Follow along with our review of Tuesday’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live.
Last week, Shinsuke Nakamura shocked the world when he made his debut on SmackDown Live. His ascension came at the perfect time, as his star power will lessen the impact of John Cena’s absence.
By retaining her Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss, Naomi established herself as a worthy champion. With the rosters reshuffling, who will we see challenge her for the belt next?
The Superstar Shake-Up only just began, and SmackDown Live has already been dealt a fatal blow. Several top talents have made the transition to Monday Night Raw, leaving the Blue Brand with a paper-thin roster. Without stars such as Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, and The Miz to carry the banner, who will step up and seize the opportunity?
Since winning the Tag Team Titles, the Usos haven’t been present nearly as often as they should be. That’s set to change tonight, as the champions will be defending the gold against American Alpha in a rematch from their previous encounter.
Another SmackDown Live debut that occurred last week was the emergence of Tye Dillinger. As one of the most popular stars on NXT, he carved a name for himself as a solid competitor. Should this trend continue, he will easily become one of the top stars on the Blue Brand.
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So without further ado, here is the live results and analysis for the Apr. 11 edition of SmackDown Live.
The United States Champion Finds a New Home and Familiar Foes
At the top of the hour, SmackDown Live begins and wastes no time getting down to business. Continuing the Superstar Shake-Up, the first superstar to be drafted to the Blue Brand is Kevin Owens. Sporting a newly shaved beard and of course still in possession of the United States Championship, Owens wastes little time addressing the crowd.
Claiming that Canada is better than the United States due to the fact he is a native of our neighbor to the north, the U.S. Champion continues to belittle the USA. He eventually turns his attention to the SmackDown Live roster, challenging anyone to come out and face him. The challenge is accepted by Baron Corbin, who comes out to the ring and gives Owens credit. While the Lone Wolf knows the champion is a tough competitor, there is still no doubt in his mind he’d beat the veteran. The tension between the two continued to escalate until the second draft pick made his presence felt.
Excited to call SmackDown Live his new home, Sami Zayn made his energetic entrance and stood toe to toe with both men. Neither Corbin or Owens offer a warm welcome, but before he can respond AJ Styles arrives on the scene. First and foremost, he reminds the superstars in the ring that SmackDown Live is his domain. He goes on to say that since he wasn’t drafted, the Blue Brand is going to remain his home.
Attempting to diffuse the situation, General Manager Daniel Bryan came out to schedule a match. Corbin, Styles and Zayn will compete in a triple threat, later on, tonight, with the winner earning a United States Championship opportunity against Owens. The title match will take place after the Payback event.
Randy Orton vs Erick Rowan
Result: No-Contest
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Our first match of the night features WWE Champion Randy Orton battling against Erick Rowan. From the opening bell, both men exchanged control of the match before Rowan gained control. His assault wouldn’t last long, as the Viper eventually recovered and damaged his opponent with strikes and stomps. Rowan bought himself some time to recover by rolling out of the ring, but it didn’t stop Orton from keeping control.
The middle-rope DDT was delivered by the WWE Champion a few moments later, and he seemed poised to end the encounter with the RKO. Right as he went to hit the finisher, the lights went out in typical Bray Wyatt fashion. Once power was restored, Rowan was outside of the ring and Wyatt was present on the titantron. Issuing a warning to the Viper that their paths are set to cross once again, he delivered his usual laugh to end his appearance.
Finally realizing that Rowan was waiting on the outside, Orton tried to continue the fight. His opponent had other plans, using the steel steps to draw the no-contest. Losing the match mattered little to Rowan, as he continued to batter the defenseless champion. The segment ended with Rowan standing tall over Orton, absorbing one of the biggest moments of his career.
When Bray Wyatt left SmackDown Live, it was hard to predict what was next for Rowan. A big moment like the one he received tonight is crucial to build up this talent moving forward. He isn’t main event material, but he is certainly capable of performing in the midcard.
American Alpha vs The Usos
Result: The Usos win via pinfall
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
A few weeks ago, the Usos and American Alpha delivered a fantastic opening match on SmackDown Live. On that night, Jimmy and Jey defeated the former NXT superstars to add another tag team title reign to their list of accolades. Looking to avenge that loss this week, American Alpha entered the show intent on emerging victorious.
Early on in the contest, American Alpha kept the champions off-guard with their swift offense. That all changed following a superkick to Jason Jordan, which allowed the Usos to take the advantage. Taunting Chad Gable while dismantling his partner, Jimmy and Jey were in solid control before Jordan fought back. Buying himself enough time to make the hot-tag, Jordan recovered while Gable cleaned house.
Delivering a wide array of suplexes, Gable turned into a one-man wrecking crew. He would go on to deliver a picture perfect moonsault that earned him a close two count. Despite not getting the pinfall at that time, his efforts brought the challengers right back into the fight. Towards the closing moments, either team could’ve emerged victorious, but tonight wasn’t the night for American Alpha.
Realizing too late that his attempt to pin Jimmy was for nothing since Jey made a quick tag, Gable was blasted by the champions. This bought the champions enough time to hit their patented top-rope splash for the win. As the Usos celebrated, the Shining Stars came down to the ring and attacked American Alpha. It seems that a new tag team is going to emerge to challenge the Usos in the near future.
