Friday Night SmackDown Review - May 10, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis Revealed United States Logan Paul as Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes' Next Challenger

For a split second, when Aldis said he was about to introduce Rhodes' next opponent, I thought he might attack him from behind and reveal himself as the new number one contender. Unfortunately, that didn't happen (real ones remember their NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship clash from the first-ever All In event six years ago), but Paul certainly isn't a bad choice. Rhodes vs. Paul is a match I've wanted to see for a while now and Paul obviously has heat, but this feels abrupt, especially with Paul still being the United States champ. I don't like both belts on the line (assuming that's actually the case) because Rhodes doesn't need two titles and LA Knight really should be the one to dethrone Paul.

Nia Jax def. Naomi in a Queen of the Ring First-Round Match

Jax's matches have largely been good since coming back to the company and this was no exception. It helped that the crowd was so behind Naomi throughout and with Jax being so hated as a heel. They had a nice dynamic and made the most of their time. Jax advancing was logical, and although Naomi loses a majority of her singles matches, she's over enough that she won't be worse off after this latest loss.

Carmelo Hayes def. Baron Corbin in a King of the Ring First-Round Match

I thought it was weird two draftees from NXT were put against each other in the first round, but it didn't end up being a problem as they had an entertaining outing and both guys got a chance to shine. Hayes winning was more important following his loss to Rhodes in his SmackDown debut, but Corbin scored plenty of offense and came off like a totally different person than he did the last time he was on the main roster a year ago. He greatly benefited from that NXT return run. Is he going to be a babyface now?

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill def. Piper Niven in a Queen of the Ring First-Round Match

This was another match that exceeded expectations. This could have very easily been a disaster given Cargill's level of experience and there was no telling how well they'd work together. Granted, it was a relatively basic bout, but it was what it needed to be and Cargill was impressive. With this win, she'll be taking on Jax in the next round, and I'm even more curious to see how that plays out.

WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair def. Candice LeRae in a Queen of the Ring First-Round Match

There was zero chance of LeRae beating Belair, but I appreciated that she scored an ample amount of offense and worked over Belair's knee throughout to at least attempt to create some doubt regarding the outcome. LeRae working with the more established stars is the only chance she has of getting over at this point. Belair's knee "injury" will likely be what costs her in the quarterfinals or semifinals.

Tama Tonga def. Angelo Dawkins in a King of the Ring First-Round Match

Bobby Lashley was originally scheduled to face Tonga before being pulled due to a last-minute injury. Nothing against Dawkins, but I would've rather seen Montez Ford in his spot. You can't tell me WWE wanted to protect Ford since Tonga was probably beating Lashley. This was short and sweet. In other Bloodline-related news, Solo Sikoa told Paul Heyman backstage that he's talked with Roman Reigns since WrestleMania 40 and he apparently told Sikoa he's in charge in his absence. Obviously, no one buys that, but they're doing an effective job of keeping the storyline interesting.

Randy Orton def. AJ Styles in a King of the Ring First-Round Match

Orton and Styles have had enough matches over the years that we know exactly what to expect from them, and it was the usual quality stuff from them. They got a ton of time and Styles spent a majority of it working over Orton's knee. Thus, it wasn't the most exciting outing overall, but it was solid. Styles eating another loss puts him back at the same level he was at prior to Backlash, but Orton winning made more sense so he and Tonga can collide in the semifinals.

Overall Show

Much like Monday's Raw, this was fully focused on the King and Queen of the Ring first-round matches (with the other two being saved for a live event this weekend). Unlike on Raw, however, most of the matches didn't receive as much time, but that's what happens when you have only two hours to work with instead of three. Despite that, it was an enjoyable episode that also confirmed a big match for the pay-per-view in Rhodes vs. Paul.

SEE MORE: SmackDown Reviews