WWE SmackDown Results
March 22, 2024
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Fiserv Forum)
Commentary: Corey Graves and Wade Barrett
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
“Then. Now. Forever. Together.” The WWE video leads us into the show.
We see a shot of Lincoln Financial Field, the site of WrestleMania XL, which takes place two weeks from tomorrow.
Earlier today, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes entered the arena. We also see footage of Damage CTRL entering the building. SmackDown Women’s Champion IYO SKY will face Naomi later tonight in a non-title match.
Rey Mysterio makes his entrance. This is his first match back since returning from injury at the hands of Santos Escobar back in November 2023.
Video Package: Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar
Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar
The bell rings, and Mysterio takes it right to Escobar. Mysterio whips him into the ropes and connects with a back elbow. Mysterio clubs him and bounces him in the corner. Escobar reverses a whip. Mysterio goes for a springboard counter, but he slips and nearly misses. Mysterio soon kicks him to the corner and kicks him in the hamstring. Escobar begs him off, but Mysterio applies a wristlock. Mysterio tries to scale the ropes, but he loses his footing again. Mysterio fights Escobar back and comes off the top rope with a hurricanrana. Mysterio kicks him in the corner and hits a sliding dropkick to the midsection. Mysterio shouts, “LWO!” Escobar soon reverses a whip. Mysterio slides under a big boot, but Escobar comes back with a back elbow. Escobar stomps him and sends him into the ropes for a kitchen sink knee to the midsection. Escobar follows up with a basement dropkick for a one-count. Escobar shoves Mysterio into the corner, but Mysterio fights back and hits a head-scissor takeover to send Escobar out of the ring. Mysterio hits the ropes and slides under the bottom rope for a splash at ringside.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Escobar is applying a surfboard stretch to Mysterio. Mysterio fights up and kicks out. During the break, Escobar countered a hurricanrana at ringside with a powerbomb into the ring post. Escobar then kicked the steel steps into Mysterio’s knee. Back to live action, Escobar hits Mysterio with running double knees in the corner. Escobar puts Mysterio on the top rope and charges, but Mysterio boots him back. Mysterio punches away at Escobar in the corner. Escobar quickly reverses a whip to the corner, and Mysterio hits sternum-first. Mysterio collapses to the mat. Escobar puts Mysterio in the tree of woe and backs up. Escobar connects with a running kick and backs up to the opposite corner. Escobar charges, but he hits the ring post shoulder-first when Mysterio sits up. Escobar falls out of the ring. Mysterio stands on top of the ring post and hits a flying cross-body block to the floor on Escobar!
Mysterio gets Escobar in the ring and hits a flying seated senton. Mysterio connects with a pair of clotheslines. Escobar goes for a sunset flip, but Mysterio rolls through and hits a basement dropkick. Mysterio connects with a Lionsault for a near fall. Mysterio knocks him into the ropes and goes for a 619, but Escobar superkicks him down. Escobar connects with a slinging facebuster for a near fall. Escobar shouts at Mysterio and calls him a “pathetic old man.” Mysterio kicks him in the head and knocks him out of the ring. Mysterio bounces Escobar off the commentary table. Mysterio removes the cowl of the commentary table and hits Escobar with it. Mysterio then flies off the commentary table and knocks Escobar over the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area with a flying seated senton! Escobar hit the floor with a splat!
Mysterio soon grabs Escobar and bounces him off the commentary table before sending him into the ring post. Mysterio gets Escobar in the ring and knocks him back. Mysterio goes for a springboard, but a person in a Rey Mysterio mask grabs Mysterio’s ankle! Mysterio looks confused and stares at the person. The person pulls off the mask and is revealed to be “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio! Escobar hits Mysterio with a 619 and connects with a Phantom Driver for the win!
Winner by Pinfall: Santos Escobar
Rey Mysterio is irate that his son has cost him another match.
Replays are shown of Bayley taking on Dakota Kai last week on SmackDown.
Backstage Segment
Bayley thanks Naomi for helping her out last week. It’s hard for her to come by friends. Naomi says she’s happy to help, but her anger is directed at IYO SKY. Bianca Belair angrily comes up to Bayley and says Bayley isn’t sorry for what she’s done. Everything that is coming Bayley’s way is something she deserves. Bayley and Belair start to argue before Naomi backs Belair up.
