Smackdown
Date: May 10, 2024
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are done with Backlash and have about two weeks to go before King And Queen Of The Ring. That means it’s time to work on both tournaments, but I’m sure there will be some other matches on the show. Those could use a start as well and hopefully we get some of that covered this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

We open with along Backlash recap.

Here is Nick Aldis in the ring to get things going and he bring out Cody Rhodes for a chat. Aldis knows that Cody wants to defend against the best and Cody’s next challenger has been determined. Cody is game so here is….Logan Paul. Cody thinks he knows what Paul wants to talk about and yes it would be a champion vs. champion match to kick off the Logan Paul Levesque Era (that’s clever).

Paul talks about a fan having a sign in the crowd saying it’s his birthday, with Paul saying congratulations in meeting a superstar, as in himself. Cody is cool too, but the fans think Paul’s Prime drink sucks. After listing off the nutritional facts of Prime, Paul asks how Cody can finish the story when it isn’t his story.

Cody: “I bet a lot of people stand across from you and say “what a dumba**.” Cody praises Paul’s accomplishments and thinks winning the US Title would make him a Grand Slam Champion. The problem is Paul can’t win a match without going for those brass knuckles and he’ll find out reality at King And Queen Of The Ring. There’s no story between them but the title match is in about two weeks so setting things up that fast is a smart way to go.

AJ Styles blames his loss to Cody Rhodes on the French fans at Backlash. Now he’s ready to win the King Of The Ring tournament to get closer to a title shot.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Nia Jax vs. Naomi

Jax runs her over to start but Naomi manages to avoid a charge. Naomi kicks her out to the floor but gets planted with a Samoan drop to crush her rather hard. We take a break and come back with Jax draping her over the top rope, only to get sunset flipped. Jax’s sitdown splash misses and Naomi scores with a Disaster Kick of all things. The split legged moonsault gets two and Jax is sat up top for a super hurricanrana (that was impressive) for the same. That’s enough for Jax, who hits a hard shoulder and drops the leg. The Annihilator finishes Naomi at 10:07.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would expect, as Naomi was doing her athletic stuff and sticking and running until Jax caught her with the power game. Jax going forward is the right move as someone beating her would make for a special moment. Or she could win the whole thing to give her something else to brag about, because she doesn’t do it enough already.

Baron Corbin is glad to be back after finding himself in NXT. Carmelo Hayes comes in to say he’s going to send him running like Bobby Lashley (who is out injured).

Video on DIY, who want the tag Team Titles.

King Of The Ring First Round: Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes

Corbin as a good guy is bizarre. Hayes takes him down to start and kicks him in the back, earning one heck of a right hand. Corbin knocks him outside and we take an early break. Back with Corbin elbowing away in the corner but getting dropped onto the turnbuckle. There’s a springboard clothesline to drop Corbin again but he’s back up with a Death Valley Driver. A brainbuster gives Corbin two but Hayes manages to grab the First 48. Corbin comes back with a clothesline and a suplex into a cutter for two…but Hayes small packages him for the pin at 6:30.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but dang they picked a good bit into it. Corbin losing here is a weird choice as he started fast and the fans were into him. Hayes needed a win coming off his loss to Cody Rhodes during the Draft, which makes me wonder why these two were put together in the first place.

Bayley is interested to see how far Jade Cargill can go in the Queen Of The Ring. Chelsea Green pops in to say Piper Niven will take Cargill out in the first round.

Randy Orton wants to win the King Of The Ring and it starts with an RKO to AJ Styles. He hasn’t forgotten about Tama Tonga though, as they might be meeting in the tournament. An angry Orton can make for some good moments and that is what we seem to be seeing here.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Jade Cargill vs. Piper Niven

Chelsea Green is here with Niven. They yell at each other to start before Niven’s running shoulder doesn’t get her anywhere. Cargill’s shoulder works far better but she charges into something like a Rock Bottom out of the corner. A backsplash crushes Cargill as commentary is already sick of Green’s shouting. Back in and Cargill staggers her with a headbutt, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb. Niven trips her down in the corner and hits the Cannonball, only to take too long going up. Cargill pulls her back down, hits a pump kick, and grabs Jaded for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that makes Cargill look all the more impressive, as she was knocked around by the power before going into Beast Mode to win in the end. It was a good showcase for her, but Niven deserves credit of her own. She’s a good power wrestler who knows how to use her size to her advantage. Nice stuff here, with Cargill winning with the power display that makes her look even better.

Cargill runs into Bianca Belair as she leaves and dancing ensues.

Shinsuke Nakamura is here to become the pinnacle of Smackdown and no one is safe.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Candice LeRae vs. Bianca Belair

Indi Hartwell is here with LeRae. They start fast with LeRae being sent outside, where a hurricanrana is blocked. Hartwell gets in a cheap shot though and LeRae starts in with some shots on the knee. Belair grabs a suplex but the knee gives out, though it’s fine enough for her to hit the KOD for the pin at 2:55.

We look at Tanga Loa debuting at Backlash as the newest member of the Bloodline.

Paul Heyman comes in to see the rest of the Bloodline, where he mentions that Solo Sikoa is making decisions without Roman Reigns. Sikoa brings up Heyman pulling Reigns out of the Draft, resulting in them being drafted in the third round. Sikoa has talked to Reigns, and he is in charge, with Heyman as his wise man. An awkward hug ensues. There’s your big moment, as Reigns can either come back and correct the wrong he started or say “that’s not what I said” or something else entirely. For now though, we should be in for a different Bloodline and that’s a cool concept.

Video on Andrade.

King Of The Ring First Round: Angelo Dawkins vs. Tama Tonga

Montez Ford and the rest of the Bloodline are here too (including Tonga, not Tanga, Loa). Tonga starts fast and knocks him into the corner but Dawkins hits a heck of a running shoulder. Ford goes after the Bloodline and Dawkins hits a Sky High for two. The Bloodline takes out Ford though and a jumping Downward Spiral finishes Dawkins at 2:11. Bad finisher aside, Tama gave up a bit more offense than I would have bet on here.

Post match Dawkins gets Spiked as well, leaving Paul Heyman looking worried.

Video on Blair Davenport.

King Of The Ring First Round: AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

Orton wastes no time in clotheslining him to the floor and we take a break about thirty seconds in. Back with Orton raining down right hands in the corner but Styles scores with a dropkick. They head outside, where Orton drops him onto the barricade but can’t hit the hanging DDT.

He can however drop Styles onto the announcers’ table and then does it again for a bonus. Back in and Styles is ok enough to go after the knee and we take another break. We come back again with Orton escaping a Calf Crusher attempt and kicking him in the chest. Orton sends him to the apron, where the bad leg is wrapped around the ropes.

The Phenomenal Forearm is broken up but Styles grabs the Calf Crusher, with Orton grabbing a chinlock of all things for the break. With that broken up, Orton hits the hanging DDT but Styles is back with the Phenomenal Forearm. Orton grabs the rope so Styles loads up the Styles Clash, only to be reversed into the RKO for the quick pin at 17:29.

Rating: B. It might not have been a classic or anything but these two on their worst day are going to have a good match. They did well here, with Orton going forward and Styles moving on to find someone else to make look good. It’s a pairing that could have a good match in their sleep and it was a smart move to put them together in a spot like this.

Overall Rating: B. The good thing about having a show built around two tournaments, especially in the first round, is WWE is able to pick a bunch of awesome, or at least intriguing, matches for the first week. That is what we had here, with some fun stuff and impressive performances. Throw in setting the Bloodline in its new direction and this was a solid as well as important edition of Smackdown.

Results
Nia Jax b. Naomi – Annihilator
Carmelo Hayes b. Baron Corbin – Small package
Jade Cargill b. Piper Niven – Jaded
Bianca Belair b. Candice LeRae – KOD
Tama Tonga b. Angelo Dawkins – Jumping Downward Spiral
Randy Orton b. AJ Styles – RKO

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Backlash 2024
Date: May 4, 2024
Location: LDLC Arena, Lyon-Decines, France
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in France for the first time ever for one of these things and if last night’s Smackdown crowd is any indication, the fans are going to be going nuts all night. That should help as the card is a bit lackluster, with only five matches. The main event is likely to be Cody Rhodes defending the WWE Universal Title against AJ Styles so let’s get to it.

We open with a quick look at Lyon, including where it is on a map of France. That’s a nice little touch.

The opening video looks at the show’s card, which doesn’t take that long.

Bloodline vs. Kevin Owens/Randy Orton

This is Tama Tonga’s first televised match in WWE and Paul Heyman (looking terrified) is here with the Bloodline. The fans sing Orton’s song to him in a cool moment and you can tell he’s loving this. The brawl is on before the bell and a bunch of referees/agents come out to try and break it up to no avail. Owens beats up security so here is Nick Aldis to say that’s enough. That’s fine so let’s make it a street fight.

The bell rings and the fight goes into the crowd, with Owens hitting Tonga in the back with a chair and the fans counting along as Orton hammers Sikoa. They get back to ringside with the Bloodline getting wrecked with trashcans, trashcan lids and kendo sticks, so let’s bring in tables too. Owens splashes Tonga through one of the tables but Sikoa gets in a quick shot and Samoan drops Orton through another.

Tonga is back up to unload on Owens, with trashcan shots and a hip attack crushing him in the corner. Another table is loaded up but Owens sends Sikoa through it in the corner. Tonga blasts Owens with a clothesline as the crowd is wondering where Orton has gone. Cue Orton for the slow staredown with Tonga, including the snap powerslam. Sikoa is back up to send Orton into the announcers’ table and clear it off for some more violence.

