WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Apr. 19, 2024) with a live show emanating from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Backlash premium live event scheduled for early next month in France.
Advertised for tonight: There is a Fatal 4-way match to determine the number one contender to the SmackDown tag team titles that includes the Street Profits, New Catch Republic, Authors of Pain, and Legado Del Fantasma.
Also on the card: Bayley defends the WWE women’s championship against Naomi, LA Knight vs. AJ Styles in a WrestleMania rematch to determine the number one contender to Cody Rhodes’ WWE Universal title, and more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR APR. 19
I am your heartbreaks, mistakes, that place inside you hate. I am that shadow following every move, reminding you, that it’s never good enough, while I liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with the usual cavalcade of superstars shown arriving at the building earlier today.
AJ Styles vs. LA Knight (WWE Undisputed Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Knight grabbing control with a side headlock, shot off, leapfrog, drop down, big boot and a lariat and he throws Styles to the floor! LA in control and we go to break!
Back from commercial, both men go for crossbodies and go down hard! Knight recovers, stomps in the corner, running knee, going up top, LA Knight with the superplex! AJ hits the moonsault inverted DDT, Pele kick after a little back and forth, back body drop to the apron, big elbow, lining him up, LA ducks under, powerslam!
Off the ropes, elbow drop, jockeying for position in the ropes, AJ gets him...
AJ Styles wins by pinfall with the Phenomenal Forearm, earning a shot against Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Championship at Backlash in France.
In a loading dock, Solo Sikoa, wearing a suit as befits your new Tribal Chief, formally introduces Paul Heyman to the newest member of the Bloodline, Tama Tonga, who he introduces as “his MFT.”
He asks a sputtering Heyman if Kevin Owens is in the building and demands he lead him to him, and we go to break.
Back from commercial we see some local Football Juniors in the crowd.
General manager Nick Aldis is in the ring with a belt or belts under wraps on a podium.
He introduces Triple H.
Hunter welcomes us to the show, notes the sellout, and talks about what a great job Aldis and Raw general manager Adam Pearce are doing to manage their brands. He wants to see the brands represented in a way that befits them, and he bids Nick to introduce A-Town Down Under.
Grayson Waller says they gave Awesome Truth their second place belts and now they get to give the real champs their new title belts. Austin Theory riffs poorly on Truth calling HHH a magician and Triple congratulates them on their win and unveils their new WWE Tag Team Championship belts.
Grayson fakes Hunter out and shakes Austin’s hand instead of his, leaving the Game hanging. Aldis gives them a talking to and says he’ll make A-Town Clown Under disappear permanently if they try anything like that again, and he says the fatal 4-way #1 contender’s match starts now!
Or, well, after the break.
Back from commercial, Naomi is interviewed backstage.
She says she’s not going to let friendship get in the way of her opportunity tonight and she’s going to make the most of it. Last week she made Tiffy Time feel the Glow, and she’s keeping that energy rolling and walking into the WWE Draft as champion.
Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) vs. Legado del Fantasma (Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) (WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
A-Town Down Under are on commentary for this one.
Chaos early, the Authors clear the ring and we go to break.
Back from commercial, an Author is cranking on Ford’s neck in the middle of the ring, shoving him off into a big back elbow, clearing Dawkins off the apron, Canadian Backbreaker rack applied! Montez falls out of it and into a tag to Bate! Tyler hammering our Author, fending off Legado with Peter’s help!
Profits back in to help cut the big man down, Big Strong Boy gets him up but Legado come in with knees to clear him out! Up in the turnbuckles, Carrillo tags in blind right as the Tower of Doom goes off! Legado hoisting Bate up, slamming him into the crush, sunset flip, powerbomb lift, missile dropkick Doomsday Device but Dunne breaks up the pin! Stereo ankle locks from the British Strong Style lads but Humberto kicks Bate off and into the other two and sends us to break!
Back from commercial, NCR fight out of a Super Collider, Profits join them in the ring and even Legado sees how the wind is blowing and joins the babyfaces in hamemring the heels! Match breaks down into flurries of strikes every which way, Profits end up with Carrillo where they want him, Blockbuster Doomsday Device... DUNNE BREAKS IT UP!
Action to the floor, Dunne and Bate with stereo Orihara moonsaults right as Ford does the over-the-post tope con giro! Tyler rolls Humberto back in, Tyler Driver reversed, lands on his feet, inside cradle, only two! Carrillo with a lariat and the tag, pop-up hamstring kick leaves Bate lame, springboard moonsault but Ford splashes the both of them!
Dawkins is in position, blind tag on Tyler, passing Angel off the ropes...
Street Profits win by pinfall with a Sky High / neckbreaker combination on Angel Garza, becoming #1 contender to the WWE Tag Team Championship.
We get a recap of Rhea Ripley having to vacate her Women’s World Championship.
