Smackdown Live Review 04/23/2019

Live from the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska

In-Ring Segment: Shane McMahon, Roman Reigns, Elias
Shane McMahon kicks off the show with a roar of boos from Nebraska. McMahon then refers to WWE announcer Greg Hamilton to give him the introduction of a lifetime. Shane then addresses what new SmackDown acquisition, Roman Reigns, did to his father Mr. McMahon last week. A replay is shown of last week. McMahon states that Roman assaulted his father, which there will be major repercussions. Instead of firing Reigns, Shane then lays down the law and orders Roman to step into the ring. Reigns responds and arrives to SmackDown Live in his first night apart of the blue brand. Both McMahon and Reigns meet in the ring as if they are about to brawl. Elias comes for the run in and there is a two on one attack underway. Both Elias and Shane beatdown The Big Dog. Elias then sets up for the Drift Away finisher and hits it on Reigns. The segment ends with Elias and Shane’s heads high.
My Thoughts:
I do not know how to describe the attack upon Roman Reigns. If anything, I was expecting a couple of heels who have not been in the spotlight to attack the Big Dog as apart of The McMahon Family’s hitmen. That would have made more sense to do so! But having Shane and Elias outnumber Reigns did not make me interested in the attack at all. I hope this is not going to be a start of multiple segments involving more Shane McMahon fighting cringe fest. As for Elias, I hope this means that he will be more involved in bigger storylines.

Backstage Interview – Kofi Kingston and Kayla Braxton
Kayla Braxton is seen backstage, introducing Kofi Kingston for an interview. Braxton reminisces Kofi’s huge WWE Championship victory at WrestleMania. Xavier Woods commemorates the victory and then introduces “The Big O” Kevin Owens. Owens then tells that Kofi will be victorious in his match against Shinsuke Nakamura BECAUSE…..NEW DAY ROCKS!!!!

Match #1: Finn Balor vs. Andrade (w/ Zelina Vega)
Before the match begins, Andrade cuts a promo stating that he will capture the Intercontinental championship. The bell rings and Andrade goes all out with his offense on the intercontinental champion Finn Balor. While Balor tries to come back, Zelina Vega gets involved, providing the distraction to lead Andrade into more offense. He gains the advantage heading into commercial break. We return from commercial break and Andrade locks the armbar on Finn Balor. Andrade attempts a powerbomb but Balor reverses into an arm attack. Finn comes back and sets up for the Coup De Grace but Andrade catches him slipping. He then hits a hurricanrana but Balor reverses it into a pin attempt. Balor then hits a springboard plancha onto the outside. After some hot tandem offense from Andrade, he hits the double knees on Balor. Andrade then tries to finish with a hammerlock DDT but is reversed. Zelina Vega tries to get involved but only to slip up and leading to Balor to hit the Coup De Grace finisher for the victory.
Result: Finn Balor via pinfall
My Thoughts:
I never knew I wanted another Andrade and Finn Balor match until tonight! To me, despite if you agree or disagree, gave me the vibe of Takeover New Orleans last year. Both Andrade and Balor being on the exact same page in competition was pure magic!

Backstage Segment – Elias and Shane McMahon
Elias is seen backstage, playing his tunes, challenging Roman Reigns to a match at Money in the Bank. Shane McMahon appears to confirm the match and both leave in a limousine.

 Match #2: Kairi Sane (with Asuka and Paige) vs. Peyton Royce (with Billie Kay)
The bell rings and Peyton Royce goes to work on Kairi Sane. It is not for long though and Sane leads the offensive drive. Sane hits the sliding elbow strike on Royce, leading to the InSANE elbow drop for her first singles win on the main roster. Post-match, Fire and Desire (Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville) come out to mockingly congratulate Paige and her new team.\ Result: Kairi Sane via pinfall My Thoughts: Short and sweet, Kairi Sane’s singles debut was impressive. I hope to see Sane used more in the title picture moving forward, whether that is for the SmackDown Live Women’s Title or the Women’s Tag Team titles! She has the potential to become champion sooner rather than later.

