SmackDown 19.04.2024
Finally, the Radiant Team has come back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! As Cory Graves mentioned, the PPG Paints Arena is sold out tonight, and I can totally see why. We have a packed night ahead with some major action. First, LA Knight faces AJ Styles to determine who will challenge Cody Rhodes for the Universal Championship. The ongoing story of the Bloodline was one of the most intriguing moments on the previous SmackDown, so the crowd is buzzing with anticipation to see how things unfold. Bayley will also defend her title against Naomi, and here's hoping it doesn't end in a fashion similar to the Sami and Chad match. I also expect Triple H to introduce the new Tag Team Championships, just like he did on Raw. If anything, SmackDown is looking much better tonight than it did last week. Let’s dive into the action!
LA Knight vs AJ Styles to Determine the Number One Contender for the Universal Championship
I’m so glad SmackDown is opening with a match, not just a bunch of talking like Raw did. No Cody Rhodes in sight — that’s already a win. But don’t fool yourself; he’ll definitely make an appearance tonight. The opening match is a rematch from WrestleMania XL, where we get to see if LA Knight's victory was a fluke or if he's truly better than the Phenomenal AJ Styles.
The beginning of the match was all LA Knight. He took AJ out of the ring and smashed his head multiple times against the commentary table. After that, I’m sure AJ was questioning why he even showed up tonight. Knight, riding high off his WrestleMania victory, was on fire, leaving AJ with no chance. He showcased an array of innovative moves and an incredible presence all over the ring. Honestly, LA Knight has never looked better. I thought the Superplex from the top rope would be the end for Styles, but AJ kicked out at the very last second.
Still, AJ found some momentum and tried for a Styles Clash, only for Knight to counter. AJ then attempted the Phenomenal Forearm, but Knight countered again. However, after a bit of dirty play involving Knight's eyes, AJ Styles finally delivered the Phenomenal Forearm and secured the win, setting the score in this rivalry. AJ Styles is now the number one contender for Cody Rhodes' Universal Championship. Big victory for AJ and a massive upset for LA Knight. Great start to the evening!
Solo Takes His First Steps as the Man in Charge
In a backstage segment, Solo appeared alongside Tama Tonga, looking sharp in a fancy new costume. His first order of business? To find Kevin Owens and make him answer for last week’s humiliation, when the Bloodline found out that their locker room no longer belonged to them.
Nick Aldis and Triple H Announce the New Tag Team Titles
Just like last week on Raw, SmackDown will also get its new blue brand Tag Team titles. As Paul Levesque’s entrance kicked off, I noticed a strange interference during the broadcast — familiar, but not quite sure what it was. Anyway, Hunter wasted no time, reminding us that WrestleMania XL was the greatest PLE in WWE history.
SmackDown 19.04.2024 - Time to crown your new Tag Team Champions: A-Town Down Under!
Nick Aldis then invited A-Town Down Under — Grayson Waller and Austin Theory — to the ring. As usual, Waller had a lot to say. He claimed that Awesome Truth were just secondary champions and demanded that Triple H present the new “real” titles. Not the smartest move to talk like that to your boss, especially someone who is considered one of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history. From now on, we should probably just refer to them as WWE Tag Team Champions.
Overall, the new titles look pretty solid, with a bit of an old-school vibe. I actually like them a bit more than the Raw titles. However, the real mistake came when Waller and Theory refused to shake Triple H’s hand. That was a very stupid move. Nick Aldis stepped forward, threatening that “A Clown Under” could disappear permanently if he wished. The atmosphere got even more intense when Aldis announced that a Fatal Four-Way match for the number one contendership would start right now!
Fatal Four-Way Match to Determine the Number One Contender for WWE Tag Team Championship
Tonight, we're in for a big match between Street Profits, New Catch Republic, AoP, and Legado Del Fantasma. My pick for the night is Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne. We have two teams of good guys and bad guys, so this should be a fair fight. The Fatal Four-Way rules demand that only two men are in the ring at a time, but that doesn't mean the others can't tag themselves into the match.