That takes way too long though and the Spike is reversed into the RKO onto (not through) the table. Owens is back up with some chairs to Tonga’s back and loads up four chairs two by two. Tonga catches him up top but Owens hits the swinging superplex through the chairs for the huge crash. Owens covers but Tanga Loa (Tonga’s brother) makes the save and hits Orton with the steps. Sikoa Spikes Owens for the pin at 19:35.

Rating: B+. This was absolutely wild and the fans were pushing it even further up the ladder. What mattered here was the fans having a good time as they never get to see this kind of thing live and they were milking the heck out of the whole thing. At the same time you have Loa arriving to seemingly make the new Bloodline that much better. White hot start to the show here and my goodness the crowd is already an all timer.

Post match Loa poses with the Bloodline.

We recap the Smackdown Women’s Title match. Bayley won the title back at Wrestlemania and Tiffany Stratton wants the title. Bayley wanted Naomi to get the shot but Stratton interfered and then won a match of her own, setting up the triple threat match.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton

Bayley is defending and the fans rather approve of her. Naomi snaps off some armdrags to start but Bayley is up with an exchange of rollups for two each. Stratton’s handspring elbow hits Naomi in the corner and she kicks both of them down a pair of near falls. Naomi is sent outside so Stratton can stomp away on Bayley, who cuts off another handspring. Stratton plants her with an Alabama Slam as Naomi comes back in for the save.

Naomi and Stratton fight out to the floor, where Stratton hits a handspring elbow against the barricade. That earns her a dive from Bayley but Naomi Blockbusters her off the barricade for a big crash. Back in and Naomi’s split legged moonsault gets two on Stratton with Bayley making the save. Bayley gets crotched on top, leaving Naomi to powerbomb Stratton into the reverse Rings Of Saturn. That’s broken up with a top rope elbow, leaving all three of them down for a breather.

Bayley sunset bombs Naomi into the corner and Bayley to Bellys Stratton for two. Naomi pulls Stratton outside for a beating but gets kicked into the barricade. An Alabama Slam plants Naomi onto the announcers’ table and there’s the same thing to Bayley. Back in and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses, allowing Bayley and Naomi to pop up with a 1D of all things to get rid of Stratton. That leaves Bayley and Naomi to trade rollups until Bayley stacks her up to retain at 12:34.

Rating: B-. This was a match that had its strong points but there were more than a few moments that didn’t quite click. The crowd helped carry them a lot though and that is always a nice weapon to have in the back pocket. What mattered here was the right result, as it’s too early for Stratton to win but she didn’t take the fall. Good, though not great stuff.

Bayley and Naomi show respect post match.

The Bloodline comes up to Jey Uso but don’t say anything.

We recap Damian Priest defending the Raw World Title against Jey Uso. Priest cashed in Money In The Bank to win the title at Wrestlemania and Uso earned the title shot by winning a four way the next night on Raw.

Raw World Title: Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest

Uso is challenging and comes in through the crowd. We get the Big Match Intros and Uso does YEET a lot before hitting Priest in the face. Priest misses a right hand and falls out to the floor but it’s too early for the save. Back in and Priest knocks him down to take over as the pace slows way down. Uso ducks another right hand though and grabs a belly to back suplex.

The step up enziguri knocks Priest into the corner but Uso spends too much time yeeting, allowing Priest to send him to the apron. A high crossbody gives Uso two but cue JD McDonagh for a distraction so Priest can hit his own spear for two. Priest is really not happy with McDonagh and yells at him, allowing Uso to hit a superkick into the Superfly Splash for two of his own.

Back up and they slug it out until some superkicks put both of them down. Priest is back with the Razor’s Edge for two but South of Heaven is escaped, allowing Uso to spear him for two more. Another Superfly Splash is broken up by an invading Finn Balor and South of Heaven…gets two.

Priest hits a nasty spinning kick to the head and then does it again but a third is cut off with a superkick. More superkicks set up a spear into the Superfly Splash but McDonagh puts the foot on the rope at two. Uso dives onto McDonagh and spears Balor on the floor before going up top. This time Priest crotches him and hits a super South of Heaven to retain at 15:49.

Rating: C+. This went longer than it needed to but it never reached a terrible point or even got dull. Priest was just enough of a weak champion that you could see Uso having at least a prayer of winning, but ultimately they went with the right move. Priest getting annoyed at Judgment Day is interesting, though I’m not sure it’s going to matter with a red hot Drew McIntyre and Clash At The Castle coming up.

Post match Priest is mad at Balor and McDonagh but poses with them.

Video on the European tour.

One of the French announcers announces that this is the largest gate of any arena show in WWE history.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are defending and have Dakota Kai with them. Belair flips away from Asuka to start before having to power out of something like an Octopus hold. It’s off to Cargill for some spinning backbreakers on Sane and a double powerbomb drops Sane again. Asuka makes the save and knocks Belair outside, with Sane hitting a big dive to take over. Sane hits a top rope forearm for two more as the fans are wanting the hot tag to Cargill.

Asuka misses a splash but Sane is right there to knock Cargill off the apron and cut off the tag attempt. Asuka strikes Belair down for two and she grabs an armbar, only to have Belair power up for the escape. A hard clothesline drops Sane and the diving tag brings in Cargill, who springboards in with a crossbody. Cargill Sky High’s Sane for two and plants her again with a Widowmaker. The Warriors strike away at Cargill but Sane isn’t legal so there’s no count.

Everything breaks down and the Warriors both grab submissions, both of which are broken up with powerbombs (that was a rather rough sequence as they did not seem to know what to do for a good while). Belair tags herself back in and it’s a DDT into a wheelbarrow suplex for two on Sane. A missed charge sends Belair into the post and the assisted Insane Elbow gets two, with Cargill making the save. Cargill muscles Sand up and flips her into Jaded (that was amazing) and Belair KOD’s Asuka onto her for the pin and the titles at 17:41.

Rating: C. This was a match where the aura and atmosphere helped so much. From a technical standpoint it only worked so well, with that stretch in the middle where they clearly got lost looking rather terrible. At the same time though, you have Cargill being able to muscle up a grown woman and spin her around like a doll. That’s the part that is likely to be remembered here and it should be, as you do not see someone like Cargill very often. She needs a lot of ring time, but the good things she does are incredibly impressive. As for the match, it needed to be five minutes shorter and it wasn’t great, but the end was right.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Universal Title. Rhodes won the title at Wrestlemania and Styles is the first challenger, wanting to prove he can still do it.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles

Styles is challenging. Feeling out process to start with Styles’ early headscissors getting him nowhere. Back up and Cody dropkicks him down into the corner and even mocks the old Stardust post for good measure. Styles strikes away but gets caught with a backdrop for a delayed one. Rhodes grabs a rather delayed vertical suplex, only to have his banged up shoulder sent into the post.

Styles stays on the arm until Rhodes avoids a charge to send him throat first into the ropes with a nasty crash. The announcers’ table is loaded up but that takes too long as well, allowing Rhodes to fight back. Back in and Rhodes tries a delayed superplex but Styles slips out and they crash to the mat. Styles’ Lionsault hits raised knees though and Rhodes slugs away. There’s the snap powerslam into the Disaster Kick for two.

The fireman’s carry backbreaker gives Styles two and they head to the apron, where Styles brainbusters him down to the floor. Rhodes is back up with a powerbomb through the announcers’ table and they’re both down again. They dive back in to beat the count and some stereo kicks to the head give us another double down. We get the big pull up in the corner for the slugout, with Rhodes’ Bionic Elbow getting two. Neither can get a Tombstone so Styles settles for a suplex into the corner.

The springboard 450 gets two, followed by a Burning Hammer for…one. Styles is stunned but Rhodes fights up and hits a Cody Cutter for two. Cross Rhodes blocked but Rhodes superkicks the Phenomenal Forearm out of the air. Rhodes switches things up with a Kimura of all things, which is broken up with a powerbomb. The Styles Clash is blocked and Rhodes rolls him up for two. Another Cody Cutter into Cross Rhodes retains the title at 27:25.

Rating: A-. This match wasn’t designed to have drama about the result but rather about giving Rhodes a big win to kick off his title reign. That did just fine, with Styles more than holding his own to make Rhodes look great. Awesome match here and it felt like a main event, even with Rhodes being the most obvious winner on the whole card.

Highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and main event were both very good and the three matches in the middle were…well not great but good enough. The real story here though is going to be the crowd, as they were some of the loudest and most engaged fans I have ever seen. It is definitely an instance where the crowd carried the show that much higher and my goodness it was fun to watch. The show might not have been the most eventful but I was never bored and it was certainly memorable.

Results
Bloodline b. Randy Orton/Kevin Owens – Samoan Spike to Owens
Bayley b. Naomi and Tiffany Stratton – Rollup to Naomi
Damian Priest b. Jey Uso – Super South of Heaven chokeslam
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Kabuki Warriors – KOD onto Sane
Cody Rhodes b. AJ Styles – Cross Rhodes

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

WWE is in France for this one and that is a new location for a pay per view. That being said, the card is not exactly looking strong, with only five matches announced coming into the event. While there is always the chance that something else could be added, WWE is going to have its work cut out for them to make this work. Granted the white hot crowd could help, but it’s not going to get them the whole way. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton

So Naomi was getting a title shot and then Stratton interfered, meaning it’s time for the three way match, which tends to be the case. That could mean a few things, though Bayley is still fresh off winning the title at WrestleMania and that could make for quite the difficult reason to take the title from her. At the same time, Stratton is a heck of a challenger and we could be in for an interesting match.

