SmackDown ended with The Bloodline continuing its intense rivalry with Matt Riddle, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.
Solo Sikoa battled the Original Bro in the main event and ended up slamming his rival onto the announce table before tipping it on top of him and leaving him in a heap on the floor months after on Raw.
The evening started with Owens and Zayn coming out to discuss , but Jimmy, Jey and Solo came out to confront the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.
Things got intense and it looked like it was going to be a bad night for the champs before Riddle came out and hit The Enforcer with a jumping knee.
Before the main event between Sikoa and Riddle, a very interesting moment came when Paul Heyman seemingly addressed Zayn and KO, saying: ‘The Tribal Chief is losing his patience with the two of you’, but he was staring a hole through Jimmy and Jey as he said it.
The main event itself was strong, with The Usos and the tag champs brawling back to ringside which distracted Riddle as he took his eye off the ball and then fell to the Samoan Spike before being laid out under the table.
It looks like we’re building to a huge six man tag match at Backlash, with Roman Reigns, Jimmy and Jey taking on Owens, Zayn and Riddle in Puerto Rico.
Shinsuke Nakamura returns, the LWO battles The Judgment Day and more
In the first match of the night, Xavier Woods used a handful of tights to beat LA Knight after the loudmouthed star tried and failed to use the same underhand tactics.
The New Day star set up an Intercontinental Title match with GUNTHER after a backstage segment with Imperium so it’s good that he’s been kept strong, but Knight needs a big win to keep on top of the fantastic reactions he’s getting from the live crowds.
Damian Priest picked up a win over Santos Escobar in a brilliant match in front of a red hot crowd.
Rey Mysterio ran down to help the Latino World Order after the bell and took the fight to his son Dominik, while there were plenty of exciting moments here as the rivalry continues to blossom.
The exchanges between Zelina Vega and Rhea Ripley should lead to a fun SmackDown Women’s Title match at Backlash, while the fans loved seeing Escobar, Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde battling Dom.
WWE continues to hit all the right notes with every side of this storyline, and it’s paying off with the way the fans are embracing the LWO
New Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez came out to celebrate , but Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green were quick to interrupt.
It broke down into a brawl as the champs stood tall, and we have our first defence for the title holders.
Shinsuke Nakamura made his return and destroyed Madcap Moss in a brief, decisive bout to make sure he built some immediate momentum.
After the Kinshasa earned him the win, Nakamura didn’t have long to celebrate as Karrion Kross and Scarlett appeared on the screen with a tarot card base on The Artist, issuing a warning and making his immediate direction clear.
WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.
WWE SmackDown results and grades - April 14, 2023
- Xavier Woods pinned LA Knight (B)
- Damian Priest beat Santos Escobar (A-)
- Shinsuke Nakamura destroyed Madcap Moss (B)
- Solo Sikoa defeated Matt Riddle (B+)
