WWE SmackDown live results: Cody Rhodes and Bayley appear

After winning the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40, Cody Rhodes will make his first SmackDown appearance as the company’s top champion tonight.

Rhodes won the title from Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 night two. Reigns’ loss put an end to his dominant 1,316-day run as champion.

Tonight, WWE will begin determining Rhodes’ first challenger.

Two triple threat matches will take place on tonight’s SmackDown: Bobby Lashley vs. Santos Escobar vs. LA Knight and AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kevin Owens. The winners advance to face off in a number one contender’s match next Friday to determine who’s first in line for a shot at Rhodes.

An appearance by new WWE Women’s Champion Bayley has also been announced for SmackDown. Bayley defeated her former Damage CTRL stablemate IYO SKY for the title at WrestleMania.

Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

– A recap of WrestleMania XL Night Two’s main event kicked off the show, as Cody Rhodes finished the story and became the Undisputed WWE Champion by defeating Roman Reigns.

Cody Rhodes opens the show

Corey Graves and Wade Barrett welcomed us from inside the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan for SmackDown.

The new Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes made his entrance to a great ovation from the Detroit crowd.

Rhodes talked about how the Rock’s appearance on Raw made him think of a particular Detroit native and a particular line they’re known for, “who the hell told you it was open mic night, bitch?” (in reference to Rhodes’ wife, Brandi Rhodes)

He addressed how Rock’s confrontation on Monday felt like a “wartime overture” and that he’d be waiting for the Rock once he returned to Hollywood. He switched gears to the upcoming Backlash Premium Live Event in France, as he sized up the competition he could potentially face, pending the results of the two Triple Threat matches this evening.

Rhodes said that he was no longer the hunter, but the hunted, and that if the six men vying for the a shot at him, “they’d best not miss,” as he reintroduced himself as “once undesirable, undeniable, and now the Undisputed WWE Champion.” Rhodes posed with his championship as the crowd cheered him on.

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– Bayley and Rey Mysterio were shown walking backstage.

– Backstage, the Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso were shown standing in front of Cody Rhodes’ locker room, which was formerly the Bloodline’s locker room. Kevin Owens walked into the room as Sikoa said he’d take care of it. Paul Heyman told Sikoa that Rhodes was the champion and that winning and losing mattered, carrying consequences with it. He said that by orders of the Tribal Chief, the Undisputed WWE Championship needed to return to the Bloodline.

– A promo for Raw from Montreal this coming Monday hyped Sami Zayn versus Chad Gable for the Intercontinental Title and Sheamus’ return.

Number One Contender’s Triple Threat Match: LA Knight defeated Santos Escobar and Bobby Lashley

Once the bell rang, Escobar ran at Knight before he got double-teamed by Knight and Lashley. Knight tried to roll up Lashley, but to no avail.

Lashley was pulled out of the ring by Knight as they brawled for a bit before Escobar dove onto the two of them. SmackDown went to commercial at this point of the match.

We returned from break with Lashley and Escobar fighting in the ring. Both men were on the top turnbuckle as Escobar desperately tried to escape. Knight jumped up the top rope and tried to go for a superplex, but Lashley powerbombed both Knight and Escobar for the near-fall.

Knight fought out of a Phantom Driver attempt by Escobar, as he hit his Megastar Elbow on him. Escobar was in the crosshairs of Knight before Legado Del Fantasma attacked Knight and flattened him with the triple powerbomb. They laid waste to Lashley before the Street Profits ran in to fend off Angel and Berto.

Lashley took Escobar down with a Flatliner and looked to have him finished off with a Spear. Escobar dodged it, which caused Lashley to crash into the ringpost. Knight snuck up behind Escobar and got the win with the B.F.T.

A fun triple threat opener to kick off SmackDown, and LA Knight as the winner is the right call. Whether or not he goes on to face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship remains to be seen, but it could be an interesting match if it somehow happened.

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– Backstage, the LWO were interviewed. Rey Mysterio said that whether it was Santos Escobar or Ridge Holland, karma was going to bite them. Kayla Braxton told Mysterio that Escobar denied attacking Dragon Lee last week, but Mysterio switched topics by saying that he was going to win the No. 1 Contenders’ Triple Threat Match later on and that although he was a WWE Hall of Famer, he might have one more championship run in him.

– Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and Paul Heyman made their way to the ring, as we’d hear from them up next on SmackDown.

The Bloodline address the fallout of WrestleMania

Paul Heyman started off by saying that the Bloodline offered no excuses for what happened at WrestleMania. He said by orders of Roman Reigns, the Bloodline needed to accept accountability. Heyman said that Cody Rhodes ‘flipped the script’ on Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 before he pointed out that Seth Rollins stayed true to the word of being Rhodes “Shield”.

Heyman talked about how Reigns gave into temptation and got distracted by the lust of revenge on Rollins for the Shield’s destruction, and that Rhodes took advantage of it to become the new Undisputed WWE Champion.

