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WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
APRIL 3, 2026
ST.LOUIS, MO. AT ENTERPRISE CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Mark Nash
Attendance: WrestleTix reports as of today 10,963 tickets were distributed so far. The arena has a capacity of 22,000 spectators when configured for concerts.
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[HOUR ONE]
-Joe Tessitore introduced the show and called it “a power-packed Smackdown.” They showed a scene of the St. Louis skyline and arch. Then they showed backstage snippets of Rhea Ripley, Michin with her crew, Charlotte Flair & Alexa. Bliss, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria. Tessitore touted a crowd of 11,620. They went to Tessitore and Wade Barrett at ringside. Barrett said there is nervous energy everywhere you look.
-A video package aired on Cody Rhodes and Stephanie McMahon on Raw at MSG on Monday.
-Orton made his ring entrance. He wore a t-shirt that said, “RKO Everybody, St. Louis.” Orton picked fluff of the microphone cover as he waited for his music to finish. When it stopped, fans cheered and chanted, “Randy! Randy!” He broke into a smile and said, “So, St. Louis, Missouri, what do you want to talk about?” The fans cheers dropped off to silence. He looked at his watch. “It’s not secret that this is my hometown,” he said. He said he still calls St. Louis home. He said the next time they see him in that arena, he’ll have “number 15 firmly planted around my waist.”
He said he isn’t doing that for them. He said he was doing it for him and his family and his real home, “which isn’t St. Louis, Missouri, it’s the six people in the front row.” He said he will walk out of Las Vegas with the title. He said Cody is going home empty-handed. Some fans cheered. He said Cody gave him his blessing and a green light and that he could be the best version of himself and listen to the voices.
He said he saw Cody in the ring at MSG with Stephanie. He said she wasn’t lying to him when she said that Cody couldn’t beat him “because you are not a killer.” He said what Cody woke up inside of him “there ain’t no putting back to bed.”
Cody’s music played and he walked out in a suit with the title belt. He charged into the ring and he and Orton swung wildly at each other. Cody got the better of Orton in the corner. Some boos rang out. Pat McAfee entered the ring wearing and Orton t-shirt. He kicked Cody in the crotch. “What is he doing?” asked Tessitore. Orton pulled a chair from ringside into the ring as McAfee continued to beat on Cody. Orton jabbed Cody with the chair. McAfee said, “The Rams left town, the Blues aren’t going to make the playoffs, the Cardinals are ass,” he said. He said now Orton said St. Louis isn’t home anymore.
McAfee said if everyone was wondering why he just kicked Cody in the balls, he said he recently said he felt the business has passed him by. He said the sport he once loved was now absolute shit. He said Orton called him and told him that the business hasn’t passed him by, but it’s gone a direction they don’t like. He brought up the Attitude Era fans. He mocked the “What?” chant and then said, “If you smell!” He said he didn’t like turning on WWE TV and watching “two 5-foot-5 guys do a 45 minute Iron Man match ten weeks straight for no rhyme or reason when Randy Orton is around.” Some fans cheered. He said when he watches Netflix, he sees “Gorilla circle-jerking themselves episode after episode after episode when Randy Orton is around.” He said tickets for WrestleMania are still somehow available when Randy Orton is around. “Smackdown, fresh off the worst-rated episode of all-time, has a puppet for a champion who represents everything that we hate.”
He said he’s the one who was on the phone telling Orton he has to kill everything because the business that Cody is leading is terrible. “And he is going to save the f—ing business.”
(Keller’s Analysis: Are there words available to describe how awful that was on so many levels? It’s the kind of desperate hot-shot nonsense that is hard to come back from in terms of your reputation as a creative leader of a pro wrestling company. When you start talking about your own company being in bad shape and ripping on “small wrestlers” having long matches, you’ve lost all confidence in yourself. This had dying WCW vibes including the juvenile swearing and nut shots being presented as edgy content. If it were April 1, not April 3, I would truly expect Paul Levesque to come out after the break and say, “April Fools! That was non-sense. Thanks to everyone for participating in my ruse. Now back to regularly scheduled content.” It’d be stupid as shit, but at least it would be acknowledging it was a joke of a segment. This could be a moment we look back on as the most decisive sign of the downfall of WWE from the pedestal it earned in recent years. Like, what did anything McAfee said have to do with anything storyline-wise that fits the structure of the show otherwise? When any pro wrestling company starts pointing storylines toward the company-centric and business aspects and drives TV stories based on the notion that WWE’s goal is to create a compelling, profitable business – as if fans care about ticket sales or profits – as opposed to presenting a world where great athletes compete to see who is the best and the fans have the privilege to watch, it’s the sign of a lost or desperate or clueless creative hierarchy. It actually felt like a manifestation of a late-night incoherent rant session by whoever Vince McMahon grumbles to about what he perceives to be the missteps of WWE Creative without him. And that’s not even getting into the “heel wrestling personality fantasy camp” for McAfee that we were all just subjected to. Sigh. Oh, and if you thought Cody Rhodes had any pull in that company, he doesn’t because that buried him and his entire hot run.) [c]
-Barrett commented on clips of the prior segment.
