WWE SmackDown Results 4/26/24
WWE SmackDown Results 4/26/24
Heritage Bank Center
Cincinnati, Ohio
You can follow me on Twitter @TheHootsPodcast
Commentators: (Corey Graves & Wade Barrett)
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Transcription by Josh Lopez
Paul Heyman Interview
Kayla Braxton: Standing by here with Paul Heyman. And Paul, as Night One of the WWE Draft, and there’s already a lot of rumors circulating about what’s going to happen, including rumors about the tribal chief, Roman Reigns.
Paul Heyman: Well, let me clarify that for you, Kayla. These are not rumors regarding your tribal chief, Roman Reigns. These are facts. Ladies and gentlemen, your tribal chief, Roman Reigns, has withdrawn from eligibility for the 2024 Draft. This is not a negative, this is a positive. Who built SmackDown since the pandemic? Roman Reigns. Who is the biggest star in the entire industry? Roman Reigns. Why would Roman Reigns hog the number one draft pick spotlight when Roman Reigns is not returning in the immediate future. Read into my words, Kayla, that is not what a real Tribal Chief would do. Instead, now, the pressure is on Nick Aldis, because if Roman Reigns is not the first draft pick, then who is? Whoever are the first two draft picks, they make history in a brand-new era. I don’t know about you, but me, I’m intrigued.
Kayla Braxton: Alright, well now we’re going to toss things down to Orlando, Florida, at the NXT Performance Center, with Jackie Redmond. Hey, Jackie.
Jackie Redmond: Kayla, let me tell you, the emotion here inside the NXT Performance Center, oh, it is palpable excitement, and a little bit of nervousness. Let me tell you something, for these NXT Superstars, tonight is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, dedication, a little bit of luck, and whole lot of self-belief. Just last year, it was current WWE Tag Team Champion, Grayson Waller, hoping that he would hear his name, and be drafted, look at him now. And you know, Corey, it’s funny we call this NXT, but tonight we’re buying a vowel, we are throwing a E in there, and we’re asking this very important question. Who’s next? We find out tonight, back to you.
Cody Rhodes & AJ Styles Contract Signing
AJ Styles: Before I sign this, I don’t know if you realize what we have here, we have two Georgia boy’s ready to mix it up for the first time, for the biggest prize of the game. And I could understand why you’d boo me, I understand that I get it. But you got to know that I don’t respect LA Knight, and he got under my skin. I accept it. Hey, that’s why I lost at WrestleMania. But what happened? I got my composure back, and I realized that I am phenomenal. And I beat LA Knight to earn the right to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash. Now, unlike LA Knight, I respect you, Cody, I really do. We haven’t crossed paths yet, but we’ve been down the same roads. And we had to prove ourselves outside of WWE. And I’m willing to believe that the same man that gave me advice a long time ago, gave you the same advice, Cody. How to stand on our own two feet and be the man we are today. And he goes by the name of, The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. I learn a lot from your dad. He was a good man. He taught me how to carry myself, and how to carry the weight of a championship. And I look at this right here, and the weight isn’t just of leather and gold, and at Backlash, we’re going to see if you could carry it.
– Styles signs the contract.
Cody Rhodes: So, Cincinnati, what do we want to talk about? Certainly, we can talk about respect. There is not a locker room on earth that you’ll find where everyone in it, every single person, they all respect AJ Styles. Last week, I went on to say, you are the modern-day excellence of execution. I respect the roads that you have traveled to get here, the parallel paths that perhaps you and I had. Much respect, mutual respect. But that respect goes by the wayside at Backlash. I can feel it in your words, to a degree, you’ve been here before. And it seems like you’re implying that I cannot carry the weight of that championship. Well, good thing the man who trained me, not far from where I’m sitting now, he used to tell me all the time, it was not about winning the title, it’s about keeping it. And boy do I respect your familiarity with my last name, but when I put C.O.D.Y in front of it, on this paper, that means that we’ve never touched before. That means that, at Backlash, this is a level playing field. That means that no matter how phenomenal you are, this i not a dream match for me, it’s a must win.
– Cody signs the contract.
AJ Styles: You know, Cody, it was a beautiful thing to see you finish your story and get the championship. But it is a shame that your title reign is going to end at Backlash.
Cody and AJ shakes hands as the segment closes.
