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WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (April 9, 2019) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, featuring the fallout show from the WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view (PPV) that went down this past Sunday night in New Jersey.
Advertised for tonight: A celebration of Kofi Kingston’s WWE title win, 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 9
A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel. Cut all diplomatic ties as we expel all American dignitaries and issue a nation-wide travel advisory for any others left inside. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The burned out shells of south-bound traffic lay strewn along a cold stretch of would-be interstate, but me, I’ve still got to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with New Day making their entrance for Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship celebration.
”You deserve it!” chants rain down as Big E and Xavier Woods encourage and congratulate him. E gets on the mic and talks about how Kofi made us cry tears of joy (oh god did I cry tears of joy), is an A+ player with extra credit, and broke his foot off between Daniel Bryan’s vegan butt cheeks to become your new WWE Champion! Woods formally introduces them and Big picks back up to recap their appearance on Raw last night.
This ends up being an excuse to cajole E to do the splits again, and he does, pitch perfect, before getting back on track and talking about how Kingston was on track to become a double champion. But we’ve been with them for this whole ride and put up with their humor (mostly butt stuff) and so we’re all here to celebrate Kofi Kingston’s career together!
Xavier talks about meeting Kofi and it was like meeting one of his heroes, and Big adds that they came together to reshape the culture and change history, and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday. Woods says on behalf of them and every single person in the WWE Universe, we love on and congratulate you, Kofi. Kingston gets on the mic and says this is an impossible moment.
It wasn’t in the script, it wasn’t supposed to happen, but here we are, and he has to give a very special shoutout to his family, who are in the front row. He introduces his sons and his wife and says they inspire him to be the best he can be and they’ve supported him unconditionally and he loves them so much.
Enter the Bar.
Cesaro says if it wasn’t for them, Seth Rollins would have Kofi’s title, and Sheamus tells the crowd to shut up so New Day can hear, and explains that he nearly lost not because he’s a B+ player, but because New Day weren’t there. Cesaro wants to have a six-man tag, to which Big E says sure, fine, but there’s only two of them. The Bar say their math isn’t off, because they met a friend on Raw...
DREW MCINTYRE!
The match will take place later, and commentary hypes up the Usos vs. the Hardy Boyz for the title for later.
Aleister Black makes his entrance, he’ll have a trios match after the break.
Aleister Black, Mustafa Ali, & Ricochet vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas, Rusev, & Shinsuke Nakamura
Ricochet and Nakamura to start, Shinsuke with a kick, a knee, an arm wringer into a wristlock, escape, off the ropes, back roll, headscissors, a dropkick gets two! The One and Only with an arm wringer, duck a roundhouse but he eats the reverse and Nakamura tags Rusev in to put boots to him! Tag back, suplex lift onto the ropes and a kick assisted suplex, Almas legal, cover gets two!
Right hand into the corner, quick tag back to Rusev, slugging away in the corner, cycling through, yet another quick tag and Nakamura grabs a guillotine choke, briefly breaking for falling knees to the ribs before reapplying. Tag back to Rusev, stomping at the extremities, whip, Ricochet stops short on the ropes and hits a neckbreaker! The way is clear, tag to Ali!
Right hands, shoved off, pop-up dropkick! Tag to Black, he comes in with kicks, tag to Ricochet, off the ropes, leapfrog, roundhouse kick and a dropkick and the match breaks down! Aleister clears the apron, off the ropes, moonsault into the crossleg taunt and Ricochet and Ali join him as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Rusev is in control on Ali with a bear hug! I can hardly bear it! The Bulgarian Lion clears the apron and poses before throwing Mustafa into the corner and crushing him with a body avalanche. Back elbow on the charge, tornado DDT connects and both men are down and out! Tags made, Andrade and Black, Aleister laying in strikes, off the ropes, sliding knee, kip-up and into the quebrada... BUT RUSEV AND NAKAMURA BREAK IT UP!
Ricochet double dropkick to clear them out, off the ropes, nobody home, slide low and head out, moonsault off the barricade takes Rusev out and Shinsuke hits Kinshasa! Black Mass on Nakamura! Almas tries to steal it with a schoolboy, hard back elbow, Ali tags in, Poison Frankensteiner! Up top...
Aleister Black, Mustafa Ali, & Ricochet win by pinfall with a 450 splash from Ali on Andrade “Cien” Almas.
RKO OUTTA NOWHERE TAKES ALI OUT POSTMATCH!
KEVIN OWENS IS IN THE RING, KICK TO THE GUT, STUNNER ON RUSEV!
Backstage, the Usos are interviewed about their title match tonight.
They start off congratulating Kofi Kingston and say WrestleMania’s come and gone and they’re still tag team champions. They need to win, because it’s more than just championships, it’s about proving who’s the best tag team in WWE history is, and they welcome Matt and Jeff to the Uso Penitentiary to send us to break.
