Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (1/7/22)

The Beast cometh!

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2022

Steven Mitchell

The first Friday Night SmackDown of 2022 is MASSIVE!

SmackDown welcomes back the Tribal Chief, but also the NEW reigning, defending, undisputed, WWE World Champion, BRRROCK! LESNARRR! What does the Beast have planned for the Head of the Table?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Sami Zayn VS Rick Boogs w/ Shinsuke Nakamura; Boogs wins.
Championship Contender’s Match: Charlotte Flair VS Naomi; Charlotte wins and Naomi is denied a title shot.
The Viking Raiders VS “Happy” Corbin & “Mad Cap” Moss; Corbin & Moss win.
SmackDown Tag Team Championships Street Fight: The Usos VS The New Day; The Usos win and retain the titles.

PLAY BY PLAY

Roman Reigns is back!

After testing positive for COVID but clearly running through it, the Tribal Chief returns to SmackDown! Of course, he must now carry the Universal Championship himself since he fired Paul Heyman. He lifts it up for the pyro on stage, and then continues to the ring. Then he raises his finger because he’s the one, and then he raises his title again for the second round of pyro. Roman gets the mic to tell New England, “Acknowledge me!” But where to begin? He misses one week and it all falls apart. “But when you’re in isolation, you do a lot of thinking. There’s so many things I wanted to do, there’s so many things I wanted to say, and there’s so many people I wanted to see.”

But there are two people he never, ever wants to see again. Those two people are Brock Lesnar, and Paul Heyman. But here they come! The NEW WWE World Champion promised to see Roman here tonight, and here we are! Brock has his pyro go off, then he goes down the ramp. Lesnar takes a lap, goes up the steps and into the ring to hold up his title. The World and Universal Champions are here at the same time and the Mohegan Sun Arena is all fired up! Heyman starts the introduction but Lesnar stops him to take the mic. Lesnar gets right in Roman’s face and gives his best Heyman impersonation as he tells the Tribal Chief, Head of the Table, “allow me to introduce myself.”

THE REIGNING! DEFENDING! WWE CHAMPION OF THE WORRRLD! BRRROCK! LESNARRR! Fans cheer for that one and Lesnar has a big smile on his face. Lesnar asks Heyman how he did and Heyman says that was great. But Roman, “Acknowledge me.” Lesnar says Roman has a lot to say all the time, and Lesnar doesn’t. Last Saturday, Lesnar got what he wanted in the WWE Heavyweight Championship. But Roman got what he wanted, too. Now then, why don’t we give the fans what they want? Title VS Title, Champion VS Champion. “Let’s do this, Roman.” Fans chant, “YES! YES! YES!” They want a Winner Takes All!

Roman scowls, and then he smiles. “It’s a good idea. But it’s not my idea. And this is my show. And we do what I say on my time. And on top of that, I don’t do business with people who do business with trash like Paul Heyman.” Oh, is that so? Heyman himself asks how Roman can talk like that. How did Roman get that title? Heyman, that’s how! How did he keep that title? Heyman! Heyman protected Roman from Lesnar, not because Lesnar could beat him but because Heyman loved Roman! And what did Roman do!? Lesnar calms Heyman down to ask what he just said. Well, Roman was all Heyman had while Lesnar was gone. Then Roman assaulted- SHUT UP, PAUL!

Roman doesn’t want Lesnar talking to Heyman like that. Oh? Or what? Heyman has them both calm down, not wanting Lesnar to talk to Roman that way. Lesnar says he told Paul to shut up. Roman SUPERMAN PUNCHES Lesnar down! Roman then laughs his way out, and Heyman is shocked! Did Roman do that for Paul or for himself? Or is that exactly what Lesnar wanted out of the Tribal Chief?

Backstage interview with Sami Zayn.

Megan spooks him during his preparations, but she asks him about his coming Intercontinental Championship match. Tonight, he takes on Rick Boogs. The thing is, it has been over a year since Sami was “robbed” of his title. Now, here he is as the #1 contender, and Nakamura is ducking him! Boogs is in his way tonight! Sami “explains” something about Boogs. Boogs is a gorilla with a guitar. He is no match for the master strategist! And tonight… Sami is amazed to see Johnny Knoxville walking in! What brings him in? He’s going to talk to management about entering the Royal Rumble. Oh right, his little video.