Mojo Rawley vs Jinder Mahal
Result: Mojo Rawley wins via pinfall
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
The next match of the evening features a rematch of sorts between Mojo Rawley and Jinder Mahal. Their feud came about when Mojo won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Many believe that the win can be credited to NFL player Rob Gronkowski, who had offered an assist to his friend at WrestleMania. Ironically enough, Gronkowski was present here tonight on SmackDown Live as well.
In a rather short contest, Mojo scored another win which continues his surging momentum. The closing moments once again revolved around Gronkowski, who this time decided to spill his drink over Mahal. Distracting Mahal long enough for Mojo to take advantage, the New England tight-end watched with a smile on his face as his friend earned the victory. To close out the segment, Mojo celebrated both with Gronkowski and the rest of his friends who came to watch him compete.
To me, this match exemplifies everything that is wrong with WWE drafts. For every strong trade that is made, SmackDown Live seems to receive at least one detrimental star. Nothing against Mahal (he is an acceptable athlete) but he isn’t the guy to receive ample time on the Blue Brand.
That sort of thing might make the cut on Monday Night Raw, however, SmackDown Live doesn’t have time to waste. Each match and segment need to be meaningful, and it must get over at least one talent. What we saw tonight failed to meet either of those requirements, a trend that needs to stop before it picks up steam.
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Charlotte Flair and Tamina Snuka Switch Shows
When SmackDown Live lost the lucrative duo of Alexa Bliss and Mickie James, fans knew the Blue Brand needed to rebound quickly. Too much progress had been made in the Women’s Division, and it would’ve been a great shame if it had all gone to waste. Thankfully, Shane McMahon’s appearance here tonight put an end to those concerns.
After taking a bit of time to say some kind words about Boston, Shane turned his focus to the women of SmackDown Live. Inviting all of the females down to the ring, the Commissioner was surprised when James Ellsworth spoke first. Stating that people tune in every week just to see Carmella, he drew the attention of Naomi. Taking exception to his comment, the Women’s Champion made it clear his input wouldn’t be tolerated. Carmella joined in as well, but after a few moments, the situation diffused.
Content that the arguing in the ring was over, Shane introduced the first addition; Tamina Snuka. He then announced Charlotte as the second woman to swift brands, and her arrival has given the division a huge boost. She’s arguably the most polarizing female athlete in the entire company, and she has the ability to perform wonders on Tuesday nights.
Another commercial break interrupts the show, and when we return two new arrivals are revealed. Both Rusev and Sin Cara will be making the transition to SmackDown Live.
Aiden English vs Tye Dillinger
Result: Tye Dillinger wins via pinfall
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
As a result of Simon Gotch leaving WWE, it appears that Aiden English is going to embark on a singles career. The list for talent scratching for spotlight is pretty long on the Blue Brand, so Aiden needs to impress rather quickly. His match with Dillinger tonight was more competitive than I expected it to be, a good sign for both men. Dillinger was the right man to go over tonight, but don’t count out Aiden just yet.
Following the match, Dolph Ziggler appeared in the ring to voice his displeasure. Angered over the fact that he wasn’t traded, he proclaims himself to be the best in the business. The Showoff wanted to continue his tirade further, that is until Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted him. Nakamura received a great reaction from the crowd, and when his entrance was over the fans still continued to sing his theme song.
Introducing himself to Ziggler, the former NXT Champion knew tensions were going to swell. Anticipating a superkick, Nakamura simply dropped the Showoff and challenged him to a fight. Choosing to live to fight another day, Ziggler retreated and let Nakamura have the stage tonight.
If this leads to a match between these two men, you can expect the contest to be absolutely amazing. Nakamura and Ziggler are known for producing tremendous matches, and that trend will most certainly continue if they are paired together. No matter who emerges victorious, the real winners here will be the fans.
No. 1 Contenders Match for the WWE United States Championship
Baron Corbin vs AJ Styles vs Sami Zayn
Result: AJ Styles wins via pinfall
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
For our main event, three of the top superstars on SmackDown Live battled for the right to become number one contender for the United States Championship. As stated earlier, the winner of this match will face whoever the United States Champion is following Payback.
During the beginning moments of the match, all three men took to the offensive. No one managed to gain control right away, but as the match progressed Corbin used his power to his advantage. Slowing down the pace of the contest, the Lone Wolf systematically wore down each of his opponents. Zayn was eventually able to take the big man down, and in doing so allowed Styles to get back into the match as well.
A brief pause in the action left all three men down on the mat, struggling to continue the fight. However, they pushed on knowing that a title shot was waiting for whoever emerged victoriously. The closing moments consisted of each man hitting his big moves, making the audience wonder who would survive. Upon until the final few moments, this was a match where the result could’ve gone either way.
Taking Corbin out of the equation following a Helluva kick, Zayn seemed poised to achieve the victory. To his surprise, Zayn was caught with the Phenomenal Forearm, which kept him down long enough for Styles to earn the win. The show closes with Styles standing tall amongst the casualties of the match and celebrating inside of the ring.
So what did you think of tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live? Let us know in the comments below.