Before Heyman could continue, Solo Sikoa grabbed the mic and said that winning and losing mattered, and that “consequences needed change”. Sikoa stared down Jimmy Uso and gave him an embrace. “You’re my brother, I love you,” said Sikoa.

Suddenly, a man in a black hoodie appeared and attacked Jimmy from behind, revealed to be Tama Tonga. As Tonga continued the attack, he held him up for Sikoa to hit multiple Samoan Spikes on Jimmy. In the corner, Heyman begged for his life, but Sikoa just grabbed him so he could join in the Bloodline salute. Heyman tried to call for Roman Reigns on his phone, but Sikoa smashed it before he went to ringside and grabbed a steel chair.

Sikoa placed the chair around Jimmy’s neck as he once again said, “I love you, brother”. Heyman shouted “this is not what the Tribal Chief wants!” as Sikoa ran right into the prone Jimmy Uso on the corner.

Sikoa and Tonga left the ring, while Heyman looked nervous about what went down in the ring. 

Very effective introduction for Tama Tonga as a new Bloodline member, showing up to punish Jimmy Uso for his failures. Tonga being brought by Sikoa and seemingly not under orders of Roman Reigns creates a very interesting divide within the Bloodline, and there’s a very good chance that a certain Final Boss may have carried out this edict. All in all, a good way to keep the Bloodline story going with Reigns and The Rock looking like they’ll be absent for the foreseeable future.

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Bron Breakker defeated Cameron Grimes

Breakker got started right away with two suplexes until Grimes fought out of it. Breakker recovered and got a full head of speed to hit a hard-hitting clothesline on Grimes. 

Grimes escaped and tried to leap at Breakker, who planted him with a slam. Breakker pulled down the straps and ran through Grimes with a vicious Spear for the easy victory.

Short, but sweet squash to keep Breakker in focus after his recent farewell to NXT. Nothing much more to say.

– The Progressive Insurance Match Flo was a recap of some of WrestleMania XL’s moments, including Bayley winning the WWE Women’s Championship, which segued into Bayley herself walking backstage, as we’d hear from her up next.

– AJ Styles spoke backstage about the upcoming Triple Threat Match that’s main eventing SmackDown. He said that Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens were in the way of something bigger, and that tonight would be a taste of what LA Knight would feel next week.

Bayley speaks about her WWE Women’s Championship victory

The new WWE Women’s Champion Bayley entered to a massive reaction from the Detroit crowd. She took time to high five some of the fans on her way to the ring.

The crowd chanted “you deserve it!” at Bayley as she entered the ring. She said that it felt good to hear the crowd chanting that.

Bayley said that she felt damn proud to be called the new WWE Women’s Champion. She said that her win at WrestleMania felt so special because it was different. She said that it felt different because she got to be the champion of a new, exciting era, which represented the best women’s locker room in memory. Bayley gave thanks for the fans who have been there for her for 11 years, thanking them for never giving up on her.

Before she could continue, Bayley was interrupted by Tiffany Stratton, who started by saying how rude it was that she never got her opportunity at WrestleMania. She said that she accepted Bayley’s supposed open challenge, because it was Tiffy Time.

Bayley said that there wasn’t an open challenge and that she had someone in mind for her next challenger, namely Naomi. Stratton protested, which prompted Naomi herself to enter the scene.

Stratton bragged about having already beaten Naomi, which prompted an immediate response. Naomi said that she couldn’t accept Bayley’s challenge just yet, because she wanted to take on Tiffany Stratton right here and right now. 

– Kayla Braxton stood in front of the doctor’s office, as she discussed about what happened with Jimmy Uso and Tama Tonga earlier. Paul Heyman stepped out of the room with a concerned look on his face and was confronted by Tonga, who said “by orders of the Tribal Chief.” Sikoa appeared next to Tonga as the two left the scene. Heyman wondered what it all meant.

Naomi defeated Tiffany Stratton

Back in the ring, the match started during the commercial break. Naomi hit a nice leg drop on Stratton for a two-count. She continued the attack on Stratton’s arm afterwards. Bayley was at ringside, encouraging Naomi.

Stratton recovered and began to attack Naomi in the corner with repeated shoulder thrusts. Stratton tripped up Naomi and then hit a running hip strike to her prone opponent along the middle rope. 

Naomi fought back with a dropkick as she hit Stratton with a kick from the apron. Stratton shoved Naomi into the ring post to send her crashing outside, which sent us to a mid-match commercial.

SmackDown resumed with Naomi hitting a flying crossbody, then a springboard kick on Stratton. She followed this up with a running dropkick in the corner on Stratton. With her foe in position, Naomi got the splash, which Stratton barely kicked out of.

Stratton with the O’Connor Roll, followed by the double stomp. Naomi kicked out at two. Stratton countered Naomi in the corner to flatten her with a nice Alabama Slam. Naomi avoided the Prettiest Moonsault Ever and got the jackknife pin for the surprise victory. The win earned Naomi a future shot at Bayley’s WWE Women’s Championship.