Sami tells Knoxville something that only a “locker room leader” like himself will say: This isn’t Jackass. You can’t just run into a wall 100 miles per hour. You need technical skills. No, he just needs to be able to throw people over the top rope. Sami is trying to be nice about this. But what he’s saying is, Knoxville is not qualified for this, nor is he qualified for the Royal Rumble. Maybe if he showed Sami that special something, then maybe. But until then, just stay out of the way. Knoxville calls Sami an idiot, but the music hits. Sami heads to the ring, will Sami show that something special in his match?

Sami Zayn VS Rick Boogs w/ Shinsuke Nakamura!

The Great Liberator is the #1 contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship, but being the master strategist he proclaims to be, he won’t go after the King of Strong Style before he clears out the rockin’ rook that stands by Nakamura’s side. Will Sami clear the board of Boogs? Or will he get rocked and rolled in the New Year?

The bell rings and Boogs storms up to Sami, but Sami uses ropes as a defense. The two of them then circle, but again Sami uses ropes for defense. Boogs grabs at a leg, but lets go at 4. Sami runs, but into the EXPLODER! Boogs gets Sami again, another EXPLODER! Boogs trophy lifts and presses Sami a few times before the SLAM! Sami bails out, Boogs air drums and air guitars before SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Boogs deadlifts and gut wrenches Sami all around before the SUPLEX! Fans fire up as Sami goes to the apron and Boogs storms over. Boogs brings Sami up but Sami hotshots him back! Sami CLUBS Boogs from behind, then puts Boogs on the ropes. Sami chokes Boogs with both knees, then lets off as the ref counts. Sami bumps Boogs off buckles, goes up the corner and leaps for a flying elbow! Cover, TWO! Sami seethes, he goes back up a corner, and he leaps, but into Boogs’ BEARHUG! Boogs thrashes Sami around, then shifts to a suplex! Sami throws knees and Boogs drops to a knee!

Sami gets to his feet, but Boogs suplexes as he stands back up! Fans fire up for the strength of Boogs as he SLAMS Sami down! Boogs fires up, Sami bails out, and Boogs goes out to pursue. Sami tries to run away, but Boogs drags him from the barriers! Boogs throws Sami in the ring, but Sami BOOTS him from the apron! Nakamura goes to check on Boogs, fans chant, “Sami Sucks!” but Sami gets Boogs up and back into the ring. Sami glares at Nakamura, Nakamura shows off the title, but Sami says that’s coming home to him. Sami goes to Boogs, Boogs gets a cradle! BOOGS WINS!

Winner: Rick Boogs, by pinfall

Sami’s ego got the better of him! A big win for Boogs and Sami is claiming Boogs pulled tights! But wait! Here comes Knoxville! Knoxville dumps Sami out of the ring! That’d be an elimination in the Rumble! And he is in! Will Knoxville be able to at least eliminate Sami for real?

Backstage interview with The New Day.

King Woods & Sir Kofi Kingston are here, and Kayla brings up that tonight is their final chance at the Usos’ SmackDown Tag Team Championships, and in a Tag Team Street Fight! Does it concern them that they have to play by the Usos’ rules? As far as Woods understands, there are no rules in a Street Fight. But that is rather fitting of those “barnacle boys,” and Kofi says they will put a beating on both Jim and Jeyson Uso tonight. They, like the proverbial mackerel, have taken the proverbial bait. Now they will take the proverbial catch onto the proverbial boat.

But that, fair lady Kayla, is where the proverbs end. For tonight, the literal conclusion will be ya bois, the NEW~ DAY~ as the actual and factual W, W, E, World, Tag, Team, CHAMPIONS~! They royally laugh and even tip Kayla some doubloons. Don’t spend it all in one place. Will the New Day have plenty more gold where that came from after tonight?

Charlotte Flair is here!

The Queen is still SmackDown Women’s Champion after vanquishing the new released Toni Storm, but what is next for her? We’ll hear about Charlotte’s plans, after the break.

SmackDown returns, Charlotte has the mic and says, “Happy New Year! Let me guess, your new year’s resolution was to eat healthy and go to the gym, and whatever boring stuff normal people have to say to make themselves feel better.” But as the most decorated woman in sports entertainment, hers is a bit more ambition. Hers is to make history! Speaking of, in less than four weeks is the Royal Rumble. Simply put, that match changes lives. Whoever wins gets to choose the champion of their choosing to main event WrestleMania. So let’s look at who is in this year’s Women’s Rumble match.

