SmackDown 26.04.204
Finally, the Radiant Team has come back to Cincinnati, Ohio! Heritage Bank Center is the place where the first day of the WWE Draft will take place. Plus, we’ll witness the contract signing between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles. I’m also very interested in The Bloodline’s business, and I can’t wait to see everything unfold with my own eyes.
Contract Signing for the Undisputed Universal Championship
The show kicked off with AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes. This time, the contract signing had a fresh setup: the championship title was displayed on a separate pedestal, and each participant had their own table. Before putting pen to paper, AJ delivered a speech full of respect toward both his future opponent and Cody’s legendary father, Dusty Rhodes.
Honestly, I expected a trash talk session, but this turn of events surprised me. Cody took the mic next and promised that at Backlash, there’s no way he can lose. After a respectful handshake, AJ simply left the ring.
And that’s it. No insults, no fight, no broken furniture—the most boring contract signing I’ve ever seen. Too quiet for my taste. Dull... just like everything involving Cody Rhodes lately.
WWE Draft – Round One
Cody barely had a chance to leave before Triple H arrived to announce the first picks of this year’s WWE Draft alongside him.SmackDown chose Bianca Belair and NXT’s rising star Carmelo Hayes. Raw, on the other hand, selected Jey Uso and Seth "Freakin" Rollins.
SmackDown 26.04.2024 - Cody Rhodes and Triple H are announcing the results of the first Draft round.
Strong picks on both sides—and this marked the first time an NXT superstar was selected in the very first round. To prove he’s worth it, Carmelo Hayes showed up and challenged Cody Rhodes to a match later that night, because, as he said, "When Hayes shoots, he never misses."
SmackDown 26.04.2024 - Carmelo Hayes is ready to take his shot at the king.
Cody tried to be funny or sarcastic (as usual), but finally accepted the challenge. And just like that—someone actually made Rhodes interesting tonight. Looks like we’ve got our main event.
The Truth Revealed for the LWO
The first match of the night was another chapter in the ongoing war between LWO and Legado del Fantasma. Tonight, it was Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio vs. Angel and Humberto.
Honestly, I had no doubts about the outcome. The bad guys had a decent start while Dragon was in the ring, but once Rey tagged in, the tide shifted quickly. After a 619, Dragon Lee hit the Project Dragon and sealed the win. Clean, easy, and fast.
But it wasn’t over yet.
Santos Escobar appeared and announced that Elektra Lopez had been investigating the backstage attack on Dragon Lee before WrestleMania XL. Just like I told you last week, the attacker was none other than Carlito, who ambushed Dragon Lee from behind.
SmakDown 26.04.2024 -Carlito has done it again—another cold betrayal of his former allies.
Carlito’s face said it all—shame, guilt, and panic. He snapped, attacked Rey and Dragon out of desperation, and then ran away from the ring, abandoning his former teammates. He’s free now, I guess... but I have no idea where Carlito goes from here in WWE.
Feed Bron More
Do you remember a superstar named Ryback? He was a massive, bald powerhouse who destroyed everyone in his path. Bron Breakker is clearly following that same path—crushing every single opponent without mercy.
Tonight’s unlucky victim? Cedric Alexander. I honestly haven’t seen Cedric in ages, and I predicted this match would last about 1 minute and 30 seconds.
SmackDown 26.04.2024 - Breakker crushed it again! Sad to see Alexander take another loss like that.
Well... I was way too optimistic. The match lasted barely 15 seconds, ending with a brutal Spear from Breakker that nearly split Cedric in half. I have no idea how long Bron will continue feasting on random jobbers, but as I’ve said many times before—he needs real competition. Enough appetizers. It’s time to give this man the main course.
Is Tiffy Time Now?
Backstage, Tiffany Stratton confronted General Manager Nick Aldis, demanding a title match. First of all, let me be clear—I would never advise anyone (besides maybe Randy Orton) to speak to a GM like that.
But Stratton came prepared. Turns out this was Bayley’s plan all along. Instead of giving both Naomi and Tiffany a title shot, Bayley pitched a match between the two tonight. Winner goes to Backlash.