A good match between Naomi and Stratton, and while some might be disheartened by Stratton losing this match, it’s probably too soon for her to be competing for the title in a match she’d probably lose. A loss against Naomi certainly won’t hurt her future stock. And as far as a first challenger goes for Bayley, Naomi isn’t a bad option.

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– An A-Town Down Under vignette was shown before we went to the office of SmackDown GM Nick Aldis, who had the Street Profits & New Catch Republic with him. Aldis said that they’d find a challenger for Austin Theory & Grayson Waller next week.

– United States Champion Logan Paul was at his house, as he cut a promo about his successful WrestleMania weekend defending his title. He boasted about how he had a hand at WrestleMania’s success.

– Earlier Today footage showed Chelsea Green and Piper Niven talking to Nick Aldis, who told them that he had some opponents in mind for them.

Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair defeated Chelsea Green and Piper Niven

Cargill and Belair were revealed as Green and Niven’s mystery opponents that Nick Aldis lined up for them.

Belair started off with a standing spinebuster on Green, who quickly tagged Niven in. As Belair tried to tag Cargill, Niven grabbed her hair and then hit a sitdown powerbomb. Belair avoided the diving splash, which gave her time to tag Cargill in.

During the match, part of the screen glitched briefly to display a cryptic message of “you forgot about us”.

WIth Green as the legal woman, Cargill made short work of her, as she put this match to a quick end with Jaded.

It’s clear that Cargill and Belair are being set up as the team that will defeat the Kabuki Warriors, and it’s not a bad place for them, to be honest. This helps Cargill get her reps in and a nice set up for a potential feud between the two when the time comes for it. Cargill’s presence is as impressive as ever, with her grand, superhero-like entrance and it’s always a treat to see every week.

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– Kevin Owens was with Byron Saxton backstage. Owens wondered about the cool camera shots they’ve been doing recently, as he grabbed Saxton’s mic and began to talk about his upcoming match with Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles. The camera followed Owens as he made his entrance with a custom Detroit Tigers championship belt.

– Next Week on Smackdown: WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley versus Naomi; Tag Team Fatal Four-Way No. 1 Contenders’ Match: Street Profits versus Authors of Pain versus New Catch Republic versus Legado Del Fantasma; LA Knight versus AJ Styles (winner faces Cody Rhodes at WWE Backlash)

Number One Contender’s Triple Threat Match: AJ Styles defeated Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens

The match started with Mysterio and Styles mixing it up, as Owens clotheslined Styles to the outside. Owens threw Styles against the barricade and rammed into him for the Cannonball. Mysterio flattened Owens with a splash, which sent us to the last commercial break for the evening.

We returned to live action with Styles, Owens, and Mysterio all in the ring. Mysterio countered an attempted Owens powerslam into a DDT, as he then reversed Styles’ attempt at a piledriver into a move of his own for the near-fall.

Mysterio had Styles set up for the 619, but Styles grabbed Mysterio’s legs and lifted him up for the ushigoroshi. Styles then began to fight Owens in the corner until Mysterio sent him outside the ring. Mysterio met Owens in the corner and got hit with a nasty superplex from the top rope. Mysterio managed to kick out at two.

Owens avoided a standing moonsault from Styles and hit a superkick. Pop-up Powerbomb countered into a Pele Kick. Mysterio kicked Styles to stop a Styles Clash attempt. Owens hit a powerful double-stack German suplex on both Styles and Mysterio.

Owens flipped Mysterio into Styles, who got sent into the ropes for another 619 attempt. Mysterio connected, but couldn’t capitalize because Owens got him with the Stunner on the apron.

Swanton by Owens blocked by Styles, as Mysterio fought Styles on the top rope. Styles got the upper hand and hit an Avalanche Styles Clash on Mysterio right on the prone Kevin Owens to get the victory. Styles will now face LA Knight next week for a shot at Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship at Backlash.

After the match, Knight appeared in the ring to talk trash with Styles to end the show.

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A very solid main event between three excellent competitors, and I enjoyed the chemistry that Styles, Mysterio, and Owens had. Obviously, Styles versus Knight for a shot at Cody Rhodes’ title was the call, and it seems like they’re going to have Styles be Rhodes’ first title challenger. I’m interested in how they get there next week.

Speaking of Cody Rhodes, I would’ve liked to see at least another segment with Rhodes, because it seemed odd that he just appeared in the opening segment and not anywhere else. I did like the implication that as the new Undisputed WWE Champion, he now gets the locker room formerly belonging to the Bloodline.

Tama Tonga’s introduction and the implications for the Bloodline was the night’s strongest segment. The intrigue of where Tonga’s loyalties truly lie and whether or not Solo Sikoa has taken over the Bloodline or acting on the orders of a new Tribal Chief is a great story thread to develop over the next little while with The Rock off shooting his new movies and Roman Reigns on a well-deserved break.

All in all, I enjoyed this SmackDown and it was a good post-WrestleMania show that sets up a very interesting new chapter for the Bloodline, while setting the stage for challengers to the new champions of the blue brand.