WWE SmackDown Review – April 28, 2023
Kicking off this week’s Smackdown with Triple H greets fans to the draft, then explains that every superstar on Raw & Smackdown is subject to change brands. He says half will be assigned a brand tonight while the other half will be assigned a brand on this coming Monday on Raw. He says certain NXT Stars will be eligible for the draft as well then announces the 1st 4 picks. #1 is The Bloodline’s Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa & Paul Heyman, who will be staying on Smackdown. Cody Rhodes is picked at #2 and has been drafted to Raw. Smackdown has selected Raw Women’s Champion Bianca BelAir as the #3 pick while Raw has selected Becky Lynch as the 4th overall pick.
Triple H then introduces The Usos and they come out.
Jimmy Uso congratulates Roman Reigns for being the #1 draft pick, and Jey Uso promises Reigns they’ll win back the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles. Jimmy says while they haven’t heard anything from Reigns, they dedicate their victory to him tonight.
Kevin Owens’ music hits and himself & Sami Zayn appear. Zayn says he has said everything there is to be said, but he has one last thing to get off his chest. He asks The Usos if they think it’s weird that Reigns hasn’t talked to them since WrestleMania then questions why they weren’t drafted with Reigns, Solo Sikoa, & Paul Heyman to Smackdown. Zayn says himself & Owens will beat them, but Jimmy says Owens will turn on Zayn once they lose the title. An irate Owens says he doesn’t care about Reigns, and his focus is on beating the two of them up and retaining the Undisputed Tag Team Titles tonight.
After the break we head to a video message from Raw Women’s Champion Bianca BelAir. Belair says she’s excited to be the Smackdown Women’s Champion once again and become a fighting champion.
LA Knight vs. Butch
LA Knight fires off right hands then Butch responds with a clothesline and goes to work manipulating Knight’s fingers. He stomps on his elbow then delivers his own version of 10 Beats Of The Bodhran. He ascends to the top rope and looks for a crossbody but Knight ducks it and sends Butch crashing to the outside. Knight then plants Butch spine first on the apron as we go to a break.
After the break Butch delivers a moonsault off the apron to Knight. He tosses him back in the ring then ascends to the top rope. Knight meets him up there and delivers a superplex then goes for a pin. Butch kicks out before Knight gets him on his shoulders.
Butch escapes and delivers an enziguri, then locks in an arm and hand submission. Knight makes it to the bottom rope to break the hold then sends Butch colliding with the ring post. Knight then follows it up with Blunt Force Trauma for the win.
Winner: LA Knight
We head backstage to Solo Sikoa, Paul Heyman & The Usos. Jimmy says tonight is the night, and Heyman agrees with them. He says tonight is the night they will be drafted and the only avenue for them is success. He tells them to rise to the occasion and hypes them up, then informs them that one way or another Roman Reigns accepts that tonight is the night as he stares down Sikoa.
Michael Hayes announces that the #5 draft pick are Street Profits and they will be heading over to Smackdown. RVD reveals Imperium as the #6 pick and they will be moving to Raw. Hayes announces that Edge will be moving over to Smackdown as #7 while RVD names Matt Riddle as the #8 pick for Raw.
Ford says himself & Dawkins are back in the blue. He says nothing has changed since they left Smackdown and they want the smoke.
Triple Threat Tag Team Match
Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Latino World Order (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) vs. Braun Strowman & Ricochet
Montez Ford & Joaquin Wilde double team on Braun Strowman then Strowman pushes them off him and tosses them out of the ring before Angelo Dawkins & Cruz Del Toro get in the ring. Strowman tosses them out of the ring then dumps Ricochet on top of them as we go to a break.
After the break Ricochet & Del Toro are double teaming on Dawkins. Ricochet dumps Del Toro on the apron and Del Toro delivers an enziguri to Ricochet. He ascends to the top and delivers a missile dropkick to Dawkins that sends him to the outside. Ricochet then delivers a boot to Del Toro but Del Toro fires back with an enziguri.
Wilde tags in and levels Street Profits on the outside. He plants Ricochet then tags in Del Toro. Del Toro plants Ricochet before Strowman executes The Strowman Express on the outside. Dawkins goes flying over the top to take down Strowman & Ricochet does the same to take him down.
He gets Dawkins back in the ring and ascends to the top rope but Dawkins ducks out of the way and tags in Ford. Dawkins plants Ricochet with a spinebuster before Ford ascends to the top and delivers From The Heavens to get the win.
Winners: Street Profits
Michael Cole & Wade Barrett then throw it over to a video recapping everything that’s led to the San Juan Street Fight between Bad Bunny & Damian Priest at Backlash.
