WWE Smackdown Results: 7 April, 2016, Video Highlights
Recently-crowned WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns gets the first segment on the show, taped in Houston, Texas. Reigns continues his theme of not being good or bad, but still being “the guy” in WWE. That draws out new No. 1 contender AJ Styles, who is one of the top fan favorites in the company. They exchange promos, and Reigns leaves after some condescension toward Styles.
Also read: WWE Smackdown Results: April 14, 2016 [Video]
Reigns may say he isn’t good or bad, but this looks like a smooth heel turn. He never had the big defining moment for his tranisition like what Rollins had to break up the Shield or what Chris Jericho had when he turned on Styles a few weeks back, but Reigns has clearly had a different persona the last few shows. He’s acknowledging boos but not showing too much concern over them, even seemingly taunting the crowd with his smirks and other facial expressions. Further, he is no longer the clear ally to all babyfaces that he once was.
It’s also refreshing that no date has been set for the match between Reigns and Styles, allowing for flexibility.
Here are WWE Smackdown 7th April, 2016 Full Show Results along with Video Highlights:
Vaudevillains def. Lucha Dragons
The Vaudevillains, Aiden English and Simon Gotch, get a good reaction and end up double-teaming Kalisto, the United States champion, for the win. This is the Vaudevillains debut on the main roster, as advertised on Monday’s episode of RAW.
The WWE writers need to make up their mind on the Lucha Dragons. If Kalisto is going to be a singles title contender long-term, having him losing to main-roster newcomers doesn’t make a whole ton of sense. If he’s going to drop the U.S. title and return to the tag division, that needs to happen soon so the Lucha Dragons can get back on track as a team.
Natalya def. Summer Rae
With WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and her father, Ric Flair, on commentary, Natalya gets Summer Rae in a Sharpshooter to pick up the victory. Afterward, Charlotte and Natalya stare each other down without incident.
This seems to be a clear build toward a serious title feud between Charlotte and Natalya, and that could be a very good thing. As much as fans would want to see Sasha Banks be the next Women’s Champion, Natalya may actually deserve it more. She has long been among the best actual wrestler’s in the women’s division, if not the very best, so it would be very fitting to have her win that belt. Banks will have her day, and one would expect that day will come relatively soon, but Natalya getting her time to shine with a legitimate championship makes a lot of sense.
The Miz def. Zack Ryder (Intercontinental Championship Match)
The Miz is introduced by his wife, Maryse, who appears to be returning to a role in the company. She also interferes in the match, which leads to Miz dropping Ryder with a Skull Crushing Finale to retain his belt.
Also read: WWE Smackdown Results: April 14, 2016 [Video]
This was a tidy way to get Ryder a quick boost on the main roster and perhaps return him to the NXT ranks to work with Mojo Rawley, but it’s an odd decision for a prestigious title within the company. Miz has not been booked strongly at all in recent months, so if he’s not even going to beat Ryder cleanly, the belt would be best suited with another performer that will be perceived in a better light.
Apollo Crews def. Curtis Axel
Crews makes quick work of Axel to pick up the win after receiving a great reception from the crowd.
Crews is one of the more impressive physical talents overall on the roster, even in just his second match after being called up from NXT. He has an incredible blend of size, power and agility, and that would allow him to be a believable victor in almost any match. It shouldn’t be long before he’s booked into one of the mid-card title pictures, and he’d be an asset for either belt before one day becoming a world title contender. As for Axel, he has still yet to find a long-term gimmick that allows him to flourish.
Next is a backstage segment with Becky Lynch, who still says she’s chasing the women’s title, which is interrupted by Emma. This would be an interesting direction to take these women, as it would be Emma’s first main-roster feud, but Becky also doesn’t really need to do much losing if she’s going to be a title contender.
Baron Corbin is up next for another talking segment, this time addressing Dolph Ziggler, whom he beat down Monday on RAW. It’s a shame that Ziggler has become the first guy for NXT call-ups to beat when they enter main-roster programming.
Dean Ambrose def. Tyler Breeze
This one is little more than a squash match, with Ambrose getting a good pop on his return to the ring after WrestleMania. Afterward, he and Jericho cross paths on the ramp and exchange glares.
That would seem to set up a future for these two, who have teased a feud since Jericho was Ambrose and Reigns’ partner for a 2015 feud against the Wyatts. This is only a good idea if Ambrose is going to win the feud. He’s spent far too long as the loser on the main event scene and needs to rebuild himself as a winner again.
This is followed by another vignette for Primo and Epico, who seem set for a return with a new gimmick.
Styles/Cesaro def. Jericho/Owens
With these four, it would be hard for this to be a bad match, and it doesn't disappoint. In the end, Zayn emerges, apparently resisting officials’ efforts to keep him from working “injured.” That’s enough to distract Owens for a roll-up pin by Styles. Owens and Zayn brawl to close the show, with Owens coming out on top.
Zayn and Owens was an obvious feud coming after WrestleMania, although many likely expected it would be for the Intercontinental Championship. With Styles headed for the world title picture, that leaves just Cesaro from this bunch without a clear story going forward. He would be great for a challenger to take the belt off the Miz, and he also wouldn’t be bad for the U.S. title picture although less of a fit because of the heel/face dynamics.
NOTE
There were also some segments involving the Dudleyz, Reigns and Styles that seemed to be not part of the Smackdown show. This also led to Jericho getting hit with finishers by Reigns and Styles, who shook hands at one point but are still obviously rivals.