Byron Saxton interviews Bayley backstage.
She says seeing Rhea vacate made her appreciate hers more and we all know with the draft coming up things are bound to change, but she’s still going to hold onto her title.
Solo Sikoa is backstage with Paul Heyman.
A nervous Heyman apologizes for not being able to find Kevin Owens but Solo walks off without him and through to Gorilla. Paul lectures him about usurping the Tribal Chief’s decisions, and Sikoa cuts him off and asks him if he’s done yet and Heyman backs down, asking if Tama Tonga is coming, but Solo just brandishes the taped thumb at him.
They make their entrance and get in the ring as the camera pans around and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Paul Heyman explains the backstage politics within the Bloodline right now.
Before he can get going, Solo Sikoa takes the mic from him and gets overwhelmed in boos as he tries to speak. He says last week he had to lose a brother in order to find a new on, his MFT, Tama Tonga.
On cue, Kevin Owens is thrown out on the stage, bleeding from the forehead, wearing the crimson mask. Tama Tonga comes out behind him and kicks him down the ramp before joining the Bloodline in the ring.
Owens is helped to the stage but Spirit of ‘76s himself up and runs to the ring to brawl with Solo and Tama! Double leg mounted punches, KO won’t be stopped but the Samoan Spike cuts him off and Tonga lights on him with mounted punches, blood smearing across his abs as he tears at Kevin’s wound!
The Bloodline put their ones up on the stage and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Nick Aldis drags Paul Heyman out into the parking lot and shows him two t-boned rental cars and asks what he knows, saying on his show they settle it in the ring. Next week is the draft, lots of eyeballs, and he won’t tolerate this kind of behavior next week and it’s up to him to make sure the Bloodline understands.
Losing isn’t the only thing that has consequences, he says, and he slaps Paul on the chest before leaving.
Carlito vs. Santos Escobar
Carlito backing him into the corner with right hands, turned around, back elbow sends Escobar off, boot up in the corner, double leg from Colon, only two. Carlito sends him packing, referee Darryl Sharma warns him off but he hits a baseball slide anyway! Plancha follows, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Escobar charging double knees, putting Carlito up top, enzuigiri staggers him, avalanche Frankensteiner follows! Rolling into the cover... NOPE! Top wristlock applied, Colon fights out, a couple lariats into a back elbow, front kick, off the ropes, running knee and another lariat, cover for two!
Elektra Lopez swings Zelina Vega into the barricade at ringside, Santos crotches Carlito on the bottom rope and throws him shoulder-first into the post! Fireman’s carry...
Santos Escobar wins by pinfall with the Phantom Driver.
Kayla Braxton interviews Damage CTRL in a skybox.
Dakota Kai gets upset about IYO SKY getting called a former champion and reminds everyone that Damage CTRL is the most dominant force in WWE. Kabuki Warriors are still tag team champions and that’s not going to change-
Enter Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair, arriving in a skybox next to Damage CTRL’s and leading to much bickering.
Naomi makes her entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get footage of a Cody Rhodes interview from London earlier today.
He says we’re in an undiscovered country now, and he’s keeping his promise to bring the title all around the world. AJ Styles is his #1 contender, and we’ve got two Georgia boys duking it out in the heart of France and he gives AJ his bonafides before saying he looks forward to their match.
Bayley (c) vs. Naomi (WWE Women’s Championship)
Collar and elbow, Bayley with a side headlock, shift to a wristlock, Naomi with a schoolboy, only a one-count! Role Model with a headlock takeover, go-behind, O’Connor roll, only a nearfall! Challenger slides under, runs into a couple hip tosses, off the ropes, Naomi with an inside cradle, only two!
La Casita from the champion, again only two, double leg, jackknife, Bayley reverses, crucifix pin, double crossbody, both women are down! A little back and forth, Naomi calls it the Rear View... SO CLOSE!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Naomi in control, corner elbow, corner bulldog, diving crossbody for two! Out on the apron, kick connects, slingshot X-Factor... NOPE! Bayley starting to put it back together, jumping knee, hobbling to the corner, up top, diving elbow halfway across the ring... STILL NO!
Roseplant countered with a kick, up and over, sunset flip... INTO THE CRUCIFIX NECK CRANK! Role Model rolls her into a pin, both women going for elbows! A knee sends the champion to the floor, plancha takes her out and both women are down with barely two minutes left in the show! BAYLEY-TO-BELLY INTO THE ANNOUNCE DESK!
Tiffany Stratton runs in and hammers Bayley with an elbow...
Bayley wins by disqualification.
Tiffany smashing Naomi’s face into the announce desk, throwing Bayley into the steel steps, putting them both in the ring and hitting the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on both of them!
Stratton stands tall while we cut back to the skyboxes, Damage CTRL elated and Bianca and Jade unhappy.
That’s the show, folks.
