WWE SmackDown results, live blog for April 4, 2014: WrestleMania 30 go home show

WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 4, 2014) from Washington D.C., with a taped show on the SyFy channel featuring the go home show to the upcoming WrestleMania 30 pay-per-view (PPV) extravaganza this Sunday night in New Orleans.

Because SmackDown is a taped show, you can simply go read the spoilers to know everything that happens (find them by clicking here). We will, of course, provide a live blog with full results anyway.

You can use this space to discuss all the events as they occur, and it's probably going to enhance your viewing experience. In fact, I know it is because we're a lot of fun around here.

Enjoy the show!

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RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG

Geno here.

- Dolph Ziggler vs. Titus O'Neil was up first. This was about showcasing two entrants in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal who weren't being used much for Raw. The sooner we forget that Piper's Pit segment the better. The match was going along fine until they botched a Fameasser. They recovered okay enough and Michael Cole covered for it like Titus slipped out but it was pretty ugly. Not long after, Ziggler hit the Zig Zag for the pin.

- They cut away to Axxess and Renee Young running a table with Jerry Lawler. "The King" started by saying, "Renee, I couldn't like you any more unless you were dipped in chocolate". Come on, Jerry. It's shameless at this point. They led into a video package for Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman did a hell of a sell job for the match.

- When they came back from commercial, we went back to Young and Lawler. They pushed the Network before running the interview Michael Cole did with Stephanie McMahon as part of a video package hyping the Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H match. When they came back, they pushed Axxess and the life sized Andre the Giant statue.

- Another commercial breaks up Young and Lawler and while she's good at what she does, Lawler is unbearable and this show is very clearly not worth watching. They led into the preview video for Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena. THIS IS MY LEGACY, LEGACY, LEGACY.

- Hey, this format is getting familiar. Commercial break, Young and Lawler introducing the next video segment. Actually, this time we get Booker T interviewing Randy Orton from "earlier in the week". Orton said "I feel like it's my time, Book." Orton called Triple H a great competitor but said he took after Vince McMahon as a "ruthless business man". Booker tried to bait him into responding to Triple H's comments earlier saying Randy's a technically gifted guy who needs his hand held to win a match. Orton said he's never been called technically gifted so he took it as a compliment. Booker followed up but Orton just repeated himself and smiled. He went on to say the YES Movement is a fad that won't last. Batista was brought up and Randy just buried him. Said Batista is stuck four years ago and he can't get back the four years he lost in Hollywood doing other things. "He might have been an opponent back in the day but now, not so much." That was a good line. Orton finished by saying he'll leave WrestleMania 30 with the titles because he's the best and it's what he does.

- Back to the arena for an actual match: Real Americans vs. Los Matadores. I maintain the Real Americans entrance music is a lost theme from Goldeneye. Cesaro did a lot of selling early on, so much so, in fact, that Zeb Colter called him over and when Cesaro stuck his head out of the ropes, Colter slapped him in the face. Jack Swagger played peacekeeper when Cesaro when after Zeb, who ended up knocked over, and the end result was Cesaro absolutely destroying Los Matadores. This is the same gimmick they used for Swagger a few weeks back. The heels were in control for most of the rest of the match, though the babyfaces made a comeback or two. The crowd was mostly dead for this until Cesaro did the Giant Swing, followed it with the Neutralizer, and picked up the pinfall win. Colter got in the ring after and Cesaro was still unhappy with the slap.

- They went back out to Axxess. This time they cut to an interview with The Shield. They were put over as babyfaces telling a story about being underdogs at WrestleMania last year but still coming away with a win and it being an inspiring thing. Dean Ambrose had a great line. "Last year, we were the 1980 Olympic hockey team, just a bunch of nobodies sticking together as a team chasing the gold. This year? We're the Yankees; the Lakers; The Shield." They put over beating Kane and the New Age Outlaws this year at WrestleMania 30, saying they can't be broken.

- They came back and set up an interview with Batista, just like the one Booker T did with Orton earlier. Batista took a dump on Dayton, Ohio, saying he wishes he had come back in a better place. He said he's never cared about being cheered or booed but booing him always made him more motivated. Batista ran down Daniel Bryan, saying he's too small and he'll just squash him. As for Orton, he's just a suck up and he's going to get beat too. DEAL WITH IT.

- Back to Young and Lawler and they plugged Network programming before running a replay from Raw showing the closing angle with Daniel Bryan showing up to attack Triple H and clean house on Batista and Orton as well. They replayed the entire segment, and it was absolutely incredible.

- It looks like the main event is going to be a Hulk Hogan promo. He got a huge pop from D.C. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, BROTHER!" Huge pop for that open. He said he's pumped up to be the host of WrestleMania; so pumped that he feels like the WWE champion himself. But he's got a lot of great memories of the big show, like tearing the house down at WrestleMania 1 with Mr. T or going one-on-one with "The Great One" at WrestleMania 18. He said he "really jacked up" The Rock. Didn't he lose that match? The big one was slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3, though, and that's why the Memorial Battle Royal is so important to him. They showed the trophy on the Titantron and it really does look great. Hogan went on to say someone can make themselves immortal by winning the trophy, linking themselves to Andre's great name. He closed the way he always does.

End.