– The post-WrestleMania 39 edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX opens up with a graphic in memory of WWE Hall of Famer Bushwhacker Butch, who passed away on April 2 at the age of 78. We now cut to a video package of highlights from WrestleMania 39.
– We’re now live from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon as Michael Cole welcomes us to SmackDown. He’s joined at ringside by Wade Barrett. Cole hypes tonight’s show and we go right to the ring.
Imperium vs. The Brawling Brutes
We go right to the ring and out first comes The Brawling Brutes – Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch. Samantha Irvin does the ring introductions as out next comes Imperium – WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci.
The bell rings and Vinci takes Butch down to start, and again. Butch counters and they run the ropes with Butch nailing a clothesline for a pop. Butch rocks Vinci in the corner, then Holland tags in to take over.
Vinci nails a crossbody and stops, then tags in Kaiser to take over, working over Holland for a 2 count. Holland holds Kaiser by his arm, then Butch tags in off thee top with an axe handle. Kaiser fights free and in comes Vinci but Butch bends his fingers, then stomps.
GUNTHER has words with Sheamus to distract, allowing Kaiser to assist in Vinci hitting a big suplex on Holland for 2. Sheamus rushes in to help Holland but Kaiser and Vinci regroup at ringside, taunting them. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and GUNTHER beats Butch down, then taunts Sheamus. GUNTHER with a Sleeper but Butch breaks free using his fingers. Vinci tags in and Butch blocks the German, then kicks Vinci in his head. Holland tags in with big slam to Kaiser as he also tags in.
Holland blocks Kaiser and delivers another big throw, then a corner clothesline. Kaiser fights free with a right hand but Holland blocks the double underhook. Holland with an Alabama Slam for a close 2 count. Kaiser dodges Holland in the corner. Imperium ends up triple teaming Holland. GUNTHER tags in but Ridge headbutts him, then fights Vinci and Kaiser off.
GUNTHER with a cheap shot and a big running dropkick then a big powerbomb for 2 as Butch breaks it up. GUNTHER ends up applying a Boston Crab on Ridge. Sheamus reaches and reaches, finally getting the tag. Sheamus and GUNTHER unload with big rights and lefts now. Sheamus drops GUNTHER with a shoulder, then hits a running powerslam. Sheamus yells out for a pop.
Sheamaus with 10 Beats of the Bodhrán to GUNTHER. GUNTHER dodges the Brogue Kick and unloads on Sheamus now. Sheamus blocks the powerbomb and hits White Noise in the middle of the ring for a close 2 count.
Butch takes out Kaiser with an enziguri, but Vinci takes out Butch. They hit Hi & Low on Ridge frh the ring and the floor. Butch hits a moonsault from the top to Kaiser at ringside. More chaos as Sheamaus hits a big knee to Vinci. Sheamus then levels Vinci with a Brogue Kick for the pin to win.
Winners: The Brawling Brutes
– After the match, The Brawling Brutes stand tall as the music hits. We go to replays. Sheamus, Holland and Butch continue celebrating.
– Still to come, a look at Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes. Back to commercial.
– Back from a break and we see the two RAW segments from Monday with Cody Rhodes, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Solo Sikoa, and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Kayla Braxton is backstage with Heyman and Sikoa now. Fans boo and Heyman says there’s no booing his name, please. Kayla asks Heyman if he knows why Lesnar attacked Rhodes. Heyman wants to talk bout something far more relevant – your Tribal Chief, and the fact that the Bloodline main evented both nights of WrestleMania 39, all thanks to Reigns. Heyman goes on until Jey Uso interrupts. Jey is looking for Jimmy Uso but hasn’t seen him all night. Heyman says Reigns wanted Jimmy to stay home an watch on TV as Main Event Jey takes out Sami Zayn all by himself, cementing his legacy on The Island of Relevancy and solving the Sami Zayn problem. Jey says something quick and walks off. Heyman tells Solo to solve their problem tonight if Jey doesn’t solve the Sami problem tonight.
Ricochet vs. Ivar
We go back to the ring and out comes Ricochet for the next match. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and we see stills from WrestleMania 39. We go back to the ring and out comes The Viking Raiders – Ivar with Valhalla. Cole says Braun Strowman and Erik are banned from ringside for this match, thanks to Adam Pearce.