The most impressive moments were delivered by The New Catch Republic, who dominated the match early on. AoP, despite being massive, didn’t do much during the match, and Tyler Bate even managed to lift Rezar—quite a feat! Legado Del Fantasma almost snuck away with the win, tagging themselves in just at the right moment, but Pete Dunne saved the match for his team. At one point, all participants decided to focus on eliminating AoP before turning on each other. In the final segment, New Catch Republic looked poised to win, but unfortunately, Tyler Bate was smashed by both Legado Del Fantasma and the Street Profits, allowing Angelo Dawkins to execute the final pin on Angel.
Once again, my prediction was off, but it was a great match nonetheless. Congratulations to the Street Profits—they're on fire right now! 🔥
Solo Begins Making Decisions
Backstage, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman failed to find Kevin Owens, and that made Solo angry. Heyman told Solo that it wasn't his time yet to make the big decisions—that only one man could do that.
"Did you finish?" Solo said, making it clear that he's ready to take over the reins and possibly become the new Tribal Chief. Two years ago, he was fighting for the NXT North American Championship, and now, he's in a position to lead the most powerful family in professional wrestling. This is a huge promotion for Solo, but we all know this moment is possible because the real Head of the Table is absent right now.
SmackDown 19.04.2024 - With Roman Reigns out, is it time to call this man the new Tribal Chief?
Paul Heyman tried to speak, but the crowd started chanting, "We want Roman!" That was a huge moment, a reminder that people are already missing the Tribal Chief, and it’s more important than Cody’s accomplishments at this point. Heyman tried to explain his feelings, but Solo cut him off, taking the microphone and adding to the tension in the building. The crowd was uninterested in what Solo had to say, booing him fiercely.
Backstage, Tama Tonga found Kevin Owens and dragged him to the ring. Kevin’s face was bleeding, but he still tried to fight both Tonga and Solo, which wasn’t the smartest move. Solo delivered a Samoan Spike, and Tama Tonga showed us just how savage he is. Kevin Owens was in trouble, but Tama refrained from using a chair on him after realizing Nick Aldis might have something to say about that. The segment ended with a classic rising finger to the sky, showing their superiority over everyone.
The Bloodline’s new direction is taking shape, and it’s going to be huge. Nick Aldis also revealed that Kevin Owens’ car had been smashed by Tama Tonga in the parking lot. That’s why Kevin was bleeding earlier. Paul Heyman looked terrified, and Aldis promised that there would be consequences next week. Looks like things are about to get even harder for Paul Heyman in the absence of Roman Reigns. 👀
Carlito vs. Santos Escobar
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Carlito in action, and tonight, the veteran proved he still has it. Of course, the most attractive part of this match was Zelina Vega, as always. Earlier tonight, Santos Escobar denied the accusations of attacking Dragon Lee. If he really did it, I’m sure Escobar would have admitted it, but right now, he’s denying the charges, which is a bit suspicious. Maybe they didn’t attack Dragon Lee after all?
SmackDown 19.04.2024 - That wasn’t me if I hadn’t shown you Zelina on SmackDown.
Carlito took control of the match early on, even showing off some aerial skills with a beautiful dive over the top rope. It was impressive to see the old man still move like that. However, Santos Escobar, as expected, was able to shift the momentum and get the upper hand. Despite being the veteran, Carlito couldn’t overcome Escobar’s skill. Outside the ring, Zelina Vega tried to deal with Electra Lopez, but failed. That distraction allowed Santos Escobar to deliver a low blow and a Phantom Driver, securing the victory.
