With the Blue Brand’s updated roster set in stone, tonight promises to deliver some solid sports entertainment. Here is everything you need to know heading into the Apr. 18 edition of SmackDown Live:
Tonight on SmackDown Live, six superstars will compete for the right to become number one contender to the WWE Championship. Will they face Randy Orton in the near future, or the “Eater of Worlds” Bray Wyatt?
During the Superstar Shake-Up, it was announced that the New Day are moving to the Blue Brand. Their arrival will be a huge benefit to the paper-thin tag division present on the show.
After a heated segment last week, it appears that Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura are destined to meet inside the ring. A match between these two has the ability to be an absolute classic, offering both a chance to shine.
A week removed from being on the receiving end of a post-match assault, Randy Orton is out for revenge. The question is, will he target his attacker Erick Rowan, or Rowan’s master Bray Wyatt?
Once again, AJ Styles find himself in the position to add another title to his list of accolades. By defeating Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn in the main event last week, he’s in line to face whoever the United States Champion is following Payback.
Speaking of the United States Championship, what awaits the champion Kevin Owens tonight on SmackDown Live? With Chris Jericho on Raw, he will need to find someone to occupy his time temporarily.
Now that Charlotte and Tamina Snuka have joined the Women’s Division, what awaits the current champion Naomi? Odds are she’ll have a challenger waiting in the wings sooner rather than later.
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So without further ado, here are the live results and analysis for the Apr. 18 edition of SmackDown Live.
The Queen Seeks the Title
At the top of the hour, SmackDown Live begins with a small tribute dedicated to Rosey. For those of you that don’t know, the former WWE talent recently passed away at the age of forty-seven. Following the tribute, Charlotte Flair comes out to address her current frustrations.
Despite only being on the Blue Brand for a week, Charlotte feels as though she deserves a title shot. Wondering aloud why this belief hasn’t come to fruition, she demands an opportunity at Naomi’s championship. This brings out the champion herself, who has had enough of Charlotte running her mouth. Declaring that there are no Queens on the Blue Brand, Naomi goes on to state that SmackDown Live does possess champions.
Although she takes pity in seeing Charlotte beg for a title shot, the champion has no problem partaking in a fight. Dropping the belt, Naomi took down her outspoken competitor and the two brawled throughout the ring. A referee arrives to diffuse the situation, but he is unsuccessful.
Shane McMahon is next on the scene, and his presence causes a momentary pause in the action. Announcing a match between the two women, he goes on to say that a victory by Charlotte will grant her a championship match. The only catch is, the contest will take place tonight.
Distracted by the Commissioner, Naomi left herself open to an attack from behind. For a moment Charlotte stood tall with the belt, however, Naomi quickly bounced back and sent the Queen running. The segment ended with the champion posing with her title.
No. 1 Contender’s Match for the WWE Championship
Dolph Ziggler vs Erick Rowan vs Jinder Mahal vs Luke Harper vs Mojo Rawley vs Sami Zayn
Result: Jinder Mahal wins via pinfall
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
After our first commercial break, the cameras cut to the backstage area. Complaining to Shane McMahon about not receiving a title shot, Natalya is soon joined by Carmella and James Ellsworth. Tamina joins in on the conversation as well, with all three women (and Ellsworth) complaining about Charlotte’s opportunity. Angered over what’s transpired, Natalya takes Carmella and Tamina for a private discussion on what to do next.
Back to the ring, the 6-pack challenge is here to help us determine a new number one contender. At the start of the bell, all six men involved start going at it with one another. Control shifted rapidly from here on out, with each man gaining his own chance to shine.
Among the highlights of the match was Dolph Ziggler and Sami Zayn absorbing one another’s finishers and continuing the fight. Another moment was when Erick Rowan powerbombed Ziggler over the top rope and onto the other competitors at ringside. Ziggler would retaliate with another Zig Zag later on, but somehow Rowan managed to kick out.
The action continued to escalate during the closing moments, and it seemed that Zayn was going to achieve the win. Then in an unexpected twist, the Bollywood Blondes came out of nowhere and distracted Zayn momentarily. Buying Jinder Mahal enough time to take advantage, the Blondes watched on as Mahal dropped Zayn and won the biggest match of his career.
If you had told me before tonight that Jinder Mahal was going to be the new number one contender, I would’ve laughed in your face. Never say never in WWE. His interaction with WWE Champion Randy Orton continues on the next slide.
The Viper is Here
Immediately following his big win, Jinder Mahal decided to stay in the ring and taunt the live crowd. Interested as to why fans would boo him, he asks if it’s because he’s rich or that’s he not from America. Bringing up his high amount of education and ability to speak two languages, he wonders aloud if those are reasons as well. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter to him, because they will have to accept him as the new WWE Champion.
Having heard enough from his new number one contender, Randy Orton decided this was the perfect time to come down to the ring. Congratulating Mahal on the victory, he states that the superstar won’t be walking away with the gold. Instead, the only gift he will receive is an RKO. However, Orton wants to draw his attention to Bray Wyatt first.
