Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE SmackDown Results & Report! (3/3/23)

Tribal Chief and American Nightmare meet!

Published

1 year ago

March 3, 2023

Steven Mitchell

Wrestling has more than one royal family.

Cody Rhodes promised on Raw he’d show up tonight on SmackDown, but will he get that face to face with Roman Reigns?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Liv Morgan VS Rhea Ripley w/ Dominik Mysterio; Rhea wins.
Santos Escobar VS Dominik Mysterio w/ Rhea Ripley; Dominik wins.
Shayna Baszler w/ Ronda Rousey VS Tegan Nox w/ Natalya; Shayna wins.
Sami Zayn VS Solo Sikoa w/ Jimmy Uso; Solo wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Roman Reigns is here!

As promised, the Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion returns to address all the issues on the Road to WrestleMania. Paul Heyman, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa are with him, but Jey is not. They set off the pyro, continue to the ring, then set off more pyro. Fans are torn, but Heyman hands over the mic to Roman. Heyman says the fans are all here for Roman but the boos say otherwise. Roman says, “Washington, DC! ACKNOWLEDGE ME!” But then CODY RHODES makes his entrance! DC fires up for the American Nightmare as he has his pyro and soaks up the energy.

Roman and the Bloodline wait as Cody enters the ring and fans sing the song. Fans then chant for “CODY! CODY!” Cody has a mic to say, “Contrary to what Mr. Heyman might’ve told you, I am not here to invade, I am not here to engage in… reckless negotiations. I am here to have a conversation with my WrestleMania opponent one on one, man to man. So I don’t see any reason for your compatriots here. Unless, you feel that you need them here.” Roman chuckles and Heyman grins. Roman says, “Wise Man, leave us.” Heyman is surprised by that, and asks if Solo and Jimmy should stay. Roman says they should go, too.

Heyman accepts those orders, gives Roman his belts, and he leads the Bloodline away. Fans cheer as we get just Cody and Roman in the ring. Roman asks Cody if that’s better for him. In fact, let’s get comfortable. Cody may not like this but Roman will do it anyway. Roman throws down the World title belt, and then the Universal belt. “So what do you wanna talk about?” Roman smirks and Cody says, “Fair enough. Let’s talk about you. 915 days, you have been our WWE Undisputed Universal Champion. No need to print the legend, the reality has become legendary enough. You have superseded hyperbole, congratulations.

“Let me tell you something about me. About your WrestleMania opponent. Something you may know, something you may not know. For some, you have become this impossible mountain to climb, but that’s kinda my thing.” Cody repeats old criticisms: He’s nothing more than Randy Orton’s understudy; Cody won’t survive being Stardust; critics swore that there was no way 10 THOUSAND people would pay to see Cody’s and his buddies’ “little indie show.” And ever since then, the goal posts have continued to move and Cody continued to punch it through the uprights. So for everyone else, Roman might be the impossible. But not for Cody.

Fans cheer Cody on again and Roman is annoyed. Roman laughs it off, and says that was good. That was like Cody rehearsed it all week, it was flawless. But Roman will switch gears here and ask a question. “You ever won that one?” He points to the world title. Well, we know he hasn’t. But has he ever even competed for one of these? Oh, no, how about this? Has Cody even main-evented WrestleMania before? Because Roman did all of that! He is the most experienced main-eventer of all time! “But here’s the kicker. I’ve been groomed since I was just a little boy. Not only by my father, but by your father, too.”

Roman smirks while he lets that soak in. Roman says he isn’t done with the story there, either. Let’s talk about Cody’s dad. Easy now, Roman has too much love and respect for that man to degrade him. They spent a lot of time together. Roman said this many times before but The Dream is the one who put the confidence in Roman and told him, “Baby, you have ‘it.’ You couldn’t get rid of it, you couldn’t sell it if you wanted to. You are ‘it.'” Fans cheer the impression, and Roman says they’d sit for hours and talk about everything. It was a lot about what is going on right now, being the main event and the face of the company. Dusty called it all before it happened.

Roman says Dusty was the best. But you know what Dusty would say about Cody? Nothing. Dusty never said anything ever, at least not when he was with Roman. Maybe when Dusty sat down with Seth Rollins or Kevin Owens or even Becky Lynch. But when Roman was with Dusty, it was like Cody didn’t exist. Fans boo but Roman says he knows this is a lot, he just wishes Dusty was here right now. Roman knows Cody misses Dusty. Roman misses Dusty, too. Roman picks up the belts, and says that though Dusty isn’t here anymore, know this: if there is something Dusty didn’t teach Cody, Roman will.