While Stratton is all but destined to win the title at some point in a big moment, I can’t imagine that Bayley is going to lose it so soon after her big win. Therefore I’ll take Bayley retaining, likely pinning Naomi in the process. Either way, this should be a fun match if the three of them can get everything together, which might be easier said than done in such a situation.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors(c) vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

This is an interesting one as it could go in a few different ways. Well ok it’s going to end with either the champs retaining or new champions but they could have different ways to get there. I’m not sure if Belair and Cargill are going to win the titles, though it’s hard to imagine a dream team like them losing. At the same time, the Warriors are probably the most dominant team in the history of the titles so having them lose to a team with less than five matches between then doesn’t make a ton of sense.

I’ll go with the titles changing hands here, as it feels like the kind of change where something can happen to make the show feel important. Cargill getting some gold, even if it is as part of a team, will make her feel that much bigger. I’m not sure how long Belair and Cargill would hold the belts, but they can win them here and get the big moment, which should make the show feel that much more important.

Randy Orton/Kevin Owens vs. Bloodline

So this one is all about the debut of Tama Tonga, who is the new monster who is shaking things up in the Bloodline. At the same time, Paul Heyman revealed that he has not spoken to Roman Reigns since WrestleMania. That opens up all kinds of new doors in the story and I’m curious to see where it goes. Things will be getting started here though and that should be interesting.

As for the match itself, there is pretty much no reason for the Bloodline to lose here so we’ll say they pick up the win. Tonga is going to be getting his big chance here and it wouldn’t stun me to see him pinning Owens to wrap things up. Orton is still one of the most protected names in all of WWE and he won’t be taking the fall here, though Owens likely will be doing just that as the Bloodline wins.

World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest(c) vs. Jey Uso

Priest is the new champion, having cashed in Money In The Bank to win at WrestleMania. In theory, that makes him a vulnerable champion who could be in danger of losing to Uso. That being said, it is almost impossible to imagine Uso actually being the one to take the title from Priest, especially this soon into his reign. They don’t have much of a story to set this up and that is making things all the more difficult.

Either way, this is going to end with Priest retaining and that is all that should be happening. The fans are going to go absolutely coconuts for Uso’s entrance, but he isn’t going to be the best choice to win the title, especially under these circumstances. I’m not sure I can imagine Priest holding the title long term, but he isn’t going to lose it to Uso in his first major defense.

WWE Universal Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. AJ Styles

Remember pretty much everything I said about Priest winning the title at WrestleMania and therefore having almost no chance to lose the title so soon into his reign? Repeat that here with the volume cranked WAY up. There is almost no way I can spin this as anything but a layup, as there is a grand total of no reason whatsoever for Rhodes to be in any danger of losing the title.

So yeah Rhodes retains here, as the idea of two Georgia boys fighting over the title is not the most interesting way to go. That being said, at some point Rhodes is going to face someone who wasn’t coached/mentored/influenced by Dusty Rhodes and I’m not sure how that kind of a feud is going to be set up. For now though, the story works well enough and Cody will retain.

Overall Thoughts

I’m not sure what to think of this show, as it feels like little more than a glorified house show. That being said, if this week’s Smackdown was any indication, the fans are going to carry this one through the roof because they do not get to see anything like this. I’d assume there are going to be some unannounced big moments to make the show feel more important, because the advertised card isn’t exactly hitting that mark.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: May 3, 2024
Location: LDLC Arena, Lyon-Decines, France
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We have a rare taped show this week as the show is in France before tomorrow’s Backlash. That means we could have something interesting here, but there is always the chance that not much happens here and everything is built around the special atmosphere. Backlash could use the build and maybe that is what we get this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Bayley/Naomi/Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL/Tiffany Stratton

Naomi (in French flag gear) starts with Sane and sends her into the corner for the running basement dropkick. Belair comes in with a handspring moonsault and a marching suplex as the fans are WAY into everything. Bayley tags herself in and Belair is not happy, with Stratton taking Bayley down for two to make it worse.

We take a break and come back with Bayley still in trouble, including Asuka hitting a sliding knee for two. Stratton’s handspring elbow in the corner sets up a handspring elbow for two of her own. Bayley fights up and sends Stratton into the corner, allowing the tag off to Cargill for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Asuka missile dropkicks Cargill. Kai adds a scorpion kick but gets caught in the KOD to give Belair the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C+. This was the all star tag match with the point being as many people in there as possible. Damage CTRL is flailing but Kai taking the fall is the best way out of this whole thing for them. The important part was keeping the winners looking strong and not having Stratton take the fall on her way into the title shot at Backlash. Nice opener here and Belair/Cargill feel like major stars.

A-Town Down Under is ready for their first title defense and insult the French fans.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill want a win and to be done with Damage CTRL. Bayley doesn’t seem impressed.

We look at Carmelo Hayes being drafted to Smackdown last week and coming after Cody Rhodes in a losing effort in last week’s main event. Hayes did show promise though.

Carmelo Hayes is entering the King Of The Ring tournament when Bobby Lashley comes in to offer him any advice he can. Hayes appreciates it but he has it figured out. Lashley points out that he lost last week, with Hayes asking when Lashley took his own shot. Lashley tells him to watch out who he disrespects.

We look at the Smackdown Draft Picks, with the rosters locking this Monday.

New Catch Republic vs. Authors Of Pain

The Final Testament is here with the Authors. Dunne dropkicks at Akam to start and grabs a mostly ineffective armbar. Bate comes in and strikes away but gets powered into the corner so Rezar comes in for a fight over a suplex. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside for a flip dive from Bate. Back in and Bate is suplexed into the corner to put him in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Rezar grabbing a bearhug but Bate slips out and hits a dropkick. A few more shots are enough to bring Dunne back in for the comeback as the fans are going nuts with this stuff. Everything breaks down and Bate manages the airplane spin on Akam, setting up Dunne’s running knee for two. Scarlett offers a distraction so Kross can take Bate out, leaving Dunne to walk into the powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B-. As usual, the power vs. speed formula worked well here as both teams did their parts. This could have gone either way as they’re both heading to Raw so the story might not be over. The Authors are good in the monster role and the Republic knows how to be the scrappy underdogs. Throw in the impressive airplane spin and this works.

We recap Kevin Owens/Randy Orton vs. the Bloodline.

Paul Heyman can’t get Nick Aldis to call off the match so what happens is on Aldis’ hands. Aldis: “Is that from the Tribal Chief?” Heyman reveals he hasn’t spoken to Roman Reigns since Wrestlemania, meaning he pulled Reigns out of the Draft. Aldis isn’t pleased and makes Heyman the guest on the RKOrton Show.

Here are Kevin Owens and Randy Orton for the RKOrton Show. They waste no time in sucking up to the French fans before saying how disappointing it is that their first guest is Paul Heyman. Cue Heyman, who threatens them with Bloodline violence. Owens wants to know who the real Tribal Chief even is anymore, but here is the Bloodline for the brawl. The villains are cleared out and we have another segment designed to get people on the show, which is fine.

The Street Profits want the Tag Team Titles.

Angel vs. LA Knight

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Angel and after another weird QR code, we’re ready to go. Knight starts fast with a neckbreaker to send Angel outside, where he is sent into the announcers’ table on the floor. A corner clothesline and suplex give Knight two inside and we take a break. Back with Berto’s distraction letting Angel get in a shot of his own, only to have Knight clothesline him down. The BFT finishes for Knight at 6:42. Not enough shown to rate but Knight gets a win to get him back on track after losing to AJ Styles.

Post match Knight enters the King of the Ring but Santos Escobar seems to do the same. Violence is teased but Knight hits the catchphrase and leaves instead.

We look back at Carlito being revealed as Dragon Lee’s attacker.

Carlito says he wanted one more Wrestlemania moment but Lee got it instead. That wasn’t cool, so he….gets jumped by Lee instead.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. A-Town Down Under

The Profits are challenging and enter through the crowd. A quick misdirection gets things going and Dawkins is pounded down into the corner. That doesn’t last long as it’s quickly off to Ford for the dropkick and Waller is planted with a Rock Bottom. The Swanton sets up the big flip dive as the Profits get to pose.

We take a break and come back with Ford kicking Theory and hitting a springboard elbow on Waller. Everything breaks down and Waller walks the ropes for a missile dropkick. The Sky High into a Doomsday Blockbuster gets two on Waller and even commentary has to praise the kickout. The referee tries to get rid of Ford, leaving Theory to roll Dawkins up, with Waller coming in for a Downward Spiral to retain the titles at 8:06.

Rating: C+. Even though the champs won the titles about a month ago, I thought there was a chance of a title change here to make the show feel special. As it is, it’s nice to have Theory and Waller pick up a win over a credible team. The tag divisions are going to look a lot different starting next week and it’s a good move to have the new champs start their reign with a win like this one.

Here are Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles for a face to face staredown before their title match at Backlash. Styles thinks Cody is overlooking him because he is all distracted by everything going on around him. Cody loves the spotlight because everyone wanted Dusty Rhodes’ son. Then the pressure got to be to much and he left.

Styles came here and people didn’t want him, so he had to prove himself over and over. Now he is ready to prove that he is that phenomenal (the fans REALLY approve). Cody talks about everything he has done to get here including a bunch of mistakes. Now though, he is ready to prove he had what it takes and that is too sweet. The handshake results in Styles slapping him in the face.

The Bloodline and Randy Orton/Kevin Owens are brawling in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They were in a weird spot with this show as they’re coming up on a pay per view that does not feel important in the slightest and this show didn’t do much to help it. This show felt much more like a house show than anything else, but these fans never get to see this kind of thing live so they were going nuts all night. The wrestling was good, but there was almost nothing you needed to see here, with Heyman’s reveal about not talking to Roman Reigns since Wrestlemania being the only important point. Not a bad show, but absolutely not necessary viewing.

