source: WWE
It's the slightly less memorable Smackdown after Mania, which has debuts on a lower scale, but overall a great night for women in wrestling!
source: WWE
Shane McMahon appoints a new General Manager
Shane comes out to the ring, thanking the fans for their support for WrestleMania. He acknowledges that Daniel Bryan is no longer GM, and, while reminding the crowd that Smackdown is the “land of opportunity”, he introduces the new GM: Paige.
Paige thanks Shane for the opportunity, and tells fans that as her first act as GM, she wants to make tonight special for them. She says that Daniel Bryan will compete on TV for the first time in 3 years tonight against AJ Styles.
Opinion:
After Paige’s sad retirement speech on Raw last night, I was wondering where her “next step” would be. No matter what, I knew that nothing would be better than her time in WWE. Appointing her as Smackdown GM was a great move, as she’s great on the microphone and I know she can deliver in a non-wrestling role. It was a smart idea for Paige to make the AJ and Bryan match, getting fans even more on her side.
source: WWE
New Day vs. Bludgeon Brothers
Winners: New Day
Highlights:
Big E jumps onto the apron, but Jey Uso rolls out of the way and E lands on his chest
Jimmy jumps over the top rope and splashes onto E
E suicide dives Jimmy off the apron
Jimmy and Jey deliver a superkick to Big E at the same time
The Usos win with a frog splash
The Bludgeon Brothers’ music hits, and they stand on the stage with their mallets
Opinion:
I’m glad the Usos are earning a bit of their street cred back after losing at WrestleMania. While they were robbed of a proper WrestleMania moment, I’m glad they’re getting a second chance at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
source: WWE
Naomi vs. Natalya
Winner: Naomi
Highlights:
Before the match, Nattie comes up to Naomi and tells her what a disappointment her victory in the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal was
Naomi challenges Natalya to a match before she is “shipped off to Raw”
Natalya spins Naomi around and drops her in a powerbomb
Naomi delivers a split leg moonsault to Nattie for the victory
Opinion:
It was a good idea to keep Naomi hot after her battle royal victory. Hopefully, Naomi can keep up the match wins and it can lead to a title opportunity on either Smackdown or Raw.
source: WWE
Charlotte looks for new competition
After her victory over Asuka at WrestleMania, Charlotte says she’s looking for new people to face. She is cut off by the Iconics, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay from NXT. They say that her match at Mania was good, but it wasn’t iconic.
Royce and Kay make fun of Charlotte for being thankful for her victory at Mania, and they tell her to stop looking in the past when she’s looking at the future. Flair attacks Kay and Royce, but the numbers game catches up to her. Billie and Peyton send her Rollins over the announce table twice and send her into the post.
She tries to get up, but the Iconics step on her hands and send her into the steel steps. They double powerbomb her, bring her into the ring and retreat, holding hands as they walk up the ramp.
Before they leave, Carmella runs down the ramp, screaming at the ref to cash in her contract. Carmella hits Charlotte with a superkick and wins the Smackdown Women’s Championship! Celebrating, she stands on the announce table and wields the title.
Opinion:
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are the mean girl heels that the WWE desperately needed. While Mickie and Alexa are the resident bag guys on Raw, they aren’t the same—Mickie is Alexa’s sidekick, and Alexa is just a great heel. I love that the Iconics are equals, and if one wins, they both do.
I’m so excited that Carmella won! While she would have gotten more heat by defeating Asuka’s streak, I don’t doubt that this is her time. The way she taunted Charlotte after winning the title was great, and I love that she’s made it her “thing” to scream and yell and not be very good. The era of Carmella is here, and I can’t wait for it.
Taking the title off of Charlotte allows her to be in a feud with the Iconics without championship implications. This way, Royce and Kay have a relevant first opponent that they can defeat without having to earn the titles right off the bat.
source: WWE
Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton
United States Championship #1 Contender Match
Winner: Randy Orton
Highlights:
Jinder Mahal sits ringside in a comfortable chair with a rug under it
Orton gives Rusev a belly-to-back suplex onto the announce table
Rusev picks up a distracted Orton and delivers a belly-to-back suplex onto the announce table
Rusev hits Bobby Roode with a Matchka Kick
Orton sends Rusev into the post and gives Roode an RKO for the win
Opinion:
It’s official, I don’t care about the US title picture anymore. I don’t really find Jinder Mahal or Randy Orton interesting anymore, and I feel like both of them have reached their full potential in the past. They don’t really up their game anymore. If you’re windering what I mean, go ahead and look at any Jinder or Randy promo in the past few months—it’s always about how Americans suck for some reason for Mahal, and Orton doesn’t give many promos, but when he does, they’re all about the RKO out of nowhere. I don’t know if I’ll ever be interested in this feud.
source: WWE
Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
Winner: N/A (Disqualification)
Highlights:
Styles jumps over the top rope and hits Bryan with a forearm outside the ring
Bryan hits Styles with the yes kicks
Daniel traps AJ in an arm bar
AJ reverses into a calf crusher
Styles hits a Pele kick
Bryan briefly locks in the yes lock before Styles reaches the bottom rope with his foot
Shinsuke Nakamura appears out of nowhere, delivering a Kinshasa to Bryan
Nakamura delivers a low blow to Styles before hitting him with a Kinshasa
Opinion:
Heel Nakamura is so much better than I expected! He got major heat from the crowd, and his low blow maneuver is a fantastic new finish. I look forward to seeing what he can do more as a bad guy.
Daniel Bryan’s first match on TV in a while was great, and I liked being able to have a taste of what he could do in a ring with AJ Styles. I’m glad there was a false finish, because that match could and would have been able to go way longer. It made me nervous when Bryan tweaked his knee, and I don’t care if it was real or not—it’s way too soon for them to be playing us like that.
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