The bell rings and Ricochet unloads with strikes but Ivar sends him to the corner, then misses a splash. Ricochet with more quick strikes, then a scissors takedown and a dropkick to send him to the floor.
Ricochet leaps out of the corner to dropkick Ivar off the apron back to the floor. Ricochet runs the ring for a suicide dive but Ivar catches and spikes him into the edge of the apron. Valhalla yells at Ivar, then he nails a running low crossbody into the apron. Ivar brings Ricochet back and unloads.
Ivar goes on and unloads with back elbows in the corner. Ivar takes Ricochet up top but he fights back with strikes. Ivar blocks the Sunset Bomb, then blocks the suplex counter. Ricochet with a running knee but Ivar rocks him with a big knee of his own.
Ivar springboards at Ricochet but Ricochet meets him with an uppercut. Ricochet’s back goes out when he tries to lift Ivar up. Ricochet tangles but Ivar levels him with a spin kick. Ivar goes to the top but Ricochet climbs up and cuts him off.
Ivar knocks Ricochet off to the apron, but Ricochet ends up sending Ivar flying to the mat for a big pop. Ricochet goes back up for the Shooting Star Press to get the pin for the win.
Winner: Ricochet
– After the match, Ricochet stands tall as the music hits. We go to replays.
– New Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are backstage admiring their titles. Owens mentions Sami facing Jey Uso tonight and how this can end The Bloodline stuff. Owens says they will be done with The Bloodline after tonight. Sami says something about all this just feels off, he’s not sure how to explain it and he just can’t shake this feeling off. Sami needs to talk to Jey. Owens asks what he’s talking about. Sami says they did what they said, they won the titles, and The Bloodline is crumbling… but he knows this sounds weird but he feels a sense of obligation. Owens says Jey isn’t going to be up for a little talk after how things went down. Owens goes on and says this is a bad idea, Sami should re-think. Sami says Owens is right but he’s got to do it, talk to Jey. Sami walks off.
Natalya and Shotzi vs. Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan
We go back to the ring and out comes Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes Shotzi and Natalya on the tank. We get a pre-recorded promo with Natalya and Shotzi saying they will prove why they should be the #1 contenders tonight, not Liv and Raquel, because they are a couple of Ballsy Baddies. The bell rings and Shotzi goes at it with Raquel. Shotzi with a dive early on.
Shotzi brings it back in for a 2 count. Raquel counters with a aside-slam but Shotzi rocks her with a knee. Raquel keeps fighting but Shotzi counters again. Liv tags in and knocks Shotzi out of Raquel’s grasp. Liv goes on and covers for 2 as Natalya makes the save.
Natalya tags in but Liv counters and rolls her for 2. They trade more pin attempts. Natalya with a big German suplex, then the discus clothesline for 2 as Raquel breaks it up. Shotzi with a crossbody to send Raquel to the floor.
Shotzi tags in for the double team neckbreaker to Liv. They go for the Hart Attack but Raquel intercepts Natalya and levels her. Liv with a Tornado DDT, then she goes on and hits Ob-Liv-ion to Shotzi for the pin to win.
Winners: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez
– After the match, Liv and Raquel stand tall and celebrate as Cole hypes Monday’s match against Becky Lynch and WWE Hall of Famer Lita for their WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles.
– Xavier Woods is backstage watching Emma and Madcap Moss play WWE 2K23. LA Knight walks in and he’s tired of all these games. He’s also not happy with how he was off WrestleMania 39, but we had Logan Paul, Bad Bunny, and Woods playing video games. Woods and LA have words, and Woods threatens to kick LA’s ass again. Knight smashes Woods’ video game controller, and Woods wants to fight but Moss holds him back. LA leaves.
– We see Triple H walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see highlights from WrestleMania 39 Weekend.
– We go back to the ring and out comes WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H to a big pop.
Triple H hits the corners to pose as his music plays and fans cheer him on. Cole says he’s an all-time great but now he’s running this place. Triple H says as long as he has breath in his body, that will never get old. He knows everyone has been here for a while, but welcome to SmackDown. He goes on about how there’s nothing like WrestleMania. He says WrestleMania 39 exceeded all expectations, then touts some of the broken records from the weekend.