Aleister Black Exclusive
Aleister Black is seen backstage, cutting a promo on who he is. He states that his world is not like any other, which he will impact the SmackDown Live scene.

Match #3: Jinder Mahal (with The Singh Brothers) vs. Chad Gable
Before the match begins, Lars Sullivan comes out and attacks a returning Chad Gable. He then continues the onslaught on The Singh Brothers while Jinder Mahal escapes. He hits the powerbomb and freak accident on the Singh Brothers. R-Truth appears to stand up to the Freak. Sullivan then attacks Truth with ease and lays him out with a powerbomb, standing tall.
Result: No Contest because the bell never rang
My Thoughts:
This was a waste of television time! Why have someone like Lars Sullivan play monster heel and ruin, what I thought would have been an interesting matchup. Do not get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Lars but seriously, be booked better! At least attack Finn and have a singles title rivalry. But an onslaught over Truth? Pointless! I really hope we do see Lars taken more seriously soon enough. He has a lot to offer to this main roster and can really make a bigger impact than what he has done currently.

Backstage Interview – Kayla Braxton and Roman Reigns
Kayla Braxton interviews Roman Reings backstage in the Locker room area where Roman accepts Elias’s challenge at Money in the Bank.

In-Ring Segment – Face to Face with Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and Becky Lynch
Charlotte Flair appears and claims that she was never defeated to lose her SmackDown Women’s championship at WrestleMania. She then calls out Becky Lynch to come out to the ring and explain why she never pinned Charlotte Flair. The Man Becky Lynch appears in response. Becky then states that the match was a “winner takes all” stipulation, saying that when the match was over, there was nothing she could do about it. Charlotte responds by saying every time she sees Lacey Evans on Raw, she thinks of Charlotte Flair. Lynch responds by saying that statement is false because Flair is in a slump. Becky then states that she is sick and tired of the same old Flair challenger and she asks for new challengers such as Bayley and others. Bayley comes out and states that Lynch has never defeated her. Bayley knocks the microphone off Charlotte’s hand as she rebuttals and challenges her to an impromptu match to see who faces The Man at Money in the Bank.
My Thoughts:
NOW THIS WAS AWESOME BECAUSE IT WAS DIFFERENT!! Finally, we get someone new in the mix of this consistent Charlotte and Becky rivalry. To be honest, I never hated the rivalry as much as the next fan but I sure as hell love a change of scenery. Having Bayley as a new challenger excites me to see 3/4ths of the Four Horsewomen go at it!

 Match #4: Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley – The winner gets a future opportunity at Becky Lynch’s Smack Down Live Women’s Championship
As soon as the match begins, Bayley gains the upperhand on Charlotte Flair. The Hugger then hits a baseball slide and senton bomb to keep the momentum going. However, it is Flair who stops that offense and starts hammering down on the newcomer of Smack Down Live. She then smashes Bayley’s head continuously on the turnbuckles. Bayley rolls up Charlotte and sets her up for a corner combination of strikes. Flair hits a vicious elbow strike. She then hits a ruthless grapple, weakening the left knee of Bayley to take us into commercial break. Coming back, Charlotte sets up for the Figure 8 submission but Bayley escapes. In a sequence of offense, Bayley catches The Queen with a huge knee strike, which is only good for two. Charlotte hits a big boot later on to try to upset Bayley but again, it is only good for a two count. Frustrated trying to put away Bayley, Charlotte botches a moonsault, which lands on her ankle awkwardly. Bayley hits a Bayley to Back Belly suplex. She then hits a sunset flip powerbomb to the bottom turnbuckle for another two count. Charlotte Flair then hits a huge spear, pinning Bayley for the victory over Bayley.
Result: Charlotte Flair via pinfall
My Thoughts:
No surprise here, The Queen prevails once again! No spoilers here. No upsets. I honestly had some hope that Bayley would gain the upset victory but in my mind, given the heat Charlotte has, there was no way she was losing. Despite that, I loved the battle between half of the Four Horsewomen of WWE go at it! As far as my memory goes, I do not believe that the two have battled since 2016 so it was definitely exciting to see. Who knows? Maybe Charlotte might turn some heads and give Becky a killer match come Money in the Bank. Hope to see more build up in the weeks to come.

