WWE SmackDown Results Coverage, Reactions and Highlights for April 12, 2024

It’s Friday night, and you know what that means! The post-WrestleMania XL episode of WWE SmackDown will go down tonight, and Ringside News has got you covered with live play-by-play results coverage for the April 12, 2024 episode.

The start time for WWE SmackDown is 8:00 PM EST. Match-by-match highlights and results from the show will take place on this very page. Feel free to leave any reactions in the comment section below.

WWE SmackDown Lineup (4/12/2024):

• Undisputed WWE Universal Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes will appear on the show
• WWE Women’s Champion Bayley is set to appear on the show
• WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions A-Town Down Under (Austin Theeory and Grayson Waller) to appear
• Fallout from WrestleMania XL
• Triple Threat Match: “The Prize Fighter” Kevins Owens vs. LWO’s WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles
• Triple Threat Match: “The. Mega Star” LA Knight vs. The Pride’s “The All Mighty” Bobby Lashley vs. Legado Del Fantasma’s Santos Escobar

WWE SmackDown Results (4/12/2024):

The show opens up with a video recapping “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes’ win at WrestleMania 40 this past weekend against “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

Corey Graves and Wade Barrett then welcome us to the show as WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes makes his way down to the ring.

Before Rhodes can begin to speak, the crowd starts a “You deserve it!” chant. Rhodes then asks the crowd in Detroit what they want to talk about. Rhodes then says that last week he was interrupted by The Rock and as The Rock was making his way down to the ring, he couldn’t help but think of some wise words from a wise woman and that is, “Who told you it was open mic night, b***h?” Rhodes then says The Rock handed him something Rhodes had gifted to him when this whole thing started.

Rhodes then says he believes The Rock when The Final Boss says he will be looking for him when he returns from Hollywood. Rhodes then says that The Rock doesn’t have to look hard as he will be right here. Rhodes then says until then he is focused on his next challenger. Rhodes then puts over the competitors who will battle for a shot at his title at WWE Backlash. Rhodes then says he has a final message for them all and that is if you come at the king, you best not miss. Rhodes then says he was once undesirable, then became undeniable and then he became Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

New WWE Women’s Champion Bayley and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio were then shown walking backstage.

The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso were then shown standing in front of Cody Rhodes’ locker room. Kevin Owens then walked into the room as Sikoa says he will take care of it. Paul Heyman then tells Sikoa that Rhodes is the champion and winning and losing matters. Heyman then says that by orders of The Tribal Chief The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship needs to return to the Bloodline.

We then get a video hyping up the WWE Intercontinental Championship Match taking place this coming Monday night on RAW from Montreal between WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn vs. Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable.

We then get the entrances of the first match of the night, which is a Triple Threat Match.

Triple Threat Match: “The. Mega Star” LA Knight vs. The Pride’s “The All Mighty” Bobby Lashley vs. Legado Del Fantasma’s Santos Escobar

The match starts off with all three men brawling with each other. Lashley and Knight then double-team Escobar. Escobar then rolls out of the ring. Knight then rolls up Lashley, but Lashley kicks out. Escobar then gets on the apron. Lashley then sends Escobar into the ring. Knight then pulls Lashley under the bottom ropes down to the floor. Escobar then takes both Lashley and Knight out with a tope suicida out of nowhere.

Escobar and Lashley then fight up top. Escobar then pushes Lashley to the mat and Knight climbs up top for a superplex. Lashley then hits a powerbomb on Knight and Escobar from the top rope. Knight then hits Lashley with a crucifix bomb, but Lashley kicks out. Knight then hits a powerslam on Escobar, then calls for the BFT. Angel and Berto then make their way down to the ring to attack Knight. Lashley then lays waste to everyone. The Street Profits then make their way down the ring to make the save. Elektra Lopez then tries to get involved, but B-Fab hits her with boots to her face. Knight then hits the BFT on Escobar for the win.

The winner of the Triple Threat Match to advance to next week’s #1 Contender’s Match, “The Mega Star” LA Knight!

We then head to the back, where the LWO were interviewed. WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio says that whether it was Santos Escobar or Ridge Holland karma was going to bite them. Kayla Braxton then tells Rey Mysterio that Santos Escobar denied attacking Dragon Lee last week, but Mysterio switched topics by saying that he was going to win the No. 1 Contenders’ Triple Threat Qualifying Match later on and that although he was a WWE Hall of Famer, he might have one more championship run in him.

The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman) then make their way down to the ring as they will address the WWE Universe next.