The video package plays to show us the star-studded line-up. Rhea Ripley, Nikki A.S.H, the Bella Twins, Shotzi Blackheart, Natalya, Michelle McCool, Dana Brooke, Carmella, Queen Zelina Vega, Mickie James, Tamina, Kelly Kelly, Aliyah, Summer Rae, Naomi, Shayna Baszler, and even LITA. The winner gets their chance at a title at WrestleMania 38, kicking off the Road to WrestleMania. Charlotte says, “Wow. Now that’s an incredible list. Former champions, rising stars, legends, WWE Hall of Famers. But the reason that I bring up these women who are going to be compete is because this year, I have the great pleasure of announcing someone very special who is going to be in this year’s Women’s Rumble match.”

It’s the game changer, the living legend, the former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion, and she is someone that all the fans admire. It’s… CHARLOTTE FLAIR! Oh of course. Charlotte vows to be the first champion to enter and win the Rumble to then choose her opponent. But here comes Naomi! Naomi says, “Hey, Charley~! Y’know, you don’t have to wait ’til WrestleMania to face the challenger of your choosing. Cuz you can choose to face me, and put your title on the line, right now!” Seriously? Charlotte knows Naomi was champion a couple years ago, but what has she done recently to deserve a match with Charlotte? Nothing?

Well, Naomi knows she’s done this. SLAP! Charlotte is furious, but Naomi throws her right out of the ring! Charlotte is in an even worse mood now, but is she going to give Naomi at least part of what she wants?

Championship Contender’s Match: Charlotte Flair VS Naomi!

SmackDown returns and this is a match! And Charlotte SMACKS Naomi off the announce desk! Charlotte soaks up the heat, she drags Naomi up and into the ring, and then covers, TWO! Charlotte pushes Naomi around, bumps her off buckles, then bumps Naomi off more buckles. Charlotte slaps Naomi around, but Naomi blocks the buckle bump to ROCK Charlotte with a right! And then Naomi bumps Charlotte off buckles! Naomi whips Charlotte corner to corner, Charlotte reverses but Naomi goes up to boot Charlotte down! SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, ONE! Naomi KICKS Charlotte, runs, but into a tilt-o-whirl BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!

Charlotte scowls, kicks Naomi around, then chokes Naomi on the rope. The ref counts, Charlotte lets off at 4, then drags Naomi up. Charlotte snapmares and KNEES Naomi in the back, to then wrap on the headscissor necklock! Charlotte dribbles Naomi off the mat again and again, then squeezes tight. Naomi endures, fights up, but Charlotte THROWS Naomi, then kips up! Fans “WOO~” as Charlotte drags Naomi up. Charlotte whips, Naomi reverses and hits SOLE FOOD! Naomi then headlocks to CORNER BULLDOG Charlotte down! Naomi goes up as fans rally, but Charlotte BOOTS her down to the floor!

Charlotte goes out after Naomi, TOSSES her over the barriers, and then dusts off her hands. Fans “WOO~” and the Queen drags Naomi back up, but Naomi ROUNDHOUSES Charlotte away! Naomi goes up the barriers to hit a BLOCKBUSTER to the floor! Both women are down and the ring count is 7! Naomi hurries up and in at 8! But Sonya Deville stops the count by walking out. She may have neglected to mention something: this match can’t be won by count-out. Sonya saves Charlotte and screws Naomi in one fell swoop! And then Charlotte CLOBBERS Naomi! Charlotte grins and soaks up the heat as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again and Charlotte drags Naomi around to then drive elbows into the shoulder. Charlotte has a neck wrench and she leans on Naomi. “I can do this all day!” Fans rally, Naomi fights up, and she throws elbows then a JAWBREAKER! Charlotte staggers, but she stops Naomi’s boots, only to get the ENZIGURI on the rebound! Naomi runs, tilt-o-whirl crossbody! Cover, TWO! LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Naomi grows frustrated, but she gets Charlotte up to whip to ropes. Charlotte reverses, Naomi springboards for the FLYING CHUCK! Cover, TWO! Fans rally for Naomi as she goes to the corner and climbs back up.