Roman offers a handshake but fans boo. Cody smirks and says, “Oh my God. I’m not even playing on the same field. This is… This is not chess. You didn’t send Mr. Heyman to Raw to get inside my head, you sent him to relay and convey the real-life situation. You sent him to tell me the truth? If that’s the truth, then the truth is one of the fabled ‘Dusty’s kids’ than Dusty’s actual kid. If that’s the truth, then the truth is that you are the son he always wanted. And that changes absolutely everything. Because it’s not just a dream, it’s not just an urge or a want, or a desire, or some story that needs to be finished. This becomes a necessity!

“You say I don’t exist? I HAVE to exist! And the only way that I can exist… is by beating you at WrestleMania!” Fans fire up and Roman frowns. Cody says that Roman, “sir, champ, may the better man win.” Cody accepts the handshake after all, but Roman’s calculated mind games may have only added fuel to the flame. Will the American Nightmare burn down the Island of Relevancy and take that throne from the Tribal Chief?

Liv Morgan VS Rhea Ripley w/ Dominik Mysterio!

As extreme as Liv likes to live, she might be pushing things too far taking on the Eradicator. Rhea is determined to take the top spot from Charlotte Flair, will she have no problem throwing Liv to the Riptide?

The bell rings and Liv SHOTGUNS Rhea! Fans fire up, Liv fires off on Rhea in a corner, but Rhea shoves her away. Rhea choke grips, Liv breaks free and kicks low. Rhea blocks the boot, whips Liv, but Liv wheelbarrows to arm-drag! Rhea staggers up, Liv runs in to springboard, only for Rhea to catch Liv and TOSS her! Then KNEE her down! Dom cheers Mami on but DC boos. Rhea soaks up the heat, saying they’re looking at the NEW SmackDown Women’s Champion. Rhea CHOKES Liv, tells Charlotte to watch closely, “there’s no saving you.” Rhea lets off as the ref counts, and then she CLUBS Liv down!

Rhea CLUBS Liv more, stands her up, and then hauls her up, but Liv sunset flips! Rhea stays up, drags Liv back up and bumps her off buckles. Rhea runs in, Liv dodges and back body blocks! Liv then comes back to SHINING WIZARD! Liv pushes Rhea down, goes up top, and fans fire up for the MISSILE DROPKICK! Rhea flounders out of the ring, and Lib builds speed to DIVE! Rhea SWATS Liv outta the air! Rhea again says Charlotte won’t be able to hide from Rhea Bloody Ripley! Rhea goes back to Liv as SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Rhea ROCKS Liv in the back. Rhea stands Liv up, shoves her to ropes and ROCKS her again! Rhea stands Liv up and Liv grins! Rhea whips, Liv swings, but into a back suplex! Liv lands on her feet, to hit a BACKSTABBER! Fans fire up, Liv goes to a corner and BOOTS Rhea! Liv goes up again, FLYING RANA! Rhea hits ropes, flounders, and then Liv kicks low! Front kick and CODE BREAKER! Rhea wobbles,, Liv springboards off ropes to CODE BREAKER again! Liv then goes up a corner, waits on Rhea, and says “SUCK IT!” FLYING CODE BREAKER!! Cover, TWO!! Rhea survives and Liv is beside herself!

Dom is worried and he coaches Rhea up. Liv waits on Rhea to stand, grins as she goes to ropes, and then runs in, but Rhea fights off the clinch! Rhea swings Liv around, but Liv slips free! ENZIGURI! Rhea goes to a corner, Liv SHINING WIZARDS! Liv goes to the very top while Rhea flounders! DC fires up as Liv leaps, but Rhea POWERBOMBS her down! Then pump handle and RIPTIDE!! But Rhea doesn’t wanna end it there! She grabs the legs and ties them up, PRISM TRAP!! Liv endures and reaches out, but Rhea KNEES her down! Liv taps, Rhea wins!

Winner: Rhea Ripley, by submission

Mami sends a message! Charlotte may have the Figure Four, but Rhea has her Prism Trap Cloverleaf! Will that help Rhea eradicate The Queen?

The Bloodline talks backstage.