Results
Bayley/Naomi/Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Damage CTRL/Tiffany Stratton – KOD to Kai
Authors Of Pain b. New Catch Republic – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Bate
LA Knight b. Angel – BFT
A-Town Down Under b. Street Profits – Downward Spiral to Dawkins

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: April 26, 2024
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s time for the Draft and that means we will be seeing sixteen picks tonight, which could make for quite the shakeup. Only half of the roster is available to be selected tonight with the other half taking place on Monday Night Raw. We are also eight days away from Backlash and the show could use a boost. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Note that I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper seats, looking straight at a corner post with the entrance on my right.

Here are the Draft Rules:

• Raw, Smackdown and NXT stars are eligible
• Four rounds tonight, Six rounds on Raw
• Four picks per round
• Champions are protected
• Smackdown picks first tonight, Raw picks first on Monday
• The rosters lock May 6

Paul Heyman explains that Roman Reigns is voluntarily pulling out of the Draft because he doesn’t want to hog the #1 spot while he is not going to be around for a good while. That means Nick Aldis needs to make a new star and Heyman is intrigued.

NXT is excited about potential callups.

Corey Graves is in the ring to moderate a contract signing between AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes. Styles says it is time for some Georgia boys to fight. Their paths have not crossed before but Styles respects Cody for making a name for himself outside of WWE, just like Cody did. Styles learned a lot from Dusty Rhodes, including how to carry the title. At Backlash, we find out if Cody can carry it.

Styles signs, leaving Cody to talk about how there is respect between them. But when he signs this contract, it becomes a must win. Cody signs, leaving Styles to say the title reign ends at Backlash. Not much to this, but it’s not supposed to be some big epic story. That being said (and I wish I could take credit for this), at some point Cody is going to face someone who didn’t know Dusty and I have no idea what they are going to talk about.

With Styles gone, here is HHH to announce the first picks, with Cody joining him.

Smackdown
1. Bianca Belair
2. Carmelo Hayes (From NXT)

Monday Night Raw
1. Jey Uso
2. Seth Rollins

Cue Carmelo Hayes, who (after shrugging off some WHOOP THAT TRICK chants, a reference to his rivalry with Trick Williams in NXT) has been hearing Cody talk about how if you come at the king, you best not miss. Hayes never misses, and he’s shooting his shot against Cody tonight. Cody is in and we have a main event.

Legado del Fantasma vs. LWO

That would be Berto/Angelo vs. Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee in this instance. Berto drops Lee to start but Lee is right back up with some elbows to the face. Angel low bridges Lee to the floor though and we take an early break. Back with Rey getting the hot tag and hitting a top rope seated senton. Berto is sent to the floor and it’s the 619 into Project Dragon to give Lee the pin on Angel at 5:26. Not enough shown to rate but it was a quick and to the point match, which really didn’t need a break.

Post match Santos Escobar pops up to say he is not a liar. That’s why he has had Elektra Lopez find the security footage of Dragon Lee being attacked. The footage shows Carlito, of the LWO that is, attacking Lee, and then jumping back in to act like he found him. Carlito lays out the LWO, making him the heel that he should have been a LONG time ago.

Bron Breakker vs. Cedric Alexander

Spear finishes Alexander at 15 seconds.

We look at Tiffany Stratton breaking up last week’s Women’s Title match.

Stratton tells Nick Aldis she should get the next Women’s Title match but Aldis has another idea. Bayley has suggested Naomi vs. Stratton for the title shot, with Stratton suggesting that Bayley be at ringside. Deal.

Here are Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson for the next picks.

Smackdown
3. Randy Orton
4. Nia Jax

Monday Night Raw
3. Bron Breakker
4. Liv Morgan

The fact that Jax has “former model” as the third fact in her bio tells you a lot. Yes she’s a model, but apparently there wasn’t a third thing about her career worth mentioning.

We look at the Bloodline attacking Kevin Owens last week.

The Bloodline arrives and Solo Sikoa asks Paul Heyman if they have been drafted. Heyman recaps the Roman Reigns issue and says no one has drafted the Bloodline because they don’t know who it includes. Tama Tonga shows up and here is Kevin Owens to brawl with him.

Here is Bianca Belair for a chat. She is ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles with Jade Cargill to continue ending Damage CTRL. Cue the Kabuki Warriors but Jade Cargill cuts them off. Cue Kevin Owens and Tama Tonga to brawl to the ring, with Solo Sikoa joining them. Randy Orton comes in for the save and the Bloodline bails after a brawl.

Here are the Dudley Boyz for round three.

Smackdown

5. LA Knight
6. Bloodline

Monday Night Raw

5. Ricochet
6. Sheamus

Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi

Bayley is at ringside. Naomi starts fast so Stratton bails to the floor, where Naomi hits a baseball slide. Back in and Stratton hits a running hip attack to the back of the head, only for Naomi to tie her up in the ropes. A jumping faceplant sends Stratton outside and Naomi dives onto her as we take a break. Back with Stratton getting two off a spinebuster but Naomi grabs a headscissors driver for the same. They both grab swinging faceplants for a double knockdown…and here is Nia Jax to jump Bayley on commentary. Naomi goes out for the save and gets sent into the post for the DQ at 6:18.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have much time to get anywhere but the biggest problem is Jax being around. She brought things down on Raw and now she is going to get to do it again here. That is hardly the best news imaginable and it wouldn’t shock me to see her added to the title match at Backlash. Either that or get the next one after that. Either way, it doesn’t give me hope for the future of the division.

Post match Jax leaves and Stratton hits Bayley and Naomi with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever.

The Street Profits and B Fab are ready to win the Tag Team Titles next week. Cue A Town Down Under, who mock the Cincinnati Bengals, and get scared off by Bobby Lashley.

The Final Testament attacks the New Catch Republic. Karrion Kross promises to continue the violence no matter what.

Here are Teddy Long and JBL for the final picks.

Smackdown

7. AJ Styles
8. Andrade

Monday Night Raw

7. Alpha Academy
8. Kiana James (From NXT)

Here are the final picks:

Smackdown
1. Bianca Belair
2. Carmelo Hayes (From NXT)
3. Randy Orton
4. Nia Jax
5. LA Knight
6. Bloodline
7. AJ Styles
8. Andrade

Monday Night Raw
1. Jey Uso
2. Seth Rollins
3. Bron Breakker
4. Liv Morgan
5. Ricochet
6. Sheamus
7. Alpha Academy
8. Kiana James (From NXT)

Video on Kiana James (which is good, as the fans were silent after her name was called).

James is in NXT and is ready to show what got her this far. Shawn Michaels comes in for the hug.

Nick Aldis announces Bayley defending against Tiffany Stratton and Naomi at Backlash. He brings in Teddy Long to announce the Bloodline vs. Randy Orton/Kevin Owens.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Cody Rhodes

Non-title. Hayes starts fast with a springboard clothesline, only to get knocked outside as we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Hayes escaping a headlock and elbowing Rhodes into the corner. They trade chops in the corner with Rhodes getting the better of things, only to have Hayes come back with a spinning faceplant.

The springboard DDT gets two but Rhodes is back with a Disaster Kick for two. Rhodes goes old school with a running powerslam for two more, followed by the Cody Cutter for the same. Hayes is back with the First 48 (Codebreaker) but they both try springboards at the same time and miss (Rhodes seemed to come up favoring his shoulder). Rhodes has had it and grabs Cross Rhodes for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: B-. The only thing that matters right now is Rhodes’ shoulder, which hopefully is just banged up and not seriously hurt. They went home in a hurry after the landing but at the same time, they were only going to be able to go so much longer. Hayes looked good here, but that has been the case with his previous Smackdown previews. Nice main event here, as Hayes gets to rub elbows with the big star.

AJ Styles comes in after the match for a rather intense handshake but no violence as the show ends.

Overall Rating: C+. Obviously this was a show where the wrestling wasn’t the point, but this was kind of a dull show. They did a bunch of stuff for Backlash and it still isn’t enough to shake off the feeling that it is a glorified house show. The Draft stuff was just kind of there, with Hayes and Breakker feeling important and not much else. I didn’t dislike the show, but I was expecting a good bit more than what we got here.

Results
LWO b. Legado del Fantasma – Project Dragon to Angel
Bron Breakker b. Cedric Alexander – Spear
Naomi b. Tiffany Stratton via DQ when Nia Jax interfered
Cody Rhodes b. Carmelo Hayes – Cross Rhodes

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: April 19, 2024
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We have just a few weeks before Backlash and that means it is time to crown a new #1 contender. That gets covered this week, as LA Knight meets AJ Styles in a Wrestlemania rematch for the shot against Cody Rhodes at Backlash. Other than that, we very well may be in for some new Tag Team Title belts. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight

For the World Title shot against Cody Rhodes at Backlash. Knight grabs a headlock to start and puts the brakes on before Styles can hit the dropkick. They head outside with Knight ramming him into the announcers’ table, as is Knight’s custom. A running dropkick through the ropes puts Styles down again and we take a break.

Back with Knight slugging away but stereo crossbodies leave them both down. They slug it out with Knight getting the better of things and taking Styles up top. The top rope superplex gives Knight two but Styles is back with the Pele. It’s too early for the Phenomenal Forearm so Knight slams him down, setting up the jumping elbow. Styles heads to the apron and manages a quick poke to the eye, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm to go to Backlash at 11:04.

Rating: C+. Styles makes good sense as Cody’s first challenger as Knight would be too popular. Cody vs. Styles will be at least a perfectly acceptable match between two talented stars and Cody should look good as a result. I’m not wild on Knight losing so soon after Wrestlemania, but at least he got his big win there, which is better than nothing at all.

We look back at Tama Tonga debuting and wiping Jimmy Uso out of the Bloodline.

Earlier today, Solo Sikoa, in a very nice suit, meets Paul Heyman in the back and introduces Tama Tonga as the newest member of the Bloodline. Heyman doesn’t seem sure about this but Sikoa cuts him off and wants to know if Kevin Owens is here.