Austin Theory and Grayson Waller make their entrance. They’ll face The O.C. in a WrestleMania XL Tag Team Championship Qualifying Match next.
-Commercial Break-
Backstage Segment
Naomi and Bianca Belair walk by “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, who is signing autographs. Naomi tells Belair that her feelings are valid. Naomi has Belair’s back, but she doesn’t back down. They both know she can’t do this by herself. Damage CTRL is picking them off one by one… just like Belair couldn’t do it by herself.
WrestleMania XL Tag Team Qualifying Match
Austin Theory and Grayson Waller vs. The O.C. (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) w/ Michin
Austin Theory gets in Luke Gallows’ face, so Gallows punches him down. Karl Anderson tags in and kicks Theory. Anderson chops him and tags Gallows back in. Gallows punches Theory back and punches away at him in the corner. Theory fights back with a throat thrust and tags in Grayson Waller. Gallows easily punches Waller down. Anderson tags in. Gallows kicks Waller, and Anderson follows up with a kick to knock him out of the ring. Gallows then clotheslines Theory over the top rope. Anderson then wipes out Theory and Waller with a somersault senton.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Gallows kicks Waller away and superkicks him. Theory quickly tags in, but Gallows hits him with a chokeslam. Gallows is clutching his surgically repaired knee. At ringside, Michin hits Waller with an arm drag on the floor before he can attack Anderson. Anderson tags in and runs wild on Theory. Anderson also knocks Waller off the apron. Anderson hits a flipping neckbreaker on Theory and hits a Double-A Spinebuster. Waller meets the same fate. Anderson comes off the second rope with a flying neckbreaker on Theory for a near fall. Gallows tags back in. The O.C. sets up for a Magic Killer, but Waller breaks it up. Waller punches Anderson out of the ring. Gallows sends Waller over the top rope. Theory rolls Gallows up and puts his feet on the ropes. Waller holds Theory’s feet down, and they pick up the win.
Winners by Pinfall: Austin Theory and Grayson Waller
Theory and Waller will battle the winners of The Street Profits vs. AOP.
Video: Bron Breakker hype video.
Damage CTRL is walking backstage.
-Commercial Break-
The commentators talk about WWE World in Philadelphia.
Video: Highlights of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns’ appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Roman Reigns will go face-to-face with Cody Rhodes later tonight.
Non-Title Match
Naomi vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion IYO SKY w/ WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) and Dakota Kai
IYO SKY’s music plays. The Kabuki Warriors and Dakota Kai come out, but IYO SKY is nowhere to be seen.
We go backstage to see Sky viciously attacking Bayley, her WrestleMania opponent. WWE referees and officials break it up. Sky then heads out to the ring.
Charles Robinson, one of the greatest referees of all time, is the official for this match. The bell rings, and Naomi takes it right to the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Naomi shoulders and kicks her in the corner before choking her with her boot. Sky soon fights back and punches her back. Naomi reverses a whip to the corner, but Sky boots her back. Sky comes flying off the ropes with a hurricanrana and connects with a running dropkick in the corner. Sky digs her knee into Naomi’s face. Sky chokes her on the ropes before backing up. Sky boots her in the face. Sky sends her to the corner, but Naomi springboards off the ropes with a kick to the skull. Naomi hits a running dropkick. The crowd chants, “Naomi.” Naomi connects with a bulldog for a two-count.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Naomi kick Sky in the head and snap her off the ropes. Naomi drives Sky headfirst into the turnbuckles and hits a flying cross-body block. Naomi hits a running dropkick in the corner and hits a snap kick. Naomi hits a split-legged splash for a two-count. Sky soon fights back and hits a missile dropkick to knock her back. Sky hits a running meteora into the bottom turnbuckle. Sky goes to the top rope, but Naomi cuts her off. Naomi hits a superplex off the middle rope for a near fall.