Naomi sees Charlotte stand, and she leaps for a CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Naomi aims from a corner, Charlotte slowly gets up, REAR- ROLL UP! Cover, TWO!! Charlotte has the legs, FIGURE FOUR! Naomi fights the Figure Eight, crawls to ropes, ROPEBREAK! But now Sonya makes another last minute change. Or rather, she “forgot” there are no disqualifications. So this is now a NO HOLDS BARRED contender’s match?! Naomi almost wants to cuss Sonya out, but she avoids a boot to ROUNDHOUSE Charlotte back! Naomi slingshots, Charlotte holds ropes and stomps away on Naomi!

The ref reprimands, Charlotte lets off and she drags Naomi to a drop zone. Charlotte goes up the corner now and fans fire up. MOONSAULT, but Naomi moves STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Charlotte is shocked! Sonya can’t rig anything on that count! Naomi ghost pins! TWO!! Naomi dodges another boot, fires off forearms, then shoves Charlotte, DOUBLE BOOTS take them both down! The ref tells Sonya he can’t do a standing count, she just took that away. Naomi gets up, Charlotte follows, and fans are rallying. Naomi ENZIGURIS, then runs, but Charlotte pulls hair! Back suplex, but Naomi slips out to full nelson, BUBBA BOMB! Body scissor clutch, TWO!!

Charlotte escapes and Naomi is beside herself! Charlotte crawls over as Naomi sits up. They clinch, Naomi headlocks, but Charlotte shoves Naomi into buckles! DRAPING BACKBREAKER and SLAM! Cover, TWO! Charlotte is furious but she and Naomi rise again. Charlotte reels Naomi in, gets her up, but Naomi pops out of the bomb for a FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Naomi hurries to get Charlotte in the drop zone! SPLIT- NO! Charlotte LCOBBERS Naomi, hoists her up, BIG back suplex!! Charlotte runs in, NATURAL SELECTION! Cover, Charlotte!

Winner: Charlotte Flair, by pinfall; Naomi doesn’t get a title shot

“And your loser! Naomi! And the winner! Charlotte Flair!” Sonya just had to put a punctuation on it. But of course, she’s the only reason The Queen survived. Will Naomi ever get this Deville off her back?

Backstage interview with The Usos.

The “Kingdom of the New Day” are undeterred by the Street Fight stipulation, but Jimmy & Jey say, “As they should be.” The New Day had their chance at Day 1, and what happened? The Usos paid homage to the dopest tag teams in the game, hit the dopest of tag team finishers, the 3D, or now 1D, as in one and done! And the same thing happens tonight. The classic rivalry between Usos and New Day ends tonight! They want a street fight? Cool. The New Day will finally learn why they call the Usos, “The ones.” But will Jimmy & Jey be the ones that lose those titles tonight?

Adam Pearce finds Sonya Deville backstage.

He feels they need to talk. She says it wasn’t what it looked like. Pearce says he’s been on the phone with WWE upper brass all night because Roman doesn’t have a Royal Rumble opponent. Lesnar VS Lashley will be the WWE World Championship, but Roman needs a challenger for his Universal Championship. And apparently, the choice is all up to Pearce. Wow! Who’ll he choose? Well that choice has to be by the end of the night. He suggests they walk and talk, maybe an idea will come to them.

“Happy” Corbin is here!

He has his pyro, but what about “Mad Cap” Moss? Will Happy Talk actually be tolerable with the mystery guest Corbin’s got lined up? We find out, after the break.

SmackDown returns and Corbin is still without Moss. Corbin welcomes us to his show, and he thanks us “Happy Heads” for coming out tonight. Now, clearly he’s here alone. COVID makes it where you have to watch your back. Someone who failed to watch his back was Drew McIntyre. Now, if you went out on New Year’s Eve and got too happy and missed Day 1, here is what happened. After the win over Moss, McIntyre got jumped by Moss and Corbin! And they went after his neck with the chair and steel girder! Corbin laughs at the pain he caused McIntyre, “That makes me incredibly happy.” It was every single penny of that fine.

Now, what he and Moss did to McIntyre was supposed to keep him out for months and months and months, but it turns out McIntyre is here tonight! So please welcome Corbin’s guest, “the man that is tougher than a slab of granite, stronger than a silverback gorilla. He is the Scottish Warrior, DREW MCINTYRE~!” But of course, it isn’t McIntyre, it is Moss in a horrible cosplay. Moss has a kilt, floppy toy sword, a walking cane and a neck brace to mock McIntyre. He didn’t even leave his suspender straps in the back! MossIntyre gets in the ring, “needs help” sitting down, and Corbin asks him, “How are you even walking after what Mad Cap and I did to you at Day 1?”