Backstage Interview with Kayla Braxton and Becky Lynch
Moments after Charlotte earned her opportunity against Becky, Lynch announces that at Money in the Bank, she will defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair, on the same night as her Raw Women’s Championship defense against Lacey Evans.

Match #5 (Main Event) – Kofi Kingston (with Xavier Woods and Kevin Owens) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (with Lana and Rusev)
The match starts off with Kofi Kingston and Shinsuke Nakamura locking up. Nakamura uses his vintage good vibrations to distract the WWE champion and gain some sort of offense. Kingston comes back and sends the King of Strong Style to the outside. Nakamura tries to comeback but is unsuccessful as Kofi fires back, trying to weaken the former United States champion. The WWE Champion then weakens the arm, which is then reversed by Nakamura into the armbar submission. He then transitions into the triangle chokehold. Kofi comes back and hits a diving crossbody onto the back of Nakamura. Nakamura rolls to the outside and, as Kofi attempts to hit a springboard move, he catches the WWE champion with a huge knee strike to take us into commercial break.  Returning from break, Shinsuke locks Kingston into a headlock, smoldering the WWE champion. He then resorts to vicious kicks to the head and throws Kofi onto the outside. Nakamura hits a dropkick on the outside to the back of Kofi’s head. Kofi comes back after reversing a monkey flip from Nakamura. Kingston makes the hero comeback possible however, Nakamura stops it with a ruthless snap German suplex. He then goes for the Kinsasha which is then reversed into the double stomp. As Kofi hits the SOS, Rusev interferes and causes the disqualification. As The New Day clean house, Kevin Owens betrays Kofi Kingston and starts the vicious attack on the WWE champion. Kofi tries to comeback but KO does not let that happen. He throws the champion to the outside but Xavier Woods makes the save. Owens then hits Woods with an apron powerbomb to make an emphatic statement.
Result: Kevin Owens and Kofi Kingston of the New Day via disqualification
My Thoughts:
HAPPINESS OVERLOAD!!! Kevin Owens is finally taking his place as a top contender for the championship that he has yet to hold in his almost five year career in WWE. Seriously, what a decorated career. Now, he will cement himself into the championship picture he truly deserves. I did not dig this whole New Day gimmick but I enjoyed everything about the heel turn. I knew it would take time but I firmly believe that this was a rivalry long overdue. As a bias Kevin Owens fan, I only hope to see Owens strive and become a grand slam champion at Money in the Bank (excluding the tag team titles). 

Final Thoughts
Honestly, I am happy about how this episode played out. I would not go as far as to say it is the best SmackDown known to mankind but it did fulfill its duties as being entertaining for your typical Tuesday night.  Despite a crappy display shown by McMahon and Elias as well as the repeating rivalry of The Queen and The Man and the monster misuse of Lars Sullivan, I loved everything about what occurred from the heel turn of Kevin Owens to the tension between Bayley and Charlotte Flair. On the bright side, Kairi Sane debuted and we got a killer match between Balor and Andrade, who suddenly moved back to SmackDown Live. Do I understand that logic? No. I hope we do get to see more of those two in the long run. But, bold move by the Man to take on two challengers in one night for both brands. Hope we can see more excitement in the weeks to come heading to Money in the Bank!  This is Captain Charisma signing off, have a wonderful night ladies and gents. Just remember, do not let life powerbomb you onto the ring apron, always overcome!