SMACKDOWN 4/5/24 REVIEW

The first SmackDown after WrestleMania was a good one. After the masterpiece that was WrestleMania XL , the next chapter of the proverbial story was immediately put into motion, continuing Triple H's pattern of long-term storytelling, character investment, and instilling eagerness to turn into the next installment of WWE programming.

​

The night started out with your newly crowned Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, Cody Rhodes. Rhodes would not be interrupted as he was on Monday Night Raw, but instead named several men who he thought were worthy of challenging for his title. Cody proved out of the gate that he is going to be a fighting champion, and it was announced that a tournament would take place across WWE brands to determine Cody's first challenger for the championship at WWE Backlash.

​

The opening match of the evening which was the first of those tournament matches saw LA Knight vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Santos Escobar in triple threat action. Santos was ultimately neutralized by The Street Profits after interference from LdF. Lashley looked strong in this one, and in my mind was the favorite to win, but LA Knight hit the BFT for the bigtime win to the delight of the WWE Universe.

​

Up next, a squash match as Bron Breakker absolutely decimated former NXT fan favorite Cameron Grimes. Breakker has the proverbial jet pack strapped to his back. 

​

Arguably one of the biggest moments of the night was the WWE debut of Toma Tonga who arrived under the direction of a focused Solo Sikoa. Sikoa and Tonga attacked Jimmy Uso seemingly making him the scapegoat or weak link of The Bloodline. This is super interesting, and a GREAT new chapter in the saga of The Bloodline. 

​

Another strong showing tonight by Jade Cargil, alongside Bianca Belair with an easy defeat of Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. As much as I love seeing Cargil and Belair together, a bigger part of me wants to see them on opposite sides of the squared circle. 

​

New WWE Women's Champion, Bayley took a victory lap tonight on SmackDown before proclaiming she also wants to be a defending Champion. Tiffany Stratton interrupted with a major chip on her shoulder, but Bayley had someone else in mind. Of course it was her pal Naomi. This led to another great match between these two ladies, this time with Naomi getting the win. Next week in Pittsburgh it's Naomi Vs. Bayley for the title. 

​

Our main event for the evening was a dream match in my book as Rey Mysterio took on AJ Styles and Kevin Owens in a triple threat match to move forward in the tournament.  This match was everything I had hoped for, as all three competitors pulled out all the stops. Finisher reversals aplenty, unique offense, 619 stoppers, stunners on the apron, and an avalanche Styles Clash stacking Rey on top of Kevin Owens for the win. What a match. Watch this one. 

​

At the end of the night, AJ Styles stood tall, but once again found himself face to face with LA Knight. THIS story is far from over. 

​

Keep it here on BCP+ for all the latest WWE and WWE SmackDown coverage. 

​