WWE Smackdown tapings are in San Diego, California, this week with a limited roster due to many of the company’s top stars – Roman Reigns, New Day, the Wyatts and others – already heading off for a European Tour.
Still, Intercontinental Champion The Miz was there with his wife, Maryse, and they kick off the show with a MizTV segment. Zack Ryder comes out to confront him, and Miz says that he would give Ryder another chance to win the belt from hi, but Ryder already has a match set with Baron Corbin.
Watch WWE SmackDown 14th April 2016 Video Highlights here:
Baron Corbin def. Zack Ryder
Corbin gets the quick win before going for the beatdown on Ryder. Dolph Ziggler makes the save, leading to a scuffle between Ziggler and Corbin.
This is pretty clearly leading to a match between Ziggler and Corbin at Payback, and while Ziggler will help Corbin put on a good match, it’s unfortunate to realize that this has to end in victory for Corbin. That’s great for the recent NXT call-up, but it’s another tough loss for Ziggler, a fan favorite and strong worker. As for Ryder and Miz, we know that Miz is destined for a title match with Cesaro, so it will be interesting to see how long Ryder stays on the main roster from here.
Emma def. Paige
This is also a short match, with Emma getting the impressive win after Paige takes a big bump.
Paige has established herself as one of the top women’s performers and can definitely hold her own against the talented female stars that have been called up more recently from NXT. Hopefully, this was a result just intended to establish Emma as a threat for her feud with Becky Lynch.
Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady def. The Ascension (Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contenders Tournament)
Enzo and Big Cass were impressive in their first-round victory and will move on to face the Dudley Boyz in the next round.
This was a highly predictable result, with the NXT call-ups clearly headed for the victory. When you add in that they’ve been beefing with the Dudleys in their first couple weeks on the main roster, the bracket made it clear this match was coming. You can never tell exactly what the WWE writers are going to do, but the right move would be to have the fesh faces get the win in the next round. Expect some great mic work ahead of the match.
Up next is a backstage interview with AJ Styles, interrupted by Alberto Del Rio. Are we about to see Styles injected into the spat between the League of Nations and the Wyatts with Roman Reigns, or is this just a one-time thing while the others are in Europe?
AJ Styles def. Alberto Del Rio
The crowd is obviously fired up for this one, which includes a pretty scary moment that has already been the subject of a good bit of speculation. Del Rio botches a move that led to Styles landing on his neck. The “Phenominal One” gets the roll-up win before holding his neck all the way up the ramp.
The hope here is that Styles was just selling the action of the match, for multiple reasons. Obviously, everyone wants Styles to be OK, but any injury would be another big blow to the WWE’s storyline and roster. Guys are finally starting to return from the huge injury bug of 2015, and it would be a major disappointment if somehow Styles can’t go for his World Heavyweight Championship match against Reigns at Payback.
As for Del Rio, the League of Nations has been booked curiously. They got a major win over New Day at WrestleMania 32, but otherwise, not much has gone right for the group of former champions in recent weeks.
Next we see Fandango, for a rare appearance to have a comedic exchange with Goldust ant R-Truth
Vaudevillains def. Golden Truth (Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contenders Tournament)
Most of the matches seem really quick during this show, and this is another one, as the Vaudevillains advance in the tournament to decide who will get the next shot at the New Day’s tag team titles.
The recent NXT call-ups are set for a match against the Usos in the semifinals, but that could be in question after Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows beat the Samoan brothers down after their first-round match. Gallows and Anderson, who reportedly broke up a match involving local talent before the taping, weren’t in the tournament, but there has been some speculation that this “Outsiders” style angle could somehow result in them getting the Usos spot or getting in the tournament some other way.
There has obviously also been plenty of discussion about how their debut on the main roster effects the anticipated call-up of Finn Balor. Will he debut to join his former Bullet Club mates? Will they instead side with AJ Styles, another former Bullet Club leader? Or will the WWE take this another direction entirely?
Sami Zayn def. Chris Jericho (Disqualification)
This battle of gifted Canadian workers, with Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens providing commentary and interference, went exactly as could be expected. Zayn and Jericho put on a show in the ring, and Ambrose and Owens do what they do on the microphones. Owens gets involved to bring the DQ finish, and naturally, Zayn and Ambrose win the day to end the show.
Zayn and Owens are set for what should be an incredible program, even if it doesn’t have any direct title implications. They’re as familiar with each other’s work as any duo in the business, and they both know how to put on stellar matches, as was evident on Monday night’s episode of RAW. Ambrose and Jericho also seem to be tied in for a feud of sorts, and while that pairing obviously isn’t as exciting, this should be a chance for the “Lunatic Fringe” to get back on track.