Heyman and the others are still getting a kick out of Roman doing a Dusty Rhodes impression, but Roman asks if Jimmy’s talked with Jey. Jimmy has. Then what’d Jey say? You know, Jey’s the hothead. He just needs time. Time? How much time? Uh, Jimmy talked to him this morning. Jey’s doing better today than he was yesterday. Jimmy will let Jey know. Roman says he’s running out of patience. Jimmy will tell Jey, too. Roman says it’s not with Jey. He’s running out of patience with Jimmy. Jimmy again says he’ll let Jey know, and heads out. Is the Bloodline (not) fine?

Rhea and Dom regroup backstage.

Rhea says Charlotte is scared, it’s why she’s not here. But then Santos Escobar walks over. Dom asks if there’s a problem. Santos says Rey should’ve punched Dom in the face last week! But he also understands why he couldn’t. But guess what? Santos can! And Adam Pearce agrees with him. So Santos will teach Dom a lesson in respect. Santos is going to the ring right now. And if Dom is even half the man he claims to be, he’ll meet Santos out there. Hombre a hombre. And then Santos blows a kiss to Mami! Santos heads to gorilla, will Dom man up and handle things like he (supposedly) did in the prison yard?

Santos Escobar VS Dominik Mysterio w/ Rhea Ripley!

The Emperor of Lucha makes his entrance, holding up the mask Rey Mysterio gave him personally as a gift of respect. Escobar respects family and legacy, but “Ex-Con Dom” does not. Will Escobar make Dom respect him? Or will Dom still do things his way?

The bell rings and fans boo but Escobar runs in. Dom uses ropes as a defense so the ref backs Escobar off. Dom then dropkicks Escobar down! Fans boo but Dom drags Escobar up to headlock. Escobar powers up but Dom holds on tight. Escobar throws body shots, powers out, and things speed up as Escobar drops, to then DROPKICK Dom! Dom ends up in a corner and Escobar fires off forearms! Rhea protests but Escobar makes Dom look at the mask. “That’s your legacy! Do you respect your legacy?!” Dom shouts “NO!” so Escobar CLUBS him down and ELBOWS him! Escobar hooks up the legs, Dom resists and reaches, but Escobar gets those arms!

Escobar pulls back and lifts Dom right up into a ROMERO SPECIAL! Dom endures, but Escobar pulls his hair! Escobar then throws Dom down, waits on Dom to get up, but Dom wants mercy. Dom says he’ll respect legacy, but then he YANKS Escobar into buckles! Escobar bails out, Dom goes up and CROSSBODIES! Rhea fans Dom off while fans boo and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Dom has Escobar in a corner. Dom fires off body shots and haymakers while Rhea cheers him on. Dom climbs up, he rains down fists, but fans boo instead of counting. Dom stops short of ten anyway, and fans boo more. Dom whips but Escobar reverses, only for Dom to wheelbarrow and throw Escobar to ropes! Dom dials it up as fans boo harder, but then Dom stops to CHOKE Escobar! Rhea laughs as Dom trolls the fans, but Escobar DECKS Dom! Escobar fires off fists and fans fire up! Escobar fireman’s carries, but Dom rakes eyes! Escobar goes to a corner, Dom ROCKS him and throws more hands.

Dom knees low, backs off to soak up heat, and then runs in corner to corner to clothesline! Escobar staggers and Dom makes Escobar look at the mask. Respect legacy? Respect DOM! Dom throws Escobar down then soaks up more heat. Dom sits Escobar up, “Is that what you want? Huh?” Dom SLAPS Escobar! Dom tells fans up theirs, then says HE is the man! Dom whips corner to corner, but Escobar goes up and over, keeps moving, ducks ‘n’ dodges to FLYING FOREARM! And then again! Rhea freaks out as Escobar CLOBBERS Dom! Escobar scoops for a BACKBREAKER and hits a LEG DROP! Cover, TWO!!

Rhea is relieved that Dom survives. Escobar powers up and Dom wants mercy again. Escobar knows better but Dom dodges. They both dodge, and HEADS collide! Both men are dazed but Dom drags himself to ropes. Dom has brass knuckles?! The ref is distracted by that as Rhea drags Escobar out! RIPTIDE to the floor!! Fans boo, but Rhea puts Escobar in for Dom to FROG SPLASH!! Cover, Dom wins!

