WWE Smackdown Review – April 12, 2024
Kicking off this week’s Smackdown with a video recapping Cody Rhodes’ win at WrestleMania against Roman Reigns to become Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes asks Detroit what they want to talk about then says on Monday, he was doing some talking before he was interrupted by The Rock. He says as The Rock’s music hits, he was thinking of someone he knew and something he would say: Who the hell told you it was open mic night b*tch? He says the mood certainly changed when The Rock placed an item in his hand and he immediately knew what he was. He says he believed The Rock when he said he was going off to Hollywood and he would be coming after him when he returned then says he’ll be waiting for The Rock.
Rhodes says it’s time to look forward and he will hop on a plane 3 weeks from now to head to France for Backlash. He says he will face one of the 6 competitors in the two upcoming Triple Threat matches then names them all and rattles their accomplishments off. He says it’s not lost on him that the Little Caesars Arena is sold out tonight and says it’s fresh for him to no longer be the hunter but rather the hunter. He tells his 6 potential challengers that if you come for the king, you better not miss. He says he was once undesirable became undeniable and became Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
We then head backstage and see Kevin Owens enter Cody Rhodes’ locker room as The Bloodline (without Roman Reigns) watches on, shocked.
Undisputed WWE Universal Title #1 Contenders Qualifying Match
LA Knight vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Santos Escobar
All 3 men begin brawling with one another before Santos Escobar rolls to the outside and Bobby Lashley dumps Knight out of the ring to join him.
Lashley pulls Escobar back into the ring from the apron but Knight pulls Lashley out of the ring.
They exchange right hands but Escobar hits the both of them with a tope suicida as we go to a break.
After the break Lashley fires off right hands on Escobar as he sits on the top rope.
Lashley joins him up there but Escobar knocks him off. Knight joins Escobar on the top rope but Lashley pulls both men off.
Lashley gets Escobar on his shoulders but Knight hits a dropkick to his knee to trip him and follows it up with a Crucifix Driver to Lashley.
Escobar hits a pair of running knees to Lashley in the corner then does the same to Knight.
Knight turns Escobar inside out with a powerslam then follows it up with an elbow drop.
Angel & Humberto appear and begin beating down Knight.
Legado Del Fantasma hits a triple powerbomb to Knight but Lashley gets in the ring and goes after Angel & Humberto.
Angel & Humberto outnumber him and begin beating him down but Street Profits run down to even the odds.
Street Profits send Legado Del Fantasma out of the ring and look to fly but Elektra Lopez inserts herself between them and Angel & Humberto to prevent them from doing so.
B Fab levels her & Street Profits level Legado Del Fantasma on the outside.
Inside the ring Lashley hits a flatliner on Escobar and looks to land a spear on him.
Escobar moves out of the way and Lashley is sent crashing into the ring post shoulder first.
Knight then hits BFT To Escobar to get the win.
Winner & Gets Into The Undisputed WWE Universal Title #1 Contenders Match: LA Knight
Paul Heyman introduces himself and says on the orders of Roman Reigns, no one offers any excuses as to what happened at WrestleMania. He says they blame no one who interfered and says accountability is important. He says The Bloodline accepts accountability for what happened and says Cody Rhodes took his eye off the ball for one second while being distracted by Solo Sikoa at WrestleMania 39 and allowed for Reigns to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. He says Rhodes flipped the script at WrestleMania 40 and says Reigns had a chair in his hand at WrestleMania. He says he could’ve smashed Rhodes with it but he didn’t because he had waited for 10 years to get his revenge on Seth Rollins for betraying him during their days in The Shield. He says Rhodes stayed focused and it was over like that.
Heyman says like a phoenix rising from the ashes but before he can finish his sentence, Solo Sikoa captures his attention. He asks him if winning and losing matters and Heyman nods his head. He says there’s consequences to losing and says consequences mean change, then pushes aside Heyman and stares down Jimmy. He hugs Jimmy and turns his back but a hooded figure attacks him. They take off their hood to reveal themselves to be Tama Tonga.
Tonga beats down Jimmy in the center of the ring and holds him in place. Sikoa then hits 4 Samoan Spikes and stands tall with Tonga. They hold up the one sign and Sikoa then invites Heyman to join them. Heyman does so but Sikoa grabs his phone and stomps on it to break it. Tonga grabs a chair from ringside and hands it to Sikoa. Sikoa puts Jimmy’s head through it then hits a hip attack to Jimmy. Tonga, Sikoa & Heyman then leave the ring and head to the back.
Bron Breakker vs. Cameron Grimes
Bron Breakker hits a pair of mat returns to Cameron Grimes.
Breakker then turns him inside out with a clothesline using the ropes for extra momentum then whips him into the corner.
Grimes responds with a kick and looks to fly but Breakker catches him mid air and plants him then follows it up with a spear for the win.
Winner: Bron Breakker
Fans chant you deserve it before Women’s Champion Bayley says it feels good. She says she’s going to soak it in for a little bit then says she feels proud to call herself the new Women’s Champion. She says she’s won titles before but this time it’s different. She says it’s not because she had to defeat someone she used to call a friend in Iyo Sky or because she gets to call herself a champion in the new era but because of the fans. She says for the last 11 years of her career, fans have been there through everything. She says even when she didn’t have anything else to give, fans never gave up on her and stood by her side. She thanks them and looks to announce who her 1st title defense will be against.
