Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens headlined Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown from the Moda Center in Portland, just six days after dethroning The Usos and assuming the top spot in the tag team division.
Zayn capped off a celebratory night with a one-on-one showdown with Jey Uso, the latest in one of the most captivating rivalries in wrestling.
Did The Right Hand Man avenge him and his brother’s loss on the grand stage or did Zayn continue a momentous week with another blockbuster victory?
Find out with this recap of the April 7 broadcast.
Announced in advance for Friday’s show are:
- Sami Zayn vs. Jey Uso
- Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar vs. Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio
- The Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium
- Rhea Ripley appearance
- Triple H promo to kick off the show
The unending rivalry between The Brawling Brutes’ Sheamus, Butch and Ridge Holland and Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci and Intercontinental Champion Gunther continued in Friday’s opening contest.
After watching his dreams of capturing the IC title dashed at WrestleMania, Sheamus avenged the loss to Gunther with a win in the action-packed Six-Man Tag Team Match, blasting Vinci with a Brogue Kick for the win.
These two teams can have a good match blindfolded. They have worked countless times over the last six or eight months, including a Good, Old-Fashioned Donnybrook at Extreme Rules last October, and have exquisite in-ring chemistry.
This was no different, though it was certainly hurt by the commercial break right in the middle of it. Still, it was quality wrestling from six guys who know what they are doing and know their opponents.
Sheamus scoring the win was a nice way for him to recover from the WrestleMania loss and Gunther was protected in defeat, making it an effective enough booking choice.
Where does this leave Sheamus and are we really running it back with him and Gunther instead of freshening things up a bit?
All signs point to ‘yes.’ At least the eventual title match should be another banger, like their first encounter, an instant classic, at last year’s Clash at the Castle.
Result
The Brawling Brutes defeated Imperium
Grade
B
Top Moments
- With the referee distracted, Kaiser shoved Butch off the ropes and into a deadlift suplex from Vinci, allowing the heels to take control entering the break.
- Gunther cut off Holland following a hot tag, blasting him with a chop. Butch broke up a pinfall attempt following a powerbomb.
- Sheamus delivered White Noise for a two-count.
- Butch delivered a moonsault from the ropes to Kaiser on the floor.
Ricochet battled The Viking Raiders’ Ivar, with Braun Strowman and Erik banned from accompanying their respective partners. Valhalla, though, was at ringside in support of the heel.
A competitive match that showcased the athleticism of both men saw Ricochet overcome his opponent’s strength, size and agility to deliver a Shooting Star Press and score the pinfall victory.
This was a follow-up to the Men’s WrestleMania Showcase Match, most likely the latest in a budding rivalry between The Viking Raiders, Ricochet and Strowman, and was a nice highlight for both men.
There was little in the way of substance, or psychology, but it was a fun sprint that saw the ultra-talented babyface earn a quality win. No harm, no foul, just a solid addition to the card.
Result
Ricochet pinned Ivar
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Backstage, Paul Heyman informed Jey Uso that his brother, Jimmy, is not in the building. Instead, he has been instructed by Roman Reigns to watch from home as Jey solves the Sami Zayn problem.
- After, he told Solo Sikoa, “He solves the Sami Zayn problem or you solve our problems today.”
- Ivar springboarded right into a dropkick from Ricochet.
- Ivar flattened Ricochet with a spin kick for two.
- Backstage, Sami Zayn expressed an unexplainable sense of duty to talk to Jey Uso ahead of their main event, which Kevin Owens balked at. Still, it appeared as though the former Honorary Uce could not help himself.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez earned a shot at the Women’s Tag Team Championship this past Monday with a win over Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky but Friday, they battled a duo in Natalya and Shotzi that believed they should have a title opportunity.
Despite a spirited effort from the opposition, Rodriguez and Morgan earned the win when the latter delivered ObLIVion to Shotzi.
This was a fine showcase for the No. 1 contenders but the tag team division is so underwhelming at this point that not even a dream team of Becky Lynch and Lita have done much to help it.
It is unlikely that the team drops the titles before Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler can take the gold from them, but it will be nice to see Morgan and Rodriguez have the opportunity to work with bona fide industry giants and, potentially, enhance their stars.
Now if we could just find something of meaning for Shotzi and Natalya to do, especially since they have been so gung ho in establishing their team.
Result
Morgan and Rodriguez defeated Shotzi and Natalya
Grade
C
Top Moments
- Prior to the match, Shotzi coined the name “Ballsy Baddies” for her team with Natalya. It’s a solid name and given the lack of genuine teams in the tag division, it was nice to see two partners look to develop an actual identity.
- Rodriguez interjected herself late, cutting off the Hart Attack.
- Backstage, Xavier Woods criticized LA Knight’s work ethic and offered to beat him up for money. There are worse ways to advance a feud, I suppose.
It is once against time for the WWE Draft, as Triple H announced Friday night.
The King of Kings and Chief Content Officer of WWE revealed that every Superstar will be eligible and it will “change the game.”