Triple H says as great as WrestleMania as, it’s now behind us and we look to the future, which is why he’s out here – to talk about the future. Are you ready? He said… are you ready? He says in just a few short weeks it’s once again time for the WWE Draft, a night that changes the future and destiny of every WWE Superstar in the back. This year it will be bigger than ever with every single Superstar eligible, and he promises when it’s all said and done, the 2023 Draft will truly change the game.
Speaking of changing the game, Triple H introduces someone who is doing just that. Fresh off her win over the legendary Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, here is new SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. The music hits and out comes The Judgment Day – Ripley, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio. Triple H greets Ripley and shakes her hand, then does the same with the others before they march to the ring. Ripley takes the mic and says sports entertainment changed forever at WrestleMania 39 because she did the impossible – she destroyed and dethroned Flair.
Ripley calls on everyone to rise for her. Fans cheer, and she calls on them to do it again. Ripley laughs. Balor brings up WWE Hall of Famer Edge and says he’s some kind of sicko for splitting open his head to get a win. He says who’s the real winner as even though he needed 14 staples, Edge is nowhere to bee seen while Balor is still standing. Fans boo and cheer. Dominik begins speaking to huge heat. He says he decided to not show aggression to his dad at WrestleMania. Fans chant “you suck!” and Dominik says his father sucks for putting hands on him. Dominik says he pulled back on his punches and he couldn’t hurt his dad because he loves him, but he can’t say the same for his dad as he saw the anger in his eyes.
Dominik says the fans and his family can go to hell, and take Bad Bunny and friends with you. We see how Bunny got involved at WrestleMania 39, then again on Monday’s RAW. Cole says Bunny is not doing good. Priest takes the mic and speaks in Spanish to Bunny, then says he hopes Bunny can find it in his heart to forgive Priest because Priest forgives Bunny for making him do what he did to him on RAW. Fans boo louder.
Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar vs. Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio
The music interrupts and out comes the Latino World Order – 2023 WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar with Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde and Zelina Vega. They head to the ring as Dominik Mysterio, Damian Priest, Finn Balor and SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley look on. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Dominik faces off with his dad but he tags in Priest to start as fans boo. Priest beats Rey into the corner and drops him to boos as the referee warns him. Priest holds Rey as Dominik tags in and beats his father down to more boos as Ripley laughs.
Dominik whips Rey into the turnbuckles and he goes down. Dominik mounts Rey with right hands now. Dominik with more offense, then a suplex for a 2 count. Dominik runs into boots in the corner now. Dominik blocks the tag but Rey counters and in comes Escobar. Escobar rocks Dominik then stuns Priest on the apron. Escobar rocks Dominik with an enziguri, then hits a top rope crossbody. Santos with a backbreaker to Dominik, then another backbreaker version.
Santos launches Rey into Dominik to block a sneak attack, and Rey sends his son to the floor. Rey and Santos take out their opponents at ringside again, then return to the ring to cheers. Santos hoists Rey up in the air as fans cheer them on. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Priest grounds Santos to dominate him now. Rey rallies the crowd. Santos fights back but Priest hits the Bell Clap. Priest drops Santos for 2. Dominik tags back in to take over on Santos, grounding him on the mat. Santos fights for a tag but Dominik knees him in the gut.
Santos with a back-drop to make the tag. Rey unloads and knocks Priest off the apron. Rey drops Dominik. They run the ropes and Dominik catches Rey in a Michinoku Driver for a close 2 count. Fans chant “619!” now. Rey rolls through with a basement dropkick, then knocks Priest off the apron. Rey with a springboard moonsault to Dominik for 2.
Rey dropkicks Dominik, then goes for 619 but Ripley saves Dominik. Vega leaps off the apron to take Rhea down at ringside. Vega tells her to bring it. Rhea chases Vega around and into the crowd, but then stops. Priest tags in as Rey drops Dominik into position for 619. Santos tags in as Rey hits 619 to his son. Priest ends up hitting South of Heaven on Santos for the pin to win.
Winners: The Judgment Day
– After the match, Priest stands tall over Santos but Rey comes in and dropkicks him away. Rey checks on Santos.