Winner: Dominik Mysterio, by pinfall

Dom snatches the mask from the corner, and TEARS it! He insults Rey’s legacy, Eddie’s legacy, and lucha libre culture as a whole! What will it take to finally humble him? Wait! Here comes Rey!! Rey shakes his head, tells Dom to give the mask back, but Dom dares Rey to hit him. If Rey hits Dom, Dom will give the mask back. Dom gets in Rey’s face literally, then he drops the mask on the ground! Rey picks the mask up, and Dom DECKS Rey with a sucker punch! Fans boo, but Dom just soaks it all up. Can anything ever stop Dom from stooping to these lows?

WWE shares Sami Zayn’s video post.

“Big energy tonight in Washington, DC. You can feel the heat in here. I’ll tell you one person I know is feeling the heat, and that’s Roman Reigns. Because he knows that everything I’ve been saying for weeks is coming true. The Bloodline is crumbling from within. And now, all of the sudden, I find myself in a match with Solo Sikoa. I’m not stupid. I know how it works in the Bloodline. I know tonight’s match is not about wins and losses. I know tonight’s about sending me a message. But here’s the thing, Solo. I’m the one sending a message tonight. The message is loud and clear. The Bloodline is not getting rid of Sami Zayn, until the Bloodline goes down!”

The DC fans around Sami are fired up as Sami says that this doesn’t end until Sami sees with his own eyes that the Bloodline is going down! Sami knows, and the people know, that the Bloodline is going down! “See you tonight, Solo.” DC is behind the Great Liberator, but will that Bloodline trap catch him all the same?

Drew McIntyre is here!

Fans fire up as The Scottish Warrior heads to the ring. He’s been gunning for Gunther and that Intercontinental Championship, and we hear what he has to say, after the break.

SmackDown returns and McIntyre says, “There’s four weeks to WrestleMania, and Drew McIntyre still does not have a match. How about we remedy that right now, DC? And there’s a certain individual I wanna beat the absolute shhhhnitzel out of. GUNTHER! I’m calling you out!” Fans fire up, but SHEAMUS makes his way out first! The Fella has a mic to ask McIntyre what he’s doing. He just thought he’d go behind Sheamus’ back? McIntyre says this isn’t personal. Like he it isn’t personal! McIntyre of all people knows how important winning the Intercontinental title is to Sheamus! 15 YEARS, Sheamus has wanted that title.

McIntyre wants Sheamus to calm down and talk this out. Sheamus tells McIntyre, “Don’t you DARE tell me to calm down!” McIntyre knows better than anybody that how much Sheamus has wanted it. McIntyre knows Sheamus wants Gunther at Mania, and now McIntyre is the one calling him out? Well, Sheamus isn’t McIntyre’s parent, so why does McIntyre need Sheamus’ permission to do something? Does he need permission to wipe his own arse next? Sheamus says McIntyre’s right, Sheamus isn’t McIntyre’s parent. But he thought McIntyre was his brother. But no, he’s just a backstabbing bastard.

McIntyre says fine. If we’re telling the truth as friends, the truth sometimes hurts. And the truth is, Sheamus had his chance, and lost, TWICE. But here comes L A KNIGHT! DC is actually excited to see LA, and he says, “LEMME TALK TO YA! Somebody talking about the Intercontinental title, then you gotta be talking about L, A, Knight, YEAH!” Meanwhile, these two have been handed every single opportunity and still they cry. They’re still arguing with each other, and Knight says that’s fine, so long as they listen. If Knight hasn’t made it clear enough already, “you can’t have an LA WrestleMania without L A Knight!”

But then here comes the NEW DAY! DC is even more fired up to see Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods! Woods tells Washington, DC, “it’s ya bois the NEW~ DAY~!” And they just wanted to come out and apologize on behalf of L, A, Knight, YEAH. That’s right! Cuz for the past two weeks, Knight comes out crying, begging, “You can’t have a WrestleMania in LA without LA Knight, please~!” But this is sad. Sad! The New Day joins everyone else in the ring. Knight wants a match at Mania. However, as of late, Knight can’t even win a match on SmackDown! OH~! But then here comes KARRION KROSS!?

Kross, with Scarlett by his side, storms right up to the ring. Everyone watches as Mr. & Mrs. Doomsday circle the ring, but Knight CLOBBERS Kofi! Woods goes after Knight, Knight shoves him into Sheamus and McIntyre! They shove him back, and Knight TOSSES Woods out! But then Sheamus clotheslines Knight out! Sheamus turns around in time to see McIntyre creeping up. McIntyre backs off, only to come back and FLY out onto New Day and Knight!! Then Kross CLOBBERS Sheamus and POSTS him! Kross is vicious but also opportunistic. Is the apocalypse going to sneak in and take that title opportunity for his own?

