WWE Smackdown 3/29/2024

WWE Smackdown 3/29/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/wwe-smackdown-3222024.html 

We see some of the wrestlers arrive to start the show.

Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs Pretty Deadly

KO kicks and pounds on Kit. KO back elbows him then sentons him. Orton beats up on Elton in the corner. Kit tries to save him but gets hit then Kit manages to throw Orton into the post. Orton is backdropped on the commentary table by Elton and we go to break.

We return and Orton hits a backdrop on Kit. KO and Elton are both tagged in. KO hits shots on Elton then lariats him. KO atomic drops him and ddt's him for 2. KO goes for a swanton but Elton gets his knees up. Kit pulls Orton down off the apron and is hit for it. Kit's head is banged off the commentary table. Logan Paul slips in and hits KO with brass knucks. Elton then gets the pin on KO.

It was a short match and not much of anything until the dirty finish. PD kind of needed some credibility so it wasn't the worst ever finish and at least it pushes KO and Paul's feud more.

Orton sees the replay on the tron after and KO tells him to go find Logan Paul under the ring. Orton finds Logan and beats up on him. Logan's head is banged off the rail and commentary. Orton has him on the table then Pretty Deadly make the save for Logan. Pretty Deadly get in the ring then take a cutter and RKO from KO and Orton. Logan stares down Orton then Orton goes after him through the crowd. Logan gets chased backstage then drives a car away.

Iyo Sky said Bayley started Damage Ctrl because she was lost and said it was never about Kai and Iyo. Iyo said Bayley tried to latch onto them and take the credit. She said she likes to claim she's the victim and questions why we we feel sorry for her. She said she made her relevant and felt like she had to keep her around. She said Damage Ctrl outgrew Bayley and Iyo said she did what had to be done. She said she will regret having Bayley a friend for the rest of her life and said she will never see her again after Mania.

Bayley then jumps her and beats up on her. Iyo throws camera lights down on her then spears her through the camera backdrop. They then get their fight broken up.

Nick Aldis is in the ring and said we have a monumental piece of business to take care of. He brings out Jade Cargill as the newest member of the Smackdown roster.

Jade comes out. She said it's about d@mn time. She said we have one of the best female rosters in the world but they are not Jade Cargill. She said they are not a headline and not the once in a lifetime superstorm. She said the storm has arrived.

Asuka, Sane and Kai are interviewed in the back. Kai asks what has Jade done? She said Bayley will be embarassed at Mania. She said the best part of tonight will be when she beats Bianca in the ring. She said if Bianca was really the smartest and th best, she wouldn't have gotten involved in Damage Ctrl business.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn try to talk to Nick Aldis in the back but Isla gets nothing of note out. AJ Styles then runs into Nick. He asked him if he made sure LA Knight would not be here. Nick said he asked him to be here and AJ said he should have told him.

Bobby Lashley talks to The Street Profits in the back. He tells them they got it tonight and B-Fab said they have champagne ready for them.

Wrestlemania Tag Title Match Qualifier - The Street Profits vs Austin Theory and Grayson Waller

AT = Austin Theory

Ford back elbows Waller, gets tripped by AT then Waller hits him. Ford flips out of a double suplex then Waller baseball slides out. He goes for the lariat but Dawkins pounces him over the commentary table. Waller goes into Corey at the booth. We go to break and return.

Waller comes off the top and gets epxlodered by Dawkins. Ford tags in and springboard back elbows AT. Ford lariats AT twice then backdrops him. Ford then hits a standing moonsault. AT takes a doomsday device blockbuster. Dawkins punches Waller and AT rolls up Dawkins for 2.

AT slingshots and rolls into a sky high. We then cut to the back and Lashley and B-Fab are down. Kross and Scarlett tell them they are missing a really good party right now. Dawkins goes to check on them. AT gets his knees up on a Ford top rope frogsplash and Theory picks up the win.

It was another short one. Dawkins' pounce was nice and the two teams worked well together.

AOP jump The Street Profits after. Kross, Ellering and Scarlett then come down and The Profit's take a super collider. Bobby Lashley then comes down and gets beaten up 3v1. Kross said no nobody goes to Mania and said Lashley failed the Profits and himself while Bobby is out.

Legado del Fantasma come out. Santos said he told us so. He said he put Rey Mysterio on the shelf for months but said he didn't get the infection and amputation he wanted. He said he outsmarted Rey and it only took one phone call to a man who despites him just as he does.

Dominik Mysterio comes out. Santos thanks him and says he wants to apologize. He said Dom was right. Dom gets a bunch of boos and Santos said Rey always turns his back on people that love him. Rey Mysterio and The LWO come out.

Rey said it's a shame and said he thought he was done fighting Dom. He challenges Dom and Santos to a match with him and a partner of his choosing at Wrestlemania. Dom asks Rey who his partner will be. Rey says it will be the newest member of The LWO, Dragon Lee.

Dragon Lee comes down. The girls fight then everyone else fights as well. Carlito ends up throwing Dom out then Lee top rope swantons onto Legado del Fantasma.

