WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from April 8 |

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Credit: WWE.com

Who’s next for Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns on the Island of Relevancy?

It was the question at the heart of Friday’s episode of SmackDown on Fox, the first since a blockbuster WrestleMania 38 that saw The Tribal Chief defeat Brock Lesnar in the Winner Takes All main event.

Who stepped up to the plate to challenge The Head of the Table and what other stories did WWE have in store for its fans on the first episode of blue brand television following the biggest night in sports-entertainment?

Find out now with this recap of the April 8 broadcast.

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On the heels of a disappointing, controversial loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania Saturday, Ronda Rousey kicked off Friday’s broadcast with a no-nonsense promo. She placed the blame solely on herself, but expressed a desire for a rematch; an I Quit match.

Flair laughed the challenge off, questioned Rousey’s moniker and told her rival to get to the back of the line. A defiant Rousey promised to inflict pain next time they met up.

The promo was far from dynamic and carried mostly by The Queen. Rousey appears to have lost the confidence she had on the mic during her last run and nothing she has been given to say of late has done much to help her rediscover it.

Hopefully, that changes.

At the least, the promo did what it set out to: advanced the feud and set up a potential blockbuster rematch.

     

Grade

C

     

Top Moments

• “I’m starting to think ‘The Baddest Woman on the Planet’ isn’t just a snappy catchphrase, it’s a myth because you can’t win when it matters. So get in the back of the line, bitch,” Flair told Rousey from the backstage area.

• “You’re not just going to say you quit, you’re going to scream it as I turn your elbow backward,” Rousey threatened.

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A competitive match between two NXT originals saw Woods avenge New Day’s loss to Sheamus and Ridge Holand by defeating Butch in singles competition. 

The contest put over the tenacity of the heel and the resourcefulness of Woods, who scored a small package rollup (renamed The Back Woods by Pat McAfee) for the win.

After the match, Butch teed off on his own teammates before perching himself on the top rope and pouting, “like a child,” Michael Cole said on commentary. In that regard, this match was as much about establishing the Butch character as the match itself. Considering that no one really knew what that persona was meant to be when it suddenly popped up on television, it was nice to see some development of it this week.

     

Grade

C+

     

Top Moments

• “I bruised the weights,” Woods said in a tip-of-the-cap to Butch’s previous life as “Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne.
• Pat McAfee covering for the Butch name by equating him to a butcher was a nice touch by the SmackDown color commentator and a great cover for a questionable name.
• New Day revealing they have not yet won a WrestleMania match as a team is astonishing. One of the best factions in WWE history has earned the right to win on the grand stage as one unit.

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Backstage, Sami Zayn talked to Adam Pearce about his WrestleMania loss and managed to put his own foot in his mouth, vowing to fight the next wrestler to walk through the door. That guy? Drew McIntyre.

In the arena, poor Joe Alonzo had the unenviable task of battling Gunther in his first match as a main roster star. Ludwig Kaiser, formerly Marcel Barthel in Imperium, accompanied The Ring General for the one-sided enhancement match.

Gunther punishing fools will never not be entertaining. He completely overwhelmed his opponent, gobbling him up and putting him away to earn the win in a solid main roster introduction. Kaiser, himself, is a strong in-ring competitor and two-time NXT champion. Hopefully, he has the opportunity to get some ring time of his own to better establish himself.

     

Grade

     

Top Moments

• Zayn turning heel on cheese during the backstage confrontation with Adam Pearce was the latest in his promo excellence.
• “Big Will Smith bombs to the chest,” McAfee said of Gunther’s punishing open-hand chops to the chest of his opponent.
• Backstage, Kayla Braxton introduced the latest SmackDown star, Raquel Rodriguez (formerly Gonzalez), who turned down a kiss from Los Lotharios.

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A distraught Happy Corbin made his way to the ring for Happy Talk, seconded by a much more enthusiastic Madcap Moss.

Corbin blamed his loss to Drew McIntyre on Moss and claimed he was too busy making WrestleMania all about him. Unimpressed by Moss’ jokes, Corbin berated him as the crowd chanted “Madcap Moss!” in support of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner.

Moss answered with a joke, the punchline being Corbin as the two severed their partnership. The jester attacked Corbin to the delight of the fans and the team brawled, ending with Moss getting the best of his associate and destroying the Happy Talk set.

Say what you will about the Happy Corbin character and the creative leading into WrestleMania but the crowd’s reaction to Moss and his split…