On the second-to-last SmackDown before WrestleMania, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is set to appear. We’ll hear from Rhodes for one of the last times before his title defense against John Cena, which will headline night two of Mania on Sunday, April 20.
It was officially announced this week that Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest will take place at WrestleMania. After their most recent interaction saw Priest put McIntyre through the windshield of a car, the two will have a face-to-face confrontation tonight.
The WrestleMania challengers for WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez will be determined tonight by a gauntlet match.
Plus, Rey Fenix will have his second match in a WWE ring, going head-to-head with Berto. Fenix made his debut last week by defeating Nathan Frazer.
Tonight’s show is being held at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Joe Tessitore welcomed everyone into the show as shots of Seattle aired. Those shots quickly turned into shots of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
– Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, Berto, Angel, Santos Escobar, Rey Fenix and Cody Rhodes were all shown in various places backstage.
– Footage of Kevin Owens’s announcement from last week aired. Nick Aldis was shown in the middle of the ring.
The Nick Aldis/Randy Orton/Solo Sikoa segment
I was really kind of hoping they’d put Aldis in the spot with Orton for Mania, but it appears that won’t be the case. It was odd – the crowd seemed to pop for the idea at first, but when Aldis talked about working his ass off for 20 years to get to WWE and then paused for what he presumably thought would be some cheers, you could hear a pin drop. Anyway, I can’t say Orton vs. Sikoa at Mania does much for me, but perhaps they’ll make it interesting with a pivot between now and then. Here’s hoping Aldis gets a shot to actually lace them up in WWE someday, though. He really did work his ass off for 20 years to get there.
Loud Randy Orton chants broke out as Aldis spoke. Aldis said he was instructed to maintain his professionalism, and because he’s a man of his word, he invited Randy Orton to come to the ring. Orton’s music hit and Orton made his way to the ring. The crowd was hot for the segment as Aldis and Orton stood quiet. Orton said he could tell by the look in Aldis’s eyes that he took last week very, very personally. Orton recalled how he gave Aldis an RKO a year ago and he paid a fine. Orton said he paid a fine for last week’s RKO and because of that, they are even.
Orton said he wanted to speak to Aldis about not having a match at WrestleMania. Orton said it would be his 20th time competing at WrestleMania and Orton needed Aldis to do his job and get Orton an opponent. Orton said he didn’t what it took – perhaps Aldis could lose his suit for the night and gear up for the night. Aldis said he busted his ass for 20 years to make it to the WWE – he then paused and the crowd booed. Aldis said he didn’t need Orton’s money; he needed Orton’s respect. The crowd chanted “RKO!” loudly.
Orton said Aldis has his respect, but if Aldis doesn’t deliver on a match for Orton, he can’t apologize to Mickie James for doing what he’s going to do if he doesn’t get his match. Solo Sikoa’s music hit and Sikoa walked out with Tama Tonga. Sikoa told Aldis to tell Orton to get out of the ring. Sikoa said nobody wanted to hear Orton cry. Sikoa said nobody cares if Orton has a Mania match and it’s over for Orton because he’s in the past. Sikoa said Jacob Fatu will walk out of Mania as the new U.S. Champion while Orton will be sitting at home all alone.
Orton said it was funny that they had the balls to interrupt him. Orton talked about how his voices have been knocking and he invited them into the ring to beat “two Samoan boys up.” Sikoa and Tonga stepped into the ring and the numbers got the best of Orton as Aldis sat at ringside. LA Knight’s music hit and Knight ran to the ring to even things out. Knight and Orton got the best of Sikoa and Tonga. Knight grabbed a microphone and said, “again, again and again, it’s the same damn thing” with Sikoa and Tonga. Knight challenged Sikoa and Tonga to a match between them and Orton and Knight. Aldis made the match official for later.
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– A video recap of Pat McAfee’s Big Night Aht aired.
– Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez sat at ringside for the next match.
