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Kevin Owens and Randy Orton's debut of The RKO Show on WWE SmackDown ended in a brawl with The Bloodline. Bayley's past evil ways continued to cause issues with Bianca Belair despite the former foes teaming up tonight.
A loud and proud crowd packed the LDLC Arena in Lyon, France, and witnessed an entertaining go-home show ahead of Backlash: France tomorrow (May 4). With that said, let's dive into the best and worst of tonight's episode of the blue brand.
Best: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill showcased on SmackDown ahead of their title match at Backlash: France
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WWE SmackDown opened tonight with a fun eight-woman tag team match. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill teamed with Bayley and Naomi to take on Tiffany Stratton, Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane.
It was a fast-paced match that allowed each participant to shine. It was also a nice touch to see Bayley and Bianca Belair's past issues still proving to be problematic and this was furthered in a post-match backstage segment.
Bianca Belair got the win and The EST of WWE and Jade Cargill head to Backlash looking increasingly likely to win the Women's Tag Team Championship. Kairi Sane was pinned, allowing Tiffany Stratton to remain strong as she and Naomi challenge Bayley for the WWE Women's Championship in a triple threat bout on Saturday.
Worst: LA Knight settles for pointless win; needs a better direction post-WrestleMania
It was difficult to find fault with much from SmackDown tonight. The Lyon crowd were eating up everything Paul 'Triple H' Levesque served them. That much was true when LA Knight made his entrance to perhaps the loudest pop of the night.
However, the fastest-rising star in WWE was subjected to a filler five-minute match with Angel of Legado Del Fantasma. The match was fine by itself and LA Knight inevitably got the win.
It's been nearly a month since WrestleMania XL where LA Knight beat AJ Styles. In a rather unexpected turn of fortunes, The Phenomenal One is challenging for a world title while the man who actually defeated him isn't even on the Backlash: France card.
Winning over an irrelevant opponent such as Angel doesn't do him any favors. LA Knight was perhaps best served heading to RAW during the WWE Draft 2024. He officially entered the King of the Ring tournament and one would expect he's a heavy favorite to win it.
Best: Randy Orton and Kevin Owens' RKO Show thrill ride; majorly helps build The Bloodline storyline
Randy Orton and Kevin Owens debuted their new talk show, The RKO Show tonight. It was good to get a slight explanation from The Viper for his decision to come to KO's rescue last week.
The Apex Predator and The Prizefighter's comedic timing was spot on and Paul Heyman's guest appearance was a touch of genius. The Wiseman was as brilliant as ever on the mic throughout tonight's SmackDown.
They pushed The Bloodline story further with intriguing back and forth. Paul Heyman painted Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga as two barbaric monsters that Randy Orton and Kevin Owens should be afraid of.
Paul Heyman's line that 'There's only one Tribal Chief' before Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga attacked their Backlash opponents was a clever cliffhanger. It leaves fans second-guessing where The Special Counsel's allegiances lie.
He also informed SmackDown GM Nick Aldis that he hadn't been in touch with Roman Reigns since WrestleMania. The Bloodline storyline continues to excite just when you think it's run its course.
Worst: AJ Styles' slap isn't enough to make him a believable threat to Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles closed out SmackDown with a brief promo exchange that wasn't overly memorable. The crowd was electric but the end goal of the segment was to try and cause doubts regarding The American Nightmare's first title defense.
This didn't come off though, as their promos felt rushed while The Phenomenal One tried his best to make a case for himself. This was always going to be tough trying to keep the ball rolling after Cody Rhodes finished his story at WrestleMania.
The most significant moment came when AJ Styles offered a too-sweet gesture before embarrassing Cody Rhodes with a slap. It was a slight callback to The Rock's infamous slap from 'Mania season but tonight's slap on the blue brand won't be remembered as significantly.
