 Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes Addressed His Next Potential ChallengerRhodes didn't say anything out of the ordinary here compared to the promo he cut on Monday's Raw, but it was standard stuff and I liked how he ran through everyone who would competing in the qualifying matches later in the night. You'd think Rhodes would be a full-time SmackDown Superstar now that he's holding the blue brand's top title, but I'm not sure if that's been made official yet. LA Knight def. Santos Escobar and Bobby Lashley to Advance to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship No. 1 Contender's MachThe styles of these three were all very different and that made for a slightly unorthodox match, but it was still pretty good and they made the most of the time they had. The interference from Legado del Fantasma and The Pride canceled out as Knight was able to pick up the victory, which was the correct choice. Maybe this means we'll be getting a Legado vs. Pride feud going forward (unless they end up on separate shows in the Draft)? The Bloodline Attacked Jimmy UsoThis was the development the Bloodline saga has desperately needed for some time now. Roman Reigns losing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40 was the first step and Sikoa stepping up in his absence was what I wanted to see. Not only that, but he's gotten rid of the dead weight in Jimmy and recruited the debuting Tama Tonga, whose WWE arrival has been rumored for a few months. This was a strong segment with everyone involved playing their roles really well, including Paul Heyman. Bron Breakker def. Cameron GrimesWith WrestleMania season in the rear view and Breakker no longer one-half of the NXT Tag Team Champions, hopefully we can really get going with his push on SmackDown now. I feel bad for Grimes, who I'm a fan of and want see showcased, but this was all about Breakker and giving him a dominant, one-sided victory. It was exactly what it needed to be. Props to Grimes for doing a terrific job selling Breakker's offense as well. WWE Women's Champion Bayley Addressed the Audience; Naomi def. Tiffany StrattonBayley's first promo as champion was what you'd expect, but the crowd ate it up. Stratton interrupting her was a pleasant surprise as she's been spinning her wheels the last few months due to not being on the WrestleMania card. I didn't love her suffering her first main roster loss here, but she'll have no issue bouncing back. The match was decent and it sets up Naomi challenging Bayley for the WWE Women's Championship on next week's show. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair def. Chelsea Green and Piper NivenIt looks like Cargill and Belair are moving forward as tag team partners for the foreseeable future, which is super cool to see. This was an extension of what we saw on Raw where Cargill destroyed Green in 30 seconds or so. This lasted a little longer, but not by much. Considering they beat Damage CTRL at WrestleMania, I have to assume the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship will soon be in Cargill and Belair's sights. AJ Styles def. Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens to Advance to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship No. 1 Contender's MachThis was easily the better of the two Triple Threat matches on this show. The other one wasn't bad at all, but Styles, Mysterio and Owens have that built-in chemistry from past encounters and gelled exceptionally well here. Despite not receiving a ton of time, it was a very fun main event with great action and a fantastic finishing sequence that couldn't have been executed any better. Styles and Knight is the perfect number one contender's match for next Friday night. Overall ShowThis was on par with Monday's Raw in that it was very enjoyable on the whole and successfully set the tone for what's to come heading into Backlash and the Draft. It wasn't the post-WrestleMania-type of episode in that there were several surprises and debuts, though the Bloodline segment stood out and Tonga's debut was handled brilliantly. I'm just here for quality, coherent booking and we got that with this edition of SmackDown, so I have no complaints.
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