{"id":117295,"date":"2021-04-16T13:49:54","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T18:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=117295"},"modified":"2021-04-16T13:49:54","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T18:49:54","slug":"wwe-friday-night-smackdown-primer-4-16-continued-wrestlemania-fallout-smackdown-tag-team-championship-match-rey-vs-otis-mcafee-debuts-as-commentator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2021\/04\/16\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-primer-4-16-continued-wrestlemania-fallout-smackdown-tag-team-championship-match-rey-vs-otis-mcafee-debuts-as-commentator\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER 4\/16: Continued WrestleMania Fallout, Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match, Rey vs. Otis, McAfee Debuts as Commentator"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1565261853\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER<br \/>\nAPRIL 16, 2021<br \/>\nTAMPA, FL. IN THE THUNDERDOME AT THE YUENGLING CENTER<br \/>\nAIRS ON FOX NETWORK, 8:00 p.m. EST<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Michael Cole and Pat McAfee<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Match Results and Key Segments from Last Week and Exclusives<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Edge, Daniel Bryan, and Universal Champion Roman Reigns all cut promos ahead of their triple threat match for the title at WrestleMania.<\/li>\n<li>Dolph Ziggler &amp; Robert Roode defeated Dominik &amp; Rey Mysterio, the Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins &amp; Montez Ford), and the Alpha Academy (Otis &amp; Chad Gable) to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Grow eyes in the back of your head against Ziggler &amp; Roode: SmackDown Exclusive, April 9, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RinIohNx7ug?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks were interviewed ahead of their match at WrestleMania for the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship.<\/li>\n<li>A video package with Big E was run ahead of his Intercontinental Championship defense against Apollo Crews.<\/li>\n<li>Tamina (w\/Natalya) defeated Nia Jax (w\/Shayna Baszler) via DQ.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jey thinks big after Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal win: SmackDown Exclusive, April 9, 20..\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h4CwYcGmbag?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A video was run on Cesaro, which was paid for by \u201cfriends of Seth Rollins\u201d and not Rollins himself.<\/li>\n<li>Jey Uso won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, eliminating Shinsuke Nakamura to seal the win.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jey thinks big after Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal win: SmackDown Exclusive, April 9, 20..\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h4CwYcGmbag?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>WrestleMania Results Pertinent to Smackdown and Exclusives<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins.<\/li>\n<li>Bianca Belair defeated Sasha Banks to win the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bianca Belair reflects on historic WrestleMania moment: WrestleMania Watch Along, April 10, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HTc9pMRC1to?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kevin Owens defeated Sami Zayn (w\/Logan Paul).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sami Zayn is in disbelief: WrestleMania 37 Exclusive, April 11, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kQ8wnyxMDCo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kevin Owens hopes he stunned Sami Zayn back to reality: WrestleMania 37 Exclusive, April 11, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1gxa-V7V7Nc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Apollo Crews defeated Big E for the Intercontinental Championship in a Nigerian Drum Fight with the help of Commander Azeez. Azeez is the former Dabbo-Kato who was part of Raw Underground and was drafted to Raw in October, but never appeared on TV. Commander Azeez is his current in-ring name according to Wikipedia.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Apollo Crews delivered on his promise: WrestleMania 37 Exclusive, April 11, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EC-6Q92EP5s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Roman Reigns, with the help of Jey Uso, defeated Edge and Daniel Bryan in a triple threat match to retain the Universal Championship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Roman Reigns kept his word: WrestleMania 37 Exclusive, April 11, 2021\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uzSMaQSNRm8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Items Advertised by WWE<\/h4>\n<p>We come out of WrestleMania and head towards WrestleMania Backlash (which by the way, I\u2019m only calling Backlash going forward) which take place on May 16. Aside from hyping what\u2019s next for Universal Champion Roman Reigns and new Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion Bianca Belair, WWE has advertised two matches for tonight as well as debuting a new analyst.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Robert Roode &amp; Dolph Ziggler to defend SmackDown Tag Team Titles against The Street Profits this Friday night.