Smart move by the champ. A Triple Threat in France? No thanks. Bayley wants just one opponent to deal with. Clever strategy.
WWE Draft – Round Two
This time, we had some legendary voices announce the next round—Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson revealed the newest picks for SmackDown and Raw.SmackDown selected Randy Orton and Nia Jax, while Raw picked up Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan.
SmackDown 26.04.2024 - WWE legends Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson.
Well, I guess that means Bron is officially heading to Raw to wreck shop over there now. But honestly? Nothing really changes. 😄
Bianca Interview... Then All Hell Breaks Loose
Kayla Braxton invited Bianca Belair for an interview to discuss the upcoming Women’s Tag Team Title match at Backlash. It’s now official—The Kabuki Warriors will defend their titles against Jade Cargill and Bianca.
SmackDown 26.04.2024 - Bianca Belair is a fresh addition to the SmackDown roster.
But things quickly spiraled out of control.
Kevin Owens and Tama Tonga suddenly brawled into the arena, continuing their wild war. Once they hit the ring, Solo Sikoa joined in, and it looked like this might be KO’s end. But then... BOOM!
His newly drafted ally, The Viper Randy Orton, sprinted down the ramp! Orton cleaned house, saving Owens in a huge moment that sent the crowd wild. Looks like we're heading toward a major showdown at Backlash—The Bloodline vs. Owens and Orton. Count me in! 🔥
WWE Draft – Round Three
The Dudley Boyz took the stage to reveal the next set of picks, bringing that classic tag team energy to the draft. SmackDown selects: LA Knight and The Bloodline. Raw selects: Ricochet and Sheamus.
Finally, The Bloodline is home. They’ve been drafted back to the brand Roman Reigns built from the ground up. Interestingly, Roman removed himself from the draft list entirely, stating that he’ll choose his own brand when he returns.
Because of course—only the real Tribal Chief makes the rules around here. 🔥
Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton – And a Monster in the Room
Two weeks ago, Naomi already defeated Tiffany, so tonight was Stratton’s final chance to earn a ticket to France and compete for the WWE Women’s Championship.Both women came out fired up and laser-focused. To her credit, Tiffany performed much better than last time, but Naomi was running on pure rage after Stratton screwed her last week.
SmackDown 26.04.2024 - Naomi looked like she was loving every second of that fight with Tiffany.
It was a hard-fought, fast-paced battle—and just when it looked like Naomi might seal another win… Boom. Cue the chaos.
Nia Jax, freshly signed to SmackDown after losing her title opportunity on Raw, attacked Bayley from behind out of nowhere. That’s right—Bayley got blindsided, and when Naomi rushed to help her, Jax took her out too, causing a DQ finish. Of course, Tiffany didn’t care how the match ended. With her opponent down, she climbed the ropes and hit a disrespectful double "Prettiest Moonsault Ever" on both Naomi and Bayley.
Where’s Teddy Long when you need him? Come on playa, this is screaming for a Fatal Four-Way at Backlash! 😄
WWE Draft – Round Four
Well speak of the devil—Teddy Long actually showed up with JBL to announce the final draft picks of the night.SmackDown selects: AJ Styles and Andrade. Raw selects: Alpha Academy and NXT’s Kiana James.
SmackDown 26.04.2024 - Hold up, playa! The legendary Teddy Long is in the building—what a throwback.
Honestly? Solid ending to Night One of the draft. Curious to see Alpha Academy's direction now, and very hyped for Kiana James' debut. SmackDown picking AJ and Andrade also opens up a lot of high-level match possibilities.
Cody Rhodes (C) vs. Carmelo Hayes – Main Event
The confident rookie Carmelo Hayes stepped up tonight to challenge the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, and let me tell you—he did not back down. From the opening bell, Hayes came in hot, showing he belonged in the ring with WWE’s top champion. I absolutely loved this match—fast-paced, technical, and shockingly close.
At one point, Hayes came dangerously close to scoring an upset win. Cody grew visibly frustrated when Carmelo kicked out of the Cody Cutter, and I don’t blame him. One of the coolest moments? Both men leaped at the same time and missed their respective aerial attacks—a perfect double whiff that showed how evenly matched they were.