Round One Of The 2024 WWE Draft
Triple H: Welcome to the first round of the 2024 Draft. This is a night that changes the landscape of WWE going into the future. And the draft here is a bit different, because as those general managers sit in the back in those war rooms, pondering their next step, they have to understand that it’s just as much about protecting the roster they have as it is bringing in the roster that they want. Meaning that when they use their pick, they have just as much a chance of gaining a WWE Superstar as they do losing one that they already have. Cody, I thought since champions are protected, and you’ll be staying right here on SmackDown, I thought maybe you could help me out here, and you read the SmackDown picks, and I’ll read the Raw picks. Since it is SmackDown, you get to go first.
Cody Rhodes: With the first pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects “The EST Of WWE” Bianca BelAir.
Triple H: The second pick in the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects “Main Event” Jey Uso.
Cody Rhodes: With the third pick of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects NXT’s Carmelo Hayes.
Triple H: Carmelo Hayes is a hell of a pick, I like that. The final pick in the first round, Raw selects Seth Freakin’ Rollins.
Carmelo Hayes: Hey, when they talk about whose next up, when they talk about who is the hottest out, they don’t call him the hottest out, they call him Carmelo Hayes. And Cody, ever since you’ve won that championship, I’ve been hearing you talk a lot about, if you come to the king, you best not miss. And that’s funny how that works, because one thing about is me, when I shoot, I don’t miss. And as a first-round draft pick, I can’t think of a better way to shoot my shot here on SmackDown, then to shoot it against you.
Cody Rhodes: Fortune certainly favors the bull. I don’t know, you folks don’t want to see me in action tonight, do you? Oh, I don’t know, what if I forgot my gear. Oh, that’s right, I didn’t forget my gear. And this right here, for me, means absolutely one hundred percent, you’re on.
First Match: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee w/The LWO vs. Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo w/Legado Del Fantasma
Dragon Lee and Humberto Carrillo will start things off. Carrillo with an Inside Out Lariat. Carrillo with a knife edge chop. Carrillo whips Lee across the ring. Lee ducks a clothesline from Carrillo. Lee with a Headscissors Takeover. Lee lands The SomerSault Plancha. Lee rolls Carrillo back into the ring. Lee with a Flying Crossbody Block for a two count. Lee applies a front face lock. Carrillo punches Lee in the back. Carrillo applies a waist lock. Lee with three sharp elbow strikes. Garza tags himself in. Garza sends Lee tumbling to the floor. Legado has complete control of the match during the commercial break. Mysterio and Garza are tagged in. Mysterio ducks a clothesline from Garza. Mysterio with a Tilt-A-Whirl Headscissors Takeover. Garza launches Mysterio over the top rope. Mysterio rocks Garza with a forearm smash. Mysterio with The Flying Seated Senton.
Mysterio kicks Garza in the gut. Mysterio hits Code Red for a two count. Carrillo goes for a PowerBomb, but Mysterio counters with a Hurricanrana over the top rope. Garza goes for a Vertical Suplex, but Mysterio lands back on his feet. Garza kicks Mysterio in the gut. Garza poses for the crowd. Garza goes for The Wing Clipper, but Mysterio counters with a Hurricanrana into the middle rope. Mysterio tags in Lee. Mysterio delivers The 619. Lee connects with Project Dragon to pickup the victory. After the match, Santos Escobar ruins The LWO’s celebration. Escobar says that he’s many things, but a liar isn’t one of them. When he said that he did not attack Dragon Lee, the evening before WrestleMania XL, he meant it. Elektra has been working for weeks to track down the security footage from that weekend. What Mysterio is about to see, he’s going to find very interesting. The security footage shows Carlito as the man who took out Dragon Lee. Carlito shoves Lee into Mysterio. Carlito plants Lee with The Backstabber. Carlito proceeds to hightail it out of the Heritage Bank Center.
Winner: Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee via Pinfall
– We see Bubba Ray Dudley, Teddy Long and Michelle McCool in the SmackDown War Room. Meanwhile, JBL, D-Von Dudley and Torrie Wilson are in the Raw War Room with Adam Pearce.
– Tiffany Stratton brags about taking out Bayley and Naomi last week. She wants to know when Nick Aldis is going to give her a title match. Nick says that it’s not Tiffy Time, and he was considering sending her to the back of the line, but Bayley convinced him otherwise. Tiffany will have another match with Naomi and the winner will face Bayley for the WWE Women’s Championship at Backlash. Bayley calls this a win-win situation for everybody. Tiffany says that Bayley should come to the ringside so she can get a sneak preview of what’s going to happen in France.