Questioning what exactly a “House of Horrors” match entails, the Viper nonetheless seemed confident that he’d be victorious. According to the champion, the last house Wyatt possessed was burned down by Orton himself.
For the second consecutive week, this brings about Bray Wyatt on the titantron. Revealing that he intends for Orton to feel pain, the Eater of Worlds hypes the upcoming match between them. Promising that the Viper will enter but never be able to leave, he warns the champion to run as the segment ends.
Charlotte Flair vs Naomi
Result: Charlotte wins via pinfall
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Going back to the backstage area, AJ Styles is present to conduct an interview. Asked about whether he’d like to face Chris Jericho or Kevin Owens for the United States Championship, the Phenomenal One is interrupted by Baron Corbin. The two trade words back and forth, hyping up their match later tonight.
Moments before her contest against Naomi, Charlotte Flair was walking backstage and a trio of women caught her eye. Talking amongst themselves, Carmella, Natalya, and Tamina Snuka stood with their eyes set on the Queen.
Once the entrances for Charlotte and Naomi conclude, the two athletes waste no time going at it. Refusing to stay down and out for very long, each woman would regain control moments after losing it. The overconfident Charlotte taunted throughout the contest, and on more than one occasion her gloating cost her the advantage. Still, knowing that a potential title shot was on the line, Charlotte fought tooth and nail to emerge the winner.
Towards the closing moments, both the champion and her competition threw everything they had at one another. On this night, Charlotte was the one who managed to score the huge victory. Countering the Rear View, she would take advantage and plant Naomi with the Natural Selection for the win. So next week, these two will meet once again, with the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship up for grabs.
When Charlotte eventually made her way backstage, she once again saw her three competitors from earlier watching her. Just like last time, she left the area with a look of concern on her face.
WWE.com
American Alpha vs The Shining Stars
Result: The Shining Stars win via pinfall
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Stemming from their altercation last week, America Alpha and The Shining Stars were set to face one another here tonight. Early on in the contest, American Alpha displayed their cohesiveness and wrestling skills as they went to work on the former tag team champions. Primo was on the receiving end of a great deal of punishment, but that all changed when Epico distracted the referee. This bought Primo enough time to take advantage of a confused Chad Gable and gain control for his team.
Tagging in his fresh partner, Primo and Epico began to wear down the young athlete. They attempted to keep Gable down and slow the pace of the contest, however, their strategy didn’t last long. Jason Jordan eventually made the tag, and he went on to clean house inside the ring. Right when it seemed as though American Alpha was going to score the victory, The Shining Stars resorted to cheap tactics a second time. Their attack on Jordan allowed them to earn a huge victory here tonight on SmackDown Live.
Focusing now on the backstage area, Tye Dillinger hypes himself up to the fans with a promo and a video package. Upon completion of the video, he states that is why he is considered to be the Perfect Ten.
WWE United States Championship Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs Gary Gandy
Result: Kevin Owens wins via pinfall
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
In the first installment of his new open-challenge, Kevin Owens decided to give a local talent an opportunity at the United States Championship. The contest itself was an absolute joke, as Owens made short work of Gary Gandy with the Pop-Up Powerbomb.
Following his victory, the champion decided to insult the fans before turning his attention to Chris Jericho. Going as far to say that he is the face of America, Owens promises that this will continue to be accurate as long as he is the United States Champion. Believing that the main event could use a bit of his expertise, he decides to join the commentary team. Before doing so, he graces the live audience with a bit of French to close the segment.
While the match featured tonight shouldn’t have been taken seriously, this could be a great thing for Owens and SmackDown Live going forward. Similar to how John Cena brought prestige to the belt back in 2015, this could serve a purpose as well. It would certainly give the less-developed superstars on the Blue brand a chance to shine, and it would give Owens something to do each week. This is of course assuming that he retains against both Chris Jericho and AJ Styles. A victory against Jericho is likely, but the same cannot be said when he faces the Phenomenal One.
Right before the main event, Austin Aries appears to hype up his appearance on 205Live tonight.
AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin
Result: AJ Styles wins via count-out
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
In our main event of the evening, AJ Styles went up against Baron Corbin in a highly competitive contest. A great display of speed versus power, Styles found himself lagging behind early when the Lone Wolf took the fight to the veteran. Wearing down the number one contender to the United States Championship, Corbin showcased the destructive nature that has made him a big player on SmackDown Live. For a good while, it appeared that he was going to avenge his lost from last week.
It took a bit of time, but eventually the Phenomenal One was able to fight his way back into the contest. Stunning his opponent with strikes and amazing speed, Styles continued to press on. The Lone Wolf tried to mount a comeback, allowing control to switch back and forth between the two. Before long, the action found its way to the outside of the ring.
Going for the Styles Clash on the outside of the ring, the Phenomenal One’s attempt is thwarted and he’s sent crashing into Kevin Owens. Corbin tried to take advantage, but Styles was able to recover long enough to send the Lone Wolf over the barricade with a forearm. Rushing into the ring to beat the ten count, Styles stood tall as the winner by count-out. The show closes with a frustrated Owens looking on as his challenger celebrates the victory.
So what did you think of tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live? Let us know in the comments below.