Smackdown Live Review 04/09/2019

SmackDown Live Review: April 9th, 2019

Live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

It is two nights after WrestleMania and we come to you live and in color from the Barclays Center for a second consecutive night after a hellacious episode of RAW last night! What can we expect heading into the SmackDown Live after WrestleMania? Well, typically the crowd is not always at 100% considering that they have endured three nights of awesome wrestling as well as a phenomenal Hall of Fame ceremony. However, I believe that this time will be quite different as we will bare witness a New Day Celebration for newly crowned WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston as well as what was supposed to be a WrestleMania match between The Usos and The Hardy Boyz! Also, more questions come into this episode as who will be called up? Who will return? Any more heel turns? You never know what might happen two nights after the granddaddy of them all. Being the third ever SmackDown after Mania, the last day of the weekend always will end with a bang!

In-Ring Segment: The New Day Celebration – Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, The Bar, and Drew McIntyre
The New Day kicks the show off with a major roar of Kofi chants as they celebrate the accolade of Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship win at WrestleMania. Big E and Xavier Woods then thank Kofi for being a role model, even Woods admits to looking up to him. Kofi then thanks his boys and his family for being there for this journey. The Bar interrupt and gets the biggest boos of the night. Sheamus points out that Kofi Kingston almost lost in his first title defense last night. Cesaro then plots the idea of a six man tag team match with themselves and The New Day. Big E points out that they do not have a partner, which then leads to Drew McIntyre appearing on SmackDown Live. The segment ends with a standoff.
My Thoughts:
That speech by Kofi Kingston brought a tear to my eye! What he brought to WWE now that he is champion is absolutely incredible. I find it interesting that I personally am feeling a vibe that The New Day will be broken up soon! All the emotion displayed by both E and Woods make me wonder if there will be a breaking point for the illustrious trio. To think about it, they’ve sold cereal and a book along with being the top guys when it comes to selling the most  merchandise on WWE Shop. I would love to see it personally! Also, I jumped out of my seat when Drew McIntyre came out as The Bar’s mystery partner. I like to see where The Scottish Psychopath goes from this point forward after a loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania this past Sunday. Maybe we can see him in a long deserved singles monster run! Combustible elements are going wild ladies and gents!

Match #1: Six Man Tag Team Match – Ricochet/Aleister Black and Ali vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev and Andrade
The match starts with a NXT-esque dream match between Ricochet and Nakamura while the crowd chants NXT and the theme song of the King of Strong Style. Ricochet displays his tremendous athleticism but is caught by Shinsuke with a rolling roundhouse kick and tags in The Bulgarian Brute. The team of NakaRusev then go ham on the NXT upstart. Andrade tags in where he hits a brutal chop to the chest, which begins the process of breaking down The One and Only. Nakamura applies a headlock and then tags Rusev back in. After an Irish-whip, Ricochet hits a neckbreaker and tags in Ali. Ali makes the comeback, which leads to the babyfaces going complete ape crazy on Rusev. Black clears house, which leads to a synchronized sit between Ali, Black, and Ricochet to take us into commercial break. Returning to the action, Rusev applies the bearhug on Ali to try and weaken SmackDown’s newest star. He then takes out Ricochet and Black out of the equation. Ali attempts to make a comeback after hitting a huge tornado ddt and makes the hot tag to Aleister Black while Rusev tags in Andrade. Black hits a moonsault on Andrade. Ricochet takes out Rusev, Shinsuke takes out Ricochet, and Black takes out Shinsuke. Ali hits a reverse huricanrana which leads to a 450 splash finisher to pin Andrade and get the win for his team. Then, from out of nowhere, Randy Orton hits a RKO on Ali, which then Kevin Owens hits a Stone Cold Stunner on Rusev to end the segment.
Result: Mustafa Ali pins Andrade, Ali, Aleister Black, and Ricochet via pinfall
My Thoughts:
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TAG TEAM MATCH!!! I usually do not get excited for six man tag team matches but this match had my eyes glued to the television screen the entire match. Even afterwards where Orton hit that RKO out of nowhere and Kevin Owens hit that Stone Cold Stunner out of nowhere! I have serious goosebumps after that sequence. However, going back to the match, I was proven wrong when I said that six man tag team matches are always boring and predictable. Seeing Ricochet and Ali showcasing their gifts of defying gravity was truly something else.

Backstage Interview: Kayla Braxton and The Usos
Kayla Braxton interviews The Usos ahead of their championship title defense against The Hardy Boyz. Jimmy Uso then states that they need to win against The Hardy Boyz, proving that they are the better tag team, welcoming them to the Uso Penitentiary.