SmackDown shares footage from before the show.

Shayna Baszler & Ronda Rousey got jumped first by Tegan Nox and Natalya, cameras only caught things after Ronda and Natty were down and Shayna got Tegan on the ground. Adam Pearce and referees rushed in to stop this, and had to cancel their scheduled tag team match for tonight, making it just a singles match. Ronda swears Shayna better break Tegan’s arm for this! Will the Queen of Spades get payback on the Welsh Firecracker?

Shayna Baszler w/ Ronda Rousey VS Tegan Nox w/ Natalya!

The bell rings and the two rush each other! Nox dodges, then SHOTGUNS Shayna down! Then PENALTY KICKS her back down! Then CANNONBALLS in the corner! Nox rains down fists on Shayna from all sides, but Shayna shoves her away and gets an arm. Shayna isolates the arm, but Nox reaches up to headscissors her away! ROUNDHOUSE! Shayna wobbles, but she blocks the knee to throw Nox! Shayna has the arm again, and STOMPS it! Ronda asks Nox how that feels, but Natty and DC rally for Nox. Shayna runs in, but Nox dodges the knee! Nox fires off jabs and haymakers, but Shayna KICKS the bad arm!

Shayna grabs the arm to YANK it! Ronda mocks “Skittles” while Nox crawls to a corner. Shayna storms up on Nox, drags her by the bad arm but Nox KICKS her away! And then HEADBUTTS! But Shayna WRINGS Nox’s bad arm! Ronda continues to mock Nox and Shayna talks trash with Natty. Shayna goes back but Nox rolls her up! TWO, and Shayna KNEES Nox down! Shayna gets the bad arm for an ARMBAR!! Nox taps, Shayna wins!

Winner: Shayna Baszler, by submission

A shoutout to her teammate and friend with that armbar, Ronda celebrates with Shayna. Will the Baddest Women on the Planet tear apart all of SmackDown?

Backstage interview with Gunther.

Kayla Braxton is with Der Ring General and the rest of Imperium, and he already knows she’s asking about all the superstars interested in his title. Gunther says it was an absolute disgrace that a man like him has been kept waiting. What a lack of leadership by Adam Pearce! One month away and Pearce still hasn’t identified the man to challenge Gunther at WrestleMania. So then is he concerned? Gunther says the only thing he is concerned about is not having a worthy opponent to do battle with for this great prize in their great sport, and “for the legacy of Der Ring General, on the greatest stage of them all!” Then what will Pearce do about this issue?

Bobby Lashley is here?!

The All Mighty visits SmackDown by surprise! But why? Wait, the White Rabbit makes it clear. Then what will Lashley have to say about Bray Wyatt’s antics? We’ll hear all that, after the break.

SmackDown returns and Lashley has the mic. “So, so, so, for the past two weeks, Bray Wyatt has been telling me to run. But I don’t run from anyone. And since that didn’t work, he starts playing these little kids, like the Muscle Man Dance. Which I thought was a little comical, but for me, it looked like a sign of weakness. And from where I come from, if you have a problem with somebody, you come see that somebody and tell them to their face. And since Bray Wyatt is not man enough to come see me in my face, I decided to come to his show of SmackDown, to come see him. So I say, Bray Wyatt, if you are man enough, I’m here. So come see me.”

Lashley waits, fans look to the stage, and UNCLE HOWDY appears, from behind! Howdy beats Lashley down, laughs at him, then runs, into a MILE HIGH SPINEBUSTER! Lashley is furious and he wants Howdy to get up. Fans rally, Howdy staggers over, but the lights go out! And when the lights come back, Howdy is gone. Lashley is even more annoyed, but the White Rabbit cuts him off. Will Lashley see that Bray isn’t just playing kid games?

The Bloodline regroups.

Jimmy sits with Roman and says he called Jey. And what’d he say? Well, Jey said he needs more time. Roman repeats that: Jey needs more time? Well, no, he actually said to leave him the hell alone. Roman says he doesn’t understand how Jey could do this to them. After everything Roman… No, after everything they’ve done for Jey. Haven’t they always helped Jey? Always had his back? Matter of fact, this didn’t start happening until Sami Zayn came around. Maybe that’s where the selfishness and greed come from. In fact, here’s what they’ll do> They’ll fix the Sami problem once and for all.