A solid win for Escobar, but it wasn’t without a little interference. 🏆
Naomi vs. Bayley (C)
This is the main event of the evening, and two powerful women's factions are watching closely: Damage Control, along with Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. I can feel the heat in the air, so I’m expecting an exciting finish to the night. I think Bayley should not lose tonight, but the match should be tough for the champion. It must be painful for Iyo Sky to watch Bayley, who took the title from her, now defending it. Bayley starts this match methodically, showing us her experience and knowledge of how to work slowly but effectively. There’s no bad blood between these two, so maybe deep down, they don’t really want to hurt each other. But finally, Naomi starts to work and delivers her Rare View, stunning the champion for a moment, resulting in the first pinfall with a two-count.
SmackDown 19.04.2024 -That could’ve been the end, but the champion is still in the game.
Bayley, on her side, uses her classic moves to finally put down her opponent, but Naomi blocks a Diving Elbow with her knees, keeping the match going. However, after a second attempt, Bayley succeeds, but it still doesn’t end there. When nothing else works, we get a big exchange of forearms in the center of the ring, which ends up spilling outside after Naomi’s flight and Bayley’s Belly to Belly onto the commentary table.
The match could have ended with a countout, but Tiffany Stratton interferes, attacking both competitors to show her own title ambitions. The prettiest moonsault on both women ends the match. I think we’ll see a triple-threat match at Backlash.
Final Thoughts
Well, this SmackDown was much more interesting than the previous one. Somehow, we didn’t see SmackDown champion Cody Rhodes tonight. He’s a very interesting person because he appeared on Raw, which isn’t even his brand, and skipped SmackDown. Wow, amazing champion. Well, at least we saw him on screen where he told AJ something important, but honestly, I didn’t really pay attention to those thoughts.
💥 LA Knight Suffers Unfair Loss
At WrestleMania, AJ Styles realized he couldn’t beat the Megastar cleanly, so this time he used a dirty trick to win a great opportunity to face Cody Rhodes. I think we all understand that he can’t win, because Cody is now in his prime, and I seriously doubt that this title reign will end with the AJ Styles "New Era." Still, we have our first official match for Backlash in France. Nice!
🤡 Unbelievable Disrespect from WWE Tag Team Champions
As you now know, A-Town Clowns are your new WWE Tag Team Champions. They are young, talented, and sometimes even impressive — but they cannot speak to Triple H the way they did tonight. Thankfully, we now have real contenders in the Street Profits. I think they’ve got a strong chance to win the gold, if things stay even remotely fair. Once again, though, my heart is broken — because the New Catch Republic missed their opportunity. Hopefully, they’ll get another shot before they fall apart as a team.
👑 Solo is Building His Own Bloodline
With Roman Reigns gone, Jey on Raw, and Jimmy hospitalized, Solo is stepping up. Alongside Paul Heyman and Tama Tonga, he’s starting a new Bloodline era. As I said earlier, Solo has gone from silent enforcer to a potential Tribal Chief. Tonight, he and Tama brutally punished Kevin Owens, and next week we’ll probably see Tama’s in-ring debut. The Bloodline rebirth is in full motion — and it’s scary.
🎭 Latino War Continues
Another strange little match tonight between veteran Carlito and Santos Escobar. Santos probably lost that triple threat last week, but against top-level opponents — no way he’d lose to Carlito tonight. But that’s not the real issue. The big question is still: who attacked Dragon Lee? If it wasn’t Legado, someone else is playing a dangerous game. My bet? It was Carlito. I think he wanted that spot next to Rey, but Andrade took it. Carlito knows better than to attack El Idolo directly — but attacking Dragon Lee? That’s a different story.
🚨 Number of Competitors Growing
It was clear to me that Naomi wouldn’t win the title tonight — the only mystery was how she’d lose. And honestly? This was the best outcome. She didn’t lose to Bayley, so she still has a reason to stay in the title scene. But with Tiffany Stratton’s surprise attack, I’m sensing a triple threat on the horizon for Backlash. There’s even a small chance that Iyo Sky finds her way into the match to make it a Fatal Four-Way… though I don’t think that’s likely.
Tonight’s episode was a huge improvement over last week. Strong matches, meaningful angles, and new rivalries brewing. What else do we need? Catch you all next time! 😎