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria won the No. 1 Contender’s Gauntlet Match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship [20:02 of TV time]
This might have been the expected outcome, but there was a lot of really good action in this thing, even if it was brief – some of the legs of the gauntlet only lasted a couple minutes when it came to what was actually shown on television. Still, everyone on every team worked hard and this exceeded my expectations. With commercials, it took up about 40 minutes of the first hour of the show, so that’s got to mean something … right? Meanwhile, I wonder if this leads to Bayley vs. Valkyria Part 2 after their very good match on Monday’s Raw. The biggest ball of fire here? Carter & Chance, who came in looking inspired and brought a bunch of high-octane moments to their limited time in the match. Good on them for making the most of what they were given. Really, though – good on everyone involved for making the most of what was given to them.
Lyra Valkyria & Bayley squared off against Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark to begin the gauntlet. Bayley and Baszler began the match with Baszler working Bayley’s arm. Stark tagged in and kept the attention on Bayley’s arm. Bayley came back with an arm-drag, but Stark popped up with a clothesline and tagged Baszler back into the match. Valkyria tagged in and landed a bridge suplex on Baszler for a two-count. With Baszler on the outside, Valkyria set up for a dive, but Stark came off the top to cut Valkyria off. Baszler suplexed Valkyria and Stark came off the top with a neck-breaker. Baszler set Valkyria up, but Valkyria rolled onto Baszler and advanced her team.
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark to advance in the gauntlet match [3:20].
Natalya & Maxxine Dupri made their entrance as the next team in the match as the show went to a commercial break. The show returned and Valkyria was in the ring with Natalya briefly until Bayley tagged in. Natalya welcomed her with a twisting clothesline. Dupri tagged in to a loud pop and hit a cross-body from the top rope for a two-count on Bayley. Dupri fired up and landed a splash on both Bayley and Valkyria in a corner. Dupri did her Worm elbow-drop, but Bayley kicked out. Dupri went for a Sharpshooter and Bayley rolled Dupri to advance.
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated Natalya & Maxxine Dupri to advance in the gauntlet match [2:03 of TV time].
Kayden Carter & Katana Chance rushed to the ring as the next team in the match and hit a bunch of double-team moves on Bayley. After their fury, Bayley hit an elbow drop on Carter for a two-count. Valkyria tagged in and Carter landed a running boot to Valkyria’s head. Carter and Chance hit the Keg Stand, but Valkyria kicked out. Carter landed a Corkscrew dive onto Bayley on the outside while inside the ring, Valkyria landed Night Wing on Chance to advance.
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated Kayden Carter & Katana Chance to advance in the gauntlet match [2:07].
Michin & B-Fab made their entrance as the show went to another commercial break. Back from that break, B-Fab gave Valkyria a boot to the face. Michin tagged in and went to work on Valkyria until Valkyria slowed Michin down and tagged in Bayley. Michin didn’t flinch and gave Bayley a Tornado DDT for a two-count. B-Fab tagged in and kicked Bayley in the face. B-Fab landed a sort of front-neck-breaker for a two-count. Michin dropkicked Valkyria and hit a splash on her while she was on the outside. Meanwhile, on the inside, Bayley hit the Rose Plant on B-Fab to advance.
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated B-Fab & Michin to advance in the gauntlet match [2:01 of TV time].
Piper Niven and Alba Fyre made their entrance as the final team in the gauntlet. Fyre went to work on Bayley, turning her attention to Bayley’s leg as Niven ran Valkyria into the ring steps on the outside. Niven hit a Senton on Bayley for a two-count. The show then went to another commercial break. The show returned and Niven slammed Bayley. Niven then slammed Fyre onto Bayley for a two-count. Niven tagged in and Bayley DDT’d Niven and Fyre at the same time.
Valkyria ultimately received the hot tag and Valkyria landed a cross-body onto Niven. Valkyria hit a Tornado DDT on Niven and went for a fisherman’s suplex, but Niven countered into a suplex of her own. Niven went to the second rope and saluted the crowd, but Valkyria cut Niven off and powerbombed her. Bayley tagged in and hit the flying elbow from the top rope, but Niven kicked out at one. Niven followed that with a sidewalk slam on Bayley. Fyre tagged in and and hit what appeared to be the Secret Hervice’s finisher, but Valkyria barely broke the pin up at 2.99999 to keep things going.