Here is Nick Aldis in the ring to introduce HHH for an announcement. HHH talks about the amazing future that Nick Aldis (and Adam Pearce) are leading us into, so we need Grayson Waller and Austin Theory out here. They get right to the point: the team will now be known as the WWE Tag Team Champions, complete with new belts, which look like the old WWF World Tag Team Titles. Since we have new champions, we need new challengers so let’s do this.

Well also after Naomi says she isn’t letting her friendship with Bayley get in the way of winning the Women’s Title tonight.

Street Profits vs. New Catch Republic vs. Legado del Fantasma vs. AOP

Austin Theory and Grayson Waller are on commentary. Ford headlocks Bate to start but Bate technicals him down without much effort. It’s quickly off to Berto to get in a cheap shot on Ford, setting up a running knee from Angel. The AOP aren’t having this and come in to wreck people as we take a break.

Back with Akam hitting Ford in the face and grabbing an over the shoulder backbreaker. Ford manages to slip out and get over to Bate for a tag as everything breaks down. As the champs can’t focus because of their beautiful new titles, a Tower of Doom (or most of one) leaves some people down, with Bate being double gorilla pressed off the top to make it worse. An assisted powerbomb gets two on Bate but the Republic is back with stereo ankle locks to Legado. Those are broken up and we take another break.

Back again with Rezar powerbombing Dawkins and Bate getting planted as well. The Republic escape the Super Collider and knock the AOP outside as everything breaks down again. Berto’s springboard spinning kick to the face gets two on Dawkins but Dawkins is right back up for the Doomsday Blockbuster. Bate snaps Dawkins’ fingers before the Republic and Ford all hit flip dives to the floor. Back in and Berto clotheslines Bate, setting up Angel’s Lionsault. Ford frog splashes in for the save and the Revelation gives Dawkins the pin on Angel at 17:14.

Rating: B-. This got more time than I was expecting and it worked pretty well. The biggest story here is getting the first challengers set up for the new champs and the Profits are great choices. They’re the kind of team who could conceivably give the new champs a run for their money or even win the titles, but they could also be a good set of first victims. Nice match here, with the time flying by.

We look at Rhea Ripley vacating the Women’s Title due to her shoulder injury.

Bayley is a bit shaken up by what she saw Rhea Ripley do on Raw but she’s not losing tonight.

Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa keep looking for Kevin Owens but Heyman tells him that he (as in Solo) isn’t allowed to make these decisions yet. Sikoa: “Are you done yet?” They come into the arena and, after a break, Heyman talks about being one of the better backstage politickers in WWE. We pause for a WE WANT ROMAN chant, which has Heyman a bit broken up, but Solo takes the mic.

Sikoa says he had to lose a brother last week to gain a new member of the Bloodline in Tama Tonga. Cue Tonga, who is beating Kevin Owens down the aisle. Referees help Owens to the back as Sikoa and Tonga pose, but (the very bloody) Owens comes back, only to get beaten down by the Bloodline again. Nick Aldis eventually comes in and the Bloodline leaves. Heyman is selling the heck out of this stuff, as the fear he is showing makes me want to know what happens when Reigns, or someone else, shows up again.

Post break Nick Aldis drags Paul Heyman to the parking lot where Tama Tonga’s car has rammed into Kevin Owens’. Heyman is aghast but Aldis threatens him with repercussions if he doesn’t get this under control.

Santos Escobar vs. Carlito

Elektra Lopez and Zelina Vega are here too. Carlito hammers away to start and sends him outside, setting up a dropkick through the ropes. Vega poses on Carlito’s shoulders and we take a break. Back with Escobar snapping off a super hurricanrana as Vega is looking terrified. The armbar goes on but Carlito fights up to make the clothesline comeback. The women get into a brawl on the floor and the distraction lets Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, which has been the case for almost everything Carlito has done in recent months. They seem to be pointing towards Carlito being revealed as the guy who took out Dragon Lee, but it almost feels too obvious. At the same time, a heel turn could do Carlito some good, as he doesn’t have anything going on at the moment.

Damage CTRL is in a sky box…but Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair pop up next to them to watch the main event.

Cody Rhodes, currently in England on the UK tour, praises AJ Styles and says he’s looking forward to the title match at Backlash.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Naomi

Naomi is challenging and they fight over wrist control to start. Bayley takes her down into an armbar but Naomi fights up with a springboard bulldog. The Rear View gives Naomi two and we take a break. Back with Naomi hitting a high crossbody for two but Bayley knocks her down for a change. The top rope elbow only hits raised knees though and Naomi grabs a slingshot X Factor.

Naomi’s split legged moonsault hits raised knees and now the top rope elbow connects for two. It’s too early for the Rose Plant and Naomi pulls her into the reverse Rings Of Saturn. Bayley gets to the rope so it’s time to slug it out/yell at each other. Both of them crash out to the floor, where Bayley hits a Bayley onto the announcers’ table…and cue Tiffany Stratton to jump Bayley for the DQ at 11:17.

Rating: C+. There’s a good chance that this is setting up a triple threat for the title at Backlash and that isn’t a bad way to go. Stratton interfering here makes sense but they waited long enough that her interference still felt like a surprise instead of waiting around for her to come in. Naomi has some complaining to do here and we should be in for a showdown when she gets another chance.

Stratton sends them inside for the double Prettiest Moonsault Ever to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They were in a weird spot with this show as they had to set some things up for Backlash, but with the biggest story being “Roman Reigns isn’t here and the Bloodline is going nuts” and the Draft next week, it wasn’t the most important feeling of a show. What matters is they had a good enough show with some nice action, but everything is changing next week and they knew it.

Results
AJ Styles b. LA Knight – Phenomenal Forearm
Street Profits b. Legado del Fantasma, New Catch Republic and AOP – Revelation to Angel
Santos Escobar b. Carlito – Phantom Driver
Bayley b. Naomi via DQ when Tiffany Stratton interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: April 12, 2024
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s the first Smackdown after Wrestlemania and the big story is Cody Rhodes finishing the story, meaning it is time to find out what is next. That could go in a variety of different directions and after Raw, we aren’t likely to see the Rock anytime soon. I’m curious about where this an everything else goes so let’s get to it.

Here are Night One and Night Two of Wrestlemania if you need a recap.

We open with a quick Wrestlemania recap.

Here is Cody Rhodes to quite the hero’s welcome, including the YOU DESERVE IT chant that delays the start of his chat. Cody talks about how the Rock interrupted him on Raw and it made him think of someone from Detroit. That someone would say “who the h*** told you tonight was open mic night b****?”

After that line from Cody’s wife Brandi Rhodes from a few years ago on AEW Dynamite, Cody apologizes for the swearing and talks about the Rock handing him something we couldn’t see. Cody doesn’t say what it was but says that with Rock going off to Hollywood, he’s in the rear view mirror. That means it is time to get ready for Backlash in France, where he will be facing one of six wrestlers.

Cody goes over the six options (Santos Escobar, Rey Mysterio, LA Knight, AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley and Kevin Owens) and says in some cases you need to find out who the better man is. We are sold out here in Detroit and he is no longer the hunter but rather the hunted. To those six wrestlers, if you come at the king, you better not miss. For those of you don’t know him, he was undesirable, became undeniable and is now undisputed. This was the short form victory speech from Cody, but he moved towards his first challenger so the wheels continue to turn.

The Bloodline finds Cody Rhodes’ dressing room, with Kevin Owens sticking his head out. Solo Sikoa says he’ll take care of this. Paul Heyman says winning and losing matters here and if you want the locker room back, the title has to come back to the Bloodline. That’s from the Tribal Chief, so Sikoa seems to rethink things.

Sheamus is coming back.

LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Bobby Lashley

The winner faces the winner of another triple threat match for the Backlash title shot. After seeing a clip of Legado del Fantasma saying they didn’t attack Dragon Lee last week, it’s a brawl to start with Lashley taking over. Lashley and Knight head outside, with Escobar diving onto both of them as we take a break about a minute in.

Back with Lashley cleaning house until Knight knocks him to the floor. Knight takes over on Escobar…and here is Legado to beat him down, including a triple powerbomb. Lashley comes back in but gets beaten down as well, with the Street Profits coming in for the save. With everyone else gone, Knight hits the BFT to pin Escobar at 8:34.

Rating: C+. The action was good but there was a lot packed into this and that might not have been a good thing. Having that many people run in made the match feel secondary and that shouldn’t be the case in a match with some actual stakes. Knight winning should be setting up a rematch with AJ Styles next week and that is a good way to go.

The LWO doesn’t believe that Legado del Fantasma didn’t take out Dragon Lee. Rey Mysterio says he’s done a lot in recent years, but he thinks he has one more run as WWE Champion.

Here is the Bloodline for a chat. Paul Heyman talks about how things went badly at Wrestlemania and brings up Seth Rollins being the big problem. Rollins came in and distracted Reigns, who gave into temptation and went after Rollins so the focused Cody Rhodes could end everything. Cody Rhodes is the new undisputed WWE Champion, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes….and Solo Sikoa cuts Heyman off.

Sikoa says loses matter, so there are consequences to losing, right? Heyman agrees, with Sikoa saying consequences need change. Heyman panics, but Sikoa moves him aside to look at Jimmy Uso. Sikoa slowly hugs him, says he loves him, and then steps aside so the debuting Tama Tonga can jump Jimmy. The beatdown is on and Tama poses, with Sikoa pulling Heyman over to them (Heyman: “NO PLEASE!”).