-Backstage, McAfee told Orton, “Mission accomplished. Sometimes you just have to remind people that they’re in the GOAT conversation about to take the GOAT spot to save the business. He drove Orton away in a pick-up truck.
-They went to Barrett and McAfee at ringside. Barrett said it’s absurd to say Cody represents everything to hate about modern WWE. “We’re stunned here,” he said.
(1) RHEA RIPLEY vs. MICHIN
The bell rang 28 minutes into the hour. Rhea took Michin down with a hard kick to the chest. Ripley pounded her chest a minute in. Jade Cargill walked out. Michin back suplexed a distracted Ripley as they cut to a double-box break. [c/db]
Ripley landed a Razor’s Edge and a running knee after the break and scored a near fall at 8:00. When Michin went for a cannonball in the corner, Ripley moved. Michin took over seconds later and scored a two count after Eat Defeat.” Ripley came right back and applied the Prism Trap for the win.
WINNER: Ripley in 10:00.
-Ripley stared down Jade Cargill on the ring apron afterward. B-Fab and Michin then attacked her from behind. Iyo Sky saved Ripley from taking a Jaded.
-Aleister Black and Zelina Vega walked up to Matt Cordona backstage. He said Orton has gone back to being his true self and Cardona is the only one yet to accept that. Cardona challenged Black to a match. Black said he’s a master of making bad decisions.
-Solo Sikoa spoke to the MFTs backstage. He asked who is going to step up and deal with the Howdy problem. Tama Tonga asked, “Why are we fighting for that pantern? That damn thing has been nothing but problems for all of us – especially you.” Tama told him to go out there and fight for the lantern. Tonga said he’ll handle Howdy alone. Solo told him, “Do not mess this up.” [c]
-Tessitore plugged NXT Stand & Deliver
-Ripley and Sky were wrapped around each other as Ripley iced her neck and thanked Iyo Sky. Ripley said Jade didn’t realize she had back-up. She said Jade has followers, whereas she has friends. Sky said she will always have her back. Ripley said together they are unstoppable. She said that is why she will walk out of WrestleMania as champion.
(Keller’s Analysis: It will make zero sense of Sky turns on Ripley at WrestleMania, even though they’re laying their friendship on so thick that it feels like a tell that they’re going there.)
(2) TAMA TONGA vs. UNCLE HOWDY
The bell rang 49 minutes into the hour. Barrett said Solo knows the Wyatts are nothing without that lantern. They cut to an early break. [c]
Howdy put Tonga in a Mandible Claw. Solo walked to the ring and dangled the lantern. Howdy dropped his Mandible Claw and stared at Solo. Tonga then hit Howdy from behind, but was still selling the effects of the Mandible Claw. Tonga then yelled at Howdy that he wanted to do it alone, which gave Howdy a chance to recover and hit Tonga with Sister Abigail to win.
WINNER: Howdy in 10:00.
-Tonga confronted Solo afterward and snatched the lantern away from him. He placed it on the edge of the ring after telling Solo, “We don’t need this.” Howdy then took it. Tonga held him back. A few fans cheered.
(Keller’s Analysis: There was nothing to that match despite lasting ten minutes. Utterly forgettable. And that finish was so lame. Even if you buy into the idea the lantern is some sort of essential symbol of power for those who have it, Howdy releasing the Mandible Claw to just meander toward Solo and stared him was just stupid.)
-Kit Wilson told Miz that this past week has been toxic. He said he helped a lady get her carry on in the overhead bin and was grunting at the gym. Miz told him there is no curse. R-Truth told a guy with a clipboard they need hot water in the hot tub. Truth told Miz that The Judgment Day isn’t taking any applications. Miz said Truth doesn’t take anything seriously, but everything goes his way. Miz challenged him to step up, but Truth took that as a challenge for a match. Truth said there would be a WWE Tag Team Title match tonight tonight with Miz & Wilson. Miz and Wilson fist-bumped and seemed happy with how that turned out. [c]
-A vignette aired with Jacob Fatu speaking about facing Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania. He talked about his bumpy past. He said at WrestleMania, Drew is in his world. “Let’s see if you make it out,” he said.
-Sami Zayn was all smiles as he walked up to Nick Aldis. He said he heard he was getting pryo. Aldis confirmed it. Sami thanked him for last week. Aldis said all credit goes to Sami. Then Trick Williams’ music played instead of Sami’s. Sami seemed irritated.
-Trick made his entrance with Lil Yachty. Lil Yachty did the “What?” chant between “Whoop that Trick” lyrics. Trick said he and Lil Yachty go way back.
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- Cody Rhodes to spoil Randy Orton homecoming
- Rhea Ripley to respond to attacks by Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin
- Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre will both appear
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