In-Ring Segment: R-Truth and Carmella, Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman
R-Truth and Carmella appear in the ring, praising both Kofi Kingston and Becky Lynch on their championship match. Truth then congragulates Carmella on beating Andre The Giant in the royal rumble, which was very odd. Carmella corrects him and says she sees big things in her future. Samoa Joe interrupts and attacks Truth. Although Truth attempts to fight bac, Joe chokes out Truth and throws him out of the ring. Joe grabs a mic and brags about his victory against Mysterio at WrestleMania. He then makes his stand that no superstar can step up to him. Braun Strowman steps up to the challenge. The two brawl and Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch. Strowman breaks out and attempts a running powerslam but Joe escapes. Braun Strowman makes a stand to end the segment.
My Thoughts:
I am slowly but surely getting confused by Raw and SmackDown superstars appearing on both shows before the Shakeup next week. Is this giving us a preview of what is to come or is this a sign that this will be the end of the brand split? I thought the whole point of a brand split would be to have competition between the two brands. Despite that, seeing Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe standoff was VERY interesting. I personally would love to see Strowman stay on Raw but who knows what WWE will do with this shakeup.  This will be something to look into moving forward. Going into the confrontation between Joe and Truth, I saw that coming. Joe was going to appear to take out the competition and cut another legendary promo.

Match #2 – Women’s Tag Team Match: The IIconics vs. The Brooklyn Bells
Before the match, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce commemorate their huge victory of becoming the second ever Women’s Tag Team Champions at WrestleMania. The IIconics then announce that they will defend their titles against a jobber tag team Kritsen and Karissa, The Brooklyn Bells. They then announce that the Women’s tag team division will always be iconic.
The match begins with Billie Kay going to work on the jobber team. Peyton gets tags in and hits a huge roundhouse kick and then make continuous tags in and out. They throw Karissa to the corner. Kristen attempts to make an upset win but is unsuccessful. The IIconics hit their finishing tag team maneuver to win and retain.
Result: The IIconics via pinfall
My Thoughts:
I did not expect this to be a jobber match. As much as I am happy for The IIconics to have become the second ever Women’s Tag Team champions, that was a waste of a segment. I get the heel persona but at least give us a surprise team since it is the SmackDown after WrestleMania! No other words to explain what happened here besides what the good hell was this?

Backstage Interview – Kayla Braxton and Paige
Braxton asks Paige why she is here and Paige announces that for the Superstar Shakedown next week, she will bring a Women’s Tag Team of her own.

In-Ring Segment: Shane McMahon Celebration – Shane McMahon, Greg Hamilton
Shane McMahon appears in the ring with the display of the Best in the World trophy confident after a hellacious victory from his match with The Miz at WrestleMania. Shane then reflects on WrestleMania with the victories of Kofi Kingston, Seth Rollins, and Becky Lynch. Shane then brags that the reason why 80K+ were in attendance for WrestleMania was because of him. He then puts Miz and his father under the bus, mocking “Mr. Miz” for his weak fighting stance and his weak power. He then openly admits to putting Mr. Miz down, saying that he had it coming. McMahon disses the CM Punk chants and invites WWE Ring announcer Greg Hamilton. Greg tells Shane that if he announces him again, bad things will happen. Shane then states that the people will not hurt him, but he will. Greg Hamilton starts to announce but gets dragged by Shane to do it over and over. McMahon then makes fun of Hamilton for getting nervous. Greg Hamilton then announces Shane again and Shane leaves to end the segment.
My Thoughts:
GREG HAMILTON IS THE GOAT!!!  Seriously, how in the hell can you not respect the best announcer in WWE for going through all that with Shane McMahon to produce the best introduction of all time? Besides that, I love the heel work from The Best in the World! Shane has proven to me (and I really think all the fans too) that he is a true authority heel! At first when thinking about how he will do as a heel, I thought it would be a complete bust. Honestly, it has been way better than what I would think would happen! I really think that eventually this will lead up into the Authority coming back as a unit. Either way, the roll that Shane is on, especially after WrestleMania cannot be stopped! I cannot wait to see more of Big Bully Shane.

Match #3: The Hardy Boyz vs. The Usos – SmackDown Tag Team Title Match
The dream match that we thought would NEVER happen starts off with Matt Hardy and Jey Uso locking up. Matt tags in Jeff and hit a vintage Hardy Boyz maneuver. However, Jey rams Jeff in the corner and hit a tag team move. Jeff comes back and tags in Matt Hardy to hit another double team move. Jey Uso makes the secret tag and throws Matt Hardy to the outside. Jey Uso then runs Hardy into the barricade. The Usos then start to isolate Matt, weakening the back. They then hit an assisted backbreaker on Hardy to go to commercial break. Coming back to the action, The Usos dominate and weaken Jeff Hardy. However, it is not long until Jeff hits a Whisper in the Wind, which leads to a Poetry in Motion with a tagged in Matt Hardy. Hardy attempts a Twist of Fate which is reversed into a superkick. The Usos then hit a splash on Jeff Hardy which is unsuccessful. The Usos then sets up for Double Uce but Jeff moves out of the way. The Hardy Boyz then hit the Extreme Combination to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships! Post-match, while Kayla Braxton attempts to get an interview with the newly crowned champs, Lars Sullivan appears and takes out The Hardy Boyz while the crowd chants “you still suck”.
Result: The Hardy Boyz via pinfall, become NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPS
My Thoughts:
THE HARDYZ WIN THE SMACKDOWN LIVE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! Oh my goodness, finally, we witness The Hardy Boyz become 8-time tag team champions, also becoming the only tag team in history to become Raw, Smack Down, WWE, and World Tag Team champions! That match with The Usos was everything and more. Both brother teams proved to the world that SmackDown Live is the place where tag teams shine the brightest. The chemistry between the two felt genuine and natural, putting on a tremendous display of fight and heart. Now, I know what you are going to say. Before you say it, I think Lars Sullivan is the perfect monster heel to destroy everything in his path. I really hope that this will lead into a point where he will compete for a singles title in the future.