Tiffany Stratton’s music hits, and she makes her way down to the ring. She says it was a little rude she wasn’t given an opportunity at WrestleMania then says Bayley was clearly building to offer up an open challenge. She accepts and Bayley tells Stratton while it’s nice to meet her, she was not offering an open challenge. She says she had someone in mind to give a title shot to and that’s Naomi. Stratton then takes a shot at Naomi.
Naomi then makes her way down to the ring and embraces Bayley. Stratton says she and Bayley were in the middle of something and reminds Naomi she’s already beaten her. Naomi says Stratton tried her on the wrong night then says while Stratton has beaten her before she has earned everything she has in WWE. She says she doesn’t plan on stopping then tells Bayley she can’t accept her offer for a Women’s Title shot until she faces Stratton.
After the break we head backstage and see Kayla Braxton await an update on Jimmy Uso’s condition outside the medical office after being attacked by Tama Tonga. Heyman emerges, but before he can answer Tonga appears and makes Heyman and everyone else question if his actions earlier tonight were orders from Roman Reigns. Solo Sikoa then joins him and they leave together.
Women’s Title #1 Contenders Match
Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
Naomi hits a kick to Tiffany Stratton’s chest as Bayley watches the action from ringside.
She follows it up with a leg drop and begins to wear down her arm but Stratton responds with shoulders to Naomi’s midsection in the corner.
Naomi rocks Stratton with a knee but Stratton sends Naomi crashing into the ropes and hits a hip attack.
She fires off stomps on her but Naomi connects with a dropkick.
Stratton hits a shoulder to her midsection then sends her crashing into the ring post face first as we go to a break.
After the break Naomi hits a back elbow to Stratton.
She follows it up with a pair of running crossbodies and a kick off the ropes then lands a dropkick on Stratton in the corner.
Naomi then hits a split legged leg drop but Stratton hits a double stomp and an Alabama Slam then looks to land Prettiest Moonsault Ever but Naomi moves out of the way.
She then hits a jackknife for the win.
Winner & #1 Contenders To The Women’s Title: Naomi
We then head over to a video of A Town Down Under celebrating their win of the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 40 Night 1.
Tag Team Match
Bianca BelAir & Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven
Bianca BelAir hits a spinebuster on Chelsea Green before Piper Niven tags in and calls for Jade Cargill to join her in the ring.
BelAir looks to tag her in but Niven grabs her ponytail before she can.
She sends her crashing into the mat then hits a cannonball in the corner and looks to hit a Vader Bomb but BelAir avoids it and Green tags in.
Cargill tags in and Green looks to tag out but Niven is no longer on the apron then hits Jaded for the win.
Winners: Bianca BelAir & Jade Cargill
Kevin Owens then makes his way down to the ring cutting a promo on his opponents AJ Styles & Rey Mysterio just before he makes his way out.
Undisputed WWE Universal Title #1 Contenders Qualifying Triple Threat Match
Kevin Owens vs. Rey Mysterio vs. AJ Styles
AJ Styles begins brawling with Kevin Owens before Owens clotheslines Styles out of the ring.
Rey Mysterio looks to hit a signature baseball slide but Styles catches Mysterio on the apron and hits a Death Valley Driver.
Owens then sends Styles crashing over the barricade and hits a cannonball to him to sandwich him between him and the barricade but Mysterio levels him with a senton off the apron as we go to a break.
After the break Styles hits a Pele Kick to Owens before Mysterio catches Styles with a boot then looks to fly off the ropes.
Styles catches him and hands him over to Owens but Mysterio counters into a hurricanrana on Owens and a tornado DDT to Styles.
Mysterio trips Styles to send him into the ropes and looks to dial it up for a 619.
Styles catches him and sends him crashing into the mat then hits a facebuster to Owens.
He fires off a couple of right hands on Owens then sits him on the top turnbuckle.
Owens hits Styles with a headbutt but Mysterio joins him on the ropes and pulls him down to the mat with a superplex.
Owens hits Styles with a superkick then looks to follow it up with a pop up powerbomb.
Styles avoids it and lands a Pele Kick then sets up for Styles Clash.
Mysterio flies to take both men down before Owens hits a German suplex to him & Styles.
Mysterio sends Styles crashing into the ropes and dials it up for a 619 but Owens hits Mysterio with a Stunner on the apron.
He ascends to the top rope and looks to hit a Swanton Bomb to Styles but Styles gets his knees up and ascends to the middle rope.
Mysterio join him on the top rope but Styles takes him down with a Styles Clash and lands on top of Owens then pins Mysterio for the win.
Winner & Gets Into The Undisputed WWE Universal Title #1 Contenders Match: AJ Styles
After the match LA Knight appears and stares down Styles & they trash talk each other to close out this week’s Smackdown.
Next Week’s Smackdown
Undisputed WWE Universal Title #1 Contenders Match
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Women’s Title Match
Bayley (c) vs. Naomi
Smackdown Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way Match
Legado Del Fantasma (Angel & Humberto) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. Authors Of Pain (Akam & Rezar) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
