Coverage

Mitchell’s WWE Press Event Coverage! (2/8/24)

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Published

3 months ago

February 8, 2024

Steven Mitchell

WWE says Viva Las Vegas!

To set the stage for WrestleMania 40, WWE is going XL! It’s a huge press event in Las Vegas to officially declare the Universal Championship match!

The WrestleMania XL Kickoff begins!

On the road to the BIGGEST WrestleMania of all time, WWE enters the T-Mobile Arena, with Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Big E Langston and CM Punk as our hosts! Pat is excited to stand alongside the handsome Big E and the legendary Punk as a major decision will be made, a decision that will be talked about until the end of time! Big E says he’s here so Punk doesn’t get fined. And The Voice of the Voiceless, arm in a heavy brace, has the fans chanting for him as he says it helps his heart to be here. And to be here with Cole and the “Cole Miners” is great, too.

Before getting to business, how is Big E’s neck? Oh he’s doing good. He loves everyone for checking in and sending the love. And Punk, how are the triceps? Well, this sucks, for one. He is one week out from surgery and yet he’s not 100%, he’s a little disappointed in himself. He is heartbroken he won’t be competing at WrestleMania, but don’t worry, he’ll still piss a lot of people off because his mouth and brain still work. Cole brings up Pat having The Rock on the Pat McAfee Show today, which fans boo, but others chant for “Rocky! Rocky!” Pat says The Rock brought the WWE to new heights and has a massive legacy.

Fans duel, “We Want Cody!” “No We Don’t!” Pat says there’s the fans who have respect for the American Nightmare, who wants to finish the story as he has rightfully earned. Of course, The Rock called many of those fans, “Cody Crybabies.” Cole brings up Punk how he had a similar situation happen, and Punk says, yeah, where were all these fans in 2013? But what then should happen in Punk’s opinion? Punk thinks that the Road to WrestleMania will be really spicy. If everyone plays their cards right, and he’s talking about Cody, about Roman, and even about Seth Rollins and The Rock, we could be in for a hell of a roller coaster.

But what needs to happen from all these guys is chips on shoulders. From an NFL perspective, which Pat should get, there are a lot of Quarterbacks, Tom Brady got in the Super Bowl after those other guys carried the team into the championship. If Punk is that other guy, he’s not happy about it, but he also understands how it goes. He understands the box office, but also about making a name for yourselves. Cody and Rollins are in such a position to truly make a name for themselves, but especially Cody.

Cole then turns to Big E, who also had to fight to get to the top. That is what Cody is also trying to do, so where does Big E see this? Big E says he is here to “beat the drum for Cody.” Cody is someone who has a special connection with the fans, who does the Make A Wishes, and really relates to people authentically. Big E saw how Cody reached out to the Huber family after Brodie Lee/Luke Harper past. That connection is what you want out of your top guy, who will carry this show every week and even go to the live events. Big E knows pro-wrestling isn’t a pure meritocracy, it’s just not how it works. BUT what Cody has done in and out of the ring is proof he is the guy to carry WWE forward.

Michael Cole sends it backstage.

Jackie Redmond confirms The Rock is here, making the rounds, including that “feisty” appearance on Pat McAfee’s show. The Rock says tonight will be historic and it will cement his Road to WrestleMania.

Byron Saxton is with Paul Heyman, and asks The Wise Man what Roman Reigns’ mood is, given he has to prepare for WrestleMania and his face-to-face with- Heyman cuts Byron off to repeat, “Mood? Mood?! Oh, he’s honored to be here since you’re in The Bloodline locker room, Byron. Thank you so much. It has made his mood so much better to come to Vegas just to see you. Did that answer your question about his mood? Here’s the mood in the Bloodline locker room, ladies and gentlemen. The mood in the Bloodline locker room is no different than it has been for three and a half years.

“We look out at the outside world, and what do we hear? We Want Cody! We Want Cody! And then we also hear everybody chanting, we also hear everybody cheering, we also see all the love for the biggest movie star in history, The Rock. And for once it’s not about Cody, everybody wants to talk about The Rock. But do you know what everybody’s really talking about? Which one of them gets to main-event WrestleMania with Roman… Reigns! That’s what this is all about. That’s what the hype is about. That’s what the controversy is about. That’s what the discussion is about.