<\/li>\n<li>Rey Mysterio and Otis set for clash of styles on SmackDown.<\/li>\n<li>Pat McAfee joins Friday Night SmackDown announce team.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Dolph Ziggler &amp; Robert Roode (champs) vs. Street Profits (Montez Ford &amp; Angelo Dawkins)<\/h4>\n<p>As mentioned earlier, Dolph Ziggler &amp; Robert Roode retained the Smackdown Tag Team Championship in a fatal four-way last week. Montez Ford hit Chad Gable with a Frog Splash, not realizing that Roode blind tagged himself in. Ziggler hit Ford with a superkick, allowing Roode to pin Gable for the win.<\/p>\n<p>Because of this, I suppose, the Street Profits are getting another shot at tag team gold tonight as they challenge Roode &amp; Ziggler for the championship. Roode &amp; Ziggler defeated the Profits back in January on an episode of Smackdown. Here\u2019s Ford on Twitter:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/MontezFordWWE\/status\/1382857371899326469?s=20<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Friday Night we prove once again;  <br \/>WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WK1zkadYyC\">https:\/\/t.co\/WK1zkadYyC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nic Nemeth (@NicTNemeth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NicTNemeth\/status\/1382886470827016198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: I have a feeling the Profits are regaining the titles tonight. It\u2019s hard to get excited or really provide any sound analysis when we just saw them challenge for the titles last week, even if it was a fatal four-way.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Rey Mysterio vs. Otis<\/h4>\n<p>Speaking of the tag team division, the Mysterios (Rey &amp; Dominik) and the Alpha Academy (Otis &amp; Chad Gable) have been involved with each other for several weeks lately. Aside from being involved in the fatal four-way championship match last week, they were on the losing end of an eight-man tag match involving the same teams (the Mysterios were aligned with the Street Profits).<\/p>\n<p>Tonight, it\u2019s singles action as Otis takes on Rey one-on-one. Back on March 19, Otis pinned Rey in an impromptu tag team match featuring the Mysterios against the Alpha Academy. This followed the Mysterios defeating the Street Profits. Here\u2019s Otis on Twitter:<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1305098891\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/otiswwe\/status\/1382853952576831489?s=20<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: Rey is certainly in an interesting spot here. I still think there\u2019s better use of him. Anything is better than taking pins to Otis who was booked to lose the Money in the Bank (which he won accidentally) to the Miz thanks to Tucker (who\u2019s been released). This is the same guy that had his eye \u201cgouged\u201d by Seth Rollins. On the other hand, I\u2019m into the pairing of Otis &amp; Chad Gable, but not at the expense of Rey.<\/em><\/p>\n<h4>Pat McAfee New Analyst<\/h4>\n<p>Pat McAfee will replace Corey Graves as the analyst alongside Michael Cole. Graves will now appear on Raw alongside Byron Saxton and Adnan Virk. Pat had appeared mostly on NXT kickoff shows and most recently was involved in a feud with Adam Cole. Cole defeated McAfee one-on-one back in August at Takeover 30.<\/p>\n<p>McAfee is a former punter for the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. He is the host of the daily streaming sports show \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show\u201d and the podcast \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show 2.0.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: I have a feeling McAfee will do well. He was portraying a heel mostly in NXT, so it\u2019ll be interesting if he comes across as a heel commentator. WWE hasn\u2019t truly had the \u201cbabyface announcer\/heel commentator\u201d dynamic in quite some time.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankPeteani. Thank you for reading!<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3582451248\"><div id=\"pwtor-3712906639\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER APRIL 16, 2021 TAMPA, FL. IN THE THUNDERDOME AT THE YUENGLING CENTER AIRS ON FOX NETWORK, 8:00 p.m. EST BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH.COM CONTRIBUTOR Announcers: Michael Cole and Pat <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2021\/04\/16\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-primer-4-16-continued-wrestlemania-fallout-smackdown-tag-team-championship-match-rey-vs-otis-mcafee-debuts-as-commentator\/\" title=\"WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN PRIMER 4\/16: Continued WrestleMania Fallout, Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match, Rey vs. Otis, McAfee Debuts as Commentator\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":117296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,52,4403,27,5893,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-smackdown-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2021\/04\/wwe-roman-reigns-universal-championship-1246327-1280x0-1.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117295"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117298,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117295\/revisions\/117298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}