WWE SmackDown live results: The Rock, Reigns, Rhodes & Rollins appear

The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Seth Rollins are all in the building for tonight’s SmackDown from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

The main event of WrestleMania 40 night one should become official when Rhodes & Rollins respond to The Rock & Reigns’ challenge tonight. It will be a tag match between Rock & Reigns and Rhodes & Rollins on the opening night of WrestleMania.

If Rhodes & Rollins win, the Rhodes vs. Reigns Universal title match on night two will be Bloodline-free. If they lose, the match will be under Bloodline rules so anything goes — including interference.

United States Champion Logan Paul will be in attendance for the first time since he cost Randy Orton in last month’s men’s Elimination Chamber match after hitting him with brass knuckles.

Orton will team with Kevin Owens to take on Grayson Waller and Austin Theory in tag team action tonight.

Bobby Lashley will face Karrion Kross in a grudge match after Kross injured Lashley before Elimination Chamber.

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

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– A recap of The Rock’s challenge for Seth Rollins & Cody Rhodes kicked off the show. We then got footage of The Rock arriving at the arena earlier in the day.

– Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Seth Rollins were also shown backstage as Corey Graves welcomed us to the show.

Logan Paul opens the show

The United States Champion entered to loud boos. 

Paul greeted the Dallas crowd, saying that they were about to witness history unfolding. He didn’t want to oblige the crowd’s “What?” chants, before boasting that he was a conqueror. Paul boasted about his many feats in and out of the ring, He took credit for WWE’s successes as of late before announcing that he had a surprise for everyone.

He unveiled that Prime Energy is the new center ring sponsor for WWE’s PLEs starting at WrestleMania, showing off a Prime Energy logo in the ring. Paul then introduced his friend and “Partner in Prime” KSI to a swarm of boos.

Paul called for a cameraman to take photos, but Randy Orton’s music interrupted. Orton didn’t show up at the entryway, but he sneaked out from under the ring. Orton nearly got Paul with an RKO, but the U.S. Champion escaped. KSI wasn’t so lucky, as Orton nailed him with the RKO instead.

Orton took the Prime Energy bottle, drank some of it, admitting that it “was damn good” before spilling it all over KSI.

This was a fun opening segment to kick off the night. Paul not obliging the ‘What’ chants and announcing the Prime Energy partnership made for some nice heel heat, and having KSI around added to it. Orton’s sneak attack RKOs are a highlight. Hitting KSI with the RKO was a surefire way to get the crowd going.

– They showed a video of Triple H marking the milestone of WWE reaching 100 million subscribers on YouTube.

Randy Orton & Kevin Owens defeated Austin Theory & Grayson Waller

Owens and Theory started off in the ring as Owens took down Theory and taunted him. Theory fought back for a bit, but Owens got the better of him again.

Waller tagged in as Owens brought Orton into the match with a tag. Orton was in firm control, trapping Waller in the corner with the ten-punch combination. Waller took advantage of a Theory distraction and caught Orton off-guard.

The match went to break with the duo of Theory and Waller with the advantage after Waller attacked Owens on the outside. After the commercial break, Theory and Waller continued to work over Owens in the corner. A double suplex by the duo floored Owens. Waller mocked Orton’s taunt, which gave Owens the opening to hot tag Orton. 

Orton used his signature offense on Waller, but Theory caught him in the ropes. A cannonball by Owens to Theory on the outside was followed by Orton getting Waller with the rope-assisted DDT. 

Theory tried to distract Orton, and Waller got a near-fall with the rollup. Theory and Waller had Orton cornered, but Owens took Waller out with a Stunner. Owens lifted Theory up and Orton finished him off with the RKO for the victory.

Post-match, Logan Paul attacked Owens and Orton from behind, brandishing the brass knuckles in his hands. Orton took the brass knux from Paul and tried to hit him with it. Paul dodged, causing Owens to nearly hit Orton. Owens stopped at the last second. Owens and Orton fist-bumped afterwards as Paul retreated with Waller and Theory.

This was a standard tag match to kick off the in-ring action tonight, but the crowd popped for Orton’s big spots. The chemistry between the four competitors was there. The post-match attack with Paul and Orton nearly hitting Owens is an efficient way of setting up the inevitable triple threat match for the U.S. Title at WrestleMania.

– They showed security backstage, who were there to make sure the Rock/Reigns/Rhodes/Rollins showdown would not fall into chaos.