Heyman gets to do the pose with them and tries to call Roman Reigns, but Sikoa knocks the phone out of his hand and stomps on it. Jimmy gets the chair wrapped around his head in the corner, where Sikoa says he loves him and the running hip attack (Heyman: “THIS IS NOT WHAT THE TRIBAL CHIEF WANTS!”) connects. The Bloodline leaves, with Heyman looking terrified/bewildered and Jimmy looking dead. This was tremendous, with Heyman selling things as only he can and a feeling of “when the Tribal Chief is away, the mice will play”. The Bloodline continues, and now we get to see where things go in the new direction.

Cameron Grimes vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker wrestles him around to start and hits the Steiner Line. Grimes manages some kicks out of the corner but goes up and is kind of World’s Strongest Slammed out of the air. The spear finishes for Breakker at 1:19. If Breakker can be healthy, he’s World Champion in a few years.

AJ Styles is ready for Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens and hopes LA Knight is watching.

Here is Bayley for a chat and the fans really seem to love her again. She talks about how good it feels to hear that again and how she has been champion before. This time feels different though because she beat Iyo Sky to get here. It represents the most talented locker room she has ever been a part of, but even more than that, it’s because of all of the fans. The fans never gave up on her and she thanks them so much.

Let’s start this off right by giving someone a new opportunity so here is Tiffany Stratton to interrupt. She isn’t sure why she wasn’t invited to Wrestlemania so she accepts the challenge. Bayley wasn’t talking about “Terry” because she had someone else in mind: Naomi. Tiffany: “NAOMI? She couldn’t win a title if it glowed in the dark!” Cue Naomi, with Tiffany saying she already beat her. Naomi takes the coat off and says Tiffany is trying her on the wrong night. She can’t accept Bayley’s challenge just yet because she needs to beat Tiffany right here and now. Bayley is slipping right back into her old style and that is great.

Paul Heyman checks on Jimmy Uso, when Tama Tonga comes in to say by orders of the Tribal Chief (Heyman is scared again), and Solo Sikoa comes in with the taped thumb. Tonga and Sikoa leave. Heyman: “What the h*** does that mean?” Lost and confused Heyman is working very well.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi

Non-title and Bayley is at ringside. We’re joined in progress with Naomi running the ropes but getting knocked down. Stratton takes her into the corner for some shots to the ribs but Naomi hits a knee to the face. Back up and Naomi hammers away, only to be sent outside for a crash as we take a break. We come back with Naomi hitting a middle rope spinning kick to the head. Stratton drops her again and hits a running double stomp for two of her own. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever misses though and Naomi grabs a rollup for the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C. They needed to give Naomi a win to set her up for her title shot and while I could have gone with it not being against Stratton, this was the right way to go. Stratton is going to be around the title picture sooner than later and it wouldn’t shock me to see her cause some mayhem when Naomi gets her shot.

Grayson Waller and Austin Theory brag about winning the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

The Street Profits and New Catch Republic are watching the video. Nick Aldis says we’ll find the next challengers next week.

Logan Paul brags about beating a legend in Randy Orton and a dunce in Kevin Owens. It was the biggest Wrestlemania ever and that’s because of him.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

This is Niven’s first match in about two months. Belair beats up Green to start so it’s off to Niven, who tries going after the braid. That doesn’t work at all as it’s off to Cargill, who hits Jaded for the pin at 1:22. Yeah that worked.

Kevin Owens takes a Detroit Tigers WWE Title belt and, after shoving a CM Punk shirt off the table, talks about how he’s going to win. Also, Dominik Mysterio sucks.

Rey Mysterio vs. Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles

The winner gets LA Knight next week for the shot against Cody Rhodes at Backlash. Styles gets sent to the floor to start but he cuts off Rey’s dive without much trouble. Owens knocks Styles down and hits a Cannonball against the barricade. Rey drops Owens and we take an early break.

Back with Styles flipping Rey into a tornado DDT on Owens but being able to block the 619. Owens is back in and Styles is sent outside, leaving Owens to hit the swinging superplex on Mysterio. With everyone back in, Owens German suplexes both of them at once for a rather nasty landing and a triple breather. Rey tries the 619 on Styles but Owens breaks it up and hits a Stunner to send Rey outside. The Swanton hits knees so Rey and AJ go up. Styles hits a Styles Clash to send Rey onto Owens, which is enough to give Styles the pin at 9:14.

Rating: B-. They did some cool stuff in here but Styles was the only winner that made sense here. Styles vs. Knight II for the title shot is a good way to go and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Styles move on. Styles is a perfect choice to be Rhodes’ first challenger, as beating him would mean something but it’s not wasting a big title shot. For now though, nice main event to set up next week.

LA Knight comes out for the staredown with Styles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The Bloodline stuff was the highlight here, with Tama Tonga being added in a good moment. Other than that, they set up a #1 contenders match to get us the Backlash main event and gave us Bayley’s first challenger. Throw in squashes for Bron Breakker and Jade Cargill and this was a fun show which also played off what we saw at Wrestlemania.

Results
LA Knight b. Santos Escobar and Bobby Lashley – BFT to Escobar
Bron Breakker b. Cameron Grimes – Spear
Naomi b. Tiffany Stratton – Rollup
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – Jaded to Green
AJ Styles b. Kevin Owens and Rey Mysterio – Super Styles Clash to Mysterio

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Wrestlemania XL Night Two
Date: April 7, 2024
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Corey Graves
God Bless American: The War And Treaty

It’s time for the second half of the biggest show of the year and things are not looking great for our hero. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins lost to the Bloodline last night and that means Rhodes’ shot against Roman Reigns will be under Bloodline rules. That should make for a big main event and we have quite the stacked card to go along with the big one. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

I was in attendance for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the entrance on my right.

Michael Cole recaps the main event situation and runs down the card. He also brings up that it isn’t as cold, which is absolutely true.

Meek Mill narrates the opening video, which is about finishing the story.

The War And Treaty sing God Bless America.

Here is Stephanie McMahon of all people to welcome us to the show, saying we are now in the Paul Levesque Era. She talks about being at the first Wrestlemania and asks if we’re ready.

World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre is challenging and is played to the ring by the Ulster Scottish Pipe Band while Rollins has the Philadelphia Mummers, a large group of musicians who are in outfits that might be even more outlandish than his own. CM Punk is the guest commentator and is in fine form, saying that if McIntyre has a pipe band, Punk has a pipe bomb. The bell rings and McIntyre hits a Claymore for two at five seconds in.

Rollins, whose knee is banged up from last night, rolls outside with McIntyre following to send him into the post. McIntyre grabs a fan’s phone and takes a quick picture before going outside to yell at Punk. That’s enough of a distraction for Rollins to hit a quick Pedigree on the floor. Back in and the Stomp gives Rollins two of his own as we are not even three minutes in yet.

Another Pedigree is countered with a backdrop and McIntyre hits the Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre tries another Claymore but gets countered into the Pedigree. Rollins’ knee gives out so the followup Stomp only gets two and they both need a breather. Rollins goes up for a top rope stomp but only hits mat, meaning the knee is hurt again. The Futureshock gives McIntyre two so he yells at Punk and calls for a GTS.

Punk thinks that means McIntyre is putting the fans to sleep but Rollins slips out, only to get Claymored for two more. It’s time to load up the announcers’ table but the powerbomb is escaped. The Stomp onto the table connects and they head back inside where a quick Claymore gives McIntyre another near fall. Punk: “You gotta hit him with that GTS McIntyre!” Another Claymore gives McIntyre the pin and the title at 10:32.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that Brock Lesnar specialized in and it made sense for McIntyre to come out swinging like he did here. Rollins was banged up and just wrestled a long match the night before so testing him early was a good idea. There was zero reason for Rollins to keep the title here and it made for a great way to open the show, as a title change is always a big deal.

Post match McIntyre gets the big, emotional moment and goes outside to present the title to his wife. With that out of the way, McIntyre turns to Punk and goes over to talk some trash. Punk points out that he can’t hear anything McIntyre is saying with the headphones on so McIntyre tells him to suck it. That’s enough for Punk to sweep the leg and hit McIntyre in the head with his brace. I think you know what’s coming and indeed here is Damian Priest with the briefcase. That briefcase goes upside McIntyre’s head and it’s time to cash it in.

World Heavyweight Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest

Priest is challenging and wins in 10 seconds with South Of Heaven.

Post match Priest celebrates with Judgment Day as Punk applauds McIntyre in a great troll moment.

Bobby Lashley/Street Profits vs. Final Testament

Street fight with Snoop Dogg on commentary and Bubba Ray Dudley of all people as guest referee. B Fab, Paul Ellering and Scarlett are here too. It’s already time for a table to start, with Snoop saying it’s picnic time with Yogi Bear. The AOP cut off the Profits and the villains beat down Lashley with the kendo sticks inside. A neckbreaker onto a chair gives Kross two on Lashley with the Profits making a save. Dawkins gets powerbombed down but with B Fab having to make a save.

Back up and Lashley breaks up the Super Collider and takes Kross down with a Downward Spiral. Ford gets to show off with a big flip dive over the post to take out the AOP, leaving Lashley to beat on Kross with a chair. Scarlett breaks up the Hurt Lock so B Fab makes the save, including a Russian legsweep to drive Scarlett through the table at ringside.

Kross is back up with a Saito suplex to Lashley before putting him through a chair for two. That kickout doesn’t work for Kross, who yells at Ray, allowing the Profits to get back up for What’s Up. Ray even puts his glasses on and says GET THE TABLES. Kross is laid on the table, which immediately breaks. Therefore another table is brought in and the frog splash puts Kross through it to give Ford the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C. This feud wasn’t interesting coming in and the match didn’t make it that much better. It was two teams who didn’t have much going for them and their feud has gone on for a rather long time now. It also felt more like a way to get Dogg and Dudley out there, which actually might have been more interesting than the match itself.

