SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
APRIL 26, 2024
CINCINNATI, OHIO AT HERITAGE BANK CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON FOX
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett
Attendance: WrestleTix reports today that 10,961 tickets were distributed so far; arena set up for 11,663.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
[HOUR ONE]
-After “Then, Now, Forever, Together,” they cut backstage to Cody Rhodes signing photos while leaning over a table. They also showed A.J. Styles arriving and then Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill arriving together as Corey Graves hyped the Draft and ran through some of the parameters. Wade Barrett emphasized that the champions are not eligible, so they are tied to the brand. They showed a split screen of the Raw and Smackdown “war rooms.” Adam Pearce was standing and addressing his table which included JBL, Torrie Wilson, and D-Von Dudley. Nick Aldis was standing and addressing his talbe which included Bubba Ray Dudley and Michelle McCool.
-Kayla Braxton interviewed Paul Heyman backstage. She asked about rumors regarding Roman Reigns. Heyman said the facts are that Reigns has withdrawn from eligibility from the 2024 draft. He said it’s a positive, not a negative. He said Reigns built Smackdown since the pandemic. He said he isn’t returning in the immediate future so he won’t hog the no. 1 spot in the draft. He said that puts the pressure on Aldis. He said he is intrigued.
(Keller’s Analysis: Coming right out and saying Roman Reigns is going to be gone for a while might be news to most Smackdown viewers. I’m curious if it takes some of the wind out of the sails of the Bloodline drama with that now declared. As for taking Reigns out of the draft, it makes sense if he’s not going to be around for a while and then it keeps the post-draft roster more balanced in the mean time if the first pick isn’t spent obviously on him.)
-They went to Jackie Redmond at the NXT Performance Center where the wrestlers had gathered to watch the draft play out. Redmond talked about Grayson Waller being drafted last year. “Who’s next?” she asked.
-Graves stood mid-ring and introduced Styles, who made his ring entrance. He then introduced Cody Rhodes. Styles spoke first and said two Georgia boys are about to mix it up for the first time for the WWE Title. He said he hears them booing and he doesn’t blame them, but he doesn’t respect L.A. Knight “and he got under my skin.” He said that’s why he lost at WrestleMania. He said he got his composure back and he realizes that he is phenomenal and earned the right to face Cody at Backlash.
Styles turned to Cody and said that unlike Knight, he respects Cody. He said they have been down the same roads and each had to prove themselves outside of WWE. He said they each got advice from the same man, Dusty Rhodes. A “Dusty!” chant broke out. Styles said he learned a lot from his dad. He said he was a good man who taught him how to carry himself and carry the weight of a champion.
He turned to the WWE Title belt on a pedestal and said the weight of the belt isn’t just leather and gold. He said they will find out at Backlash if he can carry it. He signed the contract.
Graves brought the contract over to Cody who said, “So, Cincinnati, what do you want to talk about?” He said they can talk about respect. He said he can tell that Styles has been there before, and he seems to be implying to him that he can’t carry the weight of the championship. He said the man who trained him used to tell him that it’s not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it. “This is not a dream match for me, this is a must-win,” he said. He signed the contract.
Styles stood and faced Cody mid-ring. Styles said it was a beautiful thing to see him finish his story and win the championship, but it’s a shame his reign will end at Backlash. They shook hands. Styles then left the ring as Cody turned and watched him leave with an intense expression.
As Cody walked up the ramp as his music played, Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s music played. He met Cody on the stage and raised his arm. They moved to the WWE Draft podium.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 1
-Triple H said the draft for the G.M.s is just as much about protecting the roster they have as bringing in the roster that they want. He said when they use their pick, they have as much of a chance of gaining a wrestler as they have of losing one they already have. Levesque said Cody will be staying on Smackdown, so he asked him to read the Smackdown picks while he’ll read the Raw picks. Cody and Triple H rotated announcing the following picks…
- Smackdown Pick #1: Bianca Belair
- Raw Pick #1: Jey Uso
- Smackdown Pick #2: Carmelo Hayes (Barrett reacted big to Carmelo being picked and said no one saw it coming.)
- Raw Pick #2: Seth Rollins
-Carmelo Hayes then walked out and cut a promo. He turned to Cody and said he’s been saying a lot since he won the title, including, “If you come for the king, you best not miss.” He said when he shoots, he doesn’t miss. He said he can’t think of a better way to shoot his shot than to shoot against Cody. He looked at him and placed the mic down in front of him. Cody said the fans don’t really want to see him in action tonight. Fans cheered. Cody said, “What if I forgot my gear?” He revealed he didn’t forget his gear. He told Carmelo he’s on and he shook his hand.
