WWE SmackDown Live REVIEW: Full Results, Grades & Highlights for 04/10/2018

Both SmackDown world champions retained their titles at WrestleMania, while the tag-team and U.S. championships changed hands without the former champions being pinned or submitted. The Bludgeon Brothers ran roughshod in their triple-threat match, while the Maharaja became the new U.S. champion. We’ve got one week to get used to these titleholders before the Superstar Shakeup changes the blue brand’s landscape. The only surefire bet is that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are going to have a tough time finding work on Tuesday nights.

Intro: Shane McMahon basked in the crowd’s chants. He doesn’t give a cheap pop to New Orleans, which makes sense, given that WWE has been there for almost a week now. Shane thanks the fans that traveled to NOLA for the “greatest live event in entertainment history.” That’s a…hefty claim about Sunday’s show, especially after the main event. But there is something remarkable about a shared interest luring people from all over the world to one city; those fans don’t go to root for opposing teams, they go to be a part of the event itself. McMahon praises Daniel Bryan’s passion, toughness, and resolve to keep his dream. The crowd applauds Shane’s next comments, which ring true.

FIGHTING WORDS: “And I think we can all agree that seeing Daniel Bryan in action was something magical, and he was born to do this.”

Shane announces that he has “graciously accepted” Bryan’s resignation as SmackDown general manager. He introduces the new GM: Paige. The crowd responds ecstatically for Paige, who announced her retirement during Monday’s Raw. That’s a prime spot for a deserving performer. She thanks Shane for being the first person to greet her as she went back through the curtain last night. The fans chant, “This is your house.”

Paige mentions that Bryan has not competed in a cable-television match in three years. She drags out, then issues her first decree: Bryan will wrestle WWE Champion AJ Styles tonight. Wow, Raw gets a pro forma six-man tag-team match for its post-WrestleMania main-event, and SmackDown receives this blockbuster.

The commentary table warns us that the live crowd may act loud and naughty tonight. Corey Graves is forced to provide that insipid, insulting disclaimer that fans may boo the wrestlers they normally cheer and vice versa. The Raw fans last night acted like other live-event crowds, just louder and more boisterous. New Orleans should provide that same enthused environment tonight.

We see a still photo of Shinsuke Nakamura uppercutting Styles in his nether-regions. This image captures referee Mike Chioda watching the proceedings from ringside, looking like a starstruck little boy.

The Usos vs. The New Day

– Whichever team wins gets/has to wrestle the Bludgeon Brothers for the SmackDown tag-team championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble. That sucks. The winner should be rewarded by not having to go to Saudi Arabia.

– Graves points out that the Usos already have a mandatory rematch for the tag title. So what does New Day deserve here?

– Teaming with Xavier Woods, Big E nearly overhead-suplexes Jey Uso into referee Charles Robinson. New Day follows up with a fun move in which Woods elevates Big E into an electric chair, then drops him onto Jey.

– I just want to see one SmackDown match end after we go to split-screen during commercials. Only one live Raw match that I can remember ended during a break, and doing so would ensure viewers don’t space out during the advertisements.

– Graves posits that this may be the last time we see the Usos together due to the Superstar Shakeup. Not bloody likely.

– The New Day slam Jimmy Uso with a urinage/backstabber combination, getting a near-fall. Jey enters to even the odds, postponing the Midnight Hour. The twins hit stereo superkicks on Big E before Xavier blasts Jey with a top-rope dropkick. Woods and Jimmy Uso trade school-boy rollups before Jimmy catches him with a superkick. Jey tags in to end the match with a top-rope splash.

Result: The Usos beat the New Day when Jey Uso pinned Xavier Woods with a top-rope splash.

Grade: B+

– The Bludgeon Brothers skulk toward the ring after the match. Harper is wearing what appears to be a goat-skull mask. They point their mallets menacingly at the Usos.

– The announce team introduces the John Cena commercial for Make-A-Wish.

– In a previously recorded segment, a glowing (sorry) Naomi stands next to the WrestleMania women’s battle royal trophy backstage. Dasha Fuentes starts to interview Naomi, who gets interrupted by Natalya two seconds into her response. Natalya declares that she can’t wait to see Naomi get shipped off to Raw. Naomi challenges her to a fight tonight.

