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WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 4, 2017) from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, featuring the fallout show from the WrestleMania 33 pay-per-view (PPV) extravaganza that went down just days ago in the same city.
Advertised for tonight: Randy Orton is the new WWE champion, Naomi is the new women’s champion, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR APRIL 4
Living in the night, 'neath devils torn asunder, you call on me to solve a crooked rhyme. As I'm closing in, imposing on your slumber, you call on me as bells begin to chime. You call on me because you know it's time for me to liveblog this here pro wrestling show, folks.
Show opens with a recap of SmackDown's side of WrestleMania that shows everything but actual match footage.
Randy Orton makes his entrance as newly-minted WWE Champion and poses with the title. He soaks in the atmosphere a second, spinning around with the title, and gets on the mic. He asks if we remember his talk about beating 'em and screwing 'em, well, he left an important part out.
If you face 'em for the title at WrestleMania, you better make damn sure you beat their ass. Bray Wyatt thinks he has power over him, well, on Sunday he proved that he is Bray's master and he will never, ever forget his name. Cut to Wyatt in the smoky room. He says Orton is a master of nothing, and the Era of Wyatt has only just begun.
Bray will reclaim what is his, what she promised him. He's due his rematch, but first he has something special planned. He will fight, but in a different kind of match, one that will push Randy's mind as well as his body. He promises to drive him to a new level of insanity, twist him in mind and body.
Wyatt will change the way he views the entire world, light into darkness, kindness into wrath. He's going to watch Randy cry, scream, his soul devour itself, and at the end of the night, one of them will be sentenced to eternal damnation. He wants to fight Orton in a House of Horrors Match.
The Viper says he doesn't know what that is, but he accepts the challenge, and he asks Bray to come to the ring so he can whip his ass one more time.
(Wyatt noise)
Bray's behind him! Trading punches! Bray runs the ropes... snap scoop powerslam! Orton going to that place but he's ambushed... ERICK ROWAN IS BACK! The big man throws him in the ring and he and Bray work Orton over, but Luke Harper makes the save! He dispatches Rowan, slips in the ring, caught by Sister Abigail's clutch but he escapes!
Sliding big boot to Wyatt and the Family is on the run!
Backstage, Renee Young interviews Miz and Maryse. She asks about Cena's proposal and Miz says it was good marketing, and Maryse says if anything she should be thanking Maryse since they backed Cena into a corner where he had to propose. Miz says with Superstar Shake-up, this might be their only chance, so they're calling John and Nikki out.
He makes it clear that it'll be the only time you'll see Cena and Bella for a very, very long time, and they take their leave.
Alexa Bliss' rematch against Naomi is up next, after the break.
Back from commercial we're told that our main event is the Wyatt Family vs. Orton and Harper.
Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi (c) (WWE SmackDown Women's Championship)
Collar and elbow, Alexa with punishing blows and a choke against the ropes, and a mat slam gets one. Side headlock, Naomi turns it into a bulldog into the turnbuckles and Bliss heads outside. Running leg lariat lays the contender out and we go to break.
Back from commercial and Alexa's working a stump puller-style kneebar before shifting to a cover. Back to the leg, wrenching back, using her own knee as a post, but Naomi gets the ropes. Bliss breaks dirty, smashing the knee on the mat, and goes back to work, wrenching it over the middle rope in the corner.
Champion limping her way along the ropes and Alexa cuts her off before taking her in the middle of the ring for a mat slam that gets two and going back to the stump puller. Naomi reverses to a sunset flip, hobbles to the corner and dodges a charge. Forearms connect as Bliss tries to get back in it and Naomi damn near caves her skull in!
Back suplex follows, fireman's carry, it's Glow Time... BENEDRYLLER?! NO GOOD! Alexa kicks her knee in and hits the snap DDT... NOT ENOUGH! Back to the leg, Naomi misses an enzuigiri but it's enough to get out of the hold and force Bliss to hit another mat slam after a bit of struggle.
Rear View connects but she can't capitalize in time and it's only good for two. Trying for a bulldog in the corner but Bliss blocks, big kick off the top lays the challenger out. Looking for the split-leg moonsault, Alexa catches her. Naomi kicks her away, takes it to the mat...