Sky and Naomi slowly get up and exchange blows. Naomi forearms her, but Sky soon rolls her down and hits a double stomp to the midsection. Naomi soon gets Sky on the apron and hits a head-scissor DDT. The Kabuki Warriors quickly run down to distract her. Sky takes Naomi out and hits an Over-the-Moonsault for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: SmackDown Women’s Champion IYO SKY
Damage CTRL is in the ring and signals a 4-on-1 beatdown. Naomi tries to fight them off, but they overwhelm her after spraying Poison Mist in her face. Bianca Belair runs down for the save. Belair sends Dakota Kai into the steps and takes out everyone in the ring. Kairi Sane grabs the braid, but Belair takes her out with a Glam Slam. Belair goes for a KOD on Sane, but Kai chop blocks the knee. Sky then dropkicks Belair in the head. A “Bayley” chant fires up, but she doesn’t come out as she was attacked earlier.
Video: Jade Cargill is coming, and she is undeniable. She is coming to SmackDown and will make her first appearance next Friday.
Next, we’ll find out about LA Knight’s status after yesterday’s wild confrontation with AJ Styles.
-Commercial Break-
The Bray Wyatt documentary trailer is shown. The arena is lit up with fireflies in honor of the late Bray Wyatt.
Backstage Segment
Bianca Belair is helping to flush out Naomi’s eyes from the Poison Mist. Tiffany Stratton comes over and makes fun of them.
SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis’ Office
Kevin Owens is talking with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis about United States Champion Logan Paul. Pretty Deadly walks in and complains about a conspiracy against them before Owens interrupts. They say he knows nothing about tag team wrestling, but Owens points out he won the Tag Titles in the Main Event of WrestleMania last year. They say he’s the past, but he says he’ll be the future. He challenges them to a match next week with his partner… Randy Orton. Orton appears next to Elton Prince, scaring him. Owens and Orton walk off… until Owens returns to knock Pretty Deadly both out with one punch!
Last night, LA Knight attacked AJ Styles at his house before being arrested. Styles would drop the charges, so Knight was released.
The Street Profits make their entrance alongside Bobby Lashley and B-Fab.
-Commercial Break-
WrestleMania XL Tag Team Qualifying Match
The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) w/ Bobby Lashley and B-Fab vs. Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) w/ Karrion Kross, Scarlett, and Paul Ellering
AOP quickly overwhelms Angelo Dawkins with strikes and quick tags. Ellering shouts instructions from ringside. Akam attacks Dawkins and tags Rezar in. Rezar punches Dawkins and talks trash to the crowd. Rezar knees Dawkins back and goes for a whip, but Dawkins holds the ropes. Rezar soon sends him into the ropes, but Dawkins holds on and boots him back. Ford tags in and AOP is sent out of the ring by the Profits. Ford goes for a somersault senton, but AOP catches him and powerbombs him into Dawkins at ringside! Wow!
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Rezar punching away at Ford. Rezar whips him hard to his corner and knocks Dawkins off the apron. Dawkins tries to get in the ring, but the referee holds him back. AOP takes advantage of the distraction with some illegal double-team attacks. Akam tags in and kicks Ford down. Rezar tags back in and drops an elbow. Ford flips through a back suplex and hits a step-up enzuigiri. Rezar stays standing and stops Ford from making a tag. Ford eventually gets away and makes the tag. Akam tags in as well.
Dawkins runs wild on Akam and knocks Rezar off the apron. Dawkins hits a corkscrew elbow on Akam before going outside and shoulder tackling Rezar at ringside. Dawkins gets in the ring and hits Akam with the Silencer. Dawkins avalanches him and hits an enzuigiri. Dawkins gets Akam on his shoulders, but Akam gets down. Ford tags in, but Akam takes him out. Rezar tags in, and AOP hits the Final Chapter. Rezar covers. 1… 2… Dawkins breaks it up! AOP goes for a double-team, but Dawkins breaks it up. Ford then cradles Akam for the win!
Winners by Pinfall: The Street Profits
Backstage Segment
Paul Heyman is talking to his Tribal Chief on the phone. He confirms Cody Rhodes is here by himself. Reigns’ public awaits.
-Commercial Break-
Next week, Bianca Belair will battle Dakota Kai. We’ll also have some Tag Team Qualifying Matches. The Street Profits will battle Grayson Waller and Austin Theory, and the New Catch Republic will battle Legado del Fantasma. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton will also take on Pretty Deadly. Jade Cargill will also make her SmackDown debut.