Naomi and Bianca Belair talk in the back. Naomi wishes her luck tonight and said she has her back if Damage Ctrl tries to get involved. Bianca said she can't be mad at her for trying to take out Damage Ctrl. Naomi said they are in this together and will get them one way or the other. 

Judgment Day are at Smackdown and say they aren't communicating well. Rhea said Dom didn't tell her about him going out there. Dom walks in and Rhea asks what's going on. Dom said he wanted to make Judgment Day proud and handle business. Finn asks if there's anything else he needs to tell them and Dom says he needs to go see a doctor. Priest said Mania is to important for them as a group and individuals. Finn says Mania will belong to Judgment Day. 

Wrestlemania Tag Title Match Qualifier - New Catch Republic vs Legado Del Fantasma (Berto and Angel)

Berto and Angel are still out there from the brawl. Dunne gets dropkicked off the apron then is sent into Angel's lariat. Dunne is beat up on then rebound germans Angel. Bate comes in and 2nd rope euros Angel. Bate exploders Berto then standing ssp's him for 2.

Bate spinning headscissors Berto out. Bate then rolls off of Dunne's shoulders to the outside for a dive on Berto and Angel. We go to break and return.

Bate is popped up into a headscissors on Angel. Berto takes a rebound lariat + german combo. Berto takes a double step up enzugiri in the corner. Bate airplane spins Berto. Berto powerbombs Bate then Angel 2nd rope moonsaults him for 2. Bat takes a double gorilla press off the 2nd rope for 2. Dunne is popped up and ddt's Berto.

Bate punches Angel then Angel takes a double burning hammer. Berto is then pinned.

It was another quick one here with the faces getting most of the offense.  

We see clips from Raw of Cody and The Rock. We see The Rock hit him with his belt after the show ends and he says he will see him at Mania.

Paul Heyman says something is about to happen and said Cody was taken out by orders of The Tribal Chief. Jimmy says Jey Uso won't make it to Mania. Solo says he's gotta take Jey out by orders of The Tribal Chief.

AJ Styles comes in the ring to talk. He said he should have gotten LA locked up and jailed him out of Mania. He said he has bigger plans though and wants to expose him for the underachieving piece of trash he is. AJ said he guarantees LA Knight is here. He tells him to come on.

AJ said he could be dressed up as the camera man and grabs the camera man. Someone comes out over the rails but it is not LA and that guy is thrown out. AJ said he's not playing games at Wrestlemania. We then see LA in a hat, wig and glasses. AJ then sees him on the tron and LA bangs AJ's head off the apron.

LA lariats and stomps on AJ. LA hip attacks him in the corner. LA grabs a chair but AJ runs for it. LA grabs the mic. He says AJ calls him trash but he's the biggest piece of human waste he has seen. He said AJ will know whose game this is at Wrestlemania. 

We see Tiffany Stratton at a pool. She said everyone thinks life is so much easier when you have a great tan and are a great athlete. She said carrying the burden of perfection is not as easy as she makes it look. She said she will always look hot and said everyone will find out what Tiffy Time is all about.

Bianca Belair vs Dakota Kai

BB and Kai roll around and punch each other. BB hair throws her and corner spears her. Kai boots her out of the corner then rolls her up. BB suplexes her and holds on for  another. BB is kneed over the 2nd rope and goes out. We go to break and return.

Kai chinlocks her then BB suplexes her. BB hits a corner spear then hits corner punches. Kai grabs her hair and BB does a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster (a botch). Kai is sent into the ropes and into the mat head first then Kai avoids a handspring moonsault. Kai grabs the hair. BB back elbows her then double chickenwing bombs her.

BB handsprings into the ropes and moonsaults her for 2. BB is rolled into the 2nd buckle then Kai curbstomps her down over the 2nd rope. Kai footslaps her then BB double axe handles her back. They trade forearms on their knees. BB knocks her over with a forearm. Kai hits a handstand kick then misses a kick in the corner.

Kai pumping knees the post when BB moves. BB deadlift superplexes her off the 2nd rope. B spears her then hits a KOD. BB then picks up the win.

The Kabuki Warriors jump BB after 2v1. Naomi comes out to make the save then hits mounted shots on both of them. The Warriors get the edge on Naomi then BB helps out. Kai nails BB from behind. Jade Cargill then comes out. She pop-up powerbombs Kai then hits a jade end on Sane. Jade stares down Asuka and stands with Naomi and BB.

The match had some sloppy moments but also some good ones so I'm 50/50 on it. Jade's arrival here was good. It's kind of silly that Bayley and Iyo didn't come out for this one though since they are the crux of this feud.

Overall thoughts: I've basically come to expect shorter so-so matches from Smackdown at this point outside of the main. It's easy to digest but I never watch this show and leave super impressed and that was the case here. I'm still thinking something has gone astray with Roman vs Cody. It's the main event of Wrestlemania Night 2 and we didn't even get an appearance from either guy here, following Roman and Cody also not really interacting on Raw. It's just unbelievable. I thought Jade had a nice debut but I don't really understand why Iyo and Bayley weren't out there when they are the crux of this feud. I wouldn't recommend this one.