Back from commercial we get a video package for WWE’s partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of America.
R-Truth and Carmella are in the ring and Truth talks up Becky Lynch’s victory in the main event of WrestleMania before Mella does the same for Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship victory. And not only was there the world’s largest dance break on the show, but Carmella defeated Andre the Giant in a Royal Rumble! Mella corrects him and they move on, Carmella talking about how she cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase a year ago.
In the time since she’s found a friend and she thanks R-Truth for his support before saying this is just the first step and she sees big things in her future.
Enter Samoa Joe. He hits the ring and shoves Truth away only to eat a heel kick! Roundhouse, off the ropes, scissors kick blocked and the Coquina Clutch is on! Ron passes out and Samoa gets on the mic, talking about how he choked Rey Mysterio out in less than sixty seconds and he might do the same to any other superstar.
(RRROOOAAARRR!)
Braun Strowman is on SmackDown! He charges in the ring and gets Joe in the corner! Body blows, Stinger Splashes but the second gets the boot up and the Coquina Clutch is on! Strowman fades to one knee but is able to ram Samoa into the corner to fight him off! Trying to get him up for the powerslam but Joe slips away and retrieves his title belt on his way out!
Braun goes to leave and is interrupted by the Iconic Duo, who want to shake his hand. Strowman leaves without doing so.
The Icons get in the ring, they’ll defend their titles after the break.
Back from commercial, we get another smoking box buzzard puppet video.
The Iconic Duo are in the ring and they get on the mic to cut a promo about winning the tag titles.
Lots of folks talk about being fighting champs, but they fight and walk so they’ll defend them anywhere, anytime, against any tag team, and that’s why they have a defense against the best team in Brooklyn tonight! They have a 45-0 record! (And they appear to be indie wrestlers Karissa Rivera & Kris Statlander! Kris in particular rules, check out her recent stuff for Beyond, she comes at everything from a real fresh angle and I dig her work.)
Brooklyn Belles (Karissa & Kristen) vs. Iconic Duo (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) (c) (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship)
Kay to start, clubbing blow to the Belle, tag, wristlock tandem kicks into a pose and Paige is seen watching on a monitor backstage as Royce lays strikes in. Reverse roundhouse kick, drawing her up, taking her hard into the corner, putting boots to her, quick tags, choke,tossing her across and she lets her tag her partner in!
Other Belle ducks, clear the apron, schoolboy attempt but Billie decks her with a boot and tags out! Half nelson to hold her in place...
Iconic Duo win by pinfall with a running knee strike to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Paige is interviewed backstage and says it’s just one week until the Superstar Shake-Up so she wanted to get a close look at the new tag champs. They were very impressive, ending the undefeated streak of the legendary Brooklyn Belles, but you wanna know a secret? Next week she’s going to be bringing an impressive tag team of her own!
Shane McMahon makes his entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Shane McMahon is in the ring with his Best in the World trophy.
He says it’s been an amazing week and that’ll continue next week with the Superstar Shake-Up, but he wants to reflect on WrestleMania. There were huge moments-- champions crowned, and so on, but why did millions of people around the world tune in? They all wanted to see one match specifically, they wanted to see Shane McMahon defeat the Miz. And now he wants to talk about Mr. Miz.
We all saw it when he had the audacity to come in the ring and aggressively put his hands up and McMahon was like “wow this guy’s serious”, and then Mr. Miz hit him in the eye, so he had to defend himself and that’s why he put George in the ground. As far as he’s concerned that 68-year-old baked potato face and his son got what they had coming to them.
They found out that he is what he says he is, and that is the Best in the World. “CM Punk!” chants go up as Shane addresses Greg Hamilton about his intro and he feels like he got kinda stuck and he wants to know what’s going on tonight. Hamilton says when he got to the arena he was threatened by several fans that if he gave him his intro something bad would happen.
McMahon says he has to understand, this is the best city in the world, and why? Because the Best in the World lives here, and Greg never has to worry about these people, he has to worry about the one standing right in front of him. Shane grabs him by the tie and berates him. Hamilton’s intro isn’t good enough for him yet again and drags him away by his tie, telling him he’s choking and insisting he do it over and over but it’s still not good enough.
Last chance, reach down deep... and finally McMahon is happy with his performance, letting him get back to his work.
We get a recap of the Undertaker interrupting Elias last night.
The Hardy Boyz make their entrance and we go to break.
Hardy Boyz (Jeff & Matt Hardy) vs. the Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) (c) (WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
Hardy and Uso to start, collar and elbow, Matt with an arm wringer, shoulder armbreaker, tag to Jeff. Double whip, elbow drop / somersault leg drop but Jey kicks out and gets the tag! Jimmy in, charging right hand, arm wringer, elbow smash, reversed, tag to Matt. Up to the second, posing, elbow drop connects! Back to the arm wringer, Jimmy with right hands and headbutts!