(Keller’s Analysis: One of the goals with these early picks is to send a signal to fans that Belair is a top-top act highly coveted by Aldis and that Aldis also sees Hayes as a future potential top-top star. Triple H noting that every pick to get someone new is putting at risk losing someone you have made the decision to pick Carmelo seem even more daring by Aldis. The Carmelo-Cody match being made on the fly feels a bit odd, since it seems they’re just setting up Carmelo to “look impressive before losing” unless it’s another lame finish with Styles show he wasn’t as sincere about his reason for seeming like a heel lately being all due to Knight.)
-They showed Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Carlito, and Zelina Vega backstage heading toward the entrance. [c]
(1) REY MYSTERIO & DRAGON LEE (w/Zelina Vega, Carlito) vs. HUMBERTO & ANGEL
The bell rang 28 minutes into the hour. Dragon Lee landed an early corkscrew dive onto Humberto at ringside. When Dragon ran the ropes, Angel stood on the middle rope leading to Dragon crashing through the ropes to the floor. They cut to a break at 1:00 as Rey and Carlito ran over toward him. [c]
Rey landed a 619. Dragon Lee landed Project Dragon on Angel and scored a three count.
WINNERS: Rey & Dragon Lee in 6:30.
-As the LWO celebrated, Santos Escobar walked out with Elektra Lopez. He said he is a lot of things, but a liar he is not. He said he didn’t not attack Dragon Lee the evening before WrestleMania. He said Elektra has worked for weeks to obtain the security footage. He told Rey he’d find it really interesting. The camera focused on Rey only, so Carlito’s reaction wasn’t captured. The footage showed Carlito attacking Dragon Lee. For some reason, Rey and Dragon stared at the big screen and let Carlito attacked them from behind without turning to even look at him. He gave Lee a Back Stabber. Rey checked on Dragon as Carlito fled through the crowd. Legado del Fantasma laughed as Barrett said Rey and Carlito go back about 20 years.
-They showed the draft rooms again. [c]
-Barrett hyped Cody vs. Carmello in the TV main event.
(2) BRON BREAKKER vs. CEDRIC ALEXANDER
Cedric yelled, “Let’s go!” He chopped Bron as he charged at the bell. Breakker speared Cedric out of mid-seconds later and got a three count. Graves said he didn’t even have time to talk about Cedric perhaps raising his stock. He said Breakker just elevated his stock even higher.
WINNER: Breakker in about 15 seconds.
-Backstage, Tiffany Stratton approached Aldis and asked if she saw what happened last week. She said she is the center of the universe and wanted to know where her title match is. Aldis said he was close to sending her to the back of the line after last week, but someone convinced him otherwise. He said she is getting a rematch against Naomi later. Tiffany asked who gave him that idea. Bayley walked in and said if Naomi wins, she gets a rematch she was cheated out of last week. She said if Tiffany wins, then she will get to find out what it feels like when she attacks her, “The Role Model.” Unshaken, Tiffany invited her to watch her match at ringside later.
-They showed McCool and Torrie walking out of their respective war rooms with their draft cards. [c]
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 2
- Smackdown Pick #3: Randy Orton (Barrett said this was Aldis protecting one of his biggest stars at all costs.)
- Raw Pick #3: Breakker (Graves lamented him going to Raw instead of Smackdown.)
- Smackdown Pick #4: Nia Jax
- Raw Pick #4: Liv Morgan
-They went to Graves and Barrett on camera who reacted more to the picks. Barrett said he’s astounded that The Bloodline haven’t been picked yet. Graves noted that earlier Heyman revealed that Reigns had removed himself from the draft pool.
-A clip aired from last week of Aldis threatening Heyman for the fact that Kevin Owens’s rental car as smashed by Tama Tonga’s.
-Live in the parking garage, Heyman watched a Ford SUV arrive. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga walked out. Heyman immediately apologized for not getting the door for Solo. Solo asked if The Bloodline had been drafted yet. Heyman said no. Solo asked for details while giving Heyman a death stare. Heyman nervous said since Reigns withdrew from the draft, nobody knows what they’re getting if they draft The Bloodline. Tonga walked up to Heyman. Solo told him to repeat it to Tonga “one more time.” Owens then attacked Solo and Tonga as Heyman fled. They were quickly pulled apart by security.
[HOUR TWO]
-Belair came out to her entrance music. Kayla interviewed her in the aisle. She asked her about teaming with Jade Cargill against The Kabuki Warriors at Backlash for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. She said Jade is the perfect person to help her do that. The Kabuki Warriors walked out to get in Belair’s face. Jade then came out and stood next to Belair.
As they yelled at each other, Owens and Tonga brawled onto the stage and to the ring. Solo joined in, and they gave Owens a two-on-one beatdown. Security and producers ran out and try to clear the ring of Solo and Tonga, but they tossed them aside. Orton’s music then played. Solo and Tonga stopped and stared at Orton as he walked out. He clotheslined Tonga, who rolled to the floor. Orton went for an RKO on S0lo, but Solo fled the ring. Fans chanted “Randy!” as security pushed Solo and Tonga up the aisle. Owens and Orton charged to ringside, but they were also held back.
