WWE SmackDown results, grades: Charlotte Flair forces Drew Gulak to quit as wrestler tries out new role

Charlotte Flair laid out Drew Gulak on SmackDown this week to send a message to Ronda Rousey before Backlash.

The two superstars will face off in an I Quit match at the upcoming premium live event on May 8, and the SmackDown Women’s Champion joined Gulak in the ring after he’d interviewed Madcap Moss earlier in the night.

Joining the Queen, he asked about her rematch with the Baddest Woman On The Planet, and Charlotte claimed she isn’t worried about her opponent as she gloated about.

Gulak pointed out she did tap out on the night, but the champ insisted she was just fixing her bra before soon trashing the wrestler’s new role as an interviewer.

Eventually, she told him to get out of the ring but hits a chop block as he tried to leave, and locks in the Figure 8, refusing to release the hold even as he tapped out.

She only agreed to let go once he said he quit, which he did, ending an entertaining segment presenting a unique way to build to Charlotte and Ronda’s match.

Not surprisingly, Gulak shone in fun role – although he really should be utilised more in the ring.

It’ll be interesting to see if there is some kind of storyline plan here, or if the talented star really is shifting into a new position in the company.

RK-Bro agree to face The Usos in tag team title unification match, Ricochet defends the Intercontinental Title and more

SmackDown kicked off in style this week with RK-Bro and The Usos clashing on the mic in a fantastic opening segment.

Jimmy and Jey were on form and Randy Orton seemed more motivated than ever, with the end result being both teams agreeing to face off in a championship unification match at WrestleMania Backlash.

The Usos attacked Riddle on the ramp, leading to a main event clash between the Original Bro and Jimmy.

Not surprisingly, they delivered a fantastic bout to bring the night to a close, with Riddle winning via an RKO out of a pop-up Samoan Drop attempt.

Elsewhere, in the first match of the night, Rhea Ripley beat Naomi in a cracking clash building to Monday’s Women’s Tag Team Title match.

In various combinations, the four stars have shown great chemistry, and the Nightmare built some momentum for herself and Liv Morgan before they battle Naomi and Sasha Banks for the gold.

Happy Corbin trashed Madcap Moss backstage, branding him a lackey he kept round for comedic value, but it backfired when he cost him his winning streak at WrestleMania.

Next, Moss spoke to Gulak and insisted he told terrible jokes because he was tailoring his material to Corbin.

He then took on Humberto in a fun match designed to showcase Moss, and it succeeded as he picked up the win.

Meanwhile, Los Lotharios seem to be on the rocks as Humberto and Angel teased some tension following the former’s loss.

Sami Zayn was at his best on the mic as he reflected on the impacthas had on his reputation, while people have misunderstood his ‘tactics’ as cowardice when he ran away from Drew McIntyre last week.

He did the same again this time round, albeit not before taking a beating from the Scottish Warrior – which would lead to a Lumberjack Match being made for next week.

Intercontinental Champion Ricochet retained his title in a fun but brief showcase against Jinder Mahal.

Backstage, Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch commented on the latter attacking his pals after losing his match last week.

The Celtic Warrior noted that they’ve talked it out, andunderstands that The New Day are the enemy, not his associates.

He would then find Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods signing things, and jumped the latter, sparking a pull-apart brawl.

We saw another emotional video from Lacey Evans, and then Natalya and Shayna Baszler crossed paths with Raquel Rodriguez.

WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.