“Well, the official cuisine of Scotland is haggis. Sheep intestines inside a sheep stomach. After a lifetime of eating that disgusting mess, I can survive anything.” Wow, even the accent is knockoff. Corbin says MossIntyre is tough and brave, and then asks how a man like Corbin would fare in a match with him. “Oh, you’d murder me!” As soon as Corbin got his hands on him, MossIntyre would soil his kilt. Not that you could tell, he’d smell the same as he always does. Well okay, one last question. When can all of us expect him to compete again? “Oh, never again! I could actually compete tomorrow, but I’m going to milk this injury and use it as an excuse to pursue my true passion: painting water colors and writing poetry about the Loch Ness Monster.”

Corbin and Moss can’t hold it in any longer, they laugh. Moss thinks he actually fooled people. But he is a fool, so… “RAID!” Here come the VIKING RAIDERS, Erik & Ivar! And they rush the ring! They want their match with these chuckle lugs now! Will Corbin & Moss no longer be laughing after their Viking Experience?

The Viking Raiders VS “Happy” Corbin & “Mad Cap” Moss!

SmackDown returns and Moss headlocks Erik. Ivar tags in as Erik powers out, and then Ivar scoops and SLAMS Moss! Then Erik scoops and SLAMS Ivar onto Moss! Fans fire up with “RAID! RAID!” Ivar drags Moss up, Moss kicks his leg. Tag to Corbin, but Ivar cartwheels and BOOTS! Tag to Erik before Ivar runs in to SPLASH Corbin! SHOTGUN KNEES from Erik, then they DECK Moss! HIP ATTACK COMBO! Cover, TWO! Erik whips Corbin, Corbin reverses but Erik stops to ELBOW Corbin! But Moss gets a cheap shot in! DEEP SIX! Cover, Ivar breaks it! Corbin drags Erik up to ROCK him with a right, then throws hands in the corner!

Corbin keeps Erik in the corner for more, tags in Moss, and Moss runs and runs to CLOBBER Erik! Moss is fired up but fans boo. Moss drags Erik up, Erik throws body shots and shoves Moss away. Erik leaps, but Moss catches him for a FALL AWAY SLAM! Moss tags Corbin, they mug Erik and Corbin stomps away in the corner. Erik throws hands on them both but Corbin jumps to ELBOW Erik down! Tag to Moss, he drags Erik up to whip. Erik DECKS Corbin, but Moss ROCKS Erik! Moss fires off hands, the ref counts, Moss lets off at 4. Moss then jukes the ref to fire off more! The ref keeps counting, pushes Moss back, but then Erik throws Moss out!

Moss hurries to get back in, into a KNEE from Erik! Fans fire up but Corbin lurks near Ivar. Erik crawls over, Corbin trips Ivar off the apron to POST him! Moss RAMS into Erik, then reels him in for a thumbs up and NECKBREAKER DRIVER! Cover off “The Punchline,” Moss & Corbin win!

Winners: “Happy” Corbin & “Mad Cap” Moss, by pinfall

Moss finishes this off for the Happy Folks, but will these hyenas be laughing all the way up the tag division ranks?

WWE has a medical update on Drew McIntyre.

His injury is a cervical neck strain with severe contusions, and he is scheduled for a follow-up with a specialist. Will the Scottish Warrior be able to return to crush Corbin & Moss in the near future?

Sheamus speaks.

“Oh cry me a river.” McIntyre is hurt, but who cares? Sheamus cares about his protégé, Ridge Holland. At Day 1, while Sheamus was stomping all over the Swiss Cyborg, Ricochet went and stomped all over Ridge’s face. The lad’s nose is sticking out of the back of his head! Sheamus feels a bit responsible. But he has an idea to cheer Ridge up. Sheamus will enter the Royal Rumble, and that’ll put a smile a country mile long on Ridge’s face when Sheamus throws out 29 other men and go on to face a champion of his choosing, and then win at WrestleMania! The Celtic Warrior has done it before, can he do it again?

Roman Reigns sits in his room.

There’s a knock on the door, and Roman has them come in. It’s Adam Pearce. he’s giving Roman notice that he’s chosen Roman’s next opponent. Oh, Pearce chose? Yes. Well unless it’s Pearce facing him, Roman doesn’t care. There’s no one here he hasn’t smashed, so pick whoever you want. Now, he’d like to watch his cousins’ match in pace. That means leave. Pearce leaves, but who will he decide takes on the Tribal Chief at the Royal Rumble?

