These matches were taped before Monday’s episode of RAW in Brooklyn, New York. They will be included in Thursday’s SmackDown show, along with live segments from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of WrestleMania 32.
Also read: WWE Smackdown Results: April 14, 2016 [Video]
As such, it's not clear at this time what the format will be for Thursday’s show or even what order these matches and segments will be shown in.
The Social Outcasts come out for a promo, in their typical humorous heel style. At the very least, Axel could be used more seriously, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
AJ Styles def. Heath Slater
The victory comes from a Phenomenal Forearm by Styles, who is now using this impressively athletic move as his finisher. It’s possible that he could still use the Styles Clash, but for now, he seems focused on the flying forearm smash and the Calf Crusher submission hold.
This is where this format for the week gets really interesting, since the fans in Brooklyn wouldn’t have yet known for sure that Chris Jericho would accept Styles’ challenge for WrestleMania. That means he couldn’t really do much talking about his larger storyline leading into this match.
D-Von Dudley def. Jimmy Uso
The Dudleyz seemingly have the upper hand going into WrestleMania, but history tells us that momentum could easily be reversed Sunday. The match between these two sets of brothers could be sneaky good and will easily exceed the low expectations most fans have for it.
Dean Ambrose def. Erick Rowan
Ambrose drops the Wyatts’ designated fall guy with a Dirty Deeds to go into the “Showcase of the Immortals” on a winning note. Honestly, though, was there anyone who saw this match advertised during RAW and expected anything different? Ambrose is preparing for one of the biggest matches of the event, and Rowan could take a pin in a coat closet by himself.
Ambrose, as expected, has built brilliantly to his street fight with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Through interactions with Mick Foley and Terry Funk, as well as a fantastically weird segment with a wagon on Monday’s RAW, he and Lesnar have done everything they could to convince us that Ambrose is a believable threat to take down the Beast Incarnate. If he did, and he should, that would be one of the company’s biggest rubs and could lead to big things down the road.