– Sami Zayn goes to talk to Jey Uso backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and tonight’s Progressive Match Flo video features highlights of Shinsuke Nakamura. Cole says Nakamura will make his return next week.
– Sami Zayn approaches Jey Uso backstage. Sami says if Jey doesn’t want to talk that’s fine, but Sami has one thing to say before going out, the same thing he’s been saying for months – you know there’s one way out of all this for all of us. Sami points to how everything he said has happened, plus Jimmy Uso isn’t here, Roman Reigns is mad at Jey, Paul Heyman is selling him lies, and Solo Sikoa looks at Jey like he could drop the hammer at any moment. Sami says he will keep beating sense into Jey if he needs to, he’ll do it tonight and next week until he gets it in his head. Sami says if that’s how it’s got to be, then that’s how he will be, but he’s telling Jey right now, that is not how it has to be. We hear a commotion nearby. Sami runs over and we see Owens down, thanks to Sikoa. Officials hold Sikoa back while Adam Pearce checks on Owens. Sami checks on Owens, then yells at Solo. Jey is there now, looking down at Owens. Sami yells for a trainer to come help Owens.
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Sami Zayn vs. Jey Uso
We go back to the ring and out comes Jey Uso for tonight’s main event. Jey hits the corner to pose as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champion Sami Zayn is backstage with Kayla Braxton. He says his partner Kevin Owens is with medical and it’s not looking good, he probably won’t be coming out tonight. Sami says Owens was right, The Bloodline is more dangerous now. Sami says Jey is about to find out he’s not the only one with a problem that needs solving. The music hits and out comes Zayn to a pop. Sami and Jey face off now.
The bell rings and they tangle early on, and trade shoves/jabs and some trash talking in the corner. They lock up again and Jey drops Sami with a shoulder, then taunts him with the one finger.
Jey runs again but Sami jumps up and drops him. They run the ropes some more and Sami nails a right hand, then clotheslines Jey over the top rope. Sami goes to run the ring but here comes Solo Sikoa to boos. Sami talks some trash to Sikoa while Jey recovers at ringside on the opposite side of the ring. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Jey goes to the top but Sami cuts him off. Sami unloads with right hands up top as Sikoa watches from ringside. Sami with a Exploder superplex from the top.
Jey and Sami trade rights in the middle of the ring now. Jey kicks Sami down. Sami blocks a kick but Jey nails an enziguri to send him into the corner. Jey runs into a big boot. Sami goes to the top and flies but Jey superkicks him in mid-air. Sami kicks out just in time. Jey talks trash while backing Sami into the corner.
Sami rocks Jey and nails an Exploder into the turnbuckles. Jey ducks the Helluva Kick and rolls Sami up for 2. Sami comes right back with the Blue Thunderbomb for 2. Sami mounts Jey with right hands and trash talk. Sami goes back to the top for a pop but Jey nails a big enziguri to stun him. Jey climbs up for the back superplex but Sami fights back. Jey with a headbutt to send Sami to the apron.
Jey man-handles Sami on the ropes as the referee pulls him back. Solo takes advantage and rocks Sami with the Samoan Spike. Jey then follows up with the superkick for the pin to win.
Winner: Jey Uso
– After the match, the music hits as Jey recovers in the corner. Solo comes in and stares Jey down. Jey then lets Solo help him up. Solo grabs Sami and destroys him while Jey watches from the corner now. Solo mounts Sami with more strikes, then picks him up for a Samoan Spike. Solo goes for the Spike but Jey grabs his arm to stop him. Jey and Solo face off, but then Jey superkicks Sami while Sami is down on his knees. Jey sends Sikoa out to the floor to get a steel chair. The music hits and out comes Matt Riddle. Riddle ducks Jey and kicks him, then kicks Sikoa off the apron. Riddle rocks Jey with a knee strike to send him to the floor. Solo comes in but Riddle ducks and unloads with strikes. Riddle then clotheslines Solo to the floor. Jey holds Solo back, stopping him from going back into the ring. Sami stumbles to his feet and stands with Riddle. They yell out at Jey and Sikoa as the SmackDown After WrestleMania goes off the air.
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