-They showed Bubba and then D-Von leaving the war rooms with their draft cards. [c]
-They showed the NXT wrestlers gathered at the Performance Center again.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 3
When Bubba and D-Von walked out, fans chanted “ECW!” and then “We Want Tables!”
- Smackdown Pick #4: L.A. Knight (Barrett called it the greatest pick ever.)
- Raw Pick #4: Ricochet
- Smackdown Pick #5: Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga & Paul Heyman (Graves said, “Better late than never.” He said they won’t be happy having been picked in the third round.)
- Raw Pick #5: Sheamus
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s conspicuous that they didn’t even mention Jimmy Uso not being even eligible for the draft in the context of reacting to what happened to him and the “new” Bloodline recently. They could have just said he also withdrew from the draft to regroup or something in passing when The Bloodline or Jey were brought up. There are reports he’ll be off for a while with a health situation.)
(3) TIFFANY STRATTON vs. NOAMI – No. 1 Contendership at Stake
Bayley joined in on commentary as Stratton came out. Naomi’s ring entrance then aired. The bell rang 15 minutes into the hour. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Jax attacked Bayley. Naomi came to her aid. Jax threw Naomi into the ringpost and then knocked Bayley down. The ref called for the bell.
WINNER: No contest (?) in 7:00.
-Stratton threw Bayley and Naomi into the ring. She then landed her signature Prettiest Moonsault ever onto both.
-Byron Saxton interviewed The Street Profits and B-Fab. He said their draft eligibility won’t happen until Monday, but they do know that they’ll get a shot at A-Town Down Under for the WWE Tag Team Titles. B-Fab said they’re taking them down and they’ll have their first class ticket back to Smackdown. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller walked in and taunted the Profits. Lashley showed up behind them so they scurried away.
-They showed Teddy Long and JBL leaving their respective war rooms with their draft cards. [c]
-Karrion Kross was backstage. They showed that AOP had attacked Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate. Kross said no matter where they get drafted, the violence will continue until they get what they want.
WWE DRAFT – SEGMENT 4
Long and JBL walked out to JBL’s music
- Smackdown Pick #6: A.J. Styles
- Raw Pick #6: Chad Gable & Otis & Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupree
- Smackdown Pick #7: Andrade
- Raw Pick #7: Kiana James (Graves threw to a video package on Kiana James.)
-Redmond interviewed James at the Performance Center. Redmond said with over 100 eligible, only two names from NXT were called. James said she is filled with gratitude. She said she’s ready to show Raw why she’s the one percent. Shawn Michaels walked up to her and shook her hand and had some private words for her. [c]
-Braxton interviewed Aldis and asked for his thoughts on the draft. He said he’s proud of their picks. He then announced that Bayley will defend against both Naomi and Stratton at Backlash. He turned to Long who announced that Solo & Tonga would face Owens & Orton at Backlash also.
-They went to Barrett and Graves at ringside. They showed Kofi presenting the New England Patriot’s first round pick in the NFL draft with a WWE Title belt with the Patriots logo on it. Then the eligible draft pool for Raw was shown. Barrett hyped a Cody-Styles face-to-face next week on Smackdown, plus AOP vs. New Catch Republic and A-Town Down Under vs. The Street Profits for the WWE Tag Team Titles. Graves also announced the first-ever RKO Show with Owens and Orton.
(4) CODY RHODES vs. CARMELO HAYES
The bell rang 45 minutes into the hour. A loud “Cody!” chant rang out. They cut to a very early break. [c]
Back from the break, the intensity increased. Carmelo took over and landed a springboard DDT. Cody countered a minute later with a small package for a two count followed by a Disaster Kick. Cody eventually hit Crossroads for the clean win.
WINNER: Cody in 9:00.
-As Cody celebrated, Styles entered the ring for a preview of next week’s face-to-face by going, well, face-to-face with Cody. They shook hands as Graves plugged the Raw part of the draft.
(Keller’s Analysis: I’m not sold on Carmelo losing to Cody in nine minutes on his first night officially on the main roster. Maybe it’s the first step in a storyline of some sort that will make sense later, but this seemed to define him down pretty quickly, which would’ve been fine if not for the hoopla around what a high draft pick he was for Aldis.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Overall, the draft was well done and not radically different than some of the higher-end draft presentations in the past by WWE. I’m not a fan of NXT being in the draft. It adds a different element, but with the champions essentially being punished by not being eligible to “move up to the main roster” and the awkwardness of everyone gathering like a high school pep rally, I’d prefer they just subtract NXT from the draft and handle call-ups differently.
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