Naomi vs. Natalya

– As the video foretold, we watch that fight. Naomi takes over early with a slingshot leg drop, then Natalya grabs the advantage by lifting Naomi in a v-lock and dropping her face-first on the turnbuckle.

– Naomi comes back with a failed bulldog that turns into a failed stunner. She makes up for it with that wicked scorpion kick. Despite the occasional mishap, these two wrestle with none of the tentativeness that you’ll see from younger female superstars.

– After kicking out of Natalya’s spinning powerbomb, Naomi blocks a Sharpshooter attempt only to eat a discus clothesline. Naomi fends off a Natalya corner charge with a nasty enziguri, then lands a top-rope split-legged moonsault for the win. She hugs and kisses the battle royal trophy (now at ringside), then high-fives the commentators.

Result: Naomi pinned Natalya after a top-rope split-legged moonsault.

Grade: C+

– Renee Young knocks on Shinsuke Nakamura’s locker-room door. He comes out immediately. Good for Nakamura supporting a viable free press. Young asks why he would tarnish his WrestleMania dream match. Nakamura says he doesn’t know what came over him. Perhaps he got too emotional. He claims he’s “very, very sorry” for what he did to Styles, then winks at Renee. She calls him out for being disingenuous, then repeats her question. Nakamura thinks for a minute, then doubles down:

FIGHTING WORDS: “Sorry. No speak English.” – Shinsuke Nakamura

– Standing mid-ring, Charlotte Flair thanks Asuka for providing the biggest challenge of her career. Flair then reminds everyone that she left WrestleMania still SmackDown women’s champion. She calls their match special and magical. The question is, who will she make magic with next? We get our answer.

– Billie Kay and Peyton Royce make their main roster debut. They wait out an “NXT” chant. They call themselves the wizards who can provide the magic that Charlotte seeks; Kay taunts Charlotte by saying they could make her title disappear. And, while Flair’s WrestleMania match was good, it wasn’t…iconic.

– Royce gets snotty in mocking Charlotte’s thank-you speech. Some crowds would get turned off by her obnoxiousness; this crowd chants for the Iconics. Kay flanks Charlotte, who takes the initiative by elbowing Kay and striking Royce. The fight is on. Charlotte holds her own until she gets knocked down with a Shades of Kay kick. The debuting heels hurl Flair over the announce table. Then they hurl her back over the table. The Iconics continue pummeling Flair, throwing her into the ring-post and ring-steps. A double-powerbomb maneuver on the concrete prompts chants for Carmella to cash in her Money in the Bank contract.

– The Iconics spend a laughably long time pushing Charlotte back into the ring. The idea here is that she’s dead weight and can’t be easily moved, but it makes them look weak and inept considering how often “unconscious” wrestlers get tossed back inside the ring with no such issues. Once she’s prone on the mat, the Iconics pose over her. Royce comes off as more assured and at-ease than Kay, but both women probably gain confidence from the other’s presence.

– And here’s Carmella! She shrieks at referee Chioda (who dumbly asks her if she wants to cash in the briefcase he himself is now holding) to start the match. A pained Charlotte has crawled under the bottom rope. The official checks to see if she can compete; she staggers to her feet, and the bell rings.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella

– Charlotte falls to one knee as the bell rings. Carmella scores immediately with a roundhouse kick to the head and covers her.

Result: Carmella pins Charlotte with a roundhouse kick to win the SmackDown women’s championship.

Grade: F. For Fabulous.

– I like that finish. It establishes that cashing in the MITB contract should be a slam dunk if you pick the right moment. Carmella jumps onto the announce table to celebrate, runs a victory lap around the ring, then trash-talks Charlotte before kicking phantom dust at her fallen foe.

– Seemingly minutes later, Carmella walks back to the ring to jaw at Charlotte some more. The Queen actually smiles back, seeming to tell Carmella that she’s going to have to win a fair fight next time. Carmella exhibits tons of personality as she wins her first world championship.

Randy Orton vs. Bobby Roode vs. Rusev – Triple-Threat Match

– The winner gets a title bout against new U.S. Champion Jinder Mahal. Sporting a newly shaven head, Aiden English pointedly does not insult the crowd in serenading them about the glories of Rusev Day.

– Orton beats up Roode inside the ring and Rusev outside it. He moves into a rear-chinlock, which looks useless in a triple-threat.