“Who gets to fight the Tribal Chief? Who gets to share the spotlight with the Head of the Table? Who gets to step into the ring with the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion? Who gets to main event WrestleMania? And until someone beats Roman Reigns, that’s where the main event of WrestleMania will remain to be.” Heyman grins, then tells Byron that is Roman’s mood. The Wise Man storms off, and mockingly asks Roman his mood since Byron wants to know! Heyman said what he said, but will that “mood” change before the end here?

We return to the panel.

Michael Cole brings up that Seth Rollins wants to face Cody Rhodes, so a quick check: who does everyone think Roman wants to face? Pat says Roman should want The Rock so that we can all finally see who the TRUE Head of the Table is, because that is a story that’s been going on their entire lives. Big E agrees with that. The Rock is a global superstar, there’s the family connection, and as much as Big E wants Cody to #FinishTheStory, Roman surely wants The Rock. Punk understands box office, so Roman wants The Rock. But The Rock didn’t eliminate CM Punk from the Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes did.

Punk feels this is really more who Roman doesn’t want, and he doesn’t want Cody. Cole says we all saw WrestleMania last year, and Cole says we’ll get more opinions later, but BREAKING NEWS! WWE Speed comes to Twitter/X! Matches with a five minute time limit, starting in Spring 2024! It’ll be a fast-paced new format featuring fresh match-ups, make sure to tune in!

Cole then welcomes the WWE Chief Content Officer, The Game, Triple H, Paul Levesque! The fans fire up as HHH walks out on stage, mic in hand. HHH says, “In 1985, in a sold-out Madison Square Garden, a tag team match took place between ‘Mr. Wonderful,’ Paul Orndoff and his partner, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper. They would take on the team of Mr. T and ‘The Immortal’ Hulk Hogan. That night was so big, anybody that was anybody had to be there. It drew pop culture icons and celebrities from all over the globe. Muhammad Ali was a special guest referee. Cindy Lauper was there, Liberace was there, the Rockettes, everybody was there.

“And it was named… WrestleMania.” The fans cheer that! Now, WrestleMania would launch the WWE from a small regional promotion to a global juggernaut that you see today, selling out stadiums all over the globe. In those 40 years since then, a lot would change. WWE would see the cable TV boom, closed circuit TV, and pioneer the PPV industry as well as internet streaming and direct-to-consumer content with the WWE Network. And just recently, it would announce a deal with Netflix for over five BILLION dollars!

Along the way, it’d create global superstars, icons known the world over: Hulk Hogan; Randy Savage; Andre the Giant; Ric Flair; Bret Hart; Shawn Michaels; Stone Cold Steve Austin; The Rock; The Undertaker; Mick Foley; Batista; John Cena. The list goes on and on! Those people would catapult the WWE to where it is today. But on April 6th and 7th in Philadelphia, HHH vows the WWE will take it to a whole new level. It is a new era, and it is an all-new WWE! HHH promises us this: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Fans like the sound of that! “So Las Vegas…” The fans already know what’s coming!

“ARE… YOU… READY…?! You better be, because right now, we start the Road to WrestleMania 40!” The Game heads out and the fans fire up, and then Cole & Pat walk on stage. They have us take a special inside look at their first guest, The EST, Bianca Belair! After the video plays, Pat says a champion since birth, from college and into the WWE, she won and won and won, et cetera! An absolute beast! Bianca Belair makes her entrance and the fans cheer. Bianca has a mic of her own, and she says, “Las Vegas~!” The fans cheer for “E S T! E S T!” and she says, “How amazing is it that we are in Vegas the week of the Super Bowl to talk about OUR Super Bowl, WrestleMania?”

The fans cheer and Bianca says the Road to WrestleMania is one of the most exciting times of the year. It is why she and her hubby, Montez Ford, decided to share with the world how amazing WrestleMania is through their docuseries, Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez, now on Hulu. But they wanted to show the world the ups, the downs, the ins, the outs, the sacrifices and the triumphs. Because WrestleMania is a spectacle! The best entrances, the best gear, the best matches, and where history is made. It is where Bianca made history, which fans cheer.