Matt with punches, blind tag from Jey, Samoan drop... NOPE! Tossing Matt to the floor, Jimmy pops him one and Jey follows out after. Drawing him up, right hand and Hardy goes crashing into the barricade! Recovered, right hands, slugging it out on the floor, back inside and a tag to Jimmy. Right hand, chops in the corner, backbreaker and a Demolition Decapitation sends us to break.
Back from commercial, Jeff with the double leg drop to the basement dropkick for two! Twist of Fate blocked, Jey gets a kick and a tag. Solebutt, right hand, whip reversed, back elbow and Jimmy heads up top for a corkscrew moonsault leg drop... NOBODY HOME! Jeff charges in... WHISPER IN THE WIND! Tag made, Matt legal, Poetry in Motion! Side Effect... NOPE!
Tagging Brother Nero in, Twist of Fate countered with a superkick, Jeff with a schoolboy for two! Jimmy hits another superkick on him, Jey tags in, diving splash... JEFF HARDY KICKS OUT! Jimmy tags back in, they get on opposite corners, Jey kicks Matt aside... AND JEFF ROLLS AWAY FROM THE STEREO SPLASH! Tag made, Matt calling for it, kick to the gut, Twist of Fate blocked!
Jeff tags in, Matt gets the Twist of Fate this time, up top...
Hardy Boyz win by pinfall with a Swanton Bomb from Jeff Hardy on Jimmy Uso to win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
They’re interviewed in the ring but Lars Sullivan cuts them off with his entrance before they can even be asked a question.
He getws in the ring and off shrugs their attempt to cut him off, dumping Matt out of the ring and hitting Freak Accident on Jeff! He hits kind of a sad version of Tour of the Islands on Matt! Diving headbutt!
Commentary hypes up an appearance from Becky Lynch after the break.
Back from commercial, Becky Lynch makes her entrance.
She gets on the mic and compliments the crowd on their singing of her theme before saying she did exactly what she said she was going to do, and she beat Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey to become the first-ever women’s dual champion, Becky Two Belts! She doesn’t know about us but that feels like cause for celebration, so that’s what she did last night, but that didn’t go to plan.
She runs the video of Lacey Evans punching her and the ensuing brawl before saying that punch quickly reminded her that she’s holding two big targets and even though the Superstar Shake-Up is next week, as long as she’s got both she’ll be pulling double duty. She knows there’s a tsunami of challengers coming, and to that she says-- bring on every last one of ‘em!
She wants to make this the most talked-about run in all of WWE, so if she has to sleep with one eye open for the rest of her career, then she will, because she’s walked through hell to get these titles and she promises you’ll meet a red-headed devil if you try and take them away from her.
She makes her exit and celebrates on the stage... AND GETS BLINDSIDED BY EVANS AGAIN! Lacey pulls a handkerchief out and wipes the sweat from her brow as Becky slowly tries to get her legs under her.
Commentary hypes up the trios match that was made in our opening segment and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Sami Zayn makes his entrance before the main event can begin!
He gets on the mic and simply says we’re not worth it.
Drew McIntyre & the Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus) vs. New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods)
Sheamus and Woods to start, punches in the corner, whip across, up and over, duck a lariat, slide low, forearm connects, low kick, Stinger splash, tag to E! Shoulder thrust, tag to Kingston, pop-up stomp for two! Tag made, Xavier woods up top for a double axehandle to the elbow and the Celtic Warrior gets him in the corner. Cheap shot from Cesaro, clothesline sends Woods to the floor, tag to McIntyre!
INVERTED ALABAMA SLAM INTO THE ANNOUNCE TABLE SENDS US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, E is slinging Cesaro around with belly-to-belly suplexes! Fired up, hip swivel, off the ropes for the big splash! Clear the apron, pass Cesaro to the apron, the Swiss Superman cuts the dive off with a knee! Diving crossbody, Big reverses to a pin and scoops him up for the Big Ending. Cesaro slips out, tag to Sheamus, huge knee strike sets him up... SPIKE WHITE NOISE BUT WOODS BREAKS IT UP!
Cesaro gets back body dropped to the floor, Irish Curse takes Xavier out, the Celtic Warrior’s calling for it... BROGUE KICK COUNTERED BY A LARIAT! Kingston fired up for the tag and he gets it, coming in hot with Shadows Over Hell! Calling for it, he has to break off to boot Cesaro off the apron and take him out with the trust fall senton! Upkick knocks Sheamus back, Trouble in Paradise caught!
Kofi slips out, off the ropes...
New Day win by pinfall with Trouble in Paradise from Kofi Kingston on Sheamus.
New Day celebrate their victory in the ring with Kofi’s wife and kids.
That’s the show, folks.