It remains to be seen what he means by that last line, but after the long build to WrestleMania, it is definitely time to shake up the rosters and create new matches and stories.
With Triple H at the helm, we think, there is reason to be optimistic about it.
Grade
A, even if our excitement proves to be misguided
Top Moments
- “This year, it exceeded all expectations,” Triple H said of this year’s WrestleMania.
- “One of the all-time greats now running this place,” Michael Cole said on commentary.
- “That’s why I am out here: to talk about the future.”
- “In just a few short weeks, it is once again time for the WWE Draft!”
- “This year, the Draft will be bigger than it has ever been before with every single Superstar eligible for the draft.”
- “When it is all said and done, this year’s draft will will surely change the game.”
Triple H introduced new SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, accompanied by The Judgment Day, to the ring. The Eradicator spoke on dethroning Charlotte Flair before Finn Balor bragged about still standing when Edge is nowhere to be seen.
Dominik Mysterio excused his loss to his father, Rey Mysterio, by claiming to have taken it easy on him, all while being booed out of the building, and Damian Priest issued words of warning to Bad Bunny.
From there, Priest and Dominik battled Rey Mysterio and the LWO’s Santos Escobar while Ripley, Balor, Zelina Vega, Cruz del Toro and Joaquin Wilde watched their respective teammates from the ringside area.
A red-hot tag match saw Rey continue to avenge his family’s disgrace at the hands of Dominik by beating up on his son. Down the stretch, though, it was Priest who scored the win for The Judgment Day by pinning Escobar with South of Heaven.
WWE and Triple H invested a lot of time in Judgment Day here and it worked.
Ripley looked like a star, Balor and Dominik were great as they explained away major losses, and Priest continued to demonstrate the screen presence that WWE has not highlighted nearly enough. When he talks, you cannot help but take notice.
More of this, Triple H. Let Priest shine.
The heat for Dominik was off the charts, too. It has been a long time since a heel garnered that intense dislike from the audience. It is further proof that this push is working and WWE may have a legit star of the future on its hands.
Result
Priest and Dominik Mysterio defeated Rey Mysterio and Escobar
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- Ripley touted her eradication of the 14-time women’s champion, Charlotte Flair.
- “What kind of sicko needs to resort to splitting my head open to get a W?” Balor asked following a Hell in a Cell loss to Edge that left him needing 14 staples to close a wound on his head.
- “Edge ain’t nowhere to be seen and Finn is still standing!”
- The crowd booed Dominik so loudly and long that he could not speak initially. From there, he claimed to have pulled his punches so as not to hurt his father at WrestleMania.
- Michael Cole reminded viewers that Eddie Guerrero created the LWO during his time with WCW and noted that this time, Rey willingly joined the group. Quick little notes like this help an unknowing audience understand the backstory.
- Rey exploded into the ring and the crowd erupted for the Hall of Famer’s onslaught on his son.
- Dominik halted his father’s momentum with a Michinoku Driver for two.
- Vega took out Ripley at ringside, preventing her interference in the final moments.
A match months in the making saw new Undisputed Tag Team Champion Sami Zayn battle Jey Uso, moments after co-titleholder Kevin Owens was attacked by an unknown assailant and left nursing a left leg injury.
Without Owens available to watch his back, Zayn succumbed to interference from Solo Sikoa, who utilized the Samoan Spike to stun the beloved babyface and set up Uso’s tainted victory.
For a moment afterward, as Sikoa attacked Zayn, it appeared as if Uso had come to his sense. He stopped another Samoan Spike, but ultimately delivered the superkick. A beatdown ensued until Matt Riddle made the save, rocking Sikoa and igniting a rivalry with The Enforcer.
Riddle’s introduction to the program makes sense given the fact that it was Sikoa that put him on the sidelines late in 2022. The Original Bro was welcomed with a big pop and was intense and aggressive in fighting the heels off.
Now, it will be up to Triple H and Co. to convince fans that Riddle is on the level of The Bloodline and that he provides a legitimate threat, both to Sikoa and, potentially, Roman Reigns.
What the injury means for Owens and Zayn as they embark on their tag title reign remains to be seen.
Result
Uso defeated Zayn
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Zayn confronted Uso backstage, trying to convince him to wake up and realize what is going on with The Bloodline. “There’s a way out of this for you. You know that.”
- “Solo’s looking at you like he’s about to drop the hammer,” he told Uso, warning him of something those watching at home already knew.
- “If you want me to beat it out of you like I did at WrestleMania, I will. That’s not how it has to be.”
- After a commotion, Owens was discovered pinned under an anvil case, his left leg badly damaged. In the background, the mastermind Paul Heyman watched on.
- “The Bloodline is crumbling and you know it,” Zayn told Uso early in the match.
- Sikoa made his way to ringside ahead of the final commercial break of the night as Michael Cole outright said that he is not just there to take care of the Zayn problem, but also Uso.
- Uso delivered a superkick for a near-fall and Zayn answered with a Blue Thunder Bomb for one of his own.
- Sikoa delivered the Samoan Spike to Zayn and rolled him back in the ring to set up the finish.