There was WrestleMania 37 with Sasha Banks! The first two Black females to main event, and Bianca walked out as champion. Then there was WrestleMania 38, where she faced off against Becky Lynch, and again walked out as champion. And then WrestleMania 39 where Bianca beat Asuka to threepeat to leave as champion again! The fans cheer, and Bianca says she’s only been here a short amount of time but has had an amazing time. However, this year is different because she’s not walking in as champion. A young fan says, “That’s okay!” And Bianca says yes, it is okay. Because she’ll do whatever it takes to continue the Mania streak.

She might not know what her journey is, what lane she’ll be in, but she vows to be on the Road to WrestleMania, cuz you cannot spell it without E S T! The fans cheer, what championship story will Bianca write this year? Speaking of, she’s in a qualifier match for SmackDown to get into the Women’s Elimination Chamber, which will determine the #1 contender to the Women’s World Championship. Pat is sure Bianca will figure this one out, because did you hear the fans when she showed up? This crowd, you can feel their energy! Pat is excited, too! And speaking of Elimination Chamber and Australia, here comes The Eradicator!

Pat says “Mami” is running the WWE, and when she returns to Australia, Perth is gonna be throwing vegemite all over the place. Cole introduces the WWE Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley! The fans fire up as Rhea makes her entrance, a mic of her on in hand. “Las Vegas! Mami’s here!” Fans cheer and Rhea has them go on. She thanks them and says we are on the Road to WeestleMania. “The one event that people dream to be a part of! They scratch and they claw just to make it. But this isn’t any WrestleMania. This is WrestleMania 40! And y’know what makes it so special, guys? Because Mami is walking in and out as the most dominant woman to hold a championship within this company!”

Fans cheer and Rhea wants them to get louder! So they get louder! There it is. Rhea says it was no surprise to her as to why the Royal Rumble winner, Bayley, chose to turn on her friends and challenge Io Shirai instead of Rhea. Why waste your golden ticket when you know you’re gonna lose? Now for Rhea, she has a Mania before Mania. She has the Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, her home country. And once she’s done dealing with Nia Jax, which the fans boo, Rhea will be ready for whoever wins the Chamber. It really doesn’t matter to Rhea, and why? Because- BECKY LYNCH IS HERE!? Rhea is furious that The Man is interrupting but the fans fire up!

Becky has a mic and says, “You didn’t think that you could have a big time WrestleMania press conference without Big Time Becks, now did ya?” The fans cheer as Becky says The Man has come around to Las Vegas! “And as of Monday, The Man is officially in the Elimination Chamber for the first time ver. Which means that The Man will WIN the Elimination Chamber for the first time ever. Which means that in front of all your little friends and family in your home country, The Man will challenge you for your title at WrestleMania, where it will be Mami VS The Man for the first time ever!” Fans love that!

That is… if Rhea can get past Nia. But Rhea says it doesn’t matter who she faces? It doesn’t matter because Mami is always on top? Fans cheer that, but Becky says it does matter. Because Becky has made a legendary career out of knocking golden girls off their top spot. So Mami is gonna learn what it’s like to be a bottom! Because that’s what happens when The Man comes around! Fans fire up for the stare down, and Adam Pearce storms in to keep this from getting physical! But with Becky and Rhea all fired up, is this showdown all but inevitable?

Cole & Pat are back on stage.

After a short break, the press event continues and Pat says that the world has bestowed great things upon Las Vegas, this city is fantastic for hosting the Super Bowl, and then oh snap! The week got bigger because a massive decision is going to be made that will be talked about for generations to come. This is the perfect time for the perfect event in the perfect place. That said, our next guest is the self-proclaimed workhorse champion, the “real” champion, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and perhaps the name that’s gone forgotten in all of this… Seth FREAKIN’ Rollins!

The fans sing “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” as Rollins struts out in a velvet tuxedo that is a Philadelphia Eagles shade of green. “Laaaas~ Vegas! Oh~, it’s a party in here tonight!” The fans continue to sing so Rollins takes a moment to revel in it. Rollins says he loves Vegas. And yes, he is a Visionary, a Revolutionary, and your World Heavyweight Champion, Seth FREAKIN’ Rollins! Still a pretty big pop, right? Now, Vegas, we are on the Road to WrestleMania, WrestleMania 40, XL, Extra Large, the biggest Mania of ALL TIME! Now, what do you say they cut to the chase and get ourselves a main event?