All four women brawled in the middle of the ring. Bayley hit a Bayley-To-Belly on Fyre while Niven landed a headbutt on Valkyria. Valkyria pushed Niven to the outside and the two then battled on the apron. Valkyria powerbombed Niven onto the floor and Fyre rolled Bayley up for a near-fall. Fyre lifted Bayley, but Bayley got loose and tagged in Valkyria. Bayley hit Rose Plan and Valkyria came off the top with a leg drop, which got her team the win.
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria defeated Piper Niven & Alba Fyre to win the gauntlet match. [10:31]
After the match, Morgan and Rodriguez entered the ring to engage in a stare down with Bayley and Valkyria.
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– Tessitore explained that Charlotte and Tiffy have been disciplined due to what happened last week. A video recapping the Priest/McIntyre car spot from two weeks ago then aired.
– A video looking at The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18 aired.
The Damian Priest/Drew McIntyre segment
A lot of good energy here and both guys sold the hell out of that Future Shock DDT on the ring steps. I actually thought we wouldn’t see more of Priest after he went away at first, but I was glad to see him get back to the ring to mix things up some more – even if it didn’t quite benefit him in the end. They’ve worked hard to heat this thing up and all things honest, I didn’t think they could do much with the program. But these brawl segments, complete with the real-glass-windshield spot two weeks ago, have helped this viewer gain at least a moderate amount of interest in what’s happening between McIntyre and Priest. I’m not so sure the match is a year in the making, like McIntyre claimed during his promo, but we’re better off today on this than we were yesterday, and that’s thanks to the wrestlers’ commitment to getting this match over.
Damian Priest made his entrance and while he was doing so, Drew McIntyre attacked him from behind. McIntyre slammed Priest into an LED board in the entranceway. Priest was helped to the back and McIntyre grabbed a microphone. McIntyre used some eye/seeing puns and called McIntyre said Priest benefited every time McIntyre got screwed. McIntyre noted how Priest challenged McIntyre to street fight even though McIntyre has only one eye, because that’s the kind of man Priest is. McIntyre’s remarks were getting cheers from the crowd. McIntyre ripped his eye patch off and said he is 100 percent cleared, which means Priest will be 100 percent screwed at Mania.
Priest reappeared in the entranceway and fought off officials to get back to Drew. In the ring, Priest gave Drew a clothesline and a splash in a corner. Priest then clotheslined Drew over the top to the outside. While on the outside, McIntyre grabbed the steel steps and rammed them into Priest’s head. Drew was bleeding from somewhere and pushed the officials away. From there, McIntyre hit the Future Shock DDT on Priest onto the ring steps. McIntyre then ripped a necklace off Preist’s neck. McIntyre’s music hit to end the segment.
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– #DIY and Pretty Deadly were watching footage from #DIY’s match last week. Ciampa said he thinks there is a conspiracy to keep #DIY away from the tag titles. Pretty Deadly said Gargano and Ciampa have gone crazy. Elton Prince said desperation doesn’t look good on Gargano and Ciampa. Motor City Machine Guns walked into the frame after Pretty Deadly left. Chris Sabin said they’re going to face the Street Profits on next week’s SmackDown for the tag titles.
– A video celebrating Triple H, the King Of The Ring and the WWE Hall Of Fame aired.
Rey Fenix defeated Berto [10:42]
The post-match thing was kind of odd. I was expecting Escobar to turn around and attack Fenix, but maybe this means Fenix is Legado Del Fantasma bound. Unless if we’re supposed to buy Escobar as a babyface sometime soon. And … well … no. Or, we’ll just go boilerplate and Escobar ends up attacking Fenix next week. Either way, this match was more competitive than it needed to be. Fenix is WWE’s newest star and Berto has been treading water whenever they throw him on TV for a long time now. Nearly 11 minutes seemed like a bit much, but Berto delivered and Fenix did, too. This was probably Berto’s best singles match on the main roster … ever? Someone will correct me. This was really pretty good, though. Lots of good action tonight.
