Smackdown Live recap: 4/30/19
Smackdown came to us last night from the Schottenstein Center, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The show was overall just an average episode of Smackdown, nothing too good and nothing too bad. There were some good matches and a few sleeper matches, but overall the matches were decently booked. Let’s get into the recap of last night’s show!
The show opened with the WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston. He got into the ring and talked with Michael Cole about his journey to get to the point he is at now, looking back on his moments at Elimination Chamber and the gauntlet he fought in earlier this year. Cole tells Kofi he has had the greatest WrestleMania moment of all time. Kofi talks about Kevin Owens turning on him and Xavier Woods last week and says if Owens wants to challenge him, he should just ask. KO comes out and accepts Kofi’s challenge for the WWE Title at Money in the Bank. Xavier Woods comes out of nowhere and attacks Owens. KO fights him off and Kofi comes after him, but KO retreats back into the locker room.
The first match of the night was between Bayley and Becky Lynch. Bayley was the first woman from Smackdown added to the ladder match at this year’s Money in the Bank. This is the first time these women have fought against each other in a singles match in WWE. The match picked up when Lynch jumped off the turnbuckle onto Bayley, and she kicks out at two. Bayley suplexes Becky and goes to jump off the top rope. Becky gets her knees up and locks in the “Disarm Her,” forcing Bayley to tap. Lynch wins the match, and Charlotte Flair attacks both Lynch and Bayley after the match.
This match was pretty good and made Becky look strong going into Money in the Bank. Charlotte once again has a title shot opportunity and is looking to weaken Lynch before her match. It is getting really old seeing Charlotte Flair do the same thing every week and seeing her in a title match at every pay-per-view event.
The Hardy Boyz came out and said they had big news regarding their Smackdown Tag Team Titles. Jeff comes out on crutches, barely able to stand. A video plays and shows Lars Sullivan attacking them after they won the titles a few weeks prior. Jeff says that he will need surgery for his knee, leading to The Hardy Boyz relinquishing the titles.
Lars Sullivan comes out and goes to finish the job on Jeff Hardy. Matt tries to step in to protect his brother but is thrown out of the ring. He comes back in behind Sullivan, and Lars hits Matt Hardy with the “Freak Accident.” R-Truth comes to help Jeff and hits Sullivan with a chair. Truth goes to hit him again, but Sullivan punches through the chair and hits Truth with the “Freak Accident” before going back into the locker room.
The four men were revealed for the ladder match from the Smackdown side. The first revealed was Ali, followed by Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor. Andrade was the third person added to the match, and the final member of the men’s ladder match at Money in the Bank was a surprise to many. Many fans thought Aleister Black would be added, but it was “The Viper,” Randy Orton, that took the final spot. The men competed in a tag team match later on in the show.
Roman Reigns made an appearance and spoke about his actions towards Vince McMahon two weeks prior. Reigns said he was trying to make an impression and show that Smackdown is “The Big Dog’s yard”. Shane McMahon comes out to talk about what Roman did. Reigns followed up by challenging Shane to a one-on-one match. Shane backs down and announces Roman’s fight for the night. Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel make their Smackdown Live debut as the B Team, and Reigns is told he will be taking them on in a handicap match. Not only will Reigns be in the handicap match, but Elias will be the special guest referee and enforcer.
Reigns struggled early on when fighting the B Team but quickly turns things around. He hits Dallas with a “Samoan Drop,” but Dallas kicks out at two. Elias gets involved and distracts the ref, which allows the B Team to get an advantage on Roman. While the ref is occupied with the B Team, Elias comes running through and hits Reigns with a clothesline. Reigns gets back and hits Dallas with a “Superman Punch.” Curtis Axel comes in and goes for the pin on Reigns. Reigns, then, hits Axel with the “Superman Punch.” Elias throws the ref out of the ring and takes over. He proceeds to beat Reigns and gives Axel the opportunity to hit him with the “Perfect Plex.” Roman kicks out at two. Elias grabs his guitar ready to hit Reigns with it, but Reigns hits Elias with the “Superman Punch” and proceeds to hit Axel with the “Spear” before pinning him and emerging victorious.
This was probably the best match of the night. It was nice seeing the B Team back in action, and it was not very shocking that Reigns came out on top. I love that this feud with Roman and Elias is heating up.
The tag team match followed Reigns’ victory. Ali and Finn Balor took on Andrade and Randy Orton. Ali and Balor come out and Randy Orton’s music hits. A brief promo of him is played of him talking about how he will win the contract at Money in the Bank. Andrade comes next, but he has some words for Ali and Balor telling them he has “no respect” for either one. The match really picked up when Finn Balor and Ali jumped out of the ring into Andrade and Orton. Balor hits Andrade with the “Slingblade” and sets Ali up. Ali hits Andrade with the “450 Frog Splash”. Ali and Balor win, but Randy Orton isn’t finished as he RKOs Finn Balor after the match.
Before the final segment, the show announced the women that would be competing in the women’s ladder match. The first was Bayley. There was a promo that showed Mandy Rose and Sonya DeVille, as they talked about which of the two should go. Mandy said Sonya should, but Sonya told Mandy she deserves the opportunity after her shot at the Woman’s Title. Mandy ultimately accepts her spot in the match. The final two added were Ember Moon and the winner of the first woman’s ladder match, Carmella.
The KO Show closed out the episode. Xavier Woods was supposed to be KO’s special guest, but he never came out. Owens says that Kofi is in over his head as champion. Since Woods never came out, Kevin Owens pulls out an action figure of him and pulls out another of Big E. Kofi comes out and attacks Owens after the disrespect towards his fellow New Day members. Kofi sends KO through the announcer table and hits him with one of the announcer’s chairs. Owens retreats into the stands to avoid any further damage.
Notable Moments:
- Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens set match for WWE Title at MITB
- Bayley and Becky Lynch fight solo for the first time ever
- Charlotte attacks both after the match
- Brief Aleister Black promo in which he talks about how wrestlers fear him
- Hardy Boyz relinquish tag team titles
- Kairi Sane and Asuka beat some jobbers in a tag team match
- B Team moves to Smackdown
- Tensions between Roman Reigns and Elias rise
Last night’s episode was similar to the past few weeks. The same people are involved with the same matches. Hopefully after Money in the Bank, some change happens in the matches and who is involved with title opportunities.