Now, Rollins isn’t the man to make that decision, he is just the prize at the end of the road. So let’s get the man who can make that decision out here. The TWO-TIME Royal Rumble winner, the American Nightmare himself, Cody Rhodes! Wait, that’s Roman Reigns’ music! Rollins is upset that the Head of the Table, the Tribal Chief, the WWE Universal Champion walks out here instead, accompanied by his Wise Man. Rollins and Roman are face to face again after roughly two years, their Universal Championship match at Royal Rumble 2022. Rollins yawns at how long the entrance is taking.

The fans are torn as Heyman hands Roman a mic. Roman tells “Las Vegas…! ACKNOWLEDG ME.” The fans are still torn but Rollins says, “Hey, guys, he showed up for work for once. I love to see it! Good to see ya, big brother.” Roman says, “And he showed up to work in his wife’s shoes.” Rollins says don’t be mad that he can still run circles around Roman. Roman says let’s talk about someone who matters right now. The fans chant “Cody! Cody!” and “Rocky! Rocky!” Roman says yeah, let’s talk about Cody Rhodes! “The man who can’t make his own choice, huh? Mr. Hesitation. Here’s a life lesson, kids. If you hesitate, your moment’s gonna move on.

“And that’s what’s happened to Cody Rhodes. It’s no longer his decision. It’s now Your Tribal Chief’s decision.” Rollins asks if that’s really how it is, and Roman says yes, that IS how it is. So tonight, Roman chooses who faces him in the main event of WrestleMania! So get this bum outta here already, huh? Roman chooses… Fans chant and duel, “Cody!” “Rocky!” “Cody!” “Rocky!” Roman is amused as he says HE chooses The Rock! Rollins says that’s not how this works! But here comes The Rock! Fans fire up as Dwayne Johnson walks out on stage and raises the iconic eyebrow, and then raises the fist.

Fans boo, Rollins smirks, but The Rock smirks back. The Rock says, “Finally…! The Rock has come back to Las Vegas…! Now let The Rock ask you a question. Do you think that Roman Reigns is gonna beat The Rock at WrestleMania?” Fans sound torn and Roman grins. The Rock then says, “Or… do you think that The Rock is gonna beat The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania?” The fans are again torn and Roman shakes his head. The fans are all over the place, but “We Want Cody!” “No We Don’t!” shows up again. The Rock says, “Or… do you think that The Rock and Roman Reigns will be the biggest main event in the history of the WWE?”

Fans are really torn here. Roman is annoyed, but The Rock loves the passion from the fans. So then, to members of the press, welcome, glad you’re here. To the WWE Universe… The fans continue to duel! Rollins is amused, at least. The Rock continues to welcome the fans. To everyone watching around the world, welcome. And certainly to the millions, “AND MILLIONS!” of The Rock’s fans, welcome. World watching, The Rock introduces you to “The Cody Crybabies.” Fans are torn again but Roman and Heyman find that one funny. The Rock wants to show us all something that is very important, very cool, and he’s sure we’ll like it a lot.

But whether you like it or you don’t, love it or hate it, one thing for damn sure, you are gonna respect it. Take a look. Rock cues up the true Bloodline family tree. Rollins sighs but The Rock and Roman take a moment to show respect to the tree. When you look at this incredible family tree, and really take a look at the top of it. There’s The Rock’s grandfather, and Roman’s grandfather. They made a blood oath said “family forever.” If you can’t see the fact that this is proof there is only one dominant and powerful royal family in pro-wrestling, and if you think that The Rock VS Roman Reigns isn’t the biggest main event in WrestleMania history, then in simple terms: It doesn’t matter what you think!

Fans boo but The Rock and Roman nod to each other. The Rock says WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, The Rock VS Roman Reigns, People’s Champion VS Universal Champion, whether you like it or not, THE People’s Champion in the biggest main event in the history of pro-wrestling, bound by blood, is happening. Roman and Rock shake hands, and fans boo what is really a conspiracy. Wait, someone says to hold on? It’s CODY RHODES! Rollins and the fans fire up as Cody says this is BULL SH*T!! The fans cheer that!