SmackDown Tag Team Championships Street Fight: The Usos VS The New Day!

This is it! With nothing holding them back, these top tier rivals look to put this to bed! Will Jimmy & Jey still be the ones holding onto the gold? Or will nothing stop King Woods & Sir Kofi from becoming TWELVE-TIME WWE Tag Team Champions?

SmackDown returns and the Usos make their entrance. The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and Roman is watching closely. Will he see them do the Bloodline proud? Or will he see things start to fall apart?

Kofi and Jimmy start, and the hand start flying! Kofi snapmares, tags Woods, and Kofi PENALTY KICKS! Woods SLIDING LARIATS, Kofi IMPLODER SPLASHES! Woods adds the FIST DROP, covers, TWO! Tag back to Kofi, but Jey gets in to save Jimmy from Up Up Down Down! Fans fire up as Kofi climbs, and Kofi TRUST FALLS the Usos down! The New Day are all fired up and standing tall as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns again, and things have moved to the stage! They all brawl, Woods after Jey and Kofi after Jimmy! Jimmy headbutts Kofi but Woods has ground ‘n’ pound on Jey! Jimmy whips, Kofi reverses and Jimmy hits LED boards! Woods whips Jey into LED boards, too! Woods roars and fans fire up! Woods and Kofi then bring the Usos back down the ramp, this has to finish in the ring. Jimmy fights back with body shots to RAM Kofi into barriers! Woods puts Jey in, but Jimmy ROCKS Woods with an uppercut! Jimmy sees Kofi coming and he FLAPJACKS him on the apron! But Woods SUPERKICKS Jimmy down!

Jey drags Woods up by his hair, but Woods GAMANGIRIS free! Jey staggers, into the TORNADO DDT! Woods covers, TWO! Jimmy returns, dodges Woods and POP-UP SAMOAN DROPS! Cover, TWO! Jimmy gets up, Kofi fires off hands! Kofi whips, Jimmy reverses, Jey joins in, ALLEY-UCE! Cover, TWO! Roman is watching but it’s hard to say if he looks concerned. Jey goes out to look under the ring, and he brings out a toolbox! Jey tosses tape to Jimmy, and they tape Woods to the ropes! Jey throws hands on Woods while Jimmy finishes with the one arm. Jey gets the other arm, but Kofi INVERTED SUPLEXES Jimmy! SOS for Jey!! Cover, TWO!!

Woods works on the tape, because now it’s 2v1! Kofi hurries to help, Woods is free, but the Usos run in! The New Day dump them out! But the Usos drag them out of the ring, but Kofi and Woods punch back! The New Day have the Usos against the desk, but Jimmy POSTS Kofi! Woods gets up, Jey THROWS Woods over the barriers! The Usos pull steel steps apart and they aim at Kofi! They run in, and RAM Kofi down! Then they go over the barriers and find Woods! They run in and RAM him down now! The Usos throw the steps away to raise their fingers, #WeTheOnes standing tall now.

The Usos go back to Kofi, they throw hands as fans rally and duel. Woods returns as he LEAPS off the barriers, and he CROSSBODIES the Usos down! Woods clutches his leg but everyone is down as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns once again, Woods shoves Jey off the corner and goes after Jimmy! Woods has Jimmy in an Electric Chair, Kofi adjusts, NEW DAY DOOMSDAY! Cover, TWO!! Kofi drags himself over to a corner, and Woods brings out ARMOR? Well, it’s a costume, but he gives Kofi the breastplate and Woods puts on the helmet! IRON HEDBUTT! BREASTPLATE SMACK! Jey SUPERKICKS but the helmet protects Woods! HEADBUTT! BREASTPLATE! Woods takes off the helmet, he and Kofi throw the armor to the Usos, DOUBLE VAN DAMINATORS! Cover, TWO!! The Usos survive but the New Day regroups.