Second Match: Bron Breakker vs. Cedric Alexander
Alexander ducks a clothesline from Breakker. Alexander with a chop/forearm combination. Breakker reverses out of the irish whip from Alexander. Alexander goes for The Neuralyzer, but Breakker counters with The Spear to pickup the victory.
Winner: Bron Breakker via Pinfall
– Paul Heyman welcomes Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga as they arrive to the arena. Solo asks Heyman if The Bloodline was drafted yet? Solo wants Heyman to give him all of the details. Roman Reigns withdrew from the draft before the show went on the air. And since Solo is now adding members, it means that nobody knows who they’re getting if they were to draft The Bloodline. Solo doesn’t seem to be impressed with that answer. Kevin Owens jumps Tama Tonga from behind, and massive pull apart brawl ensues.
Round Two Of The 2024 WWE Draft
Michelle McCool: With the first pick of the second round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects “The Viper” Randy Orton.
Torrie Wilson: And with the second pick of the second round of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects Bron Breakker.
Michelle McCool: With the third pick of the second round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects Nia Jax.
Torrie Wilson: And with the final pick of the second round, Raw selects Liv Morgan.
Bianca BelAir Interview
Kayla Braxton: Bianca, first of all, congratulations on being the first overall pick. But let’s talk Backlash, one week from Saturday, you and your tag team partner, Jade Cargill, have the opportunity to dethrone The Kabuki Warriors. How satisfying will that victory be on a stage of that magnitude in Lyon, France?
Bianca BelAir: So satisfying, you know, I really hope that Jade gets drafted to SmackDown on Monday, because I have a lot of history with Damage CTRL. And while I’ve had a lot of amazing women fight alongside me, I have never been the one that’s finally gotten the opportunity to put end to Damage CTRL for everything that they’ve done to me and this division. And Jade is the perfect person to do that. Now, Damage CTRL is falling apart, piece by piece, and that final piece is those tag team titles. So, once Jade and I take those titles at Backlash, The Kabuki Warriors won’t even have a reason to show up back here on SmackDown.
– The Kabuki Warriors appears and confronts BelAir. And on cue, Jade Cargill comes out before The Kabuki Warriors can attack BelAir.
– The Kevin Owens and Tama Tonga brawl has now spilled into the ring. Solo Sikoa attacks Owens from behind. Tonga starts laying out the security guards. Randy Orton storms into the ring to make the save. Orton clotheslines Tonga. Orton is throwing haymakers at Solo. Solo denies The RKO. Solo retreats to the outside. Owens still wants to fight, but he’s restrained by the security guards.
Round Three Of The 2024 WWE Draft
Bubba Ray Dudley: With the first pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects LA Knight.
D-Von Dudley: With the second pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects Ricochet.
Bubba Ray Dudley: With the third pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects The Bloodline
D-Von Dudley: And with the final pick of the third round of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects Sheamus.
Third Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi. The Winner Will Battle Bayley For The WWE Women’s Championship At WWE Backlash
Bayley joins the commentary for this match. Naomi starts things off with The Lou Thez Press. Naomi transitions into a ground and pound attack. Naomi whips Stratton across the ring. Stratton holds onto the ropes. Stratton retreats to the outside. Naomi with a Baseball Slide Dropkick. Naomi dribbles Stratton’s head on the ring apron. Naomi rolls Stratton back into the ring. Naomi dives over Stratton. Stratton with a drop toe hold into the middle rope. Stratton with a Running Hip Attack. Naomi buries her shoulder into the midsection of Stratton. Naomi hits The Heat Seeker on the apron. Naomi with a Splitting Scissors Kick off the apron. Stratton regains control of the match during the commercial break. Stratton drops Naomi with The SpineBuster for a two count.
Stratton sends Naomi to the corner. Naomi with The Sunset Flip for a two count. Stratton drives her knee into the midsection of Naomi. Stratton whips Naomi across the ring. Naomi slides under a clothesline from Stratton. Naomi with a Mule Kick. Naomi with a Headscissors Driver for a two count. Stratton blocks The Running Bulldog. Both ladies are knocked down after a double face plant. Naomi kicks Stratton in the chest. Naomi with forearm shivers. Naomi with a Step Up Enzuigiri. Naomi follows that with a Running Bulldog into the middle turnbuckle pad. Nia Jax attacks Bayley from behind. Stratton avoids The Split Legged MoonSault. Naomi tees off on Jax. Jax sends Naomi face first into the steel ring post which forces the referee to call off the match. After the match, Jax drops Bayley with a Running Body Avalanche. Stratton rolls Bayley and Naomi back into the ring. Stratton connects with The Double PME.