Parking Garage
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns steps out of an SUV. He walks up to Paul Heyman, and they make their way into the arena.
Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes go face-to-face
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns makes his entrance alongside “The Wise Man” Paul Heyman. Reigns takes his time getting in the ring. A LOUD “Cody” chant fires up. Reigns paces in the ring and looks at the crowd. Heyman lovingly embraces the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Reigns says the Wise Man made a promise, and the Tribal Chief has kept his word. Reigns is a man of his word and is here alone. There is no Bloodline other than the Wise Man, but he is no physical threat. Reigns says it’s time for Rhodes to acknowledge him.
“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes is shown walking backstage. The crowd reacts strongly when they see him. He’ll be out next.
-Commercial Break-
“Wrestling has more than one royal family.”
“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes makes his entrance to a MASSIVE pop. Rhodes does an extended entrance, complete with pyrotechnics. A “Cody” chant fires up. Reigns says he kept his word and is here by himself. How about Rhodes? Rhodes says Reigns is as much a man of his word as he is. If Reigns came alone, so did Rhodes. Reigns looks at Heyman and says Rhodes is a fool. Rhodes is stupid to him. Rhodes is not fit to be on top and the face of this company because he’s an idiot. Reigns says no one cares about Rhodes doing the right thing. Rhodes needs to start thinking with his head. In the past month, Rhodes has aligned himself with his little brother, Seth Rollins. On Monday, Rhodes was in a jam. Where was Rollins? Was he in traffic? Plane delay? Snow? It seems like Rollins showed his true colors. Reigns scoffs at Rollins saying he would be Rhodes’ true Shield. Reigns was in the Shield with Rollins. They didn’t do good guy things, but they were brothers. Then Rollins stabbed him in his back. That’s why Rhodes is a fool.
Rhodes says he remembers the Shield. They were unstoppable and undefeated. Does Reigns remember the first team that beat the Shield? Here’s a hint: the last name was Rhodes. Rhodes appreciates this education and venom-laced wisdom Reigns is dropping. Rhodes points out he has bullet cufflinks on, so he’s not unfamiliar with factions and betrayals while he was off doing something else. Rhodes asks if he can trust Seth “Freakin” Rollins. Rhodes asks the crowd, and they cheer. Rhodes says Rollins might hate his guts. Reigns might be right. Rhodes knows one thing: he hates Reigns even more.
Rhodes will see Reigns’ situation and raise Reigns another. Can Reigns trust his partner at WrestleMania? Can Reigns trust The Rock? Rhodes says they’re all slightly confused. In the pantheon that is the Bloodline, who is really in charge? Is it the Tribal Chief or the Final Boss? Reigns smiles with incredulity. Reigns says that’s old. Is that all Rhodes has got? This was spoken and spun like a true politician. Is Rhodes running for governor? Reigns sarcastically offers to have Rhodes kiss some babies in the crowd. Rhodes promises things but doesn’t keep them. Rhodes told the people lies, but they never come to fruition. Rhodes is number two. Anyone would be lucky to be number two. Rhodes is the greatest number two of all time. Reigns is number one forever.
Rhodes thinks about what Reigns said. Reigns grew up in this industry like Rhodes did. Reigns probably looked in the mirror and wanted to be the next face of a generation. Rhodes mentions Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, The Rock, Austin, and Cena. Rhodes says he’s conceded that to Reigns. Many kids will grow up wanting to be the next Roman Reigns. That is his destiny, but Reigns is unfamiliar with Rhodes’. Rhodes says when it comes to WrestleMania and who defeats him for the title he’s held for so long, Rhodes isn’t number two. He’s the one. Rhodes wishes Reigns luck at WrestleMania and extends his hand. Reigns declines to shake his hand and backs up. Reigns and Heyman walk off.
Reigns turns and snaps his fingers before smiling at Rhodes. Reigns’ music plays. Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso make their way through the crowd. They slowly approach Rhodes, who is preparing for a fight. “Main Event” Jey Uso and World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins then come through the crowd. They stand in front of the ring and laugh at the Bloodline. The Bloodline declines to attack.