WWE Smackdown Result & Highlights – 23rd April: Championship matches announced, Roman vs Daniel, Apollo vs Kevin Owens and more.
SmackDown starts with a video review of the events between Roman Reigns, Cesaro, Jey Uso and Seth Rollins from the previous week. Michael Cole and Pat McAfee greet the audience.
Cesaro stands for a promo in the ring. When he wants to comment, Seth Rollins’ music can be heard. The Kingslayer enters the stage and mockingly describes Cesaro as the man of the hour. Rollins is here to congratulate Cesaro on finally reaching his full potential. That’s why he shared a ring with him at WrestleMania.
Rollins gave Cesaro the performance of his life at WrestleMania. However, nothing is over until he says it is over. Rollins explains his defeat to Cesaro with the weather situation at WrestleMania, because it threw him off his concept.
Cesaro has heard enough and challenges Rollins. Rollins agrees, but stays on the stage.
Jey Uso comes out and makes it clear that Cesaro cannot beat him or Roman Reigns. In addition, Cesaro probably did not understand the message from the previous week, so he will show him this evening.
Rollins wants to cooperate with Jey Uso. Both agreed to encircle Cesaro. When they want to implement their plan, Daniel Bryan plays the music.
Daniel Bryan steps into the ring to back Cesaro. Bryan notes that Rollins is very upset because Cesaro beat him at WrestleMania and Jey Uso apparently came out because Reigns told him to. He is here to make sure Cesaro finally gets what he deserves. He has immense respect for Cesaro as he has worked harder than anyone, including Rollins, Uso and Reigns. Plus, Reigns only took his place here at WWE because of his family connections, while Cesaro hasn’t had a single chance so far.
Bryan asked Rollins and Jey Uso if they would now play against him and Cesaro, because Reigns probably wouldn’t want to play a match. However, he can imagine the three trying to attack him and Cesaro. Bryan is ready for this because there is no one he would love to fight with.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman take the stage. Reigns points to his new shirt and explains that Byan is the guy on the floor. He describes Bryan and Cesaro as losers. They may be legitimate to others, but not to the Tribal Chief.
Reigns shows no interest in conversing with a casino loser like Cesaro and a stupid loser like Daniel Bryan, who speaks condescendingly. Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman are retiring as Seth Rollins and Jey Uso will take care of both of them. Rollins looks surprised.
After the commercial break, both teams have a brawl until referee Charles Robinson starts the match.
1. Match
Tag Team Match
Cesaro & Daniel Bryan defeated Seth Rollins & Jey Uso after a running knee from Bryan against Jey Uso – at the end of the match Rollins showed no more interest and left Jey Uso alone in the ring.
After the match: Bryan grabs himself a microphone and first makes fun of Reigns and asks the “Head of the Table” to come out.
Jey Uso returns for an attack, but Cesaro knocks him to the ground and lets the giant swing follow while Bryan sits on the top ring rope and is amused by it. Jey gets an uppercut from Cesaro after the giant swing.
Bryan doesn’t know if Reigns will accept his challenge because he may be scared. Cesaro is willing to wait and they both questioned a little whether Reigns is really a family man. Bryan asks Cesaro to continue taking care of Jey Uso – this happens. Bryan suspects Reigns is scared and knows that Cesaro can beat him in a singles match for the title. At the end of the promo there is a loud “YES” chant from Bryan, Cesaro and the virtual audience.
Backstage: Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez interrupt Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville’s conversation. Crews calls for rest. Deville leaves the room. Crews complains about having to defend the Intercontinental Championship tonight. Pearce explains that Big E will get a rematch if he returns, but tonight Crews is putting his title on the line against Kevin Owens.
Backstage: The angry Jey Uso tells Kayla Braxton in an interview that he has had enough of the disrespect Rollins and Cesaro had towards the “Head of the Table”.
