WWE SmackDown Results 4/26 - 2024 WWE Draft Begins, Cody Rhodes & AJ Styles Contract Signing
Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s results for "WWE SmackDown" on April 26, 2024, coming to you live from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio!
The highly anticipated 2024 WWE Draft is set to begin, with the "SmackDown" and "WWE Raw" current rosters sure to be shaken up. There will be sixteen picks made tonight divided into four rounds, with "SmackDown" receiving the first overall pick from the eligible pool of talent. "WWE NXT" stars are also eligible to be drafted to "Raw" or "SmackDown", but current champions will remain on their brands (with the exception of Women's Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane) and the second night of the draft will take place on this coming Monday's episode of "Raw".
Two weeks ago, AJ Styles and LA Knight won a pair of Triple Threat matches to earn the right to face each other in the hopes of earning a shot at Cody Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Championship at WWE Backlash on May 4. Styles ultimately emerged victorious in their clash during last week's edition of "SmackDown", and tonight, he will be putting pen-to-paper along with Rhodes to make their match official.
Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga of The Bloodline left Kevin Owens laid out last week when they blindsided him with an attack in the closing moments of the show. In light of such, they will be appearing with something on their minds to share. Elsewhere, Legado Del Fantasma's Angel and Berto look to redeem themselves tonight after coming up short against The Street Profits in a Fatal Four-Way Number One Contenders Match for Grayson Waller and Austin Theory's WWE Tag Team Championship as they go head-to-head with longtime rivals Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee of LWO.
We are live! Wade Barrett greets audiences at home as we head backstage to Kayla Braxton and Paul Heyman discuss whether or not Roman Reigns will be drafted alongside the rest of The Bloodline. Heyman announces that Reigns has voluntarily withdrawn his name from the eligible pool of talent from the WWE Draft.
We then head over to the "NXT" Performance Center, where Jackie Redmond is standing by with the "NXT" roster as they find out whether or not they will be among the drafted Superstars.
Barrett then throws it over to Corey Graves in the ring.
Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles Put Pen-To-Paper For Their Backlash Undisputed WWE Championship Match
Graves announces that he will be moderating the upcoming contract signing, then introduces AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes.
Graves hands the contract over to Styles, and he looks it over as fans voice their support for Rhodes. Styles says before he signs the contract, two Georgia boys are ready to mix it up for the biggest prize in the game. He says he understands why fans boo him, but he doesn't respect LA Knight and he gets under his skin. He says he got his composure back and realized that he's phenomenal, then went on to beat Knight last week and secure his Undisputed WWE Championship with Rhodes at Backlash.
Styles addresses Rhodes, and says while they haven't yet crossed paths, they both had to prove themselves outside WWE. He says Dusty Rhodes gave them both the same advice about standing on their own two feet and going their own way, then says he looked at Rhodes' title set up between them and the two tables. He says the weight isn't just of leather and gold, and at Backlash, he carries it. He then signs the contract
Rhodes asks Cincinnati what they want to talk about, then says they could talk about respect. He says there's not a locker room on Earth where everyone doesn't respect Styles. He says he respects the roads Styles has traveled to get to WWE, but the respect goes to the wayside at Backlash. He says he respects Styles' familiarity with his last name, but when he puts his first name in front of his last, they've never met before. He says his match with Styles isn't a dream match, but a must win.
Rhodes signs the contract and offers his hand to Styles. Styles tells Rhodes it's a shame his reign has to end at Backlash, then shakes his hand and heads to the back. Rhodes picks up his title and holds it above his head.
Triple H then makes his way down to the ring.
Triple H and Cody Rhodes Announce The WWE Draft Round 1 Picks
Triple H then quickly reviews a couple things about the draft before Rhodes announces that Bianca Belair is the Number One Draft pick to "SmackDown". Triple H then says Jey Uso has been drafted to "Raw" as the number two pick, Rhodes announces that Carmelo Hayes has been drafted to "SmackDown" as the number three pick, and Triple H announces that Seth "Freakin" Rollins is the number four pick and has been drafted to "Raw".
Angel and Berto vs. Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee (w/ Carlito and Zelina Vega)
Berto and Lee begin the action. The bell rings and Berto turns Lee inside out with a clothesline. Lee fires back with a hurricanrana, then goes flying out of the ring to level Berto. He gets him back in the ring and ascends to the top, then connects with a crossbody.
Back from the break, Rey delivers a hurricanrana to Angel and ascends to the top. He connects with a senton and a boot to his midsection, then lands a Code Red and goes for a pin. Angelo kicks out, and Berto tries to level him. Rey sends Berto over the top rope and out of the ring, then sends him crashing into the ropes and tags in Lee. Rey fails it up for the 619, and Lee follows it up with Project Dragon for the win.
Winners: Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee
After the match, LWO celebrates inside the ring. Santos Escobar and Elektra Lopez then march down to the ring, and Escobar says he's not a liar. He says he didn't attack Dragon Lee, and plays security footage of Carlito being the one who attacked Lee. Carlito then sends Lee crashing into Rey and hits a backstabber on him. He then retreats through the crowd.
Back from the break, Bron Breakker makes his way down to the ring. Cedric Alexander is already waiting inside the ring.
Bron Breakker vs. Cedric Alexander
The bell rings and Alexander looks to deliver a springboard cutter. Breakker catches him with a spear mid-air for the win.
