Thursday Night Smackdown! TV Report for April 7th, 2016 – “A ‘Phenomenal’ Week”

Introduction Segment: Video Promo and Welcoming

A montage of Wrestlemania airs, as does the regular Smackdown! video. The pyro explodes in the arena and Mauro Ranallo welcomes us to Houston, Texas!

Segment #2: Arena Promo

Lillian Garcia asks us to greet WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns; he walks out amid a mix of cheers and boos. (a lot more cheers though than ‘Mania and Raw, which is good!) Roman recaps how he “fought The Authority” and beat them. A.J. Styles joins him, telling him he had a “heck of a WrestleMania, but I had a heck of a Monday Night Raw.” They chat about their upcoming bout for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, date to be announced.

Later tonight, a Tag-Team Match pitting A.J. Styles and Cesaro meeting Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens will happen! Up next, The Vaudevillians debut!

Commercials.

Match #1: Tag-Team – The Lucha Dragons (United States Champion Kalisto and Sin Cara) VS. The Vaudevillians (Simon Gotch and

Aiden starts out with Cara in an elbow/collar tie-up. Cara backdrops English, then tags in Kalisto who 450-splashes Aiden out of a monkey-flip from Kalisto! Sin is back in and chops away at English, but Aiden switches with Gotch and kicks Cara. Simon mount-punches Sin, and the Vaudes take over! Aiden kneedrops Cara and rips on his chin; he slams him down and poses.

Cara boots out of the corner onto both Simon and Aiden, then makes the hot-tag to the U.S. Champion! Kalisto roll-ups into a kick for a near-fall, then Sin dives through the ropes onto English! Kalisto didn’t see the tag, so Gotch and Aiden capitalize with their Whirling Dervish finish – an uppercut into a running neckbreaker! Simon covers for the victory!

Winners via Pinfall: The Vaudevillians

Ads.

March #2: Single – Summer Rae VS. Natalya

(Note: Women’s Champion Charlotte and Ric Flair are on/by commentary).

A lockup begins and Natalya tires a roll-up quickly. Summer waistlocks Natalya, then reverses a whip but misses a running body-press! Natalya hits a running front-dropkick, but is slapped and thrown into the middle ropes. Rae dumps Natalya to the outside and follows with a snap-suplex on the floor! She kicks Natalya hard a couple times in the ring, then wears her down with a rear chinlock. Summer spin-kicks Natalya and almost gets this!

Natalya pushes back and catches a spin-kick, then shoves Summer into a Sharpshooter, where Summer quickly taps!

Winner via Submission: Natalya

Post-match, Charlotte and Natalya stare at each other.

Commercials.

Segment #3: Video Promo

A recalling of WrestleMania and Raw around the WWE World Heavyweight Championship plays.

Zack Ryder makes his entrance and will be challenging Intercontinental Champion The Miz next!

Ads.

Match #3: Single for the Intercontinental Championship – Zack Ryder (Challenger) VS. The Miz (Champion) (with Maryse)

Before this contest, Maryse introduces her real-life husband.

Miz side-headlocks Ryder and shoulder-blocks him, but a neckbreaker attempt is reversed into an O’Connor Roll. Zack pin-combos Miz a couple of more times with a backslide and jackknife, and springboard-splashes for another two-count! He continues the attack and is in total control!

Commercials.

Ryder is still dominating until he is yanked off the turnbuckle. Miz clamps on a rear chinlock, then drops him with a neckbreaker. Miz knees Zack hard in the gut, but Ryder flips out of a suplex into a neckbreaker! Zack builds some momentum until he is planted with a sit-down-powerbomb! Ryder tries another springboard-splashes, but eats some knees into his stomach; Miz follows with a DDT for a very close-one!

Miz signals for the Skull-Krushing Finale, but Zack blocks! He facebusts Miz and gives him a forearm in the corner. He goes for the Broski Boot, but Miz moves, and tries to split-leg Zack into the ring post. Ryder pulls back, smacking Miz’s face into the steel! He hits the Broski Boot on the outside, and elbow-drops Miz in the ring from the turnbuckle! 1 – 2 – Miz kicks out!

Maryse soon rips the turnbuckle cover off, which distracts both Ryder and referee Charles Robinson. This allows Miz to thumb Ryder in the eye and drive him to the canvas with the Skull-Krushing Finale, then get the 1 – 2 – 3!

Winner via Pinfall and STILL Intercontinental Champion: The Miz (with Maryse)

Ads.

Match #4: Single – Social Outcast member Curtis Axel (with Social Outcast members Heath Slater, Adam Rose, and Bo Dallas) VS. Apollo Crews

Crews dominates most of this bout, but Curtis gets a little control after some interference from his mates. Apollo hits a perfect dropkick and clothesline, then kips up into a moonsault for two! Despite more interference, Apollo completes this one after his spin-out sit-down-powerbomb!

Winner via Pinfall: Apollo Crews

Dean Ambrose will be present tonight!

Commercials.