– The crowd cheers for the purported heel over the two faces. Orton refuses to mark the holiday, dropping Rusev onto the announce table with a back suplex. For some reason, Orton doesn’t drop Rusev on his head like he always seems to do when performing the same move with a much smaller wrestler who has no political sway.

– With Rusev down outside the ring, Roode unleashes a top-rope clothesline on Orton. He calls out for the Glorious DDT, but Orton counters with a schoolboy roll-up. When Roode kicks out, Orton levels him with a clothesline and powerslam.

– Orton goes for his rope-drape DDT. When Roode counters by flipping him over the top-rope, Orton lands on the apron and pulls Roode’s throat down across the top rope. But Rusev rises directly behind him, and gives Orton his own back suplex across the announce table.

– Rusev lambastes Roode with several kicks, openly playing to the crowd. He scores with a Machka Kick, then locks in the Accolade. Orton breaks the hold to boos, then heaves Rusev into the ring-post. Roode seizes Orton for a roll-up. Orton kicks out, then executes an RKO to a mixed crowd response.

Result: Randy Orton pinned Bobby Roode with an RKO in a triple-threat match. He faces Jinder Mahal for the U.S. Championship at Backlash.

Grade: B-

– Fuentes interviews Carmella. She asks what made tonight the right time to cash in her contract. Carmella says there’s always a princess waiting to dethrone a queen who overstays her welcome. She appears to fight back tears, then says there’s someone she needs to thank. Herself. Fuentes asks about Kay and Royce’s shellacking of Flair prior to her title victory. Carmella discounts their efforts, proclaims that “Mella is money”, then moonwalks out of the scene.

– Young catches up to Styles backstage. AJ says he doesn’t want an apology from Nakamura, and might just stick his fist down his throat if he sees him. Regarding his main-event match tonight, Styles says that Bryan is great, but he’s not phenomenal.

WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan (non-title)

– Tom Phillips twice calls this a “fantasy” match, which is different from the “dream” match we saw two nights ago. He does highlight that this is the first match between Styles and Bryan “in WWE.”

– We’ll see if Bryan has the wind to keep up with Styles. He’s got to be recovering his stamina and timing, although Bryan at 80% is still impressive.

– Fast pace to start, with Bryan performing a neck bridge to counter a pinning attempt, then targeting Styles’ left arm with kicks.

– AJ blunts Bryan’s momentum with a big dropkick. When Bryan rolls to ringside, AJ slingshots himself over the top rope to bash DB with a forearm. Again, that move should be ending matches, not sending us to commercial.

– Back from our final break, Bryan knees his way out of a suplex attempt and clocks Styles with a running clothesline. Bryan follows up with a running dropkick in the corner and some Yes kicks. The last strike is countered by Styles via a dragon-screw leg whip. Bryan is hobbled, leaving him open for AJ’s back-flip/reverse DDT combination.

– Styles counters Bryan’s arm-bar attempt and locks in the Calf Crusher. Bryan escapes and goes for the Yes Lock. When all submission holds have failed, Styles connects with a Pele Kick. I wonder how long it will be before we stop fearing for Bryan’s career each time he absorbs a shot to the head.

– Bryan lands his own kick to the head, then psyches up the crowd with Yes! chants. He goes for the big knee, but Styles ducks under and tries to lift Bryan for a Styles Clash. Bryan counters that move by applying the Yes Lock. AJ reaches the nearby ropes, breaking the hold.

– Bryan ties Styles in the tree of woe. He throws several kicks, but winces as he plants off his balky left knee. Bryan goes up top with Styles. He lifts AJ for a back suplex, but the champion twists in midair to land on Bryan’s head.

– With both men recovering, a vest-sporting Nakamura invades the proceedings. He cracks a defenseless Bryan with a Kinshasa. Shinsuke laces into Styles with strikes, then hits him with a low blow. Nakamura wallops Styles with a Kinshasa, then slugs him with another low blow. Big, cocky smile from Nakamura as he struts back up the entrance ramp.

– Smart move to have a newly heel Nakamura break up this match. The fans wanted to see a clean finish, and weren’t about to cheer him or anyone else for cheating them out of it.

Result: AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan wrestled to a no-contest when Shinsuke Nakamura assaulted both of them.

Grade: A-