Winner: Bron Breakker
We then head backstage and see Tiffany Stratton demand a WWE Women's Championship match against Bayley from Nick Aldis. Aldis says he was going to send her to the back of the line, but someone convinced him otherwise. He announces that she will be taking on Naomi in another Number One Contenders match later tonight, and when Stratton asks who asked Aldis for this match to be made official, Bayley reveals herself to be the one who did.
Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson Announce The WWE Draft Round 2 Picks
McCool announces that Randy Orton is the number five draft pick and will remain on "SmackDown". Wilson then says that the number six draft pick will be heading to "Raw", and reveals him to be Bron Breakker. McCool says that the number eight draft pick for "SmackDown" is Nia Jax, and Wilson reveals that the number eight pick is Liv Morgan who will be remaining on "Raw".
We then see Paul Heyman meet Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga as they pull up to the arena. Kevin Owens blindsides the two of them and rains down right hands on Tonga before officials separate the two men.
Kayla Braxton then introduces Bianca Belair, and she makes her way down to the ring. The pair then discuss Belair and Jade Cargill's upcoming Women's Tag Team Championship match against Asuka and Kairi Sane at Backlash. The Kabuki Warriors then make their way down to the ring and hold up their titles. Cargill then appears to join, and the four women begin arguing.
Tama Tonga and Kevin Owens then appear brawling down the ramp, and Owens rains down right hands on Tonga in the ring. Solo Sikoa joins Tonga in beating down Owens, and security follows him to separate everyone. Tonga throws them all out of the ring, but Randy Orton runs down to even the odds. Owens and Orton then hug.
Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley Announce The WWE Draft Round 3 Picks
Bubba Ray announces that LA Knight is the ninth overall pick and will be remaining on "SmackDown". D-Von announces that Ricochet is the tenth overall pick and will be staying on "Raw", and Bubba Ray announces that Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Paul Heyman are the eleventh overall pick and will be staying on "SmackDown". D-Von then reveals that the twelfth overall pick that will be staying on "Raw" is Sheamus.
Tiffany Stratton then makes her way down to the ring. Bayley takes a seat at the commentary desk, and Naomi follows.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi in a Number One Contenders Match for the Women's Championship
The bell rings and Naomi executes a Thesz Press on Stratton. Stratton rolls out of the ring, and Naomi dropkicks her through the bottom rope. She sends Stratton's face bouncing off the ring apron, then gets her back inside the ring. Naomi ascends to the top and looks to fly, but Stratton moves out of the way and sends Naomi crashing into the middle rope. Naomi then delivers a split legged crossbody to Stratton off the apron.
Back from the break, Stratton connects with a spinebuster on Naomi. Naomi delivers a Sunset Flip to Stratton, then sends her head crashing into the mat. Stratton then lands a jawbreaker on Naomi, but Naomi fires back with an enzuigiri.
Jax blindsides Bayley at the commentary desk, then sends her crashing into the ring post. The referee then calls for the bell.
Winner (and new Number One Contender): N/A (as the result of disqualification)
Jax delivers a splash to Bayley, and Stratton gets Bayley and Stratton back inside the ring. She then lands the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on both Bayley and Naomi.
Back from the break, we see Authors of Pain attack Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne as Karrion Kross sends a message to the WWE roster, and Scarlett and Paul Ellering watch on.
Teddy Long and JBL Announce The WWE Draft Round 4 Picks
Long announces that AJ Styles will be staying on "SmackDown" and is the thirteenth overall pick, and JBL says that the fourteenth overall pick is Alpha Academy who will be staying on "Raw". Long says the fifteenth overall pick is Andrade, who will be moving over to "SmackDown", and JBL announces that Kiana James is the sixteenth overall pick and will be heading to "Raw".
Back from the break, Nick Aldis and Teddy Long announce that a couple matches have been added to Backlash. Aldis declares that Bayley will defend her Women's Championship against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton in a Triple Threat match, and Long announces that Kevin Owens and Randy Orton will be squaring off with Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga.
Back at ringside, Carmelo Hayes makes his way down to the ring. Cody Rhodes follows.
Carmelo Hayes vs. Cody Rhodes
The bell rings and the two lock up. Rhodes delivers his signature open palm strike to Hayes, but Hayes responds with a springboard lariat to Rhodes. Rhodes responds with a clothesline of his own.
Back from the break, Rhodes fires off strikes on Hayes. Hayes delivers a boot to Rhodes' midsection, then lands a couple strikes on Rhodes and jams his boot into his neck in the corner. Hayes and Rhodes then exchange chops in the adjacent corner before Rhodes delivers a back body drop to Hayes. Rhodes then connects with a shoulder tackle, but Hayes responds with a facebuster and Fade Away. He looks to connect with Cross-Rhodes on Hayes, but Rhodes rolls Hayes up. Hayes kicks out.
Rhodes delivers the Disaster Kick to Hayes, then follows it up with a running powerslam and goes for a pin. Hayes kicks out and Rhodes catches him with a Cody Cutter. He goes for another pin, but Hayes kicks out. Hayes lands The First 48 and ascends to the top, then looks to land Nothing But Net. Rhodes avoids it and delivers a superkick before both men fly off the ropes looking to level one another. Rhodes then hits Cross-Rhodes for the win.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
After the match, Rhodes celebrates his win with the WWE Universe and holds up his Undisputed WWE Championship. AJ Styles appears to stare down Rhodes, and the pair shake hands as the show goes off the air.