WWE Smackdown Review – March 15, 2024
Kicking off this week’s Smackdown with a video recapping the confrontation between The Bloodline & World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins & 2024 Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes last week.
The Rock says he usually torches and scorches every city he’s in but tonight is different. He says he first started his wrestling career in Memphis and reminisces on the days he spent there. He says that he’s finally come back home and it’s been years since he’s been there. He says he’s going to have some fun with Memphis.
The Rock then says it’s time to sing a song and says the 1st thing he’ll cover in the song is what will happen to Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. He sings that The Rock will lay the Smackdown on them and sings he’ll break their back or beat them with his fanny pack. He says there will be so much drama and sings that Dusty Rhodes tried raising Cody right but he turned out to be weird. He sings that Rollins’ wife is more popular than he is and says he’ll make his title disappear. The Rock then sings that the Cody Crybabies are obnoxious and brash and continues to rag on them.
After he wraps up his song The Rock addresses Cody Rhodes slapping him at the end of last week’s show. He says while he smiled at 1st, Rhodes appeared on Raw and chatted with Michael Cole about how he was going to give the Undisputed WWE Universal Title to his mother. He mocks Rhodes for getting emotional on Monday then talks directly to Rhodes’ mother. He tells her that he’ll make him and his family pay then says The Bloodline will emerge victorious at both nights of WrestleMania. He expresses his confidence with Reigns retaining his Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Rhodes and tells Rhodes’ mother that she will get a belt but it will be one of his weight belts. He says he’ll use it to beat Rhodes and says he’ll tell Rhodes’ mother what can I say except you’re welcome?
Semi Final Match Of The Bracket 1 Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Qualifying Tournament
Legado Del Fantasma (Angel & Humberto) vs. Latino World Order (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde)
Humberto rocks Cruz Del Toro with a superkick before Angel tags in and double teams on Del Toro with Humberto.
Angel then lands a chop and a kick on Del Toro’s midsection then tags Humberto back in.
Del Toro hits a hurricanrana to Humberto off the apron then tags in Wilde.
LWO hits a double back elbow and a double kick on Humberto to send him crashing out of the ring then send Angel out to join him and fly to level them.
LWO gets Humberto back inside the ring and Wilde looks to pin Humberto but she kicks out and Del Toro tags back in. Del Toro helps Wilde fly then hits a springboard moonsault.
After the break Humberto lands a chop on Del Toro and fires off right hands and stomps on him in the corner.
Angel tags in and hits a dropkick to Wilde on the apron as Humberto sits Del Toro on the top rope.
Humberto tags back in and hits a double bodyslam to Del Toro off the top rope with Angel.
Del Toro manages to land a Spanish Fly on Humberto then tags in Wilde.
Angel tags in and Wilde catches him & Humberto with a double missile dropkick off the top rope.
He lands a neckbreaker on Humberto and hits a back elbow to Angel in the corner then hits a hurricanrana to Humberto and a superkick to Angel.
He then connects with a tornado DDT on Angel and goes for a pin but Humberto breaks the fall.
Del Toro hits a dropkick to Humberto off the top rope but Humberto sends him crashing into the barricade on the outside.
Humberto then tags in and Humberto tosses Wilde over to Angel before Angelo catches Wilde with a kick mid air to get the win.
Winners: Legado Del Fantasma
Kayla Braxton asks LA Knight if he’s had any luck on his search for AJ Styles then asks her if he can take the mic from her. Braxton gives him the mic and says Styles told him last week that he needed to be more humble. He dares Styles to come to the ringside area and humble him. Styles doesn’t appear and Knight says Styles is nowhere to be found because he’s not big enough for this ride. He says Styles can fly to Australia but can’t drive to Memphis. He says if Styles can’t show up to Smackdown there’s one place Styles won’t be able to resist showing up to face him in the ring WrestleMania. He says Styles may say that he walks around owning the place when he doesn’t but he will own him at WrestleMania.
Styles appears out of nowhere and clocks Knight with a chair then sits on it and accepts Knight’s challenge.