Fenix went for pins early on to no avail. Berto clotheslined the hell out of Fenix to slow things down. Berto landed a chop, but Fenix came right back with a kick to Berto’s midsection. Berto regained control with a series of boots. Fenix went to the top, but Berto pushed Fenix off and to the outside, where Berto hit a dive onto Fenix. The show then went to a commercial break.
The show returned and Berto still had the upper hand until he ran into a boot from Fenix. Fenix followed that up with a shotgun dropkick from the top rope. Fenix chopped Berto repeatedly and hit a moonsault headbutt from the top. Fenix followed up with a double-stomp on Berto’s back. Fenix fired up the crowd and hit a corkscrew splash over the ropes and to the outside. Back inside the ring, Fenix landed a rolling Frog Splash for a two-count.
Before long, Berto placed Fenix on the top rope and executed a leaping kick for a nice near-fall. Berto sunset-flipped Fenix and followed that with a sit-out powerbomb for another nice near-fall. Fenix was perched on the top and Berto chopped his chest. Fenix fought back and hit a jumping Frankensteiner, but Berto barely kicked out at 2.9. Berto came back with a stiff-looking powerbomb for a great near-fall. Berto went to the top and went for a moonsault, but Fenix got his feet up to reset things. Fenix walked the top rope and kicked Berto in the face. It wasn’t long after that when Fenix landed the Mexican Muscle Buster for the win.
After the match, Escobar walked out and made Berto shake Fenix’s hand. Berto did so begrudlingly. Escobar, himself, then shook Fenix’s hand and that ended things.
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– Byron Saxton interviewed Roxanne Perez backstage. Perez was in front of Aldis’s office. Perez said she was ready to steal the show because Tiffy can’t stand the pressure. Tiffy showed up out of nowhere and said Perez could learn something from her. The two squabbled and Aldis walked out of his office. Tiffy said she’d face Perez tonight in a match and Aldis said he’d think about it.
– A video about CM Punk and Paul Heyman’s relationship aired. It chronicled their history as best buds.
– Chelsea Green was trying to get into the trainers’ room to talk to Fyre and Niven, but the door was locked. Zelina Vega walked by and told Green she’d have to see what type of champion she really is. Vega then made her entrance for the next match.
Zelina Vega defeated Chelsea Green via count out [1:04]
This has to be the quickest 10 count in the history of wrestling. This was so awkward. The live crowd didn’t even appear to have an idea of what was happening when the bell rang to end the match. Umpf.
Green started the match by throwing her dress at Vega and attacking her. Green hit a dropkick that sent Vega to the outside. Green threw Vega into the crowd barrier and then dropped Vega on top of the commentary table. Green threw Vegan back into the ring and jawed at the commentary table. I guess that was enough for a 10 count and Green lost via count out.
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– Escobar was backstage and told Berto he was extremely disappointed in Berto. Escobar wanted to go find Fenix to congratulate him on a job well done. Angel left with Escobar after tapping Berto on the leg.
– In a separate segment, Andrade approached Berto and told him he’s a great wrestler and he needs to keep his head up. Berto stood up and told Andrade to mind his own business.
– A Naomi vignette aired. A Jade Cargill vignette aired right after that. Both were very good.
– Cody Rhodes made his entrance. A bunch of designs of former world titles were set up on tables inside the ring for his segment.
The Cody Rhodes segment
This was clever in a cute way, but it was made better because of Cody’s fire. His intensity made it work and that was kind of/sort of impressive, considering how he’s been forced to run solo so often in this build to his Mania main event. Cody’s logic is sound and the story they are telling works in its own way, but we can all agree at this point that the lack of tie-in to how or why Cena decided to align with The Rock to kick this whole thing off makes everything feel lacking in one way or another. Cena spent the first couple weeks whining about the fans. Things got a little better between the two since then, but this is still a story that has too many holes. Cody has done his best to keep the fire, though, and this was no exception. He deserves a lot of credit for keeping things afloat.