The winners celebrate with Snoop Dogg.

We look at last night’s main event.

Paul Heyman more or less guarantees that Roman Reigns is winning under Bloodline Rules.

We recap LA Knight vs. AJ Styles. Knight is the new, brash talker who has the fans behind him but Styles doesn’t like him. Styles cost him in the Elimination Chamber and now Knight wants revenge in one of his biggest matches ever.

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles

Styles debuts new music here. They start the fight in a hurry until Styles misses a charge and crashes out to the floor. That lets Knight ram him into the announcers’ table over and over but Styles goes after the knee back inside. There’s a shinbreaker to keep Knight in trouble but he Russian legsweeps his way to freedom.

A springboard tornado DDT (that’s a new one) gives Knight two but Styles escapes a superplex. The belly to back faceplant gives Styles two so he goes up, only to have Knight catch him with the jumping German superplex to send Styles flying. That’s fine with Styles, who takes Knight down again and hits a baseball slide to drive the knee into the post.

They go outside where Knight gets in a posting and rips up the floor pad (you don’t see that much anymore), only to get dropped onto them. The count is beaten so Styles drops a springboard 450 for two. Back up and the BFT is countered into a rollup but the Styles Clash is blocked as well. Knight breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm and finishes with the BFT at 12:23.

Rating: B-. This might not have been a classic but it was around the level of a strong TV match. What matters most is Knight winning of course, as he has been needing that big win for a long time. Knight is someone who is going to be around for a bit and thankfully this gets his momentum back up. Styles seems like he is slowing down a good bit, though he’s still certainly good for a match like this.

In May, Smackdown and King/Queen of the Ring are both coming to Saudi Arabia. Much like last night’s Saudi moment, this wasn’t well received live.

We look at the Hall Of Fame 2024 class.

Here is the Class:

US Express (in Bray Wyatt shirts)
Thunderbolt Patterson (with Gerald Brisco)
Bull Nakano (nice reception)
Lia Maivia (represented by her daughter)
Muhammad Ali (not represented at all)
Paul Heyman (carrying Roman Reigns’ title and coming out to the old ECW theme)

WWE did community stuff this week.

We recap Logan Paul defending the US Title against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Paul is annoying, both guys want to beat him up and win the title. End of story.

US Title: Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton

Paul is defending and rides a big Prime truck to the stage, where he meets the Prime mascot. Owens on the other hand runs into Sami Zayn for a pep talk in the back. With that out of the way, Owens uses the golf cart he stole on Smackdown and even backs up to give Orton a (rather fast) lift. Paul bails straight to the floor to start but it turns out that a blond professional wrestler is easy to find at ringside during a wrestling match. Owens and Orton take turns sending him into the announcers’ table but Paul sends them into each other back inside. Paul: “Y’all fight!”

That doesn’t work either as Orton elbows Paul in the face and Owens adds a backsplash…but only one of them can cover. Owens and Orton slug it out until Paul cuts them both off with a double buckshot lariat. Paul mocks Orton’s pose before hammering away n Owens in the corner. The fans chant for various non-Prime beverages until Owens sends them both into the corner for a double Cannonball.

The Swanton hits Paul’s raised knees, allowing Paul to hit his own Swanton. Paul actually out uppercuts Orton, who comes right back with the snap powerslam. A double hanging DDT puts Owens and Paul down at the same time before taking Owens up top. That’s broken up by Paul, who gets caught with the spinning superplex. The moonsault hits Paul but Orton is right back with the RKO to Owens…for two. Now there’s something you do not see very often.

Paul finds the brass knuckles and clocks Orton with them….for two more. That’s another fairly nutty kickout and quite the stretch. Orton is back up (way too quickly after a brass knuckles shot) with an RKO to Paul but can’t cover. Instead he takes the knuckles away and tosses them but the Prime mascot pulls Paul outside.

The mascot is IShowSpeed, a video game streamer, so Orton RKO’s him onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Owens hits a pop up powerbomb on Paul and a Stunner to Orton for two. Another pop up powerbomb is countered into an RKO (that was sweet) but Paul shoves Orton outside and hits the frog splash to pin Owens at 17:38.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty long match and a rather formula based triple threat, which isn’t the best thing to see. The action was enough to keep it going, with that last RKO being quite impressive, but other than that, nothing stood out for the most part. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with this one and it should have been better than it was.

We recap Iyo Sky vs. Bayley for the former’s WWE Women’s Title. Bayley started Damage CTRL but Sky and the rest of the team seemed to dislike her. Then Bayley overhead them insulting her in Japanese and the whole thing fell apart. Now Bayley needs to prove she can do it herself.

WWE Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Iyo Sky

Bayley is challenging and has an ancient Egypt style entrance (yeah it’s weird) and what sounds like new music. Feeling out process to start with Sky grabbing the arm as they roll out to the floor. Sky gets back in and tries a dive but Bayley cuts her off again. Now Bayley hits her own dive but seems to come up favoring her knee. You can’t do that with Sky, who goes right after the knee to take over again.

A double stomp to the ribs gets one on Bayley and they head outside, where Sky goes to the barricade. The dive is pulled out of the air with a spinebuster but Sky catches her on top again. With Bayley knocked outside again, Sky hits the moonsault to send them both crashing onto the floor. Back inside and Bayley manages a sunset bomb into the corner for two but Sky’s bridging German suplexes gets the same.

Bayley avoids the Over The Moonsault but her top rope elbow only hits mat. Sky gets a crossface before switching over to STF. That’s broken up as well and the Bayley To Belly gives Bayley two. Sky is right back with a butterfly backbreaker and Over The Moonsault connects….for two. A bottom and middle rope moonsault connect for Sky but she misses the rope version. The Rose Plant is blocked so Bayley grabs a belly to back suplex and drops a top rope elbow. The Rose Plant connects this time to give Bayley the pin and the title at 14:23.

Rating: B. This did exactly what it should have done and somehow there was no interference. What mattered here was Bayley getting to show that she could do it on her own as she becomes a much more firm heroine again. This was a good match with Bayley fighting through the injury and even showing she can be something of a high flier in her own right. Heck of a match here and Bayley is back on top for the first time in a long time.

Celebrities are here.

The Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders and Snoop Dogg are here to announce tonight’s attendance: 72,755, for a two day total of 145,298. That’s the two day total listed, but because it’s Snoop Dogg, he says 145,420.

We recap Cody Rhodes challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Title in the main event. Rhodes came up short last year but it is time for his second chance. He is completely up against the wall as it is Bloodline Rules, but Rhodes is fighting with a big purpose.

WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes

Rhodes, with Brandi Rhodes and wearing a skull mask as he comes up on the riser, is challenging and comes out to an absolute roar. Reigns is played to the ring by an orchestra, which is good, but doesn’t feel nearly as epic. We get the Big Match Intros to start and only Paul Heyman is here as a second. They stare at each other to start until Rhodes drives him into the corner to no avail. A running shoulder puts Rhodes down but Reigns doesn’t follow up, meaning we can reset a bit.

Reigns misses a charge into the post so it’s time to head outside. Rhodes grabs a table but Reigns gets in a cheap shot and puts it right back underneath the ring. Instead Reigns whips out a kendo stick and starts hammering away but Rhodes knocks it out of Reigns’ hands. A Figure Four has Reigns in trouble, which doesn’t last long as he gets to the ropes rather quickly. They fight into the crowd and onto a platform, where Rhodes manages a suplex.

Reigns is sent back to ringside and then counters the Disaster Kick with a hard powerbomb to put Rhodes in trouble again. The trash talk is on and Reigns grabs the cravate to keep Rhodes down. A PerfectPlex of all things gets two on Rhodes (McAfee: “I almost flipped my pencil.”) and Reigns fires off the corner clotheslines. Rhodes comes back with shots to the face of his own and they’re both down for a breather.

Back up and the slugout is on with Rhodes getting the better of things, setting up a powerslam. The Disaster Kick gets two but Reigns is back with his own Cross Rhodes for two. Reigns to Heyman: “I just wanted to shove it in his face.” Heyman: “I loved it.” The Superman Punch misses though and the Bionic Elbow puts Reigns down. They head outside again and let’s set up that announcers’ table again. The delay lets Reigns get in a low blow and he puts Rhodes through the table.

Back in and a Superman Punch gives Reigns two, followed by a Cody Cutter to give Rhodes the same. Rhodes hits a spear of his own for two more, followed by the Cross Rhodes. Cue Jimmy Uso and yeah you knew he was coming. Cue Jey Uso to go after Jimmy so they brawl on the ramp. That means Jey can hit a spear off the apron, sending them through some luckily placed tables. The distraction lets Reigns hit a quick spear for two, meaning frustration is setting in.

They guillotine choke goes on but they crash out to the floor for the break. Rhodes is up first and spears Reigns through the barricade for quite the twist on the move. Back in and a pair of Cross Rhodes connect for Rhodes until Solo Sikoa comes in with the Samoan Spike). The spear/Samoan Spike combination connects on Rhodes for two, leaving Sikoa annoyed.

Cue John Cena to take Sikoa outside for the AA through the announcers’ table. That brings out the Rock, who stares Cena down and immediately plants him with the Rock Bottom. Rock whips out the weightlifting belt….and the Shield’s music plays, with Seth Rollins sneaking in from behind with a chair. Not that it matters as Reigns Superman Punches him down. Then a gong strikes, the lights go out, and Undertaker is here. A chokeslam plants Rock and Undertaker disappears again. Reigns picks up the chair and goes after Rollins, allowing Rhodes to hit three straight Cross Rhodes for the pin at 33:34.