Naomi wins by submission with the Spider Twist, retaining the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship.
Commentary informs us that we're also getting a rematch of Ambrose/Corbin, as a Street Fight this time, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Curt Hawkins is in the ring.
He says the Superstar Shake-up makes him sick, because everybody's talking about it and not him, Curt Hawkins. So he's issuing an open challenge to anybody in the locker room, and he'll give 'em to the count of ten...
Tye Dillinger comes out, because of course he does.
Curt Hawkins vs. Tye Dillinger
Collar and elbow, Hawkins goes behind, Tye wrestles a circle around him and throws the ten fingers in his face. Bck to the lockup, Curt gets him in the corner and slugs him in the gut on the break. Boots laid in, back suplex, Dillinger with left-hand punches and right-hand chops.
Laying kicks in, a lariat, stomp to the face, Hawkins is on the back foot in a bad way. Mounted punches in the corner, ten of them, naturally, Tye takes the knee pad down...
Tye Dillinger wins by pinfall with the Tye Breaker.
Commentary hypes up Miz and Maryse's segment for later and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Mojo Rawley is interviewed backstage about his win in the Fourth Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in Memory of Andre the Giant. He says the whole thing has been unreal and he and his buddy that helped him went ballistic celebrating, and wondered what it'd be like if Andre could have partied with them.
And how could you not celebrate? He had the moment of his life, his WrestleMania moment. But he's just getting started, and the bar has been raised, so it's time to throw some weight on it. He asks if Dasha can feel it, and she can't, but that's okay because he and Andre can.
We get a recap of Mr. McMahon announcing the Superstar Shake-up and are informed that Shane McMahon will be addressing the issue later tonight.
Miz and Maryse are walking backstage, they're up next, after the break.
Back from commercial, John Cena makes his entrance, flanked by Nikki Bella.
They are certainly not Miz and Maryse.
He's John Cena, recognize. Rule number one is you may not say "Cena sucks" at any time in this arena. Whole lotta rulebreakers in the crowd. Cena wants to get romantic for a second, and he touches Nikki's face awkwardly and says he loves her. For her part, Bella loves that she manipulated him into giving him what she wants.
And Cena got what he wanted, a moment that makes him seem like a more relateable human being. But like everything in their life, their love, that diamond, it's not real. Nikki says because they only love themselves, they're going to do what they said they'd never do, and John adds that effective immediately, they're leaving WWE.
They're going to Hollywood! They're going to be gone a very, very long time! We won't be able to see them! He says goodbye and leads the crowd in a "No more Cena!" chant and they go to leave...
THERE'S A VIOLINIST ON THE STAGE!
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA IS ON SMACKDOWN!
To say that the crowd is happy to see him would be, ah, selling it a little short.
Commentary puts over the rest of our announced festivities and we head to break.
Back from commercial in time for Baron Corbin's entrance, so here goes the Street Fight.
Baron Corbin vs. Dean Ambrose (Street Fight)
Corbin with a double leg, puts Dean in the corner and puts boots to him before taking him to the next corner for more. Off the ropes, Ambrose ducks a lariat, tries a crossbody, gets caught, slips out, throws hands, and gets caught by a Nodowa Otoshi! Overhead elbows as Dean struggles on the mat and the Lone Wolf heads out for plunder.
He has a chair but Ambrose clobbers him with a baseball slide before following it up with a suicide dive that knocks Baron clean over the announce table! A shove into the barricade and then another and Dean gets on a table... charging forearm knocks the Lone Wolf into the crowd!
Ambrose on the barricade, he drops an overhead elbow and knocks Corbin down to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Corbin gets Dean on his shoulders but Ambrose slips out. The ring is strewn with plunder, by the way. Baron puts Dean through a table in the corner with a charging spinebuster! The Lone Wolf rolls outside, considering his options, and comes out with a leather strap!
He's whipping Ambrose, taking his time between shots and savoring them, before wedging a chair in the corner. He goes to throw Dean into it but he slides and stops himself short, being able to turn around and throw Corbin into his own chair, as per the "He who smelt it, dealt it" rule of pro wrestling.