We then head over to Nick Aldis’ office and see United States Champion Logan Paul demand to know what Aldis will do to punish Randy Orton for landing a RKO on KSI last week. He says at the very least Orton should apologize and Aldis should enforce that to protect himself. Aldis tells Paul to get Orton to apologize himself and Paul says that’s Aldis’ job. He then says he doesn’t excel that Aldis can do his job when he can’t even find him an opponent to defend his United States Title against at WrestleMania.
After the break we head backstage to The Bloodline & Kayla Braxton where Jimmy Uso accepts Jey Uso’s challenge to a WrestleMania match.
Randy Orton vs. Grayson Waller
Grayson Waller attacks Randy Orton from behind as the bell rings.
Waller fires off right hands on Orton in the corner but Orton returns the favor.
Waller dumps Orton out of the ring and follows him out there but Orton sends his head bouncing off the announce table.
He then dumps him into the timekeeper’s area but Waller hits Orton with a flatliner on top of the announce desk after Orton becomes distracted by Paul and Theory.
After the break Orton hits a pair of clotheslines to Waller and follows it up with a scoop powerslam. He then looks to land a hanging DDT but Waller dumps Orton out of the ring before he can.
Orton then sends Waller crashing on top of the announce table twice and gets him back in the ring. Austin Theory hops up on the apron and Waller looks to take advantage.
He charges at Orton but Orton moves out of the way and Waller is sent crashing into Theory.
Orton then connects with a hanging DDT on Waller and looks to follow it up with RKO.
Theory pulls Waller out of the ring but Orton drags Theory inside and hits a hanging DDT to him.
Waller looks to take advantage and hits a Rolling Stunner but Orton catches him with an RKO mid air for the win.
Winner: Randy Orton
After the match Theory hits a chop block to Orton and invites Paul in the ring to help beat him down. Paul accepts his offer and Theory holds Orton in place. Paul then looks to land a right hand but Kevin Owens runs down to the ring to provide Orton with a hand. He fights off Theory and Paul slides out of the ring. Owens then helps Orton up and Orton almost lands an RKO on him presumably thinking it was Paul, Theory or Waller. Owens then lands a Stunner on Theory and Orton follows it up with an RKO.
Nick Aldis then appears at ringside and asks Paul if he got an apology from Orton then informs Paul that he will be defending the United States Title against both Randy Orton & Kevin Owens at WrestleMania.
Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar
Dragon Lee hits a back elbow and a clothesline to Escobar then follows it up with a hurricanrana and flies to level Escobar on the outside before they get back in the ring and Lee hits a kick to Escobar’s midsection.
He follows it up with an enzuigiri and a sit out powerbomb then hits a kick to Escobar’s thigh and one to Angel on the outside from the apron.
Humberto hops up on the apron but Lee hits a hurricanrana to level Humberto.
When he gets back in the ring he walks into a Phantom Driver from Escobar for the win.
Winner: Santos Escobar
After the match Legado Del Fantasma continues beating down Lee in the ring but Carlito runs down to the ring to make the same. Escobar runs Carlito over but Rey Mysterio marches down to the ring and fires off right hands on Escobar.
He connects with a hurricanrana that sends Escobar crashing into the ropes and looks to dial it up for 619 but Escobar slides out of the ring before he can.
Mysterio then grabs a mic and says it was supposed to be him & Escobar together. He then challenges Escobar to a singles match next week and promises to slap the arrogant smile off Escobar’s face.
Semi Final Match Of The Bracket 1 Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Qualifying Tournament
New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince)
Tyler Bate & Kit Wilson lock up before Pete Dunne tags in and stomps on Wilson’s arm then snaps his fingers and stomps on his tricep.
Elton Prince trips Dunne on the apron while the referee is distracted and Wilson takes advantage.
He fires off right hands on Dunne’s head then tags in Prince before Pretty Deadly double team on Dunne before Prince fires off right hands on Dunne then Pretty Deadly tags in.
Dunne hits a dragon screw on Wilson and tags in Bate. Prince tags in and Bate lands an uppercut on him.
Bate then follows it up with a hurricanrana and uppercuts to both Prince and Wilson in opposite corners.
He then hits a t bone suplex and a Shooting Star Press to Wilson before connecting an airplane spin to Prince as we go to a break.
After the break Wilson keeps Bate from tagging in Dunne before Bate lands a delayed vertical suplex on Wilson and tags in Dunne as Wilson tags in Prince.
Dunne hits an enzuigiri to Prince then follows it up with a German suplex and locks in an armbar. Prince counters into a roll up but Dunne kicks out and stomps on his fingers.
He then hits a kick to Prince’s head and tags in Bate before New Catch Republic delivers a double enzuigiri to Prince in the corner and Bate hits an uppercut off the middle rope to Prince as Dunne holds him in place.
Bate goes for a pin but Wilson breaks the fall and Dunne fires off chops on him.
Wilson levels Dunne but Bate takes out Wilson before Prince catches Bate with a boot and Pretty Deadly sends Dunne crashing into the ring post. They then double team on Bate.
Prince tags in and Pretty Deadly looks to land Spilt Milk but Bate escapes and makes the blind tag out to Dunne.
He lands a rebound clothesline on Prince and follows it up with the Birminghammer on him with Dunne for the win.
Winners: New Catch Republic (They will face Legado Del Fantasma in the Finals)
2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Winner Bayley vs. Dakota Kai
Bayley wastes no time as she fires off right hands on Dakota Kai but Kai rolls out of the ring.
Bayley gets her back in and Kai catches her with an open palm strike but Bayley shoves her into the corner and fires off a stomp on her in the corner.
Kairi Sane hops up on the apron but Bayley clocks her then trips Kai on the apron and hits a suplex to her off the apron as we go to a break.
After the break Bayley delivers a running knee to Kai’s head before Kai jams her knee into the back of Bayley’s head and Asuka takes a cheap shot while the referee is distracted.
Bayley then ascends to the top rope but Kai catches her with an enzuigiri and joins her up there.
Bayley fights her off and hits an elbow drop but Kai responds with a kick to her head.
Sane tries to interfere but Iyo Sky pulls her off while the referee is distracted.
Kai then hits a running kick but Bayley catches her with a powerbomb and fires off right hands. She turns around and Sky is in the ring with her Women’s Title.
Kabuki Warriors look to interfere but Bayley hits them then Sky clocks her and the referee calls for the bell.
Winner By DQ: 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Winner Bayley
After the match Kabuki Warriors join Sky but Naomi runs down to provide Bayley with a hand. Damage CTRL overpowers her and Sky hits an Over The Moonsault to Bayley as the rest of Damage CTRL holds her in place. Damage CTRL then stands tall to close out this week’s Smackdown.
Finals Of Bracket 1
Legado Del Fantasma vs. New Catch Republic
Next Week’s Smackdown
Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar
Semi Final Match Of The Bracket 2 Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Qualifying Tournament
Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Authors Of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
Semi Final Match Of The Bracket 2 Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Qualifying Tournament
Good Brothers (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. A Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)
Updated WrestleMania 40 Card So Far (April 6th & 7th)
Night 1 (April 6th)
Tag Team Match
The Bloodline (Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns & The Rock) vs. World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins & 2024 Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes (If The Bloodline wins the Night 2 Match under Bloodline Rules & if Rollins & Rhodes win The Bloodline is banned from ringside)
Night 2 (April 7th)
Undisputed WWE Universal Title Match
Roman Reigns (c) vs. 2024 Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Title Match
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Nights TBD
Women’s Title Match
Iyo Sky (c) vs. 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Winner Bayley
Women’s World Title Match
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Intercontinental Title Match
Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Fatal 6 Way Ladder Match
Judgement Day (Mr Money In The Bank Damian Priest & Finn Balor) (c) vs. New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) or Alpha Academy (Otis & Akira Tozawa) vs. DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) or Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus) vs. Awesome Truth (The Miz & R Truth) or Indus Sher (Veer Mahaan & Sanga) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Angel & Humberto) or New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. TBD
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
United States Title Triple Threat Match
Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