Segment #4: Backstage Promo

After clips of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania, then Corbin’s match with Dolph Ziggler on Raw, he is with Rene Young. Baron doesn’t want to stick around for long, and warns “the end of days is already here!”

Segment #5: Backstage Promo

Becky Lynch is interviewed by Rene. She talks about “the passion” of the Women’s Championship and still fighting for it. Emma walks up and reminds Lynch that she was first to WWE, but Becky got the opportunities instead. Lynch threatens to give Emma an eye like she has, which is pretty banged up, and Emma walks away.

Dean Ambrose enters, and will be wrestling next!

Ads.

Match #5: Single – Dean Ambrose VS. Tyler Breeze

“The Lunatic Fringe” takes down Breeze in a short one with his Dirty Deeds DDT!

Winner via Pinfall: Dean Ambrose

Commercials.

Match #6: Tag-Team – Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens VS. Cesaro and A.J. Styles

Jericho and Styles tie-up first, and Jericho goes into a standing headlock. They trade flips until A.J. hits a dropkick and switches with Cesaro, who leaps off the second turnbuckle with an axe-handle smash! He hits a double-stomp and Styles follows with a kneedrop. “Y2J” goes to the outside and both he and Kevin are frustrated.

Ads.

A.J. and Jericho are still going at it, with an armdrag by A.J. Cesaro is tagged in and flips Chris with another armdrag; Jericho fights back and changes with Owens. He hits a little, but Cesaro hits a few corner uppercuts on both Kevin and Chris.

Cesaro is clotheslined to the floor and chucked around. Owens and Jericho work over Cesaro for a while. Cesaro flapjacks Jericho into an uppercut, then tries the tag to Styles, but Jericho pulls Styles from the apron! Cesaro manages to move from a Cannonball by Owens, and does get the hot-tag.

“The Phenomenal One” is all over Kevin, but misses a springboard-moonsault that allows Owens to superkick him. Kevin tries a reverse-fireman’s-carry move, but A.J. reverses into a Pele Kick! Jericho pushes Styles off the top, which gives Owens the chance to Package-Powerbomb Styles for a very close own!

On the floor, Cesaro runs at Jericho with n uppercut! In the ring, Styles and Owens are left. Suddenly, Sami Zayn is walking down, but blocked by referees and agents. This commotion does distract Kevin enough for A.J. to roll up Owens for the victory!

Winners via Pinfall: Cesaro and A.J. Styles

Post-match, Owens and Zayn go at it, with Kevin throwing Sami into the steel steps. The referees and agents hold a fierce Kevin back to close the show.

End of Smackdown!

Reporter’s Rumblings

This has been quite the week! As usual after WrestleMania, there were a lot of happenings and change, both good and bad, so let me get to my analysis:

Excellence: Promos by Roman Reigns (Raw); Zack Ryder (Raw); A.J. Styles (Raw and Smackdown!); Baron Corbin (Raw and Smackdown!); and Enzo and Cass (Raw). Matches between Corbin/Ziggler (Raw); Miz/Ryder (Raw and Smackdown!); Fatal-4-Way (Raw); Luchas/Vaudevillians (Smackdown!); Natalya/Summer (Smackdown!)

Absolutely LOVED Enzo and Cass’s debut; I hope that momentum they had on Raw continues into next week and they are stars for a long time to come! Baron Corbin was a great debut too, and I love the attitude he brings, both physically and verbally. Cesaro’s return was a cool surprise and glad he is still loved by the fans. Again, I hope he continues to be a big star as well.

Emma/Becky’s spout was good and continued to add legitimacy to the Women’s Division; they are both good on the mike, especially with their new “bravados” and more serious demeanors. Of course, LOVE the WOMEN’S Championship and Division; much more meaningful and appropriate, as they are now WRESTLERS/ATHLETES/ROLE MODELS!

Glad Roman won the title; would’ve meant more if that Wrestlemania was his first time, but liking the change in his personality too. Was very happy that Steph and Triple H were not on Raw; let’s take a break from them for a while now. A.J. and Roman’s feud is looking great already! (Although, A.J. should’ve won WrestleMania too, to make him stronger and even more important to the WWE Title).

Ryder and Miz mix well together, and Maryse returning was a genuine surprise/cool. I’d like to see them go at it for a while over the I.C. Title.

Tag-Team Champions The New Day can continue doing what they’re doing; they are very entertaining and popular!

Bogus: I felt too many debuts on Raw; Crews should’ve been built more and longer; and while Cass/Enzo’s was awesome and the right Tag-Team to go against (Dudleyz), bad-timing a bit because a) the messed-up finish, and b) Dudleyz should’ve won at WrestleMania also, so they look just a little stronger. Next year, leave it to just one debut and one return.

I don’t understand the League of Nations split; they were just getting going and now seemingly over? I was expecting a lot more from Shane “running” Raw; some announcements about the next Network/Pay-Per-View show or booking next week’s Raw. After the opening segment with him, the story fell flat and was slightly forgotten by me/not necessary.

Until Monday’s Raw, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans!