WWE SmackDown Results, Highlights, and Grades For May 1, 2018

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WWE SmackDown Live is on a roll right now, and it seems like the show is at the level of quality it reached when both brands initially split in 2016.

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura is the top feud on WWE SmackDown Live, and Nakamura has been hell-bent on causing Styles as much pain as possible after losing his opportunity at the WWE Championship at WWE WrestleMania 34. He also failed to defeat Styles at The Greatest Royal Rumble, but he didn’t lose either.

For weeks, Nakamura has hit Styles with low-blows, but when The Phenomenal One answered back with some violence of his own, Shinsuke felt it crossed the line. He’s demanded an apology from Styles tonight, but it’s safe to say that the WWE Champion will likely have a different response lined up for the sinister King of Strong Style.

Elsewhere, the SmackDown Live Women’s Division’s feuds may start to take shape after Backlash, where Charlotte Flair will fight Carmella for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Carmella is temporarily aligned with the IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce), whereas Flair can ostensibly count on Asuka and long-time friend Becky Lynch as being in her corner.

Big Cass and The Miz seem destined to partner up, since both men have clear beef with Daniel Bryan. While The A-Lister and Bryan are fully expected to feud over the summer, potentially culminating in a dream match at SummerSlam that will see Bryan finally embarrass The Miz on a grand stage, Bryan is currently feuding with Cass. The Miz, on the other hand, will invite Jeff Hardy, the current United States Champion, to Miz TV. What shenanigans will The Miz have in store for the Charismatic Enigma?

There will also be storyline developments in the increasingly interesting SmackDown Tag Team Division, which boasts the likes of Sanity, The New Day, The Bar, The Usos, and The Bludgeon Brothers. All interactions between The New Day and The Bar are pure money, so keep an eye out for another segment involving these two teams.

We should also expect to see Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega on television soon, and they and Sanity will surely be huge additions to this stacked roster.

Tune in tonight at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network to watch WWE SmackDown Live, and check back here for live highlights, grades, analysis, and results on the rising Blue Brand.