Woods points to under the ring and fans rally up. “We Want Tables!” The Usos gave the Dudleys a shout out, time for the New Day to do the same! Woods brings out a TABLE! Woods puts the table in the ring, Kofi sets it up, in a corner, and Woods drags Jimmy up. Fans fire up as Woods runs Jimmy, but Jimmy reverses! Woods stops himself, ROLLING ELBOW! Jimmy SUPERKICKS back! Kofi runs into an uppercut but he SUPERKICKS Jimmy! Jey SUPERKICKS Kofi! Jey aims at Woods from across the way, “UCE! OH! UCE! OH!” Jey runs in, but Kofi slips under, TROUBLE IN PARADISE! Cover, Jimmy breaks it using the breastplate!

Woods is at the corner, Jimmy runs over but into a GAMANGIRI! Woods climbs the corner, Jey runs in to trip Woods up! Jey gets Jimmy up, the Usos DOUBLE SUPERKICK Woods out of the Tree of Woe! They DOUBLE SUPERKICK Kofi down! And then DOUBLE SUPERKICK SANDWICH!! The Usos take the table for their own and set it up at center! Kofi flounders at the ropes, Usos hold their fingers up high, ONE D through the table!! Cover, the Usos win!

Winners: The Usos, by pinfall (still SmackDown Tag Team Champions)

And it’s done! The New Day fail to take the titles from the Usos and must now wait until someone else dethrones the Bloodline. But can anyone stop the ones who are perhaps the greatest tag team champions ever?

Roman is relieved.

He is relieved that his cousins kept the title in the family. But then a rather curious knock at his door gets his attention. Is that… the Shield theme? Roman lets them enter, and it’s SETH ROLLINS?! And he starts laughing it up! Is the Visionary the one Pearce has named to face the Tribal Chief?

My Thoughts:

This was actually a great SmackDown to follow up Day 1. We got great stuff in the main title(s) story, though I’m rather unsure what’s going on with that sudden dysfunction between Heyman and Lesnar. I get Lesnar was pretty demanding back when he was Heyman’s guy, but I hope then don’t just simply reset things to Heyman being Roman’s Special Counsel and Lesnar’s a Heel and all that. Lesnar being even moderately Face with Heyman by his side was becoming really fun, and it made a good foil to still rather Heel Lashley and MVP. But I bet we get a bit more on that with Monday.

Rollins being the surprise challenger to Roman is a really wild move. Everyone out there is talking about, and maybe hoping for, Winner Takes All of Roman VS Lesnar but who knows now. The apparent plan before Roman’s COVID diagnosis was that Rollins would take the world title in the Fatal 4. Could Rollins win the Universal Championship as a way to balance things out? Maybe we also get less a unified title and more the (newest) end to the brand split? WWE has been downsizing their rosters, both on and off screen, maybe they’re going to trim down to one roster for RawDown to make that all work out.

Charlotte declaring for the Rumble while still champion might work with all of that, too. She doesn’t have a clear challenger after Toni Storm asked to be let go and many other names being cut long before, so she has something to do now. That list of Women’s Rumble entries was curious for a few reasons. Sasha Banks not being on there is curious, but maybe she’s more of a surprise-not-surprise entry. One that’s surprising and already sending ripples through the IWC is Mickie James while she’s still with Impact and still champion. I’m actually surprised Pat McAfee was allowed to say Mickie had the title. If Charlotte does win, will she choose Becky to unify those titles?

And in a bit of serendipity, the stories of Sonya being biased against Naomi and Sonya being biased towards Charlotte come together as Sonya keeps making it so Charlotte survives to defeat Naomi. I wouldn’t mind this continuing on the Road to Mania, with Naomi aiming to mess up Charlotte’s plan to be champion going into Mania, and maybe even Pearce actually countering Sonya for once. Sami VS Boogs was an alright filler to keep us waiting on Sami VS Nakamura for the Intercontinental Championship, but apparently it was also a vehicle for Johnny Knoxville to get in on the action. His interaction with Sami backstage and then him dumping Sami out of the ring, that is definitely the spot they’re going for in the Rumble match.

Sheamus had a good promo to keep his grudge against McIntyre alive while also showing some concern for what happened to Ridge Holland. Happy Talk was not at all any better, and it should’ve been obvious that Moss was somehow, someway Corbin’s mystery guest. Corbin & Moss of course defeat the Viking Raiders, those two are getting a big Heel push right now. Moss is still impressive in the ring, at least. Then we got just an awesome tag main event, as expected of Usos and New Day. The Usos retaining was a small surprise but they seem to be shouting out the Dudleys a lot. Are they trying to swing a match with Bubba and D-Von? That’d be awesome to see but is it even possible business wise?

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

14 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!