Cody says Roman is out here, calling the shots, dictating WrestleMania. And as Tribal Chief, Universal Champion, he has a lot of stroke. But it is not his right to determine the main event, it is CODY’S, as winner of the Rumble! The fans cheer that, too! Cody then tells The Rock that while they had a great conversation, Cody had many great conversations, and he has finally made his decision! Cody looks to Rollins, then to the fans. “At WrestleMania 40, in the main event… I choose YOU, Roman Reigns!” The fans fire up and Rollins is disappointed, but Roman is shocked most of all! Cody must be crazy! Or stupid, or something!

This was a done deal! Cody’s old news, he should go over to join Number Two at the loser table! Fans boo but Roman says Cody should leave with the dummy in green. Last year was Cody’s moment, he was but a chapter in Roman’s book. No one cares about Cody’s story or if he finishes it. H e is embarrassing his entire family now. Cody is irrelevant, just like his DAD! Cody is fuming from that one. HHH, Adam Pearce & Nick Aldis have appeared on stage now as this gets heated. Cody says Roman talks about his family, isn’t that what The Bloodline is? Cuz Cody has a question: How’s Jey? Roman drops his mic, he’s that mad now.

Cody continues to say that’s not a family! Roman doesn’t care about them, they’re just lackeys, yes men and goons to Roman! And what is this match all about? Who sits at the Head of the Table? What does it matter when neither Roman or Rock has done any of the cooking the last two years?! Heyman tries to keep Roman calm but Cody says they had that family tree. And they’ve used Cody’s father against him before, so he’ll do the same. If Roman’s grandfather was here… If the HIGH CHIEF, The Rock’s grandfather, was here… They’d both be ashamed! GASP! The mics drop on all sides, and even The Rock steps up now.

Cody stares Roman and Rock down, and The Rock tells Cody, “Lemme make something perfectly clear to you. When you talk about his family, you’re talking about my family. When you’re talking about his ancestors, you’re talking about MY ancestors. And when you’re talking about his blood, you’re talking about my blood. So now, we have a problem.” The Rock SLAPS Cody! Rollins steps up, HHH and the GMs step in, and the fans are going nuts! Rock & Roman want them to let the others bring the fight, but HHH talks Rollins down and Pearce gets Cody off stage. Rollins says these two can’t just do whatever they want!

Roman dares Rollins to do something and Rollins says bet, he’s beat Roman every single time and he’ll do it again! Fans boo as Rock and Roman seethe. HHH reprimands Heyman but Heyman says he doesn’t represent Rock!

We return to the panel.

Cole recaps what we just saw, and asks Punk. What does the master of the pipebomb think about that? Punk says this is like Valentine’s Day, “I choose you, I want you.” Cody is way too diplomatic. You get slapped in the mouth, you bust them right back, that’s what Punk would’ve done. Cody should’ve punched The Rock out. Do the fans want to see that? The fans cheer! Punk says it should happen. But Rock didn’t throw Punk out of the Rumble, Cody did, so it is Cody’s shot to call. Big E’s thoughts: This was explosive! He doesn’t know where we’re going. A tag match on the horizon, maybe? But he loves it, with just two months until Mania.

Cole says this also leaves the World Heavyweight Championship match in question. Pat says The Rock just went to bat for his family, got offended, and smacked Cody in the mouth. Rollins almost defended Cody, and on the way out, The Rock said they could do whatever they wanted. Seems like a power flex to Pat. Rock is of course Wrestling Mount Rushmore, Roman’s earned his own mountain to himself really, they were just reminding everyone about that. Cole says #WeWantCody has been trending, and Pat points out it is clearly popular in here. Cole says Cody did earn the right to pick his opponent.

So Cody went with Roman, does he #FinishTheStory? Punk says he can, but he’ll have to hit back. Can’t let someone slap you like that. Punk would be gouging eyes and punching people, even with one arm. Big E says yeah, talk about the odds stacked against you. The Rock is one of the biggest stars in the world, and is now a member of the board! He’s basically Cody’s boss. The Rock has his ties with Nick Khan, too, so Cody’s got a lot up against him. Pat says that is valid, and The Rock pointed out his ties to The Bloodline. When you talk about one, you talk about the other. What’re those two plotting for the WWE now?