In the end, though, Cross Rhodes connected clean and brought this one to a close.
Cody retains. But Carmelo? He won everyone's respect. After the bell, Hayes looked disappointed, but Cody gave him words of encouragement. That respect from the champ meant something. And just when things seemed calm, AJ Styles tried to sneak-attack Cody from behind, but the champ noticed it and rolled out just in time. Cody better keep his head on a swivel—Backlash is coming.
Final Thoughts
The first day of the WWE Draft wasn’t the most intense in terms of in-ring action, but it definitely delivered when it came to big-time roster shake-ups. We finally got to see Cody Rhodes in action, and The Bloodline is making noise again on the blue brand, which opens up plenty of cool storyline options going forward..
😴 Most Boring Contract Signing Ever
What do we usually expect from a WWE contract signing? Trash talk. Sharp words. Chaos. Maybe a table flying or someone going through it. Sometimes, someone even signs the contract on behalf of someone else just to stir the pot. So… what did we get tonight?
A polite conversation between AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes, full of respect for each other and Dusty Rhodes’ legacy. Sure, it was sweet. But this is wrestling. I want drama, not a TED Talk on mutual admiration. 😩
Cody, of course, gave his respectful response but still made it clear that he sees himself above Styles. Both promised to walk out of Backlash as champion, but come on—Cody’s not dropping the title this fast. Still, in WWE, miracles do happen… sometimes.
🍎 Carlito is Now a Renegade
Let’s skip the match—congrats to Rey and Dragon Lee, sure—but the real story is what happened after. Electra Lopez and Santos Escobar are still investigating who attacked Dragon Lee before WrestleMania… and tonight, the mystery ended.
It was Carlito. Just as I suspected, he was jealous of Dragon Lee stealing his spotlight at the biggest stage of them all with Rey Mysterio. While I can kind of understand that veteran frustration, what’s done is done, and now Carlito stands alone. Will he become a solo renegade or end up joining Legado del Fantasma? Honestly, that might be a smart move. It could bring purpose and structure to that group again, especially after all the chaos. We’ll be watching the Latino wrestling family drama very closely. 👀
🔥 When Will Bron Be Used Properly?
With tonight’s draft update, we’ve officially learned: Bron Breakker is heading to Raw. And I swear, if they keep feeding him random jobbers for 15-second squashes, what’s the point? It’s time to give this guy a real challenge. I expect something big to kick off for Bron on next week’s Raw—or at least, I really hope so. Because he’s way too talented to be wasting time like this.
🐍 Bloodline Found Trouble
I think Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga expected to take care of Kevin Owens alone, business as usual. But surprise surprise…
Randy Orton showed up. And this isn't even the old Bloodline anymore, so it wasn’t about revenge—it was about helping a friend. Now I’m convinced: Backlash is going to give us Bloodline vs. Owens & Orton, and that is a must-watch match. I’m totally down for this feud. 👊
👑 Women’s Title Race Gets Messy
So Nia Jax is now on SmackDown, and of course, the first thing she does is attack Bayley from behind.
From what I understand, we’re heading into a Triple Threat for the Women’s Championship at Backlash… but here’s the question:
Who got replaced?
My original pick was Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany, but now that Nia’s in the picture, did someone lose their shot? I’m really hoping next week brings some clarity to this messy situation.
🌟 Carmelo Is Making a Name for Himself
Tonight’s match wasn’t really about Cody—it was about Carmelo Hayes.
The young star stepped up and gave the Undisputed Champion a legit scare. There were a few moments where he came close to a shocking upset, and that little spark in the middle of the match showed just how much potential Hayes has.
Sure, Cody won, but this was about experience—and Hayes just earned a ton of it. I’m confident that it’s only a matter of time before he takes another shot at the American Nightmare.
Overall, this was a great show and a strong setup for what’s coming. The Draft continues on Raw, and I’m hoping for some big picks—Gunther, Drew McIntyre, Judgment Day, and CM Punk are all still available.
See you on Raw—don’t miss it, guys! 😎🔥