– The Progressive Match Flo recapped Dakota Kai’s betrayal of Bayley on last week’s SmackDown.

– Backstage, Bayley was interviewed by Kayla Braxton. She lamented about whether or not her former Damage CTRL friends’ loyalty was real. She said that Kai manipulated and used her. Bayley said that she was doing everything for the sake of Damage CTRL and that it’s now backfiring on her, leaving her all alone. Kayla asked Bayley on what her plan for WrestleMania was. Bayley answered that she was going to adapt and do everything in her soul to stop Damage CTRL.

– Elsewhere, Naomi was seen watching Bayley’s interview. Bianca Belair showed up, not exactly showing sympathy for Bayley’s situation, stating that she created this bed and that she was going to lie in it.

Bobby Lashley defeated Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett) by DQ

Kross and Lashley traded blows in the ring before Lashley took over in the corner with repeated strikes and shoulder thrusts. Kross answered with a hard suplex to take control.

Lashley responded with a suplex and a clothesline to the outside. He threw Kross to the barricade and teased throwing Kross against the ring post before Scarlett got in the way, which gave Kross the opening to escape and throw Lashley into the ring post as we headed to a commercial break.

Returning to action, Kross had Lashley in a submission hold. He continued to work over Lashley in the corner, then hitting a suplex for the two-count. Kross sent Lashley out of the ring as the fight continued outside. Lashley recovered and threw Kross into the ring post.

Kross avoided a spear and hit a modified Death Valley Driver for the close two-count. Lashley tried to get the Hurt Lock, but Kross escaped. He set up for the Spear, but AOP showed up and attacked Lashley to cause the DQ.

The Street Profits evened the odds as Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford took down Akam and Rezar. Scarlett tried to save Kross from the Hurt Lock, but B-Fab ran her off. AOP eventually got into the ring and beat down Lashley. Kross finished things off with the Final Prayer. The Final Testament left the ringside area, reveling in the destruction of Lashley and the Street Profits.

Pretty good, hard-hitting match with an expected disqualification finish, pretty much guaranteeing this feud will indeed continue. As it is, I did like what I saw from Lashley and Kross.

– The commentators recapped Rey Mysterio’s return, as we saw footage of Dragon Lee hanging out with the LWO after the show. Backstage, Lee was confronted by Elektra Lopez, who mocked him for thinking he’d be the “next” Rey Mysterio. Legado Del Fantasma appeared and taunted Lee as he got called a “wannabe” by the group.

– They showed a graphic for the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame, featuring Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, and the U.S. Express (Mike Rotunda & Barry Windham).

Tiffany Stratton defeated Michin

Stratton aggressively going after Michin to start the match. An impressive cartwheel splash to the corner, followed by a running stomp by Stratton, only got a near fall.

Michin’s back continued to be the target of Stratton with a running splash against the ropes. Michin countered and hit a suplex. A Styles Clash attempt by Michin was reversed into an Alabama Slam by Stratton. The Prettiest Moonsault Ever got the victory for Stratton.

This was a good showcase for Stratton as she continues to get over with fans due to her fantastic in-ring presence. She is a real pleasure to watch in the ring, and her meteoric rise can only get bigger from here. Michin losing continues the angle of the OC being left in disarray by AJ Styles’ recent actions, as well.

– AJ Styles had a promo that explained why he attacked LA Knight at Elimination Chamber. He said that Knight didn’t deserve to be in the same locker room as him. Styles was upset that Knight stole his momentum, calling him an “underachieving, overrated loudmouth” that needed a humbling.

Backstage, Knight had his chair and took a swing at the TV and smashed it to bits, frustrated that Styles wasn’t in the building. He walked off in frustration.

– Tyler Bate was playing WWE 2K24 as Pete Dunne entered the room. Bate paused the game and went to go see Nick Aldis about the unknown Tag Team Title situation. When Bate left, Dunne took the controller and continued to play WWE 2K24.

Dragon Lee defeated Angel

Lee floored Angel with a dropkick as the bell rang. He got Angel with another dropkick in the corner. Lots of fast paced action to start, until Angel faked out Lee with a fake knee injury to take advantage. He sent Lee to the outside to take us into the commercial break.

Back from break with Lee hitting a nice sit-out power bomb on Angel. Lee quickened the pace, hitting a flurry of offense to take advantage. Lee climbed the top rope, but Angel intercepted. Angel trapped and got flattened with a double stop.

