yeah, sure, he’s a nice guy. But see you around? Uh-huh. Ziggler heads out and Toni breathes a sigh of relief. Will we see the Show-Off get ROCKED tonight?

Rick Boogs w/ Shinsuke Nakamura VS Dolph Ziggler w/ Robert Roode!

Speaking of, Boogs introduces himself to Jacksonville, as well as the WWE Intercontinental Champion, King NakamurAAAAAAA~! The rockin’ bard has his first 1v1 match on SmackDown, will having the King of Strong Style in his corner help him win?

SmackDown returns as the Dirty Dawgs make their entrance. Ziggler and Boogs circle at the bell and tie up. Boogs floats to get a leg, Ziggler floats to a waistlock then shifts to a sleeper and body scissors. Boogs fights up, pops Ziggler around to a fireman’s carry and then powers up to a gorilla press! Nakamura and the fans are fired up as Boogs TOSSES Ziggler down! Boogs rocks and air guitars as Ziggler gets up. Boogs kicks, pump handles and scoops, but Ziggler rakes eyes as he slips out! Ziggler jumps for the SATELLITE! Cover, TWO! Nakamura is relieved as Boogs survives, but Ziggler goes to a corner and aims. SUPER-

NO! Boogs blocks, spins, pump handles and scoops for a POWERSLAM! Cover, BOOGS WINS!!

Winner: Rick Boogs, by pinfall

Not only did Boogs beat a WWE Grand Slam Champion, he won in fast fashion! Is this just the beginning of the #BoogsCruise to the top?

Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce find Becky backstage.

Management tells The Man that since Bianca is the #1 contender, she is going to have a title match. Becky agrees, it’ll just be when The Man is ready, so not tonight. Pearce understands that, so the match is going to happen at Extreme Rules! And just so it’s crystal clear, when SmackDown returns to Madison Square Garden, Becky and Bianca are going to sign the contract to make it official. Becky does her best not to get mad and then storms off. Pearce and Sonya both figured she’d react this way, but will Becky find a way to not sign on the dotted line?

Cesaro VS Seth Rollins!

The Swiss Superman and the Savior of SmackDown run it back! Will Rollins be able to move past his loss to Edge by revisiting his past with Cesaro?

SmackDown returns and Kayla interviews Rollins backstage. She asks why Rollins requested this newest match with Cesaro for tonight. Rollins laughs and says because tonight is the perfect opportunity for a new beginning! Rollins watched his match with Edge back at least a million times these last two weeks. Edge is sort of become an inspiration, and Rollins watched every move he made. Heck, Rollins practically watched back Edge’s entire career, and Rollins found what led Edge to victory over Rollins at SummerSlam.

Rollins will use that info to defeat his old nemesis, “Zazaro,” and prove why Rollins IS a visionary, a revolutionary, and like a fine wine he gets better with time~! Rollins will prove again why he is Seth Freakin’ Rollins! Rollins makes his entrance and we see if he can get back into the swing of things.

The bell rings, Cesaro catches Rollins off guard but Rollins headlocks. Cesaro shifts to get a headlock of his own but Rollins powers out. Things speed up, Rollins gets caught for a BACKBREAKER! Rollins bails out and Cesaro goes out the side. Cesaro runs in around the way to EUROUPPER Rollins into barriers! Fans fire up with Cesaro and he even gets a high-five before he pursues Rollins. Cesaro bounces Rollins off the barrier, puts him back in the ring, then headlocks again. Rollins powers out again, things speed back up and Rollins dropkicks Cesaro this time! Rollins gloats and struts around in his fancy new tights before he CHOPS Cesaro. Cesaro scowls so Rollins headlocks.

Cesaro powers out, things speed up yet again, and Cesaro dropkicks Rollins now! Rollins staggers up into a takedown! Cesaro wants to swing but Rollins gets ropes! Cesaro yanks Rollins up to his feet, ducks the Pele then EuroUppers again! Rollins holds ropes as a defense and the ref counts. Cesaro lets off but Rollins gets a cheap shot in! Rollins hits an IMPALER?! Rollins literally uses Edge’s move and covers, TWO! Cesaro gets to ropes while Rollins grins, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns, Rollins CHOPS Cesaro in the corner but Cesaro glares at him! Cesaro fires off haymakers, whips Rollins to the corner, but runs into a BUCKLE SHOT! Rollins hurries to the apron and up top, but Cesaro EuroUppers him again! Cesaro climbs up to join Rollins, Rollins resists the superplex and slips underneath to BUCKLE BOMB Cesaro down! Cover, TWO!! Cesaro survives and Rollins is shocked! But Rollins also smiles and nods, knowing he still has to do more. Fans rally up as Rollins stands Cesaro up. Rollins turns Cesaro but Cesaro uses that to hook Rollins’ arms! Rollins flips through the backslide but into a EuroUpper!

