The show kicked off with Roman Reigns coming out to the ring and saying he is “the guy” again. AJ Styles confronted Reigns and said he is going to beat him and take the title. It was an awkward promo to say the least. Both of these guys would be so much better off if they weren’t required to talk and simply just performed in the ring.
The Vaudevillians vs Lucha Dragons
The first match of the night was a quick one but featured the debut of the Vaudevillians. They got the victory of the Lucha Dragons in pretty easy fashion. Hopefully the WWE has something planned for them and they don’t quickly become another tag team that didn’t work out on the main roster.
The Vaudevillians win tonight! Talk about manly! #SmackDown #TheVaudevillians
— The A-Lister (@IamTheFuture18) April 8, 2016
Natalya vs Summer Rae w/ Charlotte on commentary
This was another quick match with Natalya getting the win via the sharpshooter. The match between Charlotte and Natalya is going to be awesome when they finally get to it. For now, I’ll gladly take this over watching Ric Flair dance around the ring for 10 minutes.
Zack Ryder vs the Miz for the Intercontinental Championship
Zack Ryder won the IC title at Wrestlemania only to immediately lose it on Raw to the Miz of all people. Maryse made her surprising return and accompanied the Miz to the ring on Smackdown. Maryse played a key part in this match as she distracted the referee as the Miz hit Ryder with a thumb to the eye. This was a decent match but I don’t really understand how having the Miz be the Intercontinental Champion is any better than having Zack Ryder hold the belt. At the very least, Zack Ryder being relevant is a breath of fresh air. I guess it wasn’t in the cards.
Well Zack Ryder, back NXT you go w/ Mojo. #SmackDown
— Tru Entertainment ? (@TruJonB4Real) April 8, 2016
Apollo Crews vs Curtis Axel
Total squash match. Apollo Crews is now 2-0 since coming to the WWE. Crews is another guy with great in-ring talent that I really hope the WWE has a plan for him. I wouldn’t mind seeing Crews vying for the United States or Intercontinental Championship sooner rather than later.
Dean Ambrose vs Tyler Breeze
Tyler Breeze has the greatest entrance in wrestling. That is right, I said it. This was yet another squash match with Breeze losing to Ambrose in under a minute. Not much to say about this one. The only interesting thing that happened is that after the match, Jericho’s music hit while Ambrose was just outside the ring. Ambrose hit Jericho with a death stare as he walked passed him. Maybe a Jericho vs Ambrose match in the future? Sounds good to me.
https://twitter.com/TheQueenHEEL/status/718250275228815360
Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens vs AJ Styles & Cesaro
This was a very entertaining match to close the show. Kevin Owens did a hilarious impersonation of AJ Styles in the middle of the match and also shouted “I’m phenomenal” a few times. Sami Zayn wound up factoring into the decision in this match when he came out with arm bandaged and distracted Kevin Owens. AJ Styles snuck up behind Owens and scored the victory via a roll up. The Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens feud is the most interesting one the WWE has going right now. AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns is certainly intriguing, I just know for a fact Owens vs Zayn will steal any show they are on.
Whether it's Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens or El Generico vs Kevin Steen, they're destined to do this forever. #SmackDown
— John Wilson (@ninjapolitician) April 8, 2016
Final Thoughts
The youth movement is finally here, for better or for worse. I’m excited that so many talents from NXT are being called up to the main roster, I’m just n0t confident in the WWE’s ability to use them correctly. For example, Tyler Breeze is already an after thought and he seemingly never got a chance to prove himself on the main roster. While it is awesome to Apollo Crews and the Vaudevillians on Smackdown, I’m worried that they won’t be on it for long. Hopefully, that will not be the case.