Match Result: No-Contest
– Byron Saxton had a backstage interview with The Street Profits and B-Fab. Bobby Lashley is nowhere to be found, and Montez is having a panic attack over it. Byron brings up the coming tag team title match The Street Profits have against A-Town Down Under. B-Fab don’t care where they’re getting drafted because the boys will be coming home with tag team gold after next week. A-Town Down Under joins the conversation. Grayson Waller pokes fun at Dawkins favorite team, the Cincinnati Bengals.
– Coming out of commercial break, we see The Final Testament demolishing The New Catch Republic in the backstage area. Kross promises that regardless of which brand they get drafted to, the violence will continue until they get what they want.
Round Four Of The 2024 WWE Draft
Teddy Long: With the first pick of the fourth round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects AJ Styles.
JBL: With the second pick of the fourth round of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects The Alpha Academy.
Teddy Long: With the third pick of the fourth round of the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selects Andrade El Idolo
JBL: And with the final pick of the fourth round of the 2024 WWE Draft, Raw selects Kiana James.
Jackie Redmond: Kiana, congratulations, you are heading to Monday Night Raw. Over 100 eligible NXT Superstars, only two names were called, you are one of them. How much does this mean to you right now?
Kiana James: It means the world to me. I’m just filled with gratitude, but honestly I know that every decision that I’ve made so far is by design to get me to this exact moment. And I’m so proud of everything I’ve got to do in NXT, but I’m ready to show Raw exactly why Kiana James is the one percent.
Shawn Michaels gives Kiana James a hug.
– Kayla Braxton had a backstage interview with Nick Aldis. He’s feeling pretty good with his selections so far. He’s excited for his new crew to show out, set up and lead the blue brand to the next level. But he’s going to turn his attention to Backlash because he has a couple of matches to announce. Bayley will defend her WWE Women’s Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton. Teddy Long informs us that The Bloodline will take on Randy Orton and Kevin Owens.
– Next week on SmackDown, Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles will have a face-to-face confrontation. The Authors Of Pain will battle The New Catch Republic. A-Town Down Under will put their WWE Tag Team Titles on the line against The Street Profits. Plus, The RKO Show with special guest Kevin Owens.
Fourth Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Carmelo Hayes
Collar and Elbow Tie Up. Rhodes applies a side headlock. Hayes whips Rhodes across the ring. Hayes drops down on the canvas. Hayes leapfrogs over Rhodes. Rhodes with a drop down uppercut. Hayes with a throat thrust. Hayes follows that with a Springboard Clothesline. Rhodes explodes out of the corner with a running clothesline. Rhodes asks Hayes if he’s ready. Rhodes has complete control of the match during the commercial break. Rhodes with a side headlock takeover. Hayes answers with a headscissors escape. Hayes with a knife edge chop. Hayes pie faces Rhodes. Rhodes with forearm shivers. Hayes reverses out of the irish whip from Rhodes. Hayes decks Rhodes with a back elbow smash. Hayes kicks Rhodes in the ribs. Hayes with a chop/forearm combination. Hayes stomps on Rhodes chest. Hayes with a straight right hand. Hayes is choking Rhodes with his boot. Chop Exchange. Rhodes sends Hayes to the corner. Rhodes with a Back Body Drop.
Rhodes clotheslines Hayes. Rhodes dives over Hayes. Hayes drops Rhodes with The La Mistica. Hayes delivers The Fade Away for a two count. Hayes applies a nerve hold. Hayes fights out of the fireman’s carry position. Hayes goes for The Cross Rhodes, but Rhodes counters with an inside cradle for a two count. Rhodes kicks the right hand of Hayes. Rhodes with The Disaster Kick for a two count. Hayes HeadButts Rhodes. Forearm Exchange. Rhodes with a Running Powerslam for a two count. Rhodes hits The Cody Cutter for a two count. Rhodes goes for a Belly to Back Suplex, but Hayes lands back on his feet. Hayes nails Rhodes with The First 48. Rhodes avoids Nothing But Net. Rhodes SuperKicks Hayes. Hayes dodges The Cody Cutter. Hayes goes for a DDT, but Rhodes counters with The CrossRhodes to pickup the victory. After the match, Rhodes gives Hayes his stamp of approval. AJ Styles slid into the ring as Rhodes was celebrating on the turnbuckles. We have a huge standoff in the center of the ring. Rhodes shakes hands with Styles as the show goes off the air.
Winner: Cody Rhodes via Pinfall
Checkout Episode 410 of The Hoots Podcast