Cesaro tries another but swings into an EDGE-O-MATIC! Rollins uses another of the Rated R Superstar’s repertoire, covers, TWO! Rollins still smiles, aims from a corner, and… Is he preparing to Spear? Rollins runs in, but Cesaro pops Rollins up to POWERBOMB him! Both men are down but fans rally up! Cesaro and Rollins stand, the EuroUppers fly! Cesaro hits Rollins from all sides, fires off in the corner, but lets off to whip Rollins corner to corner! Cesaro runs in to EuroUpper, then runs to DISCUS! Cover, TWO! Cesaro grows frustrated but then the fans call for it! Cesaro calls for it, he gets Rollins by the legs! But Rollins twists and victory rolls, TWO!!

Rollins is in a corner and he BOOTS Cesaro away. Rollins runs in, but Cesaro turns the Slingblade around to a SWING! The fans count all the way to 20! Step through but Rollins fights and flails! Cesaro still steps over, SHARPSHOOTER! Rollins flails and quickly gets the ropebreak! Cesaro lets go quickly and watches Rollins slowly drag himself up. Rollins again uses ropes for defense so the ref keeps Cesaro back. But Cesaro sees the cheap shot coming this time and DUMPS Rollins out of the ring! Fans fire up as Cesaro goes outside again, and runs in, into a CHAIR SHOT!!

Winner: Cesaro, by disqualification

The Architect doesn’t care anymore, he SMACKS Cesaro on the back, JAMS him in the ribs then SMACKS him on the back again! And POSTS Cesaro before putting him back in the ring! Fans boo but Rollins wants to go Rated R himself! He has another chair, but the refs want him to stay back. Rollins doesn’t care, he runs the refs off! Rollins takes the chair and breaks off the crossbar! Rollins is copying Edge’s newest move, the CROSSBAR CROSSFACE! The “Glasgow Grin” makes Cesaro tap but it doesn’t matter because the match is over! Rollins lets go and looks at the stage with wild eyes. “WHERE YOU AT, EDGE?!”

Rollins aims from a corner like Edge before he CURB STOMPS Cesaro down!! Rollins isn’t done, either, as he gets yet another chair! Rollins gets in the ring, refs keep telling him to stop, but Rollins sets Cesaro’s head on top of the chair. But here comes EDGE! And Edge has his own chair! Edge runs Rollins off but Rollins has a wild grin to match his eyes. Rollins dares Edge to do something while slithering away into the shadows. Will Edge get retribution for Cesaro by stopping the Rated R ripoff Rollins is becoming?

Roman talks with the Usos.

Roman needs them all to stick to the script and the game plan. The Usos understand and head out. Heyman sits by Roman and tells his Tribal Chief, “We have a problem.” Roman says there are no problems, he’s about to smash Finn Balor. No, the problem is with Brock Lesnar. Uh, no, Heyman has a Lesnar problem. Roman says he’ll smash Lesnar, too, when the time is right. Heyman says that Lesnar is going to be at Madison Square Garden next Friday for SmackDown. How does Heyman know this? Because Lesnar called Heyman tonight. For the first time in a year, of course, but… Oh so Lesnar’s home watching the show? Apparently! Maybe Fox is big in Saskatchewan!

Wait. How does Heyman know Lesnar’s in Saskatchewan? Heyman doesn’t, maybe Lesnar is in Minnesota. How does Heyman know Lesnar isn’t somewhere here tonight? Oh! Uh… Heyman hurries off to find out, and now Roman is worried about tonight. With Balor in the ring and Big E in the wings, if Lesnar is lurking, does Roman stand no chance of walking out of Jacksonville with his title?

A Rolls Royce pulls into the arena.

And the driver is of course “Happy” Corbin! And he assumes Sarah is the valet. He gives her the keys and tells her not to get any scratches on his “new baby.” That’s not… Will Corbin’s ego ever go back down?

Backstage interview with Edge.

Kayla asks about how Edge said he was done with Seth Rollins, and Edge says he had hoped this was over. That after the defeat, Rollins would move on. But who are we kidding? Both men have been talking about how alike they are, and if Edge had lost the way Rollins did at SummerSlam, Edge would probably do the same things. That means Edge knows the game Rollins is playing, and it is a dangerous one that needs to stop. Otherwise, what happened to Cesaro will keep happening.