In-Ring Segment – Becky Lynch, Lacey Evans
The Man comes around and appears to the Brooklyn crowd in her home brand after becoming the first woman to hold both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Titles simultaneously. Lynch then reminisces about WrestleMania, stating that she did what she said she would do in the main event. She then reflects about her interrupted celebrated last night on Raw, where Lacey Evans would brawl with The Man. She then states that with the superstar shakeup next week, she makes the challenge to anyone and everyone to prove that she is a true champion. Although she went through hell, Becky is ready to take on all challenger and walks away with pride. Lacey Evans appears from behind and hits another Woman’s Right to drop The Man.
My Thoughts:
To see the rivalry of Becky Lynch and Lacey Evans unfold is very interesting to say the least. In all honesty, I would have expected more women to have appeared to step up to Lynch considering The Man claimed that ANYBODY on the roster is a challenger. It would have made things more hyped rather than the continuation of just Lacey Evans. If you are going to establish a dual champion, let their be multiple contenders! I get that they are going for the whole Triple H undisputed champion look on Becky but hey, we have an entire Women’s Division that can be spotlighted too. Maybe with the shakeup next week, we might see more pop up and step up but as of now, I am not a fan of just only one contender.

Match #4 (Main Event) – The New Day vs. The Bar and Drew McIntyre
Before the bell rings, Sami Zayn appears, about to make an announcement but goes back to the backstage area because of the fans’ reaction to him. The bell rings and The New Day go to work on Sheamus of The Bar. Xavier Woods attempts to take out both Sheamus and Drew McIntyre but it is unsuccessful as McIntyre tags in and hits Woods with a reverse Alabama Slamma on the announce table to send us into commercial break. Coming back, Xavier Woods makes the hot tag to Big E and goes all out on Cesaro. He then hits the Big Splash. He attempts to go for the spear but Cesaro reverses, leading to a crossbody. E goes for a Big Ending but Sheamus tags in. The Bar hit a Double White Noise. Sheamus sets up Big E for a Brogue Kick but is reversed into a huge clothesline. Kofi is tagged in and hits a big crossbody. Kofi hits a Trouble in Paradise on Sheamus for the pinfall victory.
Result: The New Day via pinfall
My Thoughts:
Amazing way to end the night! Seeing The New Day do what they do best is really something to see. I actually believed that this match had so many great things from the battle between The Bar and The New Day, as well as the addition of Drew McIntyre! I mean, how huge of a factor was The Scottish Psychopath in that match? His outrageous athleticism showed forth as being a huge impact player.  Plus, how sweet was it to witness Kofi Kingston celebrate with his two sons, his wife, and his brothers by his side? That really gave me the Daniel Bryan feel the night he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship five years ago! Great way to end two nights after WrestleMania.

Final Thoughts
They say the episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live after WrestleMania are considered the new season of WWE television. I honestly felt like this was just that! This episode was a new beginning of what is to come. Obviously there are some faults such as there was no-call ups as well as the mixture of Raw superstars appearing on SmackDown! I mean, maybe it is a preview of what is to come next week but overall, do not put a brand’s stars on its competition. To me, I really think the brand split is dead. Sadly, although the shakeup is coming, slowly but surely, it will become a point where we are stuck at where we were in 2016 before the WWE Draft occurred. Other than that, this episode did deliver but I would go bold and say that last night’s Raw episode was ten times better, even considering that Kevin Owens made an appearance! I really hope that this does not mean that we will see similar mistakes going forward. I trust that the blue brand will continue to be the top show in WWE! Did WrestleMania weekend end with a bang? I say yes, but it could have been more than what it originally was. So I say to you all, thank you once again for tuning in every Tuesday for my show reviews! It was truly great to interact with you and express the love that we all have for professional wrestling. Whether you watch WWE weekly, monthly, or just whenever you have time, you have to appreciate what WWE has done recently. So, if now is the time where you tune into the new season of your favorite show, well welcome! This is why I love WrestleMania season because it brings people together as well bringing new people in. Please, enjoy your night, stay humble,  and stay savage like the Macho Man!