Paul Heyman starts off by introducing himself. Heyman then says on the orders of Roman Reigns, no one offers any excuses as to what happened at WrestleMania. Heyman then says they blame no one who interfered and accountability is important. Heyman then says The Bloodline accepts accountability for what happened and Cody Rhodes took his eye off the ball for once second while being distracted by Solo Sikoa at WrestleMania 39 and allowed for Reigns to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Heyman then says Rhodes flipped the script at WrestleMania 40 and Reigns had a chair in his hand. Heyman then says Reigns could have smashed Rhodes with it, but he didn’t because he had waited for 10 years to get his revenge on Seth “Freakin” Rollins for betraying him during their days in The Shield. Heyman then says Rhodes stayed focused and it was over like that.

Heyman then says like a phoenix rising from the ashes, but before he can finish his sentence, Solo Sikoa captures his attention. Sikoa asks Heyman if winning and losing matters and Heyman nods his head. Sikoa then says there are consequences to losing and consequences means change, then Sikoa pushes Heyman aside and stares Jimmy Uso down. Sikoa then hugs Jimmy and turns his back, but a hooded figure attacks Jimmy Uso. The hooded figure then takes off his hood and reveals himself to be Tama Tonga.

Tonga then beats Jimmy Uso down in the center of the ring and holds him in place. Sikoa then hits Jimmy Uso with four Samoan Spikes and stands tall with Tonga. Sikoa and Tonga then hold up the one sign and Sikoa invites Heyman to join them. Heyman does, but Sikoa grabs his phone and stomps on it to break it. Tonga then grabs a chair from ringside and hands it to Sikoa. Sikoa then puts Jimmy’s head inside it, then nails Jimmy with a Hip Attack. Tonga, Sikoa and Heyman then leave the ring and return to the back.

We then get the entrances of the next match, which is a Singles Match.

Singles Match: Bron Breakker vs. Cameron Grimes

The match starts off with Breakker hitting Grimes with a couple of mat returns. Breakker then turns Grimes inside out with a clothesline using the ropes for extra momentum. Breakker then sends Grimes into the corner. Grimes then responds with a kick and goes to fly, but Breakker catches him mid-air and puts him down. Breakker then follows it up with a spear for the win.

The winner of the Singles Match, Bron Breakker!

We then get a recap of Bayley winning the WWE Women’s Championship at this past weekend’s WrestleMania 40. We then see Bayley walking backstage as we will hear from her next.

We then see AJ Styles speak about the upcoming Triple Threat Match that’s main eventing SmackDown. Styles says that Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens were in the way of something bigger and that tonight would be a taste of what LA Knight would feel next week.

New WWE Women’s Champion Bayley then makes her way down to the ring to address the fans.

Fans chant “you deserve it” to Bayley before she can say anything. Bayley then says it feels good. Bayley then says she is going to soak it in for a little bit and she feels proud to call herself the new WWE Women’s Champion. Bayley then says she has won titles before, but this time it’s different. Bayley then says it’s not because she had to defeat someone she used to call a friend in IYO SKY or because she gets to call herself a champion in the new era, but because of the fans. Bayley then says for the last 11 years of her career, fans have been there through everything. Bayley then says even when she didn’t have anything else to give, fans never gave up on her and stood by her side. Bayley then thanks the fans and looks to announce who her first title defense will be against.

Tiffany Stratton’s music then hits and Stratton makes her way down to the ring. Stratton says it was a little rude she wasn’t given an opportunity at WrestleMania, then says Bayley was clearly building to offer up an open challenge. Stratton then says she accepts and Bayley tells Stratton while it’s nice to meet her, she was not offering an open challenge. Bayley then says she had someone in mind to give a title shot to and that is Naomi. Stratton then takes a shot at Naomi.

Naomi then makes her way down to the ring and embraces Bayley. Stratton then says she and Bayley were in the middle of something and reminds Naomi she has already beaten her. Naomi then says Stratton tried her on the wrong night and while Stratton has beaten her before, she has earned everything she has in WWE. Naomi then says she doesn’t plan on stopping, then tells Bayley she can’t accept her offer for a title shot until she faces Stratton.

We then see Kayla Braxton standing in front of the doctor’s office as she discusses what happened between Jimmy Uso and Tama Tonga earlier in the broadcast. Paul Heyman then steps out of the room with a concerned look on his face and was confronted by Tama Tonga, who says “by orders of the Tribal Chief.” Sikoa then appears next to Tonga as the two leaves together. Heyman then wonders what it all meant.

We then head back to ringside for the next match of the night, which is a Singles Match.

Singles Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi

The match starts off with Naomi hitting Stratton with a kick to her chest as Bayley watches on from ringside. Naomi follows it up with a leg drop and begins to wear down Stratton’s arm, but Stratton responds with shoulders to Naomi’s midsection in the corner. Naomi then blasts Stratton with a knee, but Stratton sends Naomi crashing into the ropes and nails her with a Hip Attack. Stratton then hits Naomi with stomps, but Naomi responds with a dropkick. Stratton then hits Naomi with a shoulder to her midsection, then sends her crashing into the ring post face first.

Naomi then hits Stratton with a back elbow and follows it up with a couple of running crossbodies and a kick off the ropes. Naomi then hits Stratton with a dropkick in the corner. Naomi then hits Stratton with a split legged leg drop, but Stratton responds with a double stomp and an Alabama Slam. Stratton then goes for the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, but Naomi moves out of the way. Naomi then hits Stratton with a jackknife pinfall for the win.

The winner of the Singles Match, Naomi!

We then get a video of A-Town Down Under (Grayson Waller and Austin Theory) celebrating their win of the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 40.

We then head to the office of SmackDown General Manger Nick Aldis, who has the Street Profits and the New Catch Republic with him. Aldis says that they will find a challenger for Austin Theory and Grayson Waller next week.

We then see WWE United States Champion Logan Paul at his house cutting a promo about how his successful his WrestleMania weekend was defending his title. Paul then boasted about how he had a hand at WrestleMania’s success.

We then see footage from earlier today of Chelsea Green and Piper Niven talking to SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, who told them that he had some opponents in mind for them.

We then get the entrances of the next match, which is a Tag Team Match.

Tag Team Match: Jade Cargill and “The EST Of WWE” Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven

The match starts off with Green and Belair. Belair hits a spinebuster on Green. Niven then tags in and tells Cargill to join her in the ring. Belair then looks to tag Cargill in, but Niven grabs her hair before she can. Niven then sends Belair crashing into the mat, then nails her with a cannonball in the corner. Niven then looks for a Vader Bomb, but Belair avoids it and Green tags in. Cargill then tags in and hits the Jaded on Green for the win.

The winners of the Tag Team Match, Jade Cargill and “The EST Of WWE” Bianca Belair!

We then see Kevin Owens backstage with Byron Saxton. Owens wonders about the cool camera shots they have been doing recently, then he grabs Saxton’s mic and starts talking about his upcoming match with WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio and “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles. The camera then followed Kevin Owens as he makes his way down to the ring with a custom Detroit Tigers championship belt.

The lineup for next week’s episode of WWE SmackDown is then announced.

We then get the other entrances of the main event, which is a Triple Threat Match.

Triple Threat Match: “The Prize Fighter” Kevins Owens vs. LWO’s WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles

The match starts off with Styles brawling with Owens. Owens then clotheslines Styles out of the ring. Rey then looks to hit his signature baseball slide on Styles, but Styles catches Rey on the apron and hits him with a Death Valley Driver. Owens then sends Styles crashing over the barricade and nails him with a cannonball to squash him between himself and the barricade. Mysterio then hits Owens with a senton off the apron.

Styles then hits a Pele Kick on Owens. Mysterio then hits Styles with a boot, then looks to jump off the ropes. Styles then catches Mysterio and hands him over to Owens, but Mysterio counters into a hurricanrana on Owens and a Tornado DDT on Styles. Mysterio then trips Styles to send him into the ropes and looks for a 619. Styles then catches Mysterio and sends him crashing into the mat, then nails Owens with a facebuster. Styles then delivers a couple of right hands on Owens, then sits him on the top turnbuckle. Owens then nails Styles with a headbutt, but Mysterio joins Owens on the ropes and hits him with a superplex.

Owens then hits Styles with a superkick, then looks to follow it up with a pop-up powerbomb. Styles then avoids it and hits a Pele Kick on Owens, then sets up for a Styles Clash. Rey then jumps and lands on Owens and Styles before Owens hits a German suplex on Rey and Styles. Rey then sends Styles crashing into the ropes and hits a 619, but Owens nails Rey with a Stunner on the apron. Owens then climbs to the top and looks to hit a Swanton Bomb on Styles, but Styles gets his knees up and climbs to the middle rope. Rey then joins Styles, but Styles takes Rey down with a Styles Clash and lands on top of Owens. Styles then pins Rey for the win.

The winner of the Triple Threat Match to advance to next week’s #1 Contender’s Match, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles!

After the match, LA Knight makes his way down to the ring and stares Styles down as the show comes to a close.