Edge tells Rollins directly that he is challenging him to a match for next week on SmackDown. Edge VS Rollins II, Madison Square Garden! Edge burned Rollins down once. When he does it this time, Rollins will NOT be the same! “I told you, this doesn’t end well.” Are we about to see that ugly end in the greatest arena in the world?

Kevin Owens is here!

The KO Show returns to SmackDown, and wouldn’t you know? His guest is Happy Corbin! What will Kevin ask the newly re-wealthy Corbin after the break?

SmackDown returns, Greg Hamilton gives The KO Show its intro, and Kevin says the fans already know that because Kevin’s wearing a tie! That means this is a big deal! Welcome back to the KO Show! And his guest tonight is not someone you’d expect, but there’s a very good reason. So to get to it, welcome out Bar- Er, HAPPY Corbin! Corbin makes his entrance with his new slot machine titantron and dance music, strutting his way to the ring. Corbin hugs Kevin as he enters the ring, which makes Kevin uncomfortable. Corbin gets right on his mic and says he is so excited and happy to be part of the Kevin Owens Show!

Kevin wants Corbin to take a seat and they do. Corbin wants to say thanks to Kevin. Without Kevin, Corbin wouldn’t be where he is today, back in his $3000 suits, wearing a $7000 white gold Rolex, or have even tried to steal the MITB briefcase and then gone to Las Vegas. He’d still be eating spaghetti outta the can instead of “juicy, tender, A5, Japanese Wagyu beef!” Kevin tells Corbin that he is not putting any of this on him. Corbin says he knows Kevin is mad about the $100. Well Corbin left his wallet in his Rolls, but he knows someone who might have it: Corbin’s special guest. Wait, Corbin’s special guest?

Yes, the social media megastar who went the distance with Floyd “Money” Mayweather! It’s LOGAN PAUL! For the second time in WWE history, Logan Paul is here. Corbin and Logan are fired up to see each other, and Logan says it’s great to see the WWE Universe, and thanks Kevin for having him on his show. Kevin says he didn’t invite him, because he wouldn’t dare subject these poor people to this. But since Logan’s here, Kevin might as well ask him some questions. This little dynamic between him and Corbin is interesting, by the way. “Super cool” how they have their boxing secret handshake thing. But what’s weird is, after Corbin lost to Big E, didn’t Logan call Corbin a-

Whoa, whoa, yes, yes, Logan did call Corbin up, they got to talking, and found out they have a lot in common. They’re all good now. And this past weekend, after Jake Paul won his fight, the brothers and Corbin decided to hang out. Corbin even won a lot of money on that fight! Oh, wow, you guys got to hang out? That sounds like the worst. But it makes sense they’d be buddies. They DO have something in common: one is the most self-centered, egotistical, delusional, useless pieces of trash to ever step foot in a WWE ring, and the other is Baron Corbin. Logan does his best to laugh that off, but asks if Kevin really wants to talk like that to someone who can give him $100?

Honestly, the way Kevin looks, he could use this money a lot more than Logan. Kevin does his best to laugh that off, and says he doesn’t need anyone’s money. What he needs from Logan is for him to turn around, get out of the ring, walk out and never come back to the WWE! Logan shoves Kevin, but then Kevin shoves back! Logan turns his hat around, Kevin’s tie comes off, but then Corbin DECKS Kevin! Kevin gets back up but into a CHOKE SLAM! “You’re not that guy, pal,” Logan says as he drops a $100 down. “You’re not that guy.” Birds of a feather flock together, and these two strutting roosters leave Kevin behind. Will Kevin look to fry these turkeys next time he sees them?

Attention, WWE Universe.

“The Most Beautiful Woman in All of WWE,” Carmella, wants you to enjoy her for your viewing pleasure. But then Liv Morgan walks over and says, “Seriously?” Liv starts laughing at how self-centered Mella is, but will anyone ever bring Mella back down to earth?

Dominik Mysterio VS Sami Zayn!

This rematch from last week is so Dominik can prove he can fly solo without Rey ringside. However, the Great Liberator is ready to show last week will happen again and again to the son of the lucha legend. Will Dom manage to dial it up and make the right calls against the “master strategist” this time?

The bell rings, Sami rushes Dom and puts him in a corner. Dom avoids the cheap shot and Sami smirks. They go again, Dom blocks a kick to wrench an arm to a wristlock. Sami spins through, wrenches, but Dom counters with a wrench back! Dom has the wristlock but Sami throws him down by his head! Sami knuckle locks for the cover, ONE! Another try, ONE! A third, ONE and Dom goes up and up the corner to FLYING ARM-DRAG! Sami comes back to CLOBBER Dom! Sami kicks Dom around, stands him up and throws haymakers. Sami whips, Dom kicks him back, then dodges to RANA! Sami ends up on ropes, Dom dials it up, but Sami bails out!

Sami takes a breather at the ramp, but says, “See you next time, pal.” Sami wants to retreat but Rey is there to keep him contained! And Dom FLIES over the ref to take out Sami! Rey likes that fire and Dom puts Sami in the ring. Dom says he’s fine, so Rey heads to the back. But then Dom turns around into a HELLUVA KICK outta nowhere! Cover, Sami wins!

Winner: Sami Zayn, by pinfall

Sami wins again and he laughs at Rey as he leaves. Rey goes to check on Dom but Dom is again frustrated. Is there something they’re not seeing that’s keeping Dom down?

Sonya Deville excitedly talks with someone on the phone.

She’s excited for how big next week’s episode is! The SmackDown Women’s Championship contract signing! The return of Brock Lesnar! But Naomi walks over to try and talk to her. Sonya impatiently asks Naomi what she wants. Naomi says last week, Sonya said she’d think over Naomi’s return to SmackDown, so does she have any plans? Sonya apologizes, it slipped her mind. Let’s try again next week. Sonya goes back to her phone call, but will Naomi make sure SmackDown makes time for the former champion?

WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman VS Finn Balor!

Kayla asks The Prince about how he’s just moments away from this big title match. Any final thoughts? For five years, Balor’s been asked the same thing: What would’ve happened if he didn’t get injured in 2016? Tonight, Balor answers that question. Balor takes aim at the Reigns-ing, Defending, Undisputed, Uncontroverted, Universal Heavyweight Champion, does he hit the mark to get back the title he never truly lost?

But before Roman even makes an entrance, the Usos jump Balor! The fans boo as the Usos mug Balor and then RAM him into steel steps! They haul Balor up and RAM him into barriers! The Usos then pull the steps apart to RAM part of it into Balor! And again! And again! Fans boo as the Usos drag Balor up and into the ring for more! Jimmy climbs, Jey keeps an eye on Balor, but here come the Profits! They run the Usos off but the damage is done! The ref checks on Balor but here comes the Tribal Chief to make his lengthy entrance. Roman certainly assumes this is going to still happen, but we find out after the break!

SmackDown returns as Roman is finally in the ring and his second round of pyro goes off. Medics finish checking on Balor as he refuses to let this chance slip by him again. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and though the pawns played their part, we still must see if the king can defeat the prince!

The bell rings and Balor is shielding his ribs. Roman goes right after them and puts Balor in a corner, to then TOSS him across the way! Roman storms over, stomps a mudhole into Roman, but he lets off as the ref counts. Roman intimidates the ref but Balor gets to his feet. Roman returns to throw haymakers then bumps Balor off buckles. Roman brings Balor around to bump off more buckles, and Roman takes a moment to soak up the heat before throwing point-blank lariats! The fans count all the way to 9, the ref counts 4 and Roman lets off. Roman runs but into a dropkick to the legs! Balor grits his teeth while Roman staggers up, and Balor KICKS away on the legs!

Balor KICKS Roman to a corner, gets a leg, but Roman headbutts free! Roman checks his knee, gets Balor up to whip, but Balor SLINGBLADES! Balor aims from a corner but runs into an uppercut! Roman seethes as he stands over Balor. Roman stands Balor up for an URENAGE! Cover, TWO! Roman is annoyed this isn’t done as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Roman locks ‘n’ loads! Balor staggers up, Roman runs in, but Balor dodges the punch to CHOP! Roman shrugs it off then runs in at the corner. Balor BOOTS Roman, fires forearms then whips Roman to ropes. Roman leaps, Balor gets under but Roman uppercuts again! Balor PELES as he falls! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Fans rally while Heyman stresses and Balor is up first. Balor grits his teeth, moves around to get those ribs right, and he fires off hands on Roman! Roman tries to punch back but Balor punches first! Roman knees low, checks his face, then looms over Balor.

Roman gets Balor right up but Balor slips out of the bomb to takedown and DOUBLE STOMP! Fans fire up with Balor as he aims from a corner again. Roman sputters as Balor runs in to CHOP! Balor RAMS his shoulder in again and again and again into Roman’s ribs to even things up! Balor goes corner to corner again, dodges Roman to mule kick and whip. Roman reverses and sends Balor out hard! Roman takes a breath before he takes his time pursuing Balor on the outside. Balor trips Roman up and has him caught in the apron skirt! Balor fires off hands, then climbs up to stomp away on Roman!

The ref counts, Balor lets off at 4 and then builds speed! Balor FLIES and takes out Roman! Balor puts Roman in, climbs up top, COUP DE GRACE misses! Roman returns to SUPERMAN PUNCH! Cover, TWO!! Balor defies Roman by surviving and Roman is seething again! Roman starts talking to himself again while Balor checks his jaw. Fans rally up as Roman aims from a corner. Roman says this is going to end it! “OOAH!” But Balor KICKS Roman and cradles! TWO!! Roman escapes and fireman’s carries but Balor slips out! ELBOW DROP DDT! Cover, TWO!! Roman narrowly escapes there but Balor is fired up! The fans are thunderous as Balor aims, SHOTGUN DROPKICK!

Balor climbs as Roman is in a drop zone! COUP DE GRACE HITS!! Cover, TWO!?! And Roman does the “inadvertent” low blow, just as he’s done to Kevin Owens and other challengers! Roman rains down furious forearms on Balor and Heyman himself has a bloodlust on his face. Roman drags Balor up into the GUILLOTINE! Balor flails, reaches out, but Roman squeezes ever tighter! Balor is fading, fans are freaking out, the ref calls it!

Winner: Roman Reigns, by submission (still WWE Universal Champion)

The fix was already in with the Usos doing their part, but the Tribal Chief always finds a way to win. Though Roman notices the lights change red for just a moment, reminding him of Brock Lesnar’s entrance. Will the Head of the Table be able to rest easy knowing The Beast is coming back in seven days?

My Thoughts:

A great episode and a lot of great set-up for the Madison Square Garden “Super” SmackDown we’re getting next week. For one, Vince’s newest obsession of “championship contenders match” returned arbitrarily just to let us know, we’re getting Usos VS Profits for those titles at the next PPV. Which is why, though it was a disqualification, the Usos lost. The Usos were also so obviously going to be a part of the main event, but it was a good move that it was before the match so we can’t actually claim “interference.” Roman VS Balor was still a great main event, but clearly with Lesnar set to come back for the Fall, Roman was going to retain. Balor’s not getting the Universal title back in a WWE still so tightly in the clutches of Vince’s iron fists.

As for the story of Lesnar’s return, Heyman being caught in the middle reached new and even funnier levels with that phone call from Lesnar and Kayla rubbing it in. I fully expect Heyman to kayfabe faint or have a heart attack when Roman and Lesnar are face to face again with him also in the ring. The two monsters he’s made over the last decade and they both expect him to be on their side, that cannot be good for Heyman’s health. Meanwhile, Becky VS Bianca happening at Extreme Rules is going to be great. They had a great promo segment tonight, where Becky is still talking like a Heel but being cheered like a Face, and Bianca is just purely Face. While Cena sniping the SummerSlam contract signing was kinda BS, I fully expect someone to try and pull that here because now a precedent has been set.

I am pleasantly surprised with how Boogs is taking over now with live fans around to cheer him on. He got a lot faster of a win than I expected against Ziggler, but at the same time Ziggler’s been on the “jobber to the stars” downside for a long time lately. Also, uh, Heyman flirting with Sonya Deville and Ziggler flirting with Toni Storm… Is SmackDown doing this as like inside jokes or something? Anyway, not a whole lot out of the women’s division tonight, other than Liv being annoyed by Mella’s narcissism and Sonya again snubbing Naomi. In Naomi’s case, I am totally expecting her to try and use her relationship to The Bloodline to pull some strings and go over Sonya’s head.

Rollins VS Cesaro was a very good rematch, especially with Rollins outright using Edge’s moves. The rematch is happening next week to make MSG SmackDown greater, but I fully expect their blow-off to be Extreme Rules IN the Extreme Rules match at this point. They both had chairs, we can’t get any less than No DQ so why not just go full on with the PPV’s namesake? As for this Happy Corbin stuff, I can’t actually cringe and groan the entire time while still trying to watch, but they’re really trying to make us all do that by bringing in Logan Paul again. Maybe Kevin gets a tag partner for some celebrity match so Kevin can get after both Corbin and Logan at the same time.

I’d suggest Sami but it seems he’s still working with the Mysterios. This is strike two, I’m thinking after a third loss where Dom is accidentally distracted by Rey is when Dom snaps and at least shoves his dad down. It already feels in kayfabe that what Dom needs to do is break free from his dad and be himself, not just “Rey’s son.” Again, kinda hoping they reference Eddie Guerrero here, even with the Guerreros mostly working with AEW, but continuity being what it is, I feel like it’d be worse if Dom doesn’t get to reference that stuff again. Plus, what a way to counter an opportunist like Sami than to reference Latino Heat “Lie, Cheat & Steal” through Dom.

My Score: 8.5/10

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

13 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!