Roman wants Jimmy to be in Solo’s corner tonight. And they will get rid of Sami once and for all. Understand? If Jimmy and Solo get rid of Sami, then Jey will come home. Heyman smiles as Roman asks if Jimmy can do that. Jimmy says he’s got it. Roman wants Jimmy to do this for The Bloodline, to do this for the family. Jimmy nods and heads out. Heyman tells Roman, “That was wonderful, My Tribal Chief.” Roman says, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Heyman asks, “Then, it wasn’t wonderful?” Roman says Jey has one week. Does Heyman understand that? Yes, My Tribal Chief. Roman says if Jey isn’t back in the Bloodline in one week, Roman won’t blame Sami. He’ll blame Jimmy.

The ultimatum has been sent, the deadline has been set, but will none of it go the way Roman wants?

BREAKING NEWS on the Intercontinental Championship match!

Gunther wants a challenger and there are plenty of contenders! Next week on SmackDown, there will be a FATAL 5 WAY! Kofi Kingston VS Sheamus VS Drew McIntyre VS Karrion Kross VS LA Knight, YEAH! But this is just a qualifying match, will this just be one step on the warpath to WrestleMania?

Sami Zayn VS Solo Sikoa w/ Jimmy Uso!

The Great Liberator has stated his mission, and so far, he hasn’t failed. But will the Enforcer of the Island and the one Uso still clearly loyal to the Tribal Chief end it all here? Or are the things Sami has been saying continue to come true?

Roman is watching closely as Sami makes his entrance. Sami slides in, dodges Solo, fires off on him, but Solo shoves him back. Sami hits a THESZ PRESS! Sami rains down fists, Solo pushes him away and Jimmy runs in! Sami throws Jimmy out, dumps Solo out, and then builds speed! Sami FLIES to take out Solo and Jimmy! Sami slides back in, DC is thunderous but Roman is seething! Solo gets back in the ring, the bell rings, and this is finally a match! They brawl, Solo shoves Sami away and CLOBBERS him! Solo HEADBUTTS Sami, eggs him on, then ROCKS him with a right. Solo whips, Sami holds ropes to stop, then he dodges to clothesline Solo back out!

Fans fire up while Sami paces. Sami goes to the apron, he stares Jimmy down, and the ref tells Jimmy to back off. Jimmy jaws at Sami, and Sami turns around into a BODY CHECK from Solo! Solo POSTS Sami, then POSTS him again! The ref reprimands and counts, but Solo POSTS Sami! “You should’ve listened, Sami!” Solo TOSSES Sami into the timekeeper’s area! Roman likes what he sees now, and SmackDown goes to break.

SmackDown returns and Solo HEADBUTTS away on Sami! Sami flops against ropes and Jimmy says this is all on Sami. Sami sits up to CHOP Solo, but then he flops back down. Solo snarls, he eggs Sami on, and Sami CHOPS again. Solo just HEADBUTTS again! “The hell’s wrong with you?!” Solo whips Sami to ropes, Sami goes up and over then LARIATS! Fans fire up with Sami while Jimmy coaches Solo up. Roman and Heyman frown as Sami stands. Sami throws haymakers, backs Solo up then whips, but Solo reverses. Sami ducks ‘n’ dodges, but runs into a SAMOAN DROP! Solo roars, fans boo, and Sami flounders to a corner.

Solo grits his teeth, goes to the opposite corner, and he runs in corner to corner, to HIP ATTACK! Solo roars but Roman still looks tense. Solo puts Sami up top, throws hands, but Sami throws hands in return! And even kicks! TORNADO DDT! Cover, ONE?!? Solo is tough but Sami has the fans behind him. Sami climbs up top, to CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Sami doesn’t let that stop him, he brings Solo up and reels him in. But Solo’s too big for the Blue Thunder! Solo CLUBS away on Sami, Sami goes to a corner, but Sami dodges! The splash hits only buckles! BLUE THUNDER BOMB!! Cover, TWO!!!

Jimmy is relieved but Sami goes to the opposite corner now. Sami runs in, but Jimmy gets Solo clear of the Helluva Kick! SAMOAN SPIKE!!! Cover, Solo wins!!