2nd match
Tamina (w / Natalya) defeated Nia Jax (w / Reginald & Shayna Baszler) via rollup – during the match Baszler & Reginald intervened for Nia, but at the end of the match Baszler got a super kick from Tamina – Baszler blamed Reginald for it and Tamina took advantage of the distraction and knocked Nia down with a super kick
Backstage: Kevin Owens talks to Kayla Braxton about today’s title match against Apollo Crews. Big E interrupts, claiming Owens went too far as this was supposed to be his rematch for the title tonight. Owens is not impressed by Big E because he wants to win the title. They both laugh at each other and stop at the same moment.
Backstage: Daniel Bryan wants to know from Adam Pearce whether Cesaro will get a title match against Reigns. Pearce says he’s working on it. Bryan wants Pearce to work harder.
3. Match
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Apollo Crews (c) (w / Commander Azeez) defeated Kevin Owens via rollup after being distracted by Azeez – during the match Sami Zayn joined the commentators
After the match: Owens knocks down Crews with a stunner. Azeez then steps into the ring and incapacitates Owens with the Nigerian Nail. Sami Zayn goes into the ring and dances over the finished Kevin Owens.
Backstage: Kayla Braxton wants to hear from Paul Heyman if Roman Reigns will accept Cesaro’s challenge. Heyman praises Cesaro and promises that the “Tribal Chief” will answer all questions afterwards.
Backstage: The new SmackDown interviewer Megan Morant conducts an interview with Apollo Crews. The WWE IC champ brags about defending his title, adding that he left Azeez in the locker room. Suddenly, Big E beats crews to the ground.
Michael Cole introduces the next segment.
We see Aleister Black in an elaborately staged video. He was sitting in a chair in a room surrounded by candles. He said most people are not honest and then read from a book called The Tales of the Dark Father.
Black read Chapter 1, “The Dragon,” and an animated sequence followed. Black told the story of a boy. His father took him to rituals to confront him with life and death. His father grew colder and more distant over time. The boy did not learn to slay the dragon – he learned to be the dragon. Black scoffed and then cursed the audience.
Backstage: Kayla Braxton interviews SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode. Both believe that the Alpha Academy will later defeat Rey & Dominik Mysterio. The Street Profits interrupt and there follows a short star down with the champions until Bayley takes over the other segment.
 Bayley promises to defeat Bianca Belair at WrestleMania Backlash and mocks the SmackDown title holder until Montez Ford returns. He had Belair on the phone and told her what Bayley had just said. Belair declares that she is on her way.
After a commercial break in the backstage area: Belair and Bayley face each other. Bayley is suddenly very friendly and congratulates her on winning the WrestleMania title. She is honored to be her first challenger. She leaves the scene and comes back a moment later and laughs because Belair believed everything she just said.
4. Match
Tag Team Match
Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio def. Alpha Academy: Chad Gable & Otis after the 619 and Frogsplash by Rey against Gable
After the match: Cesaro and Daniel Bryan go into the ring for the main segment of the show.
Announced for next week’s Friday Night SmackDown:
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Apollo Crews (c) vs. Big E
After the final commercial break, it goes back to the ring: Cesaro finally wants to find out whether Reigns will accept the challenge. If he doesn’t come out, you could go to the backstage area to get the answer.
Roman Reigns moved in with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso. The trio gets into the ring. Reigns confronts Cesaro and is annoyed by the challenge because Cesaro doesn’t deserve it and so his answer is “No!”
Reigns looks at Bryan and gives Bryan another challenge. He never liked Bryan and never will, but he’ll give him another title chance. Cesaro wants Bryan to accept the title match.
Reigns has one condition, however, because if Bryan loses, he never wants to see his face on SmackDown again.
Bryan steps forward and says, “I accept!” Reigns holds the Universal Champion title in front of Bryan and makes it clear that he will never have it because it will always be his.
Michael Cole thinks it could be the biggest main event in SmackDown history as Bryan gets a chance to win the title in the next week, but if he loses he will be banned from SmackDown forever. Michael Cole and McAfee hyped Reigns vs. Bryan, insisting that Bryan’s career is at stake. That ends the show.