Angel rolled outside to Berto and both got taken down by a diving Dragon Lee. Back in the ring, Lee got taken down by a nice superkick on the button. Power bomb attempt by Angel countered into a hurricanrana by Lee for the pinfall win.

Post-match, Legado Del Fantasma attacked Lee, as commentary noted that the LWO was not in the building to help out. Santos, Angel, and Berto slammed Lee with a modified triple power bomb before standing over him in the ring.

A good, fun sprint as Angel and Dragon Lee got to show off their stuff in such a limited time. Lee’s agility and in-ring acumen does help peg him as a future Rey Mysterio successor. The post-match angle with LDF attacking Lee pretty much guarantees that Lee will have a role helping the LWO fighting Santos Escobar and his group.

– We got a promo from Damage CTRL as Dakota Kai declared herself “the brains” of the group. They bragged about how Bayley was never part of their vision as Kai then challenged Bayley for a match next week.

– Backstage, Nick Aldis went to check on Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins who are not in their locker room. Frustrated, Aldis took the security with him to go find Rhodes and Rollins.

– Next week on SmackDown: Bayley vs. Dakota Kai and Rey Mysterio’s return.

Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins answer The Bloodline’s challenge

Roman Reigns walked out to the ring, accompanied, of course, by Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and Paul Heyman.

The Rock was next to enter, with a rather extravagant entrance and a very loud reaction from the Dallas crowd. Roman’s facial expressions continue to tell the story as he shifted from a smile when facing Rock, to a look of concern when not facing him.

“Dallas, Texas… greatness stands before you now,” proclaimed Roman Reigns. He offered a handshake to The Rock, who reciprocated as the cousins shared an embrace. “Acknowledge us!” he then said.

Cody Rhodes’ entrance music hit, seemingly heralding the arrival of “The American Nightmare”. To a great crowd reaction from the crowd, Rhodes entered through the crowd, Shield-style, with Seth Rollins in tow leading to the final commercial break of the evening.

Back from the commercial break, Rhodes and Rollins finally made their way to the ring, with the security detail at ringside. The crowd began to sing Rollins’ theme song acapella as the four men stared down in the ring.

Rhodes took the mic and said that even with the bad blood, he was feeling lucky to be standing in this ring, saying that they should all take in this moment standing in a sold-out crowd in Dallas.

He said that he heard The Rock’s challenge and the stipulations attached to this massive tag team match. He asks if Rock has the authority to make this match, saying that he saw that Rock acknowledged Roman as his Tribal Chief.

As Rhodes was about to give an answer, The Rock interrupted and told him to shut up. Rock said that he acknowledged Roman as the Tribal Chief because that’s what family does, before repeating the stipulations of the tag match at WrestleMania: if Rhodes/Rollins wins, then the Undisputed Universal Title Match will have no Bloodline presence; if Reigns/Rock win, the Undisputed niversal Title Match will be contested under “Bloodline Rules” (no disqualifications).

The crowd chanted “diarrhea” at The Rock, acknowledging Rollins’ “Diarrhea Dwayne” nickname for him.

Rollins shouted at Rock to “shut the hell up”. He said that Rock had his time, and that he can’t have theirs, before officially accepting The Rock’s challenge.

Reigns mocked Rhodes for letting Rollins accept the challenge on his behalf, saying that the future for Rhodes will be that the story will be over at WrestleMania.

Rock said that he will do everything in his power to stop Rhodes from winning the Undisputed Universal Championship, and make sure that he will never get a championship opportunity if he fails to beat Roman. Rock continued his tirade, declaring that of the three kids of Dusty Rhodes, Cody was a mistake. This fired up Rhodes as he gave The Rock a hard slap to the face, bringing the show to an abrupt end.

Hot finish to close out SmackDown as the big Rhodes/Rollins vs. Reigns/Rock tag team match was finally made official. The Rock’s vow of making sure Cody Rhodes never finishes his story only adds fuel to the fire and could be seen as WWE making it all the more clear that Cody will indeed win. SmackDown ending with Cody paying back Rock with a slap of his own is a nice precursor for what’s to come in the coming weeks, with both Rock and Rhodes advertised for next week’s SmackDown.

I do wish that we had at least one more women’s match, as a two minutes or so of match time wasn’t enough. Keeping that in mind, we did get some nice continuation for the Bayley vs. Damage CTRL story, as they are playing up that Bayley’s past actions are coming back to haunt her with nobody stepping up to help out.

All in all, a very fun SmackDown with some good in-ring action and a wild ending to the show to set up a massive WrestleMania weekend.