Winner: Solo Sikoa, by pinfall

Step one is complete as Jimmy helps Solo win, but Roman’s orders were clear. Solo and Jimmy mug Sami with punches and fans boo. Solo grabs a chair! Jimmy tells Sami this is all his fault, and he UPPERCUTS Sami into a corner! Jimmy rains down more fists, then Solo moves him aside. Jimmy says Sami made his choice, then he stomps Sami down. Jimmy puts the chair around Sami’s head! Solo goes to the opposite corner again, they’re gonna get him like the did Riddle! Wait, Jimmy says HE wants to do the honors. Solo moves aside, Jimmy keeps saying Sami made his choice, but Sami stands! He CHUCKS the chair at Solo, dodges Jimmy, and HELLUVA KICKS!!!

Sami just turned things around on the Bloodline and DC is thunderous!! And Sami has the chair now! Sami sees Solo, though, and tosses the chair at him! Solo deflects it and Sami runs off! Jimmy couldn’t do what the Tribal Chief wanted and he is furious! Roman himself is seething backstage. What will happen now that Jimmy has failed?

My Thoughts:

A great SmackDown with a lot of great story progress, but with less action than I expected. One, downgrading the women’s tag to Shayna VS Nox was an interesting move, but word has it that Ronda has turned down a WrestleMania match idea. I wonder if she doesn’t want part of a Women’s Tag title match if it isn’t a guarantee that she and Shayna are winning. Anything more than 2v2 means the odds aren’t in their favor (in kayfabe), so maybe Ronda just wants to wait until she and Shayna can challenge whoever 2v2. That said, Shayna beating Nox still makes sense in story, just not sure what happens if there’s no tag matches.

Rhea and Dominik having matches back to back makes sense, as do the results. Liv loses to give Rhea more momentum, and Rhea even works a promo aimed towards Charlotte into things. I really do like the idea if they make the match about Figure Four Leglock VS Prism Trap, so that Rhea can more or less beat Charlotte at her own game. And Escobar had a great promo on Dom to set up their own match. But of course Dom lies, cheats and steals in his own way to win, and he doubles down on the Heel heat by tearing up that mask and sucker punching Rey. If Rey isn’t gonna punch Dom, and if proxies are just gonna get cheated, I’m not sure what Rey can do to stop Dom.

Great promo from several of the superstars in the midcard scene. I do like the logic in Sheamus being upset that McIntyre wants next, but also the logic in Sheamus already having his shot and falling short. Them putting “qualifying” on next week’s Fatal 5 clearly means it’ll be a Triple Threat or bigger come WrestleMania. Gunther VS McIntyre VS Sheamus feels like where this is headed, and I do think that’s where it should go. McIntyre and Sheamus have a lot to get through as frenemies, they both want Gunther, and win or lose, Gunther looks good. Gunther can lose because someone else takes the pin, or he wins by using McIntyre and Sheamus against each other.

Nice surprise appearance from Lashley, and nice response from Bray’s side. Howdy being the pawn was fitting, and that is of course Bo Dallas in there. Howdy was spared getting destroyed by the light shenanigans, but this will clearly go back and forth until we get official confirmation on what kind of match All Mighty and Eater of Worlds will have. And opening with Roman and Cody meeting was a great move. That was some great promo work from them both, and Roman really did do a decent Dusty impression. I also like that “the son Dusty always wanted” being something Roman (in kayfabe) had already said that and Heyman was just reiterating. It implies Roman doesn’t need a mouthpiece, he just likes having messengers.

And of course, Roman being thrown off by Cody not breaking is another good detail, as it feeds into the Bloodline story as a whole. Roman continues to simply expect everything going as he wants it, but that’s not how life works. Sami had a good promo though I kinda wish he didn’t do it near fans. Fans will not shut up once they spot a wrestler, so it got harder and harder to understand Sami as the promo went on. But we got a great main event out of Sami VS Solo, and just as Sami said, it wasn’t even about the win or loss. Sami loses the match because of the number game, but he essentially stands tall as he gets away, and that infuriates Roman more because again, he just expects things to go as he wants.

Jey is defiant again, Jimmy is failing him, and neither Sami or Kevin is going away. Roman might even be the one who demands the Usos defend their titles against Sami and Kevin, and that will be the make-or-break in that part of this story. And when it breaks, when things don’t go Roman’s way yet again, he will be rattled and reckless against Cody, giving Cody his way to win.

My Score: 8.8/10

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

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

It’s Draft Day!

Published

21 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

2 days 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!