Cole steers it back to Rollins. He’s being left out of this talk, despite being World Heavyweight Champion. He’s being called B Team, secondary title, all that. Punk says he’s the wrong guy for this one. Rollins said he hates Punk’s guts, so no love lost. But Rollins does need to stop with the stylist, get his balls out of Becky’s purse and hit someone back, period. Cole goes back to how they talked before, Big E’s own climb to the top. Cody has to finish the story, this is massive pressure. There won’t be a third chance, right? No, not at all. Big E got chills hearing Cody talk.

Big E thought back to where Cody was before he left, “languishing in the midcard,” and then left to come back with the fans behind him, to have this much support, this much live, and that fire in his belly. His time is now. Not next year, not even SummerSlam, he has to get it done now. Pat says yeah, that’s what we learned: Cody VS Roman at WrestleMania. Rollins is in the air, but where does The Rock stand? Roman VS Rock was big, but what happens with that? Punk isn’t sure what is official anymore. Is it JUST Roman VS Cody now or what? Pat wants Cole to tell us. Cole says Cody had his chance to choose, and he said Roman.

Punk points out Pat has a good point: Rock is on the board. Boss man put hands on his employee. Punk would be throwing hands back. Big E says there are two nights, though. What if we get both? Cole says that’s a good point, and this is all so up in the air. Pat says just look around. There’s a lot going on in Vegas, but a few THOUSAND people came in here to show how much then want to see Cody #FinishTheStory. This was the perfect presser! But he still can’t figure it out what happened! Cole says Pat better figure it out, they gotta talk about this in a couple nights on Monday Night Raw. Pat’s summary: Rock smacked Cody in the mouth, then chewed out Rollins.

Backstage interview with HHH.

Jackie is with The Game, can we get a comment on what is going on here? HHH says in moments like this, everyone goes into business for themselves. Hard to say what that was, but there’s a lot of tension, a lot of ego, and… The Bloodline passes by, glaring at HHH. Rock tells HHH to fix it. Cody can’t talk crap on the family like that. HHH says what The Rock did was out of line. That was not out of line, what Cody did was out of line. Either HHH fixes it or they will. The Rock says HHH is lucky HHH can’t wrestle anymore, then leads Roman & Heyman away. HHH says The Rock is the one who’s lucky.

Back to the panel!

Cole says how can HHH fix it when Cody made his choice? There’s no fixing! Punk says here it is: personal issues can be solved when men fight! Let ’em fight! If Rock’s mad about what Cody said, then he can punch Cody in the teeth! If Cody’s mad about what The Rock did to him, Cody can punch Rock in the teeth! That’s how you solve things in pro-wrestling! Big E seconds that! He wants to see the violence! Punk says since coming back, there are a lot of manbuns in the WWE and he doesn’t see any men attached to ’em! Punch people in the teeth! Cole says that’s fine, those guys can fight while he and Pat talk about it! Pat agrees there!

By the way, Pat hasn’t seen The Rock like that before! Is this where the new WWE is going? Cuz he loves it! Cole thanks us all for being here and tuning in, and we’re just 58 days away from WrestleMania! What will the fallout of this press event be on both Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw?

My Thoughts:

WOW! Who knew a kayfabe press conference/press event could be this good? And y’know what? The Rock and Cody were putting on social media stuff about how we gotta trust them on where this is is going, and this proved we should have faith in them. Just as it seemed like they weren’t going to give us Cody VS Roman, they do this and scramble things up. Now, great stuff for Bianca, Rhea and Becky tonight to really heat up the Women’s World Championship scene, and while I do feel Bianca gets into the Chamber match, it’s clear Becky is gonna win. Bianca isn’t leaving SmackDown until Montez Ford is leaving SmackDown, that’s how couples in WWE work.

But man, the top title story was so good here. Rollins was hoping Cody would still choose him, but then they gave us this great new twist on why they were even teasing Roman VS Rock. I love that they were making this about family, but not even about which branch is superior, but that the entire family tree is going to run WWE one way or another. Maybe The Rock is the new Heel Authority Figure in HHH’s new WWE kayfabe, and that sounds like a lot of fun. And a tag team match was mentioned at the end, and HHH even mentioned a historic tag match at the original Mania. That could be night one before we get whatever match we get on night two, but who knows, and that’s the fun of it all, isn’t it?

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

6 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!