After the break JBL announces that Bobby Lashley will be heading over to Smackdown as the #9 pick. Teddy Long reveals that Raw has selected Drew McIntyre as the 10th overall pick before JBL reveals that The OC has been drafted as #11 and will be heading over to Smackdown. Teddy Long reveals The Miz as the 12th overall pick and announces that he will stay on Raw.
Zelina Vega vs. Sonya Deville
Sonya Deville sends Zelina Vega crashing into the mat face first then they lock up before Deville whips Vega into the corner and delivers a series of right hands to her midsection. The action spills to the outside and Chelsea Green gets in Vega’s face.
Deville takes advantage and delivers a boot, then gets her back in the ring and fires off several knees. She then executes a jawbreaker and sets up for a delayed vertical suplex but Vega escapes and rolls up Deville for the win.
Winner: Zelina Vega
After the match Smackdown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley blindsides Vega then she delivers a headbutt to Deville that sends her crashing to the outside then sets up for Riptide on Vega but Vega manages to counter it into a DDT.
We are back from the break we see Vega chatting with Santos Escobar. Rey Mysterio walks in and compliments her then provides her with some encouraging words.
Before The OC can say anything Viking Raiders & Valhalla head to the ring. AJ Styles asks Viking Raiders & Valhalla if they came out to pick a fight, but it’s 4 against 3. Styles scoots back and tells The OC to handle business.
Michin goes at it with Valhalla while Good Brothers brawl with Viking Raiders. Michin delivers Eat Defeat to Valhalla before Good Brothers deliver Magic Killer to Erik. Styles says they’ve just started on Smackdown & before The OC leaves Styles delivers a Phenomenal Forearm to Ivar.
Shawn Michaels announces that Damage CTRL will be heading over to Smackdown as the 13th pick. Road Dogg reveals Shinsuke Nakamura will be heading over Raw as the 14th pick. Michaels then reveals that NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn are the 15th picks and will be called up to Smackdown while Road Dogg announces that NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell will be called up to Raw as the 16th pick.
We head backstage to the Performance Center, where McKenzie Mitchell is standing by with NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance interrupt and challenge Dawn & Fyre to a match for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship this Tuesday on NXT to which Fyre & Dawn accept.
We then go backstage to Kayla Braxton is with Shinsuke Nakamura. Braxton asks Nakamura how he feels about being drafted to Raw but before he can answer, Karrion Kross appears and blindsides him with an attack.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles Match
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey)
The Usos blindside Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens. Jimmy Uso sends Zayn’s head bouncing off the announce table then sends him crashing into the ring post. Jey Uso does the same to Owens before getting him back in the ring and delivering a superkick. Jimmy tags in and The Usos deliver a double superkick that takes us to a break.
After the break Jimmy sends Owens’ leg colliding with the ring post. Jimmy stomps on Owens’ head then tags in Jey. Jey tags in and continues to beat down Owens then tags Jimmy back in. Jimmy sends Owens’ leg crashing into the ring post once again but Owens sends Jimmy face first into the ring post.
Jey & Zayn tag in. Zayn levels Jey with a series of back elbows, then dumps him to the outside. Jimmy tries to interfere but Zayn sends him out of the ring to join his brother and goes flying over the top to level them both. Zayn tosses Jey back in the ring then ascends to the top Jey joins him up there and Zayn executes a headbutt.
He follows it up with a sunset flip and goes for a pin but Jey kicks out. Jey rains down right hands but Zayn manages to deliver the Blue Thunder Bomb. He climbs to the top but Jey catches him with a superkick that sends Zayn crashing to the outside as we go to a another break.
After we come back from another break Owens tags in and knocks Jey off the apron. He delivers a cannonball to Jimmy in the corner and makes his way to the top. Jimmy meets him up there and looks for a superplex but Owens counters and plants Jimmy. He climbs back to the top and delivers a Swanton Bomb then goes for the pin but Jimmy kicks out.
We see Solo Sikoa & Paul Heyman watching from backstage. Heyman receives a call from Roman Reigns before telling Sikoa that was the call and adds that tonight will be his night. Sikoa walks off.
Back in the ring Owens delivers a Pop Up Powerbomb to Jimmy. Jimmy rolls up Owens but Owens kicks out and delivers a Stunner. Sikoa appears at ringside but Matt Riddle appears and brawls with him to the back. Jimmy delivers an enziguri to Owens then tags in Jey delivers a superkick before The Usos hit a double superkick.
Jimmy tags in and The Usos deliver another double superkick. They do it once more before Jimmy goes for a pin. Owens kicks out and Jey tags in. Jimmy holds Owens in place as Jey delivers a superkick.
Jimmy tags back in and The Usos call for 1D but Zayn pulls Jey out of the ring and sends him into the ring steps. Owens catches Jimmy with a Stunner & Zayn tags in & he hits the Helluva Kick on Jimmy for the win.
Winners & Still Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (STILL CHAMPIONS!!!!) (Recommend)
