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We got some big surprises on Night 1 of the 2024 Draft on WWE SmackDown, including some top stars from other brands.
- LWO def. Legado Del Fantasma
- Bron Breakker def. Cedric Alexander
- Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton ended in No Contest
- Cody Rhodes def. Carmelo Hayes
SmackDown kicked off with some footage of the RAW and SmackDown War Rooms, where Teddy Long, JBL, Bubba Rey Dudley, and other members of management were getting ready for the Draft. Paul Heyman was backstage early on to announce that Roman Reigns had withdrawn from the WWE Draft, noting that it was a positive, not a negative.
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AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes were out first, with Corey Graves in the ring to conduct the Backlash match contract signing. AJ got on the mic and said that, unlike LA Knight, he respected Cody and his dad, Dusty Rhodes.
Cody came out and said that he respected AJ as well but added that being a champ wasn't about winning the title; it was about keeping it. He added that this was a must-win for him and signed the contract before the two had a staredown.
Cody and Styles were on their way out when Triple H made his entrance and asked Cody to join him to announce the 2024 Draft picks since all champions were exempt from the ceremony. In Round 1 of the 2024 Draft, SmackDown got Bianca Belair and Carmelo Hayes, while RAW got Jey Uso and Seth Rollins.
Carmelo Hayes was out next and introduced himself to the crowd before telling Cody that 'when he shoots, he doesn't miss.' He said he would 'shoot his shot' against Cody, and they set up a match later in the night.
WWE SmackDown Results (April 26, 2024): Legado Del Fantasma vs. LWO
Berto and Dragon Lee kicked off the match and the latter got some big moves early on and sent Berto outside before hitting a dive. Back in the ring, Lee got a nearfall off a crossbody but was tossed out.
Rey was tagged in and hit big senton and the Code Red before sending Berto back outside with a Rana. Angel got a cheap shot on Rey before trying for a DDT, but Mysterio turned it into the 619. Lee came back with Project Dragon and picked up the win.
Result: LWO def. Legado Del Fantasma
After the match, Santos Escobar played some security camera footage of Carlito attacking Lee from behind and calling for help.
Carlito couldn't keep the act up anymore and attacked Rey and Dragon Lee before fleeing the ring, as the rest of LWO were shocked.
Grade: B
Bron Breakker vs. Cedric Alexander on WWE SmackDown
Bron Breakker was in control early on and hit a massive spear on Cedric before picking up the win in under a minute!
Result: Bron Breakker def. Cedric Alexander
Grade: C
Tiffany Stratton was backstage, and Nick Aldis told her she would face Naomi tonight to possibly earn a title match against Bayley.
Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson were out next to announce Round 2 of the WWE Draft.
SmackDown got Randy Oton and Nia Jax, while RAW got Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan.
Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga showed up and wanted Paul Heyman to tell him 'all the details.' Heyman told them that Roman withdrew from the Draft before the duo looked like they were about to attack Paul.
Instead, Kevin Owens snuck up and attacked Solo and Tama before a brawl broke out.
Bianca Belair was out next and said that she and Jade Cargill would relieve the Kabuki Warriors of the tag titles. Asuka and Kairi Sane came out and got into a yelling match with Belair before Jade Cargill joined them as well.
In the background, KO and Tama Tonga fought their way to the ring before being joined by Solo Sikoa, who turned things around for the Bloodline. Officials came out and took some shots as well before being tossed out one by one.
Randy Orton came out to make the save and beat the Bloodline down before Solo dodged the RKO and retreated. Solo and Tonga were running backstage when Owens and Randy tried to chase them, but officials separated them.
Bubba Ray and D'Von Dudley were out next to announce Round 3 of the WWE Draft. SmackDown picked LA Knight and The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Paul Heyman), while RAW secured Ricochet and Sheamus.
Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton on WWE SmackDown
Naomi got the early takedown, but Stratton sent her into the ropes and got a hip attack before Naomi took her down with another big slam and the head scissors. Stratton got a spinebuster before Naomi countered a big suplex with a kick.
Nia Jax attacked Bayley at ringside before Naomi headed out of the ring to help the champ. Nia tossed Naomi into the ring post, and the match was called off due to the interruption.
Result: D.N.F
Grade: B
Teddy Long and JBL were out next for Round 4 of the 2024 WWE Draft, and SmackDown got AJ Styles and Andrade, while RAW got the Alpha Academy (Chad Gable, Akira Tozawa, Otis, and Maxxine Dupri) and Kiana James of NXT.
We got a short promo introducing Kiana James before she was interviewed at the Performance Center.
Nick Aldis was backstage with Teddy Long and announced a Backlash tag match between Kevin Owens & Randy Orton and the Bloodline. They also noted that Tiffany Stratton will join Naomi in the Women's Title match at Backlash against Bayley.
The commentators informed us that we'll be getting the RKO show instead of the KO show next week.
Carmelo Hayes vs. Cody Rhodes on WWE SmackDown
Cody was in control early on and hit some big moves before Melo returned with a fade-away DDT for a near fall. Carmelo dodged the Cross Rhodes but took a massive Disaster Kick and nearly got turned inside out before Cody got a near fall of his own.
Melo took a running powerslam before Rhodes hit a picture-perfect Cody Cutter. The WWE Champ followed up with a Cross Rhodes for the easy win. Cody whispered something to Melo after the match, and it seemed like he was congratulating the newcomer on his debut on the main roster.
Result: Cody Rhodes def. Carmelo Hayes
AJ Styles showed up after the match and had a staredown before shaking hands as SmackDown went off the air.
Grade: B+