Looking for Dirty Deeds, Baron slips out and they trade punches until the Lone Wolf gets a knee in. Ambrose with a knee of his own in return and he grabs the strap, whipping Corbin like he owes him money! Clothesline to the outside, Dean climbs the turnbuckles... DIVING ELBOW TO THE OUTSIDE!
Ambrose sets Baron up on a table that's set up outside and climbs again, clutching his ribs in pain on the way... DIVING ELBOW THROUGH THE TABLE! Dean is screaming in pain but the action goes back in the ring, where he climbs up top only to have a chair thrown at him. Corbin grabs a wristlock...
Baron Corbin wins by pinfall with a short-arm End of Days.
Commentary reminds us of our main event, but up next, Shane McMahon addresses the Superstar Shake-up after the break.
Back from commercial, Shane McMahon makes his entrance.
He gets on the mic and thanks the crowd for chanting for him a bit just now, before saying it's been a wild ride the last couple days. On Monday, Vince announced the Superstar Shake-up, and what does that mean? Excitement for a variety of people.
Any superstar on the Raw roster should be praying to end up on SmackDown, he says, because we have all created the Land of Opportunity...
Enter AJ Styles. He doesn't know what's going on with this thing, but he does know that he doesn't want to go anywhere. Because Shane knows it, these people know it, SmackDown is the House That AJ Styles built. And he'll be damned if somebody is gonna come over and try to take that from him.
But that's not why AJ came here, after WrestleMania, he feels like he owes Shane something. He offers his hand, and Shane shakes it! He makes like he's gonna punch Shane, who flinches, before posing and leaving.
Our main event is up after the break.
Back from commercial, Austin Aries cuts a promo about how he came close to becoming Cruiserweight Champion at WrestleMania and that he intends to earn another shot on 205 Live tonight.
Luke Harper & Randy Orton vs. Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt & Erick Rowan)
Rowan and Orton to start, Randy ducks a lariat, RKO blocked, Erick connects with a reverse roundhouse and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Wyatt charges and bowls Orton over but the Viper kicks him off and makes the tag. Harper in, charging back elbow, whip reversed, up and over to the apron and he knocks Bray down to set up a slingshot senton atomico. He passes both Wyatts outside... suicide dive sends Erick over the announce table but Wyatt dodged and levels Luke with a lariat!
Back in the ring, Rowan tags in and Bray throws a senton to set up a big splash from Erick for two. Drawing Harper to his feet to club him to the corner and throw hands and headbutts, but Luke fights back. Whip across, Harper takes the turnbuckles hard and Rowan puts him in the double-fisted head vise!
Clubbing blow to the back as Harper struggles out, off the ropes, kick to the face but he jumps into a spinning World's Strongest Slam for two. Bray tags in and lays a series of forearms in on the side of Luke's head. Stomp to the ankle, headbutt to the shoulder, he tosses Harper in the corner.
Boot up on a charge but Wyatt knocks him down with a lariat for two and tags Rowan in. Stomp in passing, elbow drop, Erick bulldogs him into the turnbuckle! Headbutt, he lays him across the top and lays hammer blows into Luke's chest before posing. Harper throwing punches, big slicing right, and Rowan grinds his forearm against his face.
Whip across, corner avalanche, big man dropkick but Harper's out at two. Wyatt back in with crossface blows into a reverse chinlock, Luke is fading but struggles up. Bray off the ropes... TRUCK STOP! Tags made all around, Rowan runs into a snap scoop powerslam and rolls to the apron, where the Viper catches him with the rope-hung DDT clutch until Wyatt interferes.
Rope-hung DDT connects on Bray and Orton poses for the crowd before going to that place...
(Wyatt noise.)
Randy is alone in the ring and Rowan comes up behind him, grabbing a full nelson. Harper makes the save with a superkick, the Viper is ready...
Luke Harper & Randy Orton win by pinfall with an RKO from Orton on Erick Rowan.
Wyatt materialized on the ramp and is laughing and clapping as Harper and Orton celebrate in the ring.
That's the show, folks.