Five days following the company’s flagship pay-per-view, Friday Night SmackDown on FOX was set to address the fallout from Wrestlemania 36, which saw Goldberg drop his belt, The Miz and John Morrison retain their tag team championship, and Bayley outlast four other women to hold on to her SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Shinsuke Nakamura challenges Braun Strowman
The show opened with the new Universal Champion Braun Strowman making his way to the ring for a promo. Not long into his celebration did Shinsuke Nakamura’s music hit and the 2018 Royal Rumble winner made his way to the ring.
Nakamura challenged Strowman to a match for later in the show, and as the two began a staredown, Strowman turned to his right to find Cesaro making his way toward the champion. Strowman pushed Cesaro out of the ring and caught a leg kick to the side of his head from Nakamura, who then slid out of the ring and back up the ramp.
SmackDown Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (t) vs. The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane)
In a WrestleMania 36 rematch, the Kabuki Warriors looked to challenge Bliss and Cross for the SmackDown Women’s Tag Team titles.
Sane opened the match by charging Bliss and bringing her to the Warriors’ corner. Bliss was dominated early by Asuka and Sane, who eventually took the action outside of the ring. Asuka made her way to the announcer’s table and put on a headset and stood on top of the table. Cross followed her by climbing on top of the table, and Bliss pulled Asuka down and shifted the tide.
Following a commercial break, the Kabuki Warriors regained momentum as Asuka met Cross in the middle of the ring. Cross eventually escaped her opponents’ corner and tagged in Bliss, who missed a backward moonsault to Sane.
Regaining herself after the missed opportunity, Bliss hit Sane with a right hand and tagged in Cross, who looked for a double team before Asuka prevented the move. Bliss hit a DDT to Sane and attempted a pin before Asuka pulled her partner out of the ring.
Catching the Kabuki Warriors outside the ring, Bliss hit a Twist and Bliss in front of the announcers’ table. Bliss rolled Sane inside the ring and tagged Cross into the match. Cross hit a twisting neck-breaker on Sane and rolled her up to finish the match and retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
Elias celebrates
Elias was introduced on the perch where Baron Corbin knocked him off two weeks ago. While playing a new guitar after smashing his old one on the back of Corbin, Elias sang about winning the Money in the Bank briefcase and turning it into a guitar case.
Tucker v. Dolph Ziggler
A video package followed showing Otis’s revenge on Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler’s music hit and he came out with Sonya Deville, and the two marched to Michael Cole and Corey Graves. Tucker of Heavy Machinery entered atop the ramp and said he had unfinished business with Ziggler.
The two squared off and Tucker held early momentum, driving Ziggler into a corner ring post and hitting a high suplex. Ziggler crawled out of the ring and around the floor and Tucker followed, hitting his opponent off the announcers’ table and into the steel ring steps.
Ziggler got up and drove his thumbs into Tucker’s eyes. As it appeared Ziggler took control of the match, Tucker slammed him back-first off the top of the announcers’ table. Tucker brought Ziggler back into the ring and hit him with a high power slam for a two-count. Tucker hit a cross-body lateral press on Ziggler for another two-count, and after running into a corner ring post, Ziggler hit a superkick and rolled Tucker up for a come-from-behind win.
The Dirt Sheet
The ending of the Triple Threat Ladder Match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships was played prior to The Miz and John Morrison hosting a celebratory show.
Sitting in the middle of the ring, the champions introduced themselves and shared the “good news” resulting from WrestleMania. After recapping the SmackDown results from the Show of Shows, the duo performed their song “Hey Hey.”
The Usos crashed the party mid-song, and while trying to fracture the friendship between Miz and Morrison, The Miz said he was not “medically cleared” to compete.
The New Day entered atop the ramp as the champions tried to leave. Kofi Kingston informed everyone that after consulting management, Jey Uso, The Miz and Big E will compete in a triple threat match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship next week. It seems The Miz will have seven days to prepare to put his team’s titles on the line.
Lucha House Party vs. The Forgotten Sons
The Lucha House Party and The Forgotten Sons squared off in a tag team match. The Forgotten Sons made their transition to the blue brand after competing on Wednesday nights in NXT.
Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler represented The Forgotten Sons and held momentum throughout the match. The Lucha House Party used great athleticism and high-flying abilities to shift the balance of the match to their favor but could not hold on for long. Cutler entered the ring to break up the momentum The Lucha House Party created. Blake, who was active in the ring, hit a big clothesline and tagged in Cutler, who pinned Gran Metalik for the team’s first win.
Dana Brooke and Carmella challenge Bliss and Cross
Following the tag team match, cameras cut backstage to Dana Brooke and Carmella, who expressed disappointment in not having a Wrestlemania moment. The two challenged the Tag Team Champions Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss, who told the challengers there was a line of opponents they needed to focus on first.
Bliss and Cross obliged to the challenge after Cross appeared eager to accept. A match between the two teams should take place soon in the future.
Sasha Banks and Bayley address their WrestleMania 36 match
A friend of SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, Sasha Banks made her way to the ring. Bayley joined her friend in the ring shortly after.
Bayley proclaimed she was untouchable after standing tall in the Fatal Five-Way Elimination Match last weekend. Furthermore, the champion said no one from the past nor present could touch her, but Tamina came out to the ring to disprove her statement.
After Tamina issued strong words and a challenge to the champion, Sasha Banks stepped forward and told Tamina to join the pecking order. However, a confident Bayley countered Tamina’s challenge by telling her that if Tamina could defeat Banks, then she would earn a championship match.
Tamina accepted the challenge without hesitancy. Banks held a blank expression on her face, and Tamina told her next opponent that her “bestie just screwed her.”
Sheamus vs. Cal Bloom
In a singles match, the Celtic Warrior looked to begin his post-WrestleMania in strong fashion. Quickly after the match began, Sheamus issued 10 strong punches to Bloom’s chest as he was held against the ropes.
As Bloom recovered back into the ring, Sheamus hit a Brogue Kick to earn a quick victory.
Jeff Hardy career review
WWE is taking a look at Jeff Hardy’s career. In what seems will be a segmented video broken down into chapters, Chapter One: The Rise showed Hardy’s youth wrestling history.
The video also showed highlights from several ladder matches and Hardy capturing the Intercontinental Championship.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Braun Strowman
After issuing a challenge to the new Universal Champion earlier in the night, Nakamura was set to back up his boldness.
Nakamura struck Strowman with several kicks once the bell rang. Not allowing himself to fall behind, Strowman knocked his opponent down with a kick.
The champion threw his opponent around the ring before slinging him out of it. Strowman slid out and stared down Cesaro, and Nakamura attempted to take advantage but to no avail.
Following a commercial break, Strowman ran Nakamura into a corner. Cesaro uppercut Strowman after Nakamura ran him into the ropes.
After getting back up, Strowman caught Nakamura and slammed him into the mat with a running power slam for the win. Several distractions from Cesaro and an elusive Nakamura was not enough to defeat the fresh Universal Champion.
Bray Wyatt wants the Universal Championship
Before the close, the Firefly FunHouse took the screen. The Firefly FunHouse Match was recapped, and Bray Wyatt celebrated his win.
With Strowman still in the ring, Wyatt offered his congratulations before a series of flashbacks. Not long after offering congratulations did Wyatt say Strowman turned his back on him in the past.
As the show closed, Wyatt leaned forward with a cerebral look and said Strowman had something he wanted: the Universal Title.
Unfazed, Strowman told Wyatt he would “let him in” at any time. This should set up an interesting feud between two of WWE’s hottest superstars.