Rating: B+. Yeah he had to win the thing and there was no other option. Reigns had the title for over three and a half years and it was time for some fresh blood in there. The staggered interferences was a brilliant idea as it was one big reaction after another as the people kept stepping up to fight back against the Bloodline. The title change is what mattered though, as it was time for Reigns to lose the belt. I can’t say I see Cody as the long term star, but this absolutely had to be his moment and they nailed it.

Post match a bunch of wrestlers come out to celebrate with Rhodes, who wants a microphone. He praises Bruce Prichard and HHH for making Wrestlemania feel special before bringing both of them out. The big celebration wraps up up.

The highlight package finishes the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Maybe it was the warmer weather but this was a much more enjoyable time than Night One. It helped that it felt like so many things went down but they did a great job of making it feel huge. The cash in worked, Bayley won the title and Rhodes gets his big epic moment. That’s a heck of a way to use a night and WWE bounced back from a not so great Saturday. Awesome show here, as it feels we’re in a new era.

Overall Overall Rating: B. The best thing I can say here is that WWE finally pulled the trigger and finished Reigns. There are all kinds of things going on but that is the story that will be remembered on this show. The action was mostly good and it covered the biggest stories in WWE, with the main event being a total blast. Not an all timer, but the second night more than picked the first one up.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Seth Rollins – Claymore
Damian Priest b. Drew McIntyre – South Of Heaven
Bobby Lashley/Street Profits b. Final Testament
LA Knight b. AJ Styles – BFT –
Logan Paul b. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens – Frog splash to Owens
Bayley b. Iyo Sky – Rose Plant
Cody Rhodes b. Roman Reigns – Cross Rhodes

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

So it’s time for Night Two and again we’ll do a quick one here as there is more than enough to talk about otherwise.

Seth Rollins b. Drew McIntyre. Yes that sounds insane and I hope I’m wrong but this feels like Priest’s time to cash in, either here or tomorrow night on Raw. That knee injury is too good to pass up and Priest doesn’t have the Tag Team Titles to worry about.

Logan Paul retains the US Title over Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Paul is a star, Orton doesn’t need the title and Owens is better chasing the belt than holding it.

The Pride b. Final Testament. This should be fun but it needs to wrap up the feud once and for all. Lashley can Hurt Lock Kross to get rid of him and get a nice moment for a change.

LA Knight b. AJ Styles. Is there any reason to put Styles over here? Knight has been needing that big win for awhile now and while this might not be the biggest thing in the world, it’s certainly better than anything else he’s gotten.

Iyo Sky b. Bayley. You need a villain to win one of the bigger matches and this feels like the right spot. With Cargill, Belair and Naomi around, a heel champion makes more sense.

Cody Rhodes b. Roman Reigns. He has to, as this feels like the Assemble The Avengers moment with a bunch of people coming out to help FINALLY take Reigns out and end the Bloodline for good. Or at least knock them out of power.

Overall, this feels like the weaker of the two cards but it could be a lot worse. As usual, this is ALL about Reigns and whatever he is going to be able to do, as hopefully Cody can FINALLY finish the story and move on to something else already.

Smackdown
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Wrestlemania and that means the usual: the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, one other match that matters and a bunch of hype videos for Wrestlemania. Other than that it’s a big warmup for the night’s real main event in the Hall Of Fame so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look at the bigger Wrestlemania matches, which feels like a pay per view opening rather than a television show.

The entrance set is stripped down again and that’s a nice visual.

It’s time for the KO Show with Kevin Owens (featuring his traditional KO Mania shirt, now up to VII), who gets things started with some good old fashioned sign staring. With that out of the way, Owens brings out Randy Orton as his guest. Owens displays the chairs’ ability to spin before talking about their (Owens and Orton’s, not the chairs’) upcoming triple threat match at Wrestlemania as both of them want Logan Paul’s US Title.

Before Orton can get very far about how annoying he finds Paul, here is Paul live from the Wrestlemania stage at the stadium. Owens finds it interesting that they’re right across the street from the stadium so it’s time to head outside. With the two of them gone, Austin Theory and Grayson Waller pop out from underneath the ring, apparently having missed their cue to jump Owens and Orton. Ok that’s clever.

Back from a break and Owens has stolen a golf cart to head over to the stadium, with Waller and Theory following.

Video on Andre the Giant to set up his namesake battle royal.

Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Angel, Berto, JD McDonagh, Elton Prince, Kit Wilson, Ricochet, Cruz del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, Jinder Mahal, Veer, Sanga, Cedric Alexander, Omos, Ashante Thee Adonis, Akira Tozawa, Otis, Ivar, Julius Creed, Brutus Creed, Apollo Crews, Cameron Grimes

Everyone surrounds Omos to start but only Pretty Deadly go after him. Omos tosses Wilson in a hurry and Prince jumps out to eliminating himself, thereby avoiding pain. Everyone else goes at it with Angel and Berto being thrown out. They pull out Wilde and del Toro (under the rope) as Grimes is tossed. Mahal is eliminated as well but Veer and Sanga throw out Crews. The Creeds get rid of Veer and Sanga, followed by Omos chokebombing McDonagh.

We take a break and come back with Omos wrecking the Creeds on the floor with all three of them gone. After we see Omos clotheslining both of them out but eliminating himself in the process, Alexander is thrown out as well with Adonis following quickly. That leaves us with Ricochet, Ivar, Reed, Otis and Tozawa as Reed and Ivar hit stereo crossbodies.

Reed sends Ricochet to the apron but here is McDonagh to pull Ricochet out. Tozawa eliminates McDonagh (who was still in), leaving Otis to clean house. The Caterpillar connects but Reed throws him out. Reed also throws Tozawa out (onto Otis), leaving him alone with Reed as the final two. They ram into each other a few times until Ivar hits a spinning kick to the face, only to miss the Doomsault. A running clothesline gives Reed the win at 10:08.

Rating: C+. This match hasn’t been the most special in a good while now but it is still something that means a bit for the wrestlers who win. That is what we saw here, as Reed gets a boost after weeks of not having the most success. Odds are it isn’t some big game changer, but it’s better than not winning the thing. It also helped set up McDonagh vs. Ricochet in the future, which should be good.

We look at the Bloodline attacking Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes.

Logan Paul is back in the arena.

The Final Testament is really interested in taking out Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits.

Here is Logan Paul to talk about how stupid everyone is around here, including Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Paul has a camera at the stadium to show Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, who are there to take out Owens and Orton. That doesn’t work as they have escaped, meaning here are Owens and Orton to lay Paul out.

Dragon Lee has been attacked.

Zelina Vega vs. Elektra Lopez

Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar are here too. Cue Dominik Mysterio and Andrade to uneven things even more and Vega knows this isn’t good. We’re joined in progress after a break with Vega slugging away and hitting some running clotheslines. Running knees in the corner hit Lopez for two before she’s right back with a swinging Rock Bottom for two of her own. Vega is back up with a 619 in the corner and a hammerlock DDT but Dominik offers a distraction. That lets Lopez hit Elektrashock for the pin at 2:52.

Post match the beatdown is on but Andrade turns on Legado and helps Rey and Vega to their feet. So there’s Lee’s likely replacement.

Here are Naomi and Bianca Belair for a chat. Neither of them like Damage CTRL and it was Naomi who got Belair’s attention about them. They needed each other to fight Damaged CTRL and things have been going well, but then they met newest partner: Jade Cargill! She’s ready for Damage CTRL and sign pointing ensues.

Dragon Lee is officially out of Wrestlemania but Andrade takes his place. Carlito doesn’t seem pleased

New Catch Republic vs. Grayson Waller/Austin Theory

It’s a big brawl to start with the Republic sending them outside. That’s fine with the villains as they send Bate into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Bate suplexing his way to freedom, allowing him to hit a bunch of suplexes. Dunne comes back in to clean house, including a bunch of shots to Theory’s jaw. The Birminghammer finishes for Dunne at 7:23.

Rating: C. This was another one of those matches where you can’t get much out of the thing due to the limited amount of television time. It wasn’t much of a match as a result, with the break eating up so much of their time. The titles could go in any way or multiple ways) at Wrestlemania and the ladder match makes it even more complicated.

Post match Judgment Day IMMEDIATELY runs in for the big beatdown.

Long video on Bayley vs. Iyo Sky for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Bayley talks about the history she has made and it’s time to do it again.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. Knight is ready for Wrestlemania and says AJ Styles will be phenomenal at getting taken out on Sunday. Instead of crying like Styles has been doing he owes a thank you for Knight making people talk about him. Knight talks about how ready he is for Sunday to wrap it up.

B-Fab talks about how ready Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits are.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Solo Sikoa vs. Jey Uso

Jey slugs away to start and low bridges Sikoa to the floor. We take an early break and come back with Sikoa knocking him into the corner. The running Umaga Attack misses so Jey hits one of his own. Jey’s spear is cut off but the second connects, setting up the Superfly Splash. That’s enough for Jimmy Uso to come in for the DQ at 6:32. Not enough shown to rate but it was fine enough for a match that wasn’t going to have a finish.

Post match the beatdown is on but Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins run in for the save. Jimmy is left alone and takes the whipping ala Rock to Rhodes. That lets Rhodes talk about what it means to be a champion, which he will get to do on Sunday. When his story ends, a better one begins. That good line wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C. For a show that more or less makes it clear that it’s just there as a big commercial for Wrestlemania with a few matches thrown in, it worked well enough. The action was mostly skippable but it should help push fans all the way up to the brink of Wrestlemania. WWE knows what it has with this show and it doesn’t try to be anything else, which is what should be happening.

Results
Bronson Reed won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal last eliminating Ivar
Elektra Lopez b. Zelina Vega – Elektrashock
New Catch Republic b. Austin Theory/Grayson Waller – Birminghammer to Theory
Jey Uso b. Solo Sikoa when Jimmy Uso interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.