WWE SmackDown Results Coverage, Reactions and Highlights for April 26, 2024

It’s Friday night, and you know what that means! The WWE Draft Night 1 episode of SmackDown will go down tonight, and Ringside News has got you covered with live play-by-play results coverage for the April 26, 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 (4/26/2024):

• 2024 WWE Draft Night 1
• Undisputed WWE Championship Contract Signing between Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes and “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles
• CM Punk will make his return
• Tag Team Match: LWO (WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Angel and Berto)
• What’s next for The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and “His MFT” Tama Tonga)

WWE SmackDown Results (4/26/2024):

The show opens up with a video of Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes signing weight belts backstage. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles was then shown walking outside the building. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair was then shown walking backstage. We then head to the arena, where a draft podium was set up. Corey Graves and Wade Barrett then welcomes us to the show and Graves goes over the rules of the 2024 WWE Draft.

We then head to the back, where Kayla Braxton is with Special Counsel WWE Hall of Famer “The Wiseman” Paul Heyman. Heyman starts off by saying that “The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns has withdrawn from the 2024 WWE draft. Heyman then says it’s not a negative, but a positive. Heyman then runs down all of Reigns’ accomplishments and asks why he would hog the No. 1 draft pick spotlight when he won’t be returning in the immediate future. Heyman then says the pressure is now on SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and he is intrigued.

We then head to Jackie Redmond, who is in Orlando at the WWE Performance Center. The crowd is loud as NXT Superstars sat in chairs. Redmond then asks who is next and sends it back to SmackDown, where Corey Graves is standing in the middle of the ring. Graves then announces he will be moderating the upcoming contract signing.

“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles makes his way down to the ring first for the Undisputed WWE Championship Contract Signing for their match at Backlash France. Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes makes his way down to the ring next.

Corey Graves hands the contract over to AJ Styles and he looks it over as fans voice their support for Cody Rhodes. Styles starts off by saying before he signs the contract two Georgia boys are ready to mix it up for the biggest prize in the game. Styles then says he understands why fans boo him, but he doesn’t respect LA Knight as Knight gets under his skin. Styles then says he got his composure back and realized that he is phenomenal, which is how he beat Knight last week and secured his Undisputed WWE Championship Match with Rhodes at Backlash. Styles then addresses Rhodes and says while they haven’t yet crossed paths, they both had to prove themselves outside WWE. Styles then says Dusty Rhodes gave them both the same advice about standing on their own two feet and going their own way. Styles then says the weight isn’t just of leather and gold and at Backlash, he carries it. Styles then signs the contract.

Cody Rhodes then asks Cincinnati what they want to talk about and says they could talk about respect. Rhodes then says there is not a locker room on earth where everyone doesn’t respect Styles. Rhodes then says he respects the roads Styles has traveled to get to WWE, but the respect goes to the wayside at Backlash. Rhodes then says he respects Styles’ familiarity with his last name, but when he puts his first name in front of his last, they have never met before. Rhodes then says his match with Styles isn’t a dream match, but a must win. Rhodes then signs the contract and offers his hand to Styles. Styles then tells Rhodes it’s a shame his reign has to end at Backlash, then shakes his hand and heads to the back. Rhodes then picks up his title and holds it above his head.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque then makes his way out for the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft.

Triple H welcomes everyone to the first round of the 2024 WWE Draft and he is joined by Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes. Triple H then talks about the RAW and SmackDown General Managers, then says Rhodes will be staying on SmackDown. Rhodes then announces that Bianca Belair is the Number One Draft pick to SmackDown. Triple H then says “Main Event” Jey Uso has been drafted to RAW as the number two pick. Rhodes then announces that Carmelo Hayes has been drafted to SmackDown as the number three pick. Triple H then announces that Seth “Freakin” Rollins is the number four pick and he has been drafted to RAW.

Carmelo Hayes then makes his way out with a microphone in hand. Hayes starts off by saying when they talk about who is next up and who’s the hottest out, they call him. A “Whoop That Trick” chant then breaks out. Hayes then speaks to Cody Rhodes and says when he shoots, he doesn’t miss and as a first round draft pick, he couldn’t think of a better way to shoot his shot than to shoot it against Cody. Hayes then puts the microphone down. Cody then picks the microphone up and teases with the crowd about the possibility of him wrestling tonight. Cody then accepts Hayes’ challenge for later in the show.

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

Tag Team Match: LWO (WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Angel and Berto)

The match starts off with Berto and Dragon Lee. Berto blasts Lee with a clothesline, but Lee responds with a hurricanrana, then goes flying out of the ring to land on Berto. Lee then gets Berto back in the ring and climbs to the top, then hits Berto with a crossbody. Rey then hits Angel with a hurricanrana and climbs to the top. Rey then hits Angel with a senton and a boot to Angel’s midsection, then follows it up with a Code Red and goes for a pin. Angel then kicks out and Berto tries to nail Rey. Rey then sends Berto over the top rope and out of the ring, then sends him crashing into the ropes and tags Lee in. Rey then hits Angel with the 619 and Lee follows it up with then Project Dragon for the win.

The winners of the Tag Team Match, LWO!

After the match, LWO celebrates inside the ring. Santos Escobar and Elektra Lopez then make their way out and Escobar says he is not a liar. Escobar then says he didn’t attack Dragon Lee and plays security footage of Carlito being the one who attacked Lee. Carlito then sends Lee crashing into Rey Mysterio and hits Lee with a backstabber. Carlito then retreats through the crowd.

Bron Breakker makes his way down to the ring for the next match and Cedric Alexander is already waiting.

Singles Match: Bron Breakker vs. Cedric Alexander

The match starts off with Alexander looking to hit a springboard cutter on Breakker. Breakker stops Alexander and hits him with a spear for the win.

The winner of the Singles Match, Bron Breakker!

A video of what transpired last week between WWE Women’s Champion Bayley, Naomi and Tiffany Stratton is then shown.

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis was then shown walking out of his office and he was stopped by Tiffany Stratton. Stratton asks Aldis for a title match and Aldis says that tonight Stratton will face Naomi once again and the winner will face Bayley at Backlash for the WWE Women’s Championship. Stratton then asks whose idea that was and Bayley enters, saying it was her idea. Stratton then invites Bayley to sit at ringside during the match later.

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson were then shown coming out of separate rooms, walking to the ring to make the next draft announcements with Wilson representing RAW and McCool representing SmackDown.

Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson then make their way out and McCool announces that Randy Orton is the number five draft pick and will remain on SmackDown. Wilson then says that the number six draft pick will be heading to Raw and reveals him to be Bron Breakker. McCool then says that the number seven draft pick for SmackDown is Nia Jax. Wilson then says that the number eight pick is Liv Morgan who will be remaining on RAW.

A video recapping The Bloodline’s brutal attack on Kevin Owens last week was then shown.

Paul Heyman was then shown backstage waiting and a car pulls up. Heyman opens the car door and Solo Sikoa exits the vehicle. Sikoa asks Heyman if the Bloodline got drafted yet and Heyman says no. Sikoa then asks for all the details. Heyman then says Reigns withdrew from the draft and nobody knows what they are getting if the Bloodline will be drafted now. Tama Tonga then appears from the other side of the car. Sikoa then tells Heyman to repeat what he said. Kevin Owens then shows up out of nowhere and attacks Tonga. Officials then rushes in to break things up.

Kayla Braxton was then shown standing in the entrance way and she brings Bianca Belair out. Braxton then asks Belair about the tag match at Backlash between herself and Jade Cargill vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors. Belair says she has had a lot of history with Damage CTRL and Jade Cargill is the perfect person to help her deal with Damage CTRL. Belair then says the Kabuki Warriors won’t have a reason to show up to SmackDown after they win the Women’s Tag Team Titles at Backlash. Asuka and Kairi Sane then make their way out and hold up their titles. Jade Cargill’s music then hits and Cargill makes her way out to stand next to Belair. All four women are then at each other’s faces.

Owens and Tonga are then shown brawling out of the entrance way and into the ring. Owens then continues his attack on Tonga, but Sikoa makes his way out and attacks Owens to give the Bloodline the upper hand. Tonga then beats up random security personnel. Randy Orton’s music then hits and Orton makes his way down to the ring to make the save. Orton goes for an RKO on Sikoa, but Sikoa escapes. Orton and Owens then stand together in the ring and Owens hugs Orton.

Bubba Ray Dudley was then shown coming out of the SmackDown draft room and making his way out, while D-Von was shown coming out of the RAW draft room and making his way out.

Bubba Ray announces that the ninth pick is LA Knight and he will remain on SmackDown. D-Von then announces that the tenth pick is Ricochet and that he will stay on RAW. Bubba Ray then says that the eleventh pick is Solo Sikoa, Sikoa’s “MFT” Tama Tonga and Paul Heyman and that The Bloodline will remain on SmackDown. D-Von then says that the twelfth pick is Sheamus and he will remain on RAW.