Cody fired up and already-fired-up crowd before he began talking. The Seattle crowd launched into the European Cody Rhodes chant. Cody said the crowd had him flustered and he thanked the crowd. Cody talked about when he “did Defy,” which made some people happy. Cody pointed to his title said it means he’s “the best wrestler in the world.” Cody said he’s blessed to carry that belt, but it won’t always be him. Cody said his Mania match is about keeping that title home. Cody said it’s about the 20 champions and not just him.
Cody said there is one man trying to take all that away – John Cena. “Let’s go Cena/Cena sucks!” chants started in the crowd and Cody paused. Cody said Cena has neglected to make Seattle part of his farewell tour and the crowd booed. Cody said Cena will be in Vegas for SmackDown next week. Cody said one thing Cena said that sticks with him is what Cena said about Cody’s tattoo – it’s that Cody is just a “common fan.” Cody said, “So what?” Cody says he has the tattoo for the same reason he wears suits and that’s to be somebody. Cody ran through the titles on the tables and paid homage to all the former WWE Champions. He mentioned “Latino Heat” and the crowd chanted “Eddie!”
Cody spun the spinner belt and mentioned Cena. Cody said Cena looks at the spinner belt and considers it a bad thing, but Cody doesn’t. Cody talked about how Cena said Cody isn’t authentic, but he said he’s the WWE Champion and Cena is not. Cody said he might be able to teach John Cena a lesson – it’s that the crowd is allowed to love somebody else. Cody talked about all the other WWE stars and the crowd cheered. Cody said Cena is a man of his word, so that means Cena means he actually take the WWE title home. Cody looked into the camera and said the bell is going to ring and he will leave Cena to the ring to have his moment because Cody’s time is now while Cena’s time is up. Cody said one day, his time will be up, too, but for now, Cody’s title will stay home and “stay with us.” Cody’s music hit to end the segment.
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– Next week, per the commentary team, John Cena will return. The Andre The Giant Battle Royal will also go down. Vega, Chance & Carter will take on The Green Regime as well. The Street Profits will defend their tag titles against the Motor City Machine Guns, too.
– Saxton interviewed The Profits backstage. Ford said they like MCMG and referenced how they don’t care about a bunch of stuff but the reason they don’t care about them is because they don’t have them. Dawkins said something about “the IWC glazers” in reference to MCMG. Melo and Miz showed up and Miz said the fact that the tag titles aren’t on the Mania card is an insult to the titles and the Profits. Miz said he’s putting them on notice because of as much. Melo said they most definitely want the smoke and walked away. Dawkins was angry.
Tiffany Stratton defeated Roxanne Perez [9:17]
Rock-C (as some of us may remember her) looked really good in this position – which is a position that felt very last minute, even if it wasn’t. I’m a bit worried because between this and the start/stop of her program with Bayley, I wonder if the main roster actually has clear plans for Perez whenever she gets there full-time – or if the main roster doesn’t have clear plans for Perez whenever she gets there full-time. I’d hate to see her fade into the fold because she has so much talent and she’s so young and that future of hers is just so bright. I’m praying for anything but a makeshift tag-team that sees her play a reluctant partner to a more established character that is on the other side of their career (hi, Melo and Miz!). I’m glad the post-match attack happened because that furthers the Charlotte and Tiffy story. The only problem was that it was too brief.
Perez went for a strike and Tiffy caught her. Tiffy shoulder-blocked Perez to the ground. Perez came back and worked a side head-lock before whipping Tiffy to the ground by her hair. Stratton slapped Perez and followed up with a bunch of arm-drags. Tiffy suplexed Perez a couple times for a two-count. Perez grabbed the ring apron and while the referee wasn’t looking, raked Tiffy’s eyes. Perez ran Tiffy into the ring post and stomped on Tiffy’s left arm. The show went to a commercial break.
Back from break, Tiffy hit a spinebuster for a two-count. Perez went for Tiffy’s arm after that, but ran into a pop-up powerbomb for a two-count. Tiffy missed a hip attack and Perez slammed Tiffy before stepping over her. Perez went for a moonsault from the second rope, but Tiffy got her knees up. From there Tiffy went to the top, but Perez cut her off and hit a Russian Leg Sweep from the top, followed by a kick to the midsection. Perez went for a Pop Rox, but Tiffy countered and the two traded pin attempts to no avail. Perez worked a cross-face, but Tiffy powered out, slammed Perez and hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the win.
After the match, Charlotte appeared in street clothes out of nowhere and attacked Stratton. Charlotte threw Tiffy over the commentary table and pushed Wade Barrett. The two had a weird standoff and Charlotte stood on the commentary table. Stratton sold midsection pain while Charlotte walked away.
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– A vignette chronicling the Punk/Heyman favor aired, complete with the presence of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
– The Mania cards were revealed. On Saturday: Reigns/Punk/Rollins. Cargill/Naomi. War Raiders/New Day. Mysterio/Grande Americano. Knight/Fatu. Stratton/Charlotte. Gunther/Jey Uso. On Sunday: Bayley & Lyra/Raquel & Liv. Priest/McIntyre. Penta/Dom/Bron/Balor. Styles/Paul. SKY/Belair/Ripley. Cody/Cena. By my count, that’s seven matches on Night One and six on Night Two. We still don’t have an official Orton match. Something tells me these actually won’t be the final official cards for both nights.
LA Knight & Randy Orton defeated Tama Tonga & Solo Sikoa [8:58]
Man. I said that stuff about Sikoa and Orton at Mania earlier thinking there was no way that was the actual direction they were going in, but … I guess they are? If anything, I could live with a squash. Bell rings. RKO. Goodnight, Solo Sikoa. There have been some rumblings about a tag and a potential former star returning to tag with Orton, depending on what you read, but we’ll leave that to speculation. If Orton’s replacement opponent ends up being Sikoa and only Sikoa, though … well, shoot. As for this match, it was fine for what it was. I actually liked switching up Orton’s Greatest Hits and putting them at the front of the match, making some of us think that perhaps it was going to be a quick one and an angle was on the way. It was not to be. Overall, SmackDown needs a reboot. We knew that. But seeing a star like Orton just sort of twist in the wind on Friday nights feels wrong at this point. Maybe post-Mania, changes are afoot.
Knight and Tonga started the match, with Tonga getting the best of Knight. Sikoa tagged in and elbowed Knight to the ground. Sikoa taunted Orton and Knight came back, throwing Sikoa outside of the ring. Knight tagged Orton, who worked over Sikoa, including his snap-powerslam. Ditto for Tonga. Orton set Sikoa up for the draping DDT and actually hit it very early in the match. Orton set up for the RKO, but Sikoa countered into a Samoan Drop. Tonga dropkicked Knight off the apron. The show went to its final commercial break.
The show returned and Orton was attempting to tag Knight, but couldn’t get there. Sikoa knocked Knight off the apron and worked a chin-lock on Orton. Eventually, Orton hit a back suplex and got the hot tag to Knight. Tonga also tagged in and Knight took care of him, complete with a Russian Leg Sweep. Knight stomped on Tonga and gave Sikoa a neck-breaker. Knight powerslammed Tonga. Knight landed an elbow drop on Tonga, but Sikoa broke up the pin attempt. Sikoa then hit a Samoan Spike on Knight. Orton gave an RKO to Tonga and Sikoa brawled with Orton on the outside of the ring. The two battled into the crowd. Back inside the ring, Knight gave Tonga a BFT for the win.
After the match, Jacob Fatu showed up and super-kicked Knight. Fatu hit a running Senton and headbutted Knight repeatedly. Fatu landed a hip attack on Knight and followed that up with his step-up moonsault. Fatu picked up the U.S. title and threw it down in favor of another step-up moonsault. The show ended with Fatu’s music playing and Fatu licking the U.S. title … and then hitting another moonsault.