We then get the entrances of the next match, which is a #1 Contender’s Match for the WWE Women’s Championship.

WWE Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi

The match starts off with Naomi hitting Stratton with a Thesz Press. Stratton then rolls out of the ring and Naomi hits Stratton with a dropkick through the bottom rope. Naomi then sends Stratton’s face bouncing off the ring apron, then gets her back inside the ring. Naomi then climbs to the top and looks to fly, but Stratton moves out of the way and sends Naomi crashing into the middle rope. Naomi then hits Stratton with a split legged crossbody off the apron. Stratton then hits Naomi with a spinebuster. Naomi then responds with a Sunset Flip on Stratton, then sends Stratton’s head crashing into the mat. Stratton then hits Naomi with a jawbreaker, but Naomi responds with an enzuigiri. Nia Jax then blindsides Bayley at the commentary desk, then sends her crashing into the ring post. Naomi then goes to help Bayley, but Jax attacks Naomi and the referee calls for the bell.

The winner of the #1 Contender’s Match via DQ, Naomi!

After the match, Stratton sets Naomi and Bayley up and climbs to the top rope. Stratton then hits Naomi and Bayley with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the second week in a row. Stratton then poses to end the segment.

We then head to the back, where Byron Saxton is interviewing the Street Profits and B-Fab. B-Fab says they are going to take the heels down and Austin Theory and Grayson Waller then appears and start talking trash. “The All Mighty” Bobby Lashley then shows up and scares Theory and Waller off. We then see the Authors of Pain attack Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne as Karrion Kross sends a message to the WWE roster, while Scarlett and Paul Ellering look on.

Teddy Long was then shown coming out of the SmackDown draft room and making his way out, JBL was shown coming out of the RAW draft room and making his way out.

Teddy Long announces that AJ Styles is the thirteenth overall pick and he will be staying on SmackDown. JBL then says that the fourteenth overall pick is Alpha Academy and they will be staying on RAW. Long then says the fifteenth overall pick is Andrade and he will be moving to SmackDown. JBL then announces that Kiana James is the sixteenth overall pick and she will be heading to RAW.

A video package was then shown on Kiana James. Jackie Redmond is then interviewing James in Orlando. James says being drafted means the world to her, but she is ready to show RAW why James is the One Percent. Shawn Michaels then appears and whispers something into James’ ear. Michaels and James then hugs.

A video package recapping Trick Williams winning the WWE NXT Championship this past Tuesday night was then shown.

We then head to the back, where Kayla Braxton is interviewing SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis. Aldis says he feels good about his draft selections. Aldis then announces that Bayley will defend her WWE Women’s Champion against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton in a Triple Threat Match at Backlash. Teddy Long then announces that Kevin Owens and Randy Orton will face The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga) at Backlash.

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

We then get the entrances of the main event, which is a Singles Match.

Singles Match: Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes vs. Carmelo Hayes

The match starts off with Cody Rhodes hitting Carmelo Hayes with his signature open palm strike, but Hayes responds with a springboard lariat on Rhodes. Rhodes then hits Hayes with a clothesline of his own. Rhodes then delivers some strikes on Hayes. Hayes then responds with a boot to Rhodes’ midsection, then follows it up with a couple of strikes on Rhodes and puts his boot into Rhodes’ neck in the corner. Hayes and Rhodes then exchange chops before Rhodes hits Hayes with a back body drop. Rhodes then hits Hayes with a shoulder tackle, but Hayes responds with a facebuster and a Fade Away. Rhodes then looks for his Cross-Rhodes finisher on Hayes, but instead rolls Hayes up and Hayes kicks out.

Rhodes then hits Hayes with the Disaster Kick, then follows it up with a running powerslam and goes for a pin. Hayes then kicks out and Rhodes hits Hayes with a Cody Cutter. Rhodes then goes for another pin, but Hayes kicks out. Hayes then hits Rhodes with The First 48 and climbs to the top, then goes for Nothing But Net. Rhodes avoids it and hits Hayes with a superkick. Rhodes then hits Hayes with the Cross-Rhodes for the win.

The winner of the Singles Match, Undisputed WWE Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes!

After the match, Rhodes celebrates his win with the WWE Universe and holds up his Undisputed WWE Championship. AJ Styles then appears and he stares Rhodes